Swan River, Perth
www.theraftperth.com.au
A Fabulous View
We boarded the tender at Barrack Street Jetty for the short trip out to Perth’s newest event venue – The Raft – permanently moored on the Swan River (31°57’40.0″S 115°51’03.2″E to be precise). What an amazing venue this is, with an incredible view of Elizabeth Quay and Perth City over the water. It would be a magical We boarded the tender at Barrack Street Jetty for the short trip out to Perth’s newest event venue – The Raft – permanently moored on the Swan River (31°57’40.0″S 115°51’03.2″E to be precise). What an amazing venue this is, with an incredible view of Elizabeth Quay and Perth City over the water. It would be a magical place for a wedding reception, party or corporate function.
Modern, spacious and open, the use of stone, wood and tiles in earthy colours creates a resort-like atmosphere of understated luxury.
A selection of tall tables and shorter ones provides a variety of seating to choose from, and there are potted palms scattered around.
A retractable roof and blinds can enclose the venue in the event of rainy weather, but are usually open to take advantage of Perth’s generally pleasant climate. The west side has a solid wall to protect patrons from the prevailing wind, broken by five huge porthole windows allowing you to enjoy the view of South Perth, Kings Park and the Narrows Bridge. The east side is open (when not raining), with the marvellous cityscape across the water adding to the “wow” factor.
The 40-person tender travels back and forth between The Raft and Barrack Street Jetty every half hour or so, allowing you to disembark whenever you please.
The Raft is fully licensed with the emphasis on local producers, premium wines and craft beers from Margaret River and the Perth Hills, as well as featuring spirits from local distilleries such as Old Young’s (Swan Valley) and Little Things Gin (Cottesloe). The food on board is supplied exclusively by caterers Heyder & Shears, focusing on seasonal West Australian produce delivering fresh, innovative and delicious cuisine catering for seated tables or cocktail finger food, depending on the event.
The official maiden voyage on Sunday 27 September 2020 immediately sold out – despite the $200 ticket price. The venue hosts regular events such as Salty Sundays ($50 tickets including a free drink on arrival) and Bottomless Brunch (tables of three, six or eight available with food and drinks supplied). You can hire the entire venue for your own function, with a capacity of 250 attendees.
Starting life as a floating fireworks barge, the conversion to a premier event space was the brainchild of Katie Chrystal and her brother Dan Chrystal, and the project took about five years from the initial concept to reaching fruition. Their family business Caterlink, supplies commercial kitchen equipment and, in conjunction with Moffat, they designed the bar and food service areas. Brian Garcia, Moffat’s State Sales Manager WA says, “We utilized leading market brands such as Convotherm and Turbofan while setting up the kitchen facilities on board.”
By Georgina Goss
