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Paradise for pet-loving travellers

Above Bored is on a quiet street in North Perth. Picture: Gemma Nisbet

If you've ever headed off on a trip with a sense of sadness to be leaving your beloved cat or dog in a kennel or in the care of friends, Above Bored Bed and Breakfast may well be your idea of holiday paradise.

Not only does the bed and breakfast establishment, in a 1927 character home on a quiet street in North Perth, accept canine and feline guests, it positively welcomes them.

"We're pet-friendly - cats and dogs can sleep inside," says owner Sarah Rossetti, who juggles running the business with her work as an award-winning screenwriter.

There's no limit on size, either: "We had one dog in the backyard as big as a young horse," Dr Rossetti says.

Children are equally welcome - indeed, there's a popular dog park a few minutes walk in one direction, and a playground a few minutes walk in the other.

"We like to say, children and pets are welcome, and we even like adults."

This approach is indicative of the welcoming, informal atmosphere at Above Bored, where there's no formal check-in or check-out. "Guests get a code to let themselves in and they can just pull the door closed behind them when they leave," Dr Rossetti says.

There's a choice of three rooms at the property: the master bedroom which has a fireplace, an ensuite bathroom and French doors opening to the courtyard garden; the king twin bedroom, which can be configured with a king-size bed or two singles and has a separate bathroom across the hallway; and the very private garden room, set in a separate cottage in the garden, with a queen-size wrought-iron bed, ensuite, kitchenette, desk and its own garage.

There's also a guest lounge inside the main house, where guests can eat breakfast (included in the room rate for the master and king twin rooms, along with wi-fi), watch television or read on the couch. The location is also a plus - a five-minute drive to the city, and close to major bus routes, but with plenty of cafes and restaurants in the area, and ample free parking.

Throughout the property, the decor is keeping with the style of the original house, with arty touches.

"There's a lot of art in here," Dr Rossetti says - including a fresco painted by Graeme Richards in the king twin bedroom's bathroom. Depicting an underwater scene, the fresco was inspired by the short film Pilbara Pearl, which Dr Rossetti wrote.

Her other credits include everything from an episode of Home and Away to feature films, children's television series and documentaries, and in 2008 she completed a doctorate in media studies at Murdoch University. (Her current project is The Reef Ascendant, a feature film set on the Ningaloo coast.) Indeed, it was her work as a screenwriter which initially drove Dr Rossetti to start Above Bored 11 years ago.

"We owned the house as a rental property but the kids overran my office at home," she explains. She set up the bed and breakfast, with space for her office at the rear of the house, and later moved in full-time in 2005.

The kids are now grown-up and living overseas and Dr Rossetti says that running Above Bored - with the help of housekeepers for the cleaning - allows her time and space to write.

"I love the fact that there are people around and having that interaction with guests," she says. And while she's always just "a knock of the door away", she's also tries to be sensitive and unobtrusive - there's no hovering host here.

The guests tend to be a diverse bunch, coming from around WA, interstate and overseas. There

are people on holiday and people on business. Honeymooners

have come to stay, as well as travellers from as far afield as the Czech Republic, the UK, US and South Africa. Many are return visitors. "They like that it's not a formal hotel," Dr Rossetti says.


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·Above Bored is at 14 Norham Street, North Perth. Rates are from $180 per night for one person and from $190 for two. Guests who stay a week receive their eighth night free, and there are special rates for guests booking more than one room. abovebored.com.au or 9444 5455.