Raffles Hotel

The Raffles Hotel sits at 67 Canning Beach Road in Applecross, a riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was one of Bon Scott's favourite drinking spots — a big rock 'n' roll pub where he was a regular both on stage and at the bar throughout the 1970s. The Raffles is also central to one of the most literal interpretations of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell."

Canning Highway runs from Fremantle — where Bon Scott lived — and ends at the Raffles. As the highway approaches the pub, it dips into a steep decline. So many people were killed driving fast over the intersection at the top of the hill on their way for a night out that locals dubbed it "the highway to hell." When Bon sang "No stop signs… speed limits… nobody gonna slow me down," he was describing the nightly pilgrimage down Canning Highway to the Raffles. "Ain't nothing I would rather do. Going down, party time, my friends are gonna be there too."

While the song's title is often attributed to a phrase Angus Young used to describe touring in America, the Canning Highway connection is the more literal explanation — and the one that Perth locals have always known. The Raffles was the destination at the end of that highway: a loud, sweaty, rock 'n' roll pub where Bon and his mates drank and watched bands play.

The building dates to the early twentieth century and was extensively upgraded in 1937 with a distinctive Art Deco facade designed by architect William G. Bennett, coinciding with the construction of the nearby Canning Bridge. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Raffles was one of Perth's premier live music venues, attracting the most popular local and interstate acts. It was the kind of pub where bands cut their teeth and where the crowd came to drink hard and hear loud rock 'n' roll.

The Raffles is still open today, though it has evolved from a rowdy rock pub into a more upmarket dining and bar venue with river views. The Art Deco facade remains, and it still operates as a hotel and entertainment space. For AC/DC fans tracing Bon Scott's Perth, the Raffles is an essential stop alongside the Fremantle spots — his childhood home, his statue on Fishing Boat Harbour, and the stretch of Canning Highway that connects them all.