Choose from 45 Fun Things to Do in Perth
Kalbarri National Park
Practical Info
Esperance
Practical Info
Fremantle Prison
- General admission to the prison’s Visitor Centre and exhibition area is free, but the prison itself can only be visited as part of a guided tour.
- On-site facilities include paid parking, restrooms, a gift shop, and a café.
- Wear comfortable shoes—prison tours require a lot of walking and the ground is uneven in some places.
- Fremantle Prison is wheelchair accessible, but certain tours and areas (for example, the underground tunnels) are not suitable for those with limited mobility.
Elizabeth Quay
Practical Info
Kings Park & Botanic Garden
Perth’s sprawling Kings Park crowns a hilltop of natural bushland on the city’s western border. Taking up 1,000 acres (400.5 hectares) of parklands, botanic gardens and bushland, the park was established in 1872.
Western Australia is known for its superb array of wildflowers and flowering trees, and Kings Park is one of the best places in the state to see them.
Visit during September for the spring wildflower display, or year round to take the elevated Federation Walkway across the treetops.
Take a free guided walk, or follow the signs to see the state’s iconic trees, including karri, jarrah, native Christmas trees and pines. The restaurants, cafes and kiosks in the park offer a range of meals and refreshments to recharge your batteries.
Practical Info
Free buses run to Kings Park from the city center, or you can walk there in around 15 minutes via St. George’s Terrace.
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
Practical Info
Hillarys Boat Harbour
Practical Info
Boranup Karri Forest
Practical Info
Lancelin Sand Dunes
Practical Info
Margaret River
- The Margaret River wine region is a must-visit for wine lovers and foodies.
- Choose between a full-day or multi-day tour through the region.
- Day trips to Margaret River from Perth can last upwards of 13 hours.
City Beach
City Beach is one of the two major beaches in the suburb of City Beach, about a twenty minute drive from the city center. City Beach is the people-pleaser of Perth’s beaches. Clean and uncrowded, the beach attracts surfers, families and backpackers.
City Beach is relatively small compared to other beaches around Perth, giving it an intimate feel. The sand is white and soft, and often the site of impromptu beach volleyball games and beach cricket. A surf life club runs regular training and competitions for its members. Green lawns behind the beach provide the perfect place for picnics.
It’s really all about the water at a beach though, and City Beach doesn’t disappoint. The surf is calm enough for swimmers (and the surf lifesavers ensure it’s safe). The shore break is often populated by surfers, and the waves are highly suited to those just starting out, though surfers of an intermediate level won’t be disappointed. Kitesurfing, and the slightly less intense windsurfing are also popular water-bound activities.
As well as the surf lifesaving club, facilities include a playground, kiosk, toilets, showers and a boardwalk to the neighboring Floreat Beach. Extensive dunes along the coast are closed to visitors, but home to hawks, mice and rabbits. City Beach is also the scenic end to the Perth City to Surf marathon each August.
Practical Info
Fitzgerald River National Park
Practical Info
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
Practical Info
Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA)
The outstanding Aquarium of Western Australia surrounds you with all the fishy creatures of the Southern Ocean. Innovative underwater tunnels and walkways get you up-close and personal with the turtles, fish, sharks and rays swimming overhead.
Other attractions include playful seals and reefs of coral, wiggly jellyfish and graceful sea dragons.
If you dare, you can scuba dive with sharks in the Shipwreck Coast feature aquarium.
Practical Info
AQWA is in Hillarys Boat Harbour, a 20 minute drive north from Perth via the Mitchell Freeway.
To get here by public transport, catch a Joondalup train from central Perth. Get off at Warwick station, then catch a local bus to AQWA.
London Court
Built in 1937 for residential and commercial purposes, the Elizabethan arcade was constructed to look like an English street in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. A series of ‘small houses’ with window boxes, the structure of London Court is not the only element of the arcade hearkening to times past.
Ornate entrances with wrought iron gates and giant clocks mark both ends of the arcade at Hay Street Mall and St George’s Terrace. The Hay Street Mall clock shows four mechanised knights jousting as the clock chimes every quarter hour. The clock at the St George’s Terrace entrance depicts a miniature scene of St George battling the dragon. Gargoyles, shields, wrought iron brackets, masks, gabled roofs and even weather cocks complete the Elizabethan theme.
A number of boutique retail stores occupy London Court. Aboriginal Art and Pigeonhole, selling art and homewares; Sweets of London, specializing in British confectionery and groceries; and the ‘olde worlde’ Antiques and Heirlooms are just some of the eclectic mix of businesses that occupy the building.
Practical Info
Art Gallery of Western Australia
The gallery was founded in July 1895. Since its inception, the gallery has aimed to enrich Western Australia with great collections of art, bringing the art of the world to the state. In partnership with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the gallery is presenting six exhibitions of work drawn from MoMA’s extensive collection between 2012 and 2015.
Despite celebrating art from around the world, the gallery places a large emphasis on the arts of Australia and the Indian Ocean Rim. Programs, exhibitions and events are influenced heavily by art both local and close international proximity. This includes the permanent State Art Collection, showcasing Indigenous art and Western Australian art and design.
The Art Gallery of Western Australia hosts a wide range of exhibitions, which have included celebrations of Egyptian art, entries to the Tom Malone Prize, and contemporary photography of New York. Year 12 Perspectives is a recurring exhibition of art by some of the most talented graduating high school artists in the state that highlights the role the arts play in the development of self.
Practical Info
Monkey Mia
Practical Info
Karijini National Park
Practical Info
Cottesloe Beach
Cottesloe Beach’s Indian Ocean waves and sugar-like sand make you forget quite easily that you're in the middle of a major Australian city. When you’re lying on a beach towel, gazing out at the clear turquoise water, listening to kids splash around and feeling the soft white sand beneath your fingers, you’d almost think you were on a tropical Caribbean island. That’s the magic of Perth – all the urban features you need and idyllic beaches to get away from it all. Cott, as it’s affectionately known, is anchored by Indiana, a restaurant housed in a beautiful building where you can sip a cocktail and enjoy a spectacular Indian Ocean sunset. Beware Sunday afternoons when the beach becomes crowded with local teenagers who walk down from the adjacent neighborhood.