Things to Do in Perth – We arrived in Perth on a rainy and tumultuous day, after our flight from Melbourne was cancelled. The reception was not the best and the rain was even more discouraging. When we left New Zealand in winter, we were looking for sun, beach and a little bit of heat – but we arrived in the coldest week in decades!
Due to the delay in arrival, we disembarked after business hours and were unable to pick up the car we had rented, nor activate our cards at the bank as we had planned. It was not a good start to our relationship with the city.
We soon set off on our short trip through South West Australia and when we returned to Perth to begin our first house sitting in the country, the weather was completely different. Sunshine and blue skies. Perth was finally showing us its best face.
Perth, Australia: The Most Isolated Big City in the World
When we accepted a house sitting offer in the city, all we knew about Perth was that, unlike all the other major Australian cities, it was on the West Coast, across the vast desert and that it was the birthplace of the late actor Heath Ledger. Other than that, we were quite excited to be going to a part of Australia that few people get to visit due to its remoteness.
And add isolation to that. Adelaide, the nearest major city, is over 2,000 kilometers away. Going from Perth to Adelaide is the equivalent of going from London to Moscow!
Perth, The only Large City in Western Australia
Perth surprised us with its size. It is the largest and only major city in all of Western Australia, a business hub for executives from the east and a gateway to Southeast Asia.
After spending so much time traveling through tiny towns and empty roads in New Zealand, arriving in Perth was a shock due to the stark contrast. Traffic, multi-lane roads, skyscrapers and big brand stores in the city center.
But even though it is still huge in size, it has a small town feel, with low houses, multiple residential neighborhoods, shops that close early and abundant wildlife. Where we lived, for example, we were constantly visited by cockatoos and lizards, and on the roads, you only had to go a little outside the center to be sure of the presence of kangaroos.
6 Things to Do in Perth, Australia
Perth has a busy business life, which often makes it not very tourist-friendly. Its streets are always crowded, busy and congested during working hours. And like any big city, parking becomes a complex and expensive problem.
Although a vehicle is ideal for facilitating access to more distant neighborhoods, it is much more advantageous, if you have to go to the center numerous times, to take advantage of the city’s functional train system.
On the weekends, on the other hand, strolling around the city means finding the city center alive, full of families strolling, shops full of people and restaurants in full operation, a much more pleasant place, with children cooling off in the fountains and people enjoying the sun.
1. Perth City Centre
Most of the city’s museums are located in the centre of Perth. Both the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Western Australian Museum are located on the same street, separated by a pleasant green space, perfect for watching the world go by while having an ice cream.
2. Art Gallery of Western Australia
The Art Gallery of Western Australia has contemporary works by a number of different artists, with a gallery dedicated exclusively to Aboriginal artists. The works are very striking and make us reflect on the delicate situation in which the country’s natives find themselves, having been so humiliated over the centuries.
3. Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is a natural history museum where several galleries with dinosaur bones, meteors and stuffed animals native to Australia can be studied.
But there is also a gallery there just about the history of the Aboriginal people, from the beginning of time – 50 thousand years ago – to the present day, showing the entire fight against racism, the few achievements, their art, hunting methods, clothing and customs.
4. Kings Park
Kings Park is the jewel of Perth. A huge green park in the middle of the concrete jungle, with great cafes, several native trees and the famous wildflowers, wild flowers that only bloom at certain times of the year in Western Australia.
The park is close to the city center, but in an elevated area, and there you can relax lying on one of its lawns, see all the buildings in the distance and the immense Swan River, the most famous river in the region without all the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Among the famous attractions within Kings Park, there is also a 222-meter-long glass walkway that makes it possible to walk through the treetops.
A very pleasant walk, with a magnificent view, so close to the city, but so close to nature too.
5. Cottesloe Beach
Perth’s most famous beach, Cottesloe Beach, in the west of the city, is divided by a pier where many locals go fishing. Its waters are bathed by the Indian Ocean and have a wonderful, light green color. On its sidewalks, there are several excellent restaurants and ice cream shops.
But the beach’s biggest attraction is its sunset. And what a sunset.
I believe it was one of the most beautiful things I saw during the trip. Many tourists head there to watch the sun sink into the horizon, painting the sky a bright orange. The color lasts for a long time and even after the sun has disappeared, it is still amazing to look at.
I would return to Cottesloe every evening to repeat the same scene over and over again.
The beach is also great for families, before the pier, and for surfers, after it.
6. Guildford
Perth is a very modern city and is constantly growing. Just walk into the city and you will see new overpasses being built and lanes being widened.
But if you want to see the city’s historic area, head to Guildford. With most of its buildings dating back to the late 19th century and well-preserved, Guildford offers shops, great restaurants and gardens.
In the past, Guildford was where the country’s first vineyards were formed – today, most of them have moved to the Margaret River region, in the South West – but it is still possible to see some of them on the banks of the Swan River.
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But wait, what about the classic photo of Perth, with the city centre seen in the distance?
For a classic photo of the city at dusk, head to Sir James Mitchell Park in South Perth, across from the city centre and the Swan River. To get the effect you want, bring your tripod and take a long exposure shot of the city lights.
