Planning a trip to Perth? We were lucky enough to spend a quick 5 days in this remote capital recently and so I feel qualified in being able to fill you in on a list of fun things to do in Perth, Australia.
The capital of Australia’s largest (geographically) state, Western Australia, Perth also holds the title as the most remote capital city in the world. It is a long way from anything else – just ask my husband and eldest son who chose to drive there!
It’s a long drive across the Nullabor from Melbourne, most people will take 3-4 days to complete this driving trip. Alternatively you can do what the rest of my family and I decided to do which was to hop on a plane! Four days by car or 4 hours by plane, the choice is yours!
We’d been warned that Perth can be very hot and it was 39℃ on the day we arrived but, to be honest, it didn’t really feel as hot as a Melbourne 39℃ – maybe it’s the famous Fremantle Doctor sea breeze that blows in every afternoon. Despite being the first week in January and consistently high temperatures, we never felt unbearably hot.
Below you’ll find a list of the activities and tourist destinations that we managed to fit into our 5 days in Perth – also known as “Fun Things To Do In Perth”.
Fun Things To Do In Perth
1. Elizabeth Quay
Located on the Swan river on the edge of the CBD you’ll find Elizabeth Quay. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes to explore as well as the famous Bell Tower.
Elizabeth Quay is also the place where you’ll find some of the other attractions on our list including the water park and the Segway tours as well as the place to go to catch a ferry to Rottnest Island. No trip to Perth is complete without a trip to Elizabeth Quay.
2. Segway Tour
A Segway tour is something we had been wanting to try as a family for quite some time so we bit the bullet and booked one for our Perth trip. It wasn’t cheap but definitely an experience we will all remember.
We chose the riverside tour and, after a quick lesson, our guide took us past the famous bell tower, around Elizabeth Quay and a bit further down the riverside paths. Our guide was well informed and gave us lots of tourist information as we took in the sights and we all managed to make it through the hour long tour without any accidents or catastrophes! While it was expensive, I’d highly recommend adding a Segway tour to your holiday bucket list!
3. BHP Billiton Water Park
Still at Elizabeth Quay, you’ll find the free ‘water park’. It’s really just an area that has fountains that squirt water out of the ground.
This was not of interest to my family (we’re all a bit too old) but, if you have young children, this free attraction could be a nice way to spend an hour or two. Sit and watch your kids as they splash in and around the fountains of water while you enjoy a cup of coffee and a rest.
4. Hay Street Mall
If you’re in the CBD of Perth, you’ll want to check out the Hay Street Mall. It’s a bit like the Bourke St mall in Melbourne, minus the trams.
You’ll find plenty of shops to explore as well as an old time looking building which I just researched to discover is called London Court. It was still decorated for Christmas when we were there at the beginning of January – it’s definitely worth a look.
5. Rottnest Island
The highlight of the trip for us was our day on Rottnest Island – it was, in fact, the reason we booked our trip to Perth – because I had a hankering to get a selfie with a quokka!
The quokkas did not disappoint! There were plenty to find and most seemed happy to pose for a photo or two. We finished the day with each of us being successful in a few great quokka selfies.
While the quokkas were the highlight of our trip, there’s more you should know about Rottnest Island. I was completely shocked by just how busy it was – not what I was expecting at all. I naively thought the island would be quiet and peaceful.
Granted, it was peak holiday season, but I had no concept of what the island had to offer. I had been told that there were a couple of shops and a bakery there, so we would be able to buy lunch. I actually wish we had brought our lunch with us because every shop and restaurant (there are quite a few – even a Subway and a Boost Juice!) was packed to capacity and beyond.
We battled our way through a huge crowd at the bakery and managed to come away with some salad rolls and some quokka themed custard tarts but, if I wasn’t stuck on an island with no other options, I wouldn’t have even tried – it was really, really busy.
There were some free guided tours that you could take part in which was a useful way to learn more about the island. But, as I’ve said, the highlight of the island for us was the quokkas.
Our ride back from Rottnest was really rough. I am prone to motion sickness and was very pleased with my decision to take a Travacalm before riding on the ferry each way especially when the staff started handing out vomit bags! I made it back OK but was very glad to get off the boat!
6. The Perth Mint
If you like learning about gold and the discoveries of gold, then a trip to the Perth Mint is a must. Book a tour so that you can see the behind the scenes action at the Mint.
Our tour guide was very entertaining and informative so it made the experience not only fun but educational. You can see what you’re worth in gold and even press your own souvenir gold coin.
7. Fremantle
Take a drive or a train trip to Fremantle. We didn’t have much time to explore this area, but it is definitely a place we would check out further in any future trips to Perth.
8. Beaches
We’re not much of a beachy family – we burn too easily, but we were still determined to check out the famous Cottesloe and Scarborough beaches in Perth. Both were picturesque and beautiful but, I have to say, that Fremantle wind in the afternoon did detract from our beach visits.
We drove to Fremantle and then back to Perth CBD (where we were staying) via both Cottesloe and Scarborough beaches.
None of us even went in the water as the wind had really picked up by the late afternoon when we were there. We also found Scarborough too busy. We’d planned on getting some dinner there somewhere but finished up driving on further to find somewhere quieter to eat.
If you love the beach, I’d suggest heading to one or both of these beautiful beaches in the morning before the wind really gets going.
9. Kings Park
There’s a reason why Kings Park is so famous and no trip to Perth is complete without a visit to this magnificent attraction. Bigger than Central Park in New York(!), there is plenty to explore in Kings Park.
We spent a leisurely couple of hours just enjoying the views and walking through the gardens. If we’d had more time we would definitely have gone back and had a picnic under the shade of the magnificent trees.
10. Optus Stadium Tour
If you’re a sports fan (particularly AFL or cricket) then you’ll love a behind the scenes tour of this magnificent new facility. The tour itself is not startlingly different from an MCG tour (which we have all done) but the facilities are newer and modernized as opposed to the older traditional, steeped in history style of the MCG.
Even my eldest who hates sports of all kinds found the tour interesting. Getting the chance to sit in seats that would normally cost about $3000 a ticket was a highlight, as well as the behind the scenes tours of the changing room/locker facilities.
So that’s it, that’s our top 10 attractions that we managed to fit into our short 5 day stay in Perth.
A few other things to note:
Yes, we travelled at peak holiday time in the first week of January so it was busy at most of the tourist destinations.
Perth CBD and Elizabeth Quay area was actually pleasantly un-busy so exploring those areas gave us some downtime from the busy-ness of Rottnest Island and the beaches. Kings Park is also so large that it would take a lot of people to make it feel busy.
It was not a cheap holiday. Just getting to Perth costs a fair bit of money given how far away it is, which might also explain why everything else seemed more expensive there too. The food and drink was certainly up there in price point and, frankly, not as good as you would normally get in Melbourne.
Don’t get me started on the night we tried to buy a pizza in Perth CBD – we finally found a place that would sell us a whole take away pizza. It cost $35!
For one pizza! It was Hawaiin but didn’t even have ham! It was basically a very average (unappetising) pizza base with pieces of pineapple on top covered in cheese! No pizza sauce, no ham – very disappointing!
But, all in all, our trip to Perth was a fun adventure. If I had to pick, my top favourite things to do in Perth would be:
- A trip to Rottnest Island – despite being ridiculously and disappointingly busy, the quokkas won me over and made the trip (even though it was rough) worthwhile. A definite must do.
- The Segway Tour – granted, you wouldn’t have to be in Perth to take a Segway Tour but the scenery and commentary we enjoyed on our tour was great too. We will all always fondly remember our Segway tour which is what holidays are about – making memories.
- The Perth Mint – if you like gold and learning about things, you’ll enjoy a tour of the Perth Mint.
- The Optus Stadium Tour – having something of a thirst for knowledge, I always enjoy a tour and learning about the behind the scenes of this new, state of the art stadium was fun and interesting.
- Kings Park – pack a picnic and just enjoy sitting under the trees looking at the amazing view.
So, if you’re planning a trip to Perth, hopefully you’ve found some inspiration for fun, touristy things to fill your travel itinerary with. Our trip will certainly be one that we will remember and we’ve got plenty of quokka selfie shots to help us remember!
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