Active Perth

Summer in Perth is a time of warmth and sunshine, cloudless blue skies, glorious sunsets and cool evenings for relaxing at outdoor theatres and cafes.

The Swan River is Perth’s playground, and at any time it makes a beautiful backdrop to the central city. From Barrack Square, at the foot of Barrack Street, you can cruise down the river to Fremantle, across the ocean to Rottnest Island or up the river to the Swan Valley wine region. Or take a ferry ride across the river to South Perth and the zoo.

You can hire canoes, jet boats, sailboards, surf cats and dinghies, or bicycles to take in the scene along the riverfront paths. Stroll east towards the Causeway and across to Heirisson Island, where you can see kangaroos and a bronze statue of Yagan, an early Aboriginal leader. Or go west towards the Narrows Bridge interchange, where you find a jewel of a tiny park, with lakes, waterfalls, shady trees and a fountain.

>> Destination Perth, Weekends For Two

For spectacular views of the river and city go up to Kings Park, 400 hectares of parkland, gardens, wildflowers and native bush. There are many paths and trails, free walking tours or bicycles for hire.

From the treetop walkway above the botanic garden you get panoramic views of the river and the Darling Range. You can climb the 101 steps of the winding DNA Tower, picnic beside the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Fountain or enjoy the Jurassic-themed children’s playground. There is a restaurant and kiosk within the park and the Aspects shop, specialising in Australian craft and design, is great for gifts.

A haven within the central city is Stirling Gardens, on the corner of Barrack Street and St Georges Terrace, with shady trees and colourful flowerbeds leading down to the Supreme Court. At the east end of Hay Street is another peaceful retreat, Queen’s Gardens, where you can find black swans on the lakes and the delightful Peter Pan statue, a replica of the original in London’s Kensington Gardens.

London Court, between St Georges Terrace and central Hay Street, is another echo of old England: a Tudor-style arcade with a chiming clock at each end featuring tableaux performing every quarter hour. Past the busy shopping malls of Hay and Murray Streets you cross the railway line to Northbridge, Perth’s major restaurant and nightclub district and the site of the WA Art Gallery and State Library. His Majesty’s Theatre, on the corner of Hay and King Streets, is WA’s main performance venue, recognised as the finest Edwardian theatre in Australia.

Across the Causeway is Burswood, site of WA’s only casino, which operates 24 hours a day, and of the riverside Burswood Park, with its fascinating Heritage Trail featuring lifelike bronze statues of WA pioneers and the glorious Swan Fountain.

The charming port city of Fremantle, at the mouth of the Swan River, is a visitor’s delight, with markets, museums, galleries, pubs, restaurants and inviting pavement cafes. The old Fremantle Prison is now a tourist site and museum, with daytime and torchlight tours and entry to a labyrinth of underground tunnels.

From Fremantle it is a half-hour ferry trip to Rottnest Island, a peaceful holiday haven known for white sand beaches, rocky headlands and its furry quokkas. Rottnest is great for surfing, fishing, snorkelling and scuba diving and you can hire bicycles to explore the island.

South of Fremantle is Rockingham, the closest place to Perth where you can join a boat tour and actually swim with the dolphins. Just offshore is Penguin Island, home to a colony of Little Penguins, with an interpretive centre where you can observe the appealing little birds at feeding time. Nearby Seal Island has a colony of Australian sea lions