8 Ways to Make the Most of the Sun in Perth
Life is lived outdoors in Perth. Consistently named as the major Australian city with the most sunshine hours, this hit list will help visitors and locals alike enjoy fun in the sun in Western Australia’s capital.
Visit Rottnest Island
Dotted 20 kilometres offshore, Rottnest Island is the perfect, family-friendly daytrip destination. Although a bus service is available, bicycle is the island’s main mode of transport: great news for fitness enthusiasts. Popular island activities include hiking, swimming in the island’s bays and taking a selfie with a quokka, the island’s native (and incredibly smiley) mammal. Multiple operators run return ferry services departing Perth and Fremantle.
Explore Perth’s wine regions
Thirsty? Perth has been blessed with two wine regions within striking distance of the city centre. The Swan Valley, WA’s oldest winemaking region, is just half an hour from the CBD – try Mandoon Estate, which features a brewery, cellar door, restaurant and outdoor beer garden and children’s area – while the first vineyards of the Perth Hills are a similar distance away. Fairbrossen Café & Winery encapsulates everything that’s great about the region’s boutique cellar doors: it’s family friendly, has a delicious seasonal menu and a real focus on sustainability.
Hit the beach
West Australians are proud of their beaches and understandably so. From places to beat the heat to vantage points at sunset, the coast features prominently in life out west. While Cottesloe and Scarborough are wholly worthy of their star billing, quieter spots – Port Beach, for instance, or Mettam’s Pool – also deserve a visit.
Join in a walking food tour
You might already be au fait with Perth’s lively food scene but getting a local’s perspective never hurts. Operators such as the geographically specific Eat The Street Walking Tours and Food Loose are a fine way to explore Perth at ground level while working up a respectable appetite.
SEE ALSO: Activities to Do with Kids in Perth
Discover one of the world’s biggest inner city parks
Did you know Kings Park, Perth’s much-loved green lung, outsizes New York’s Central Park? Its attractions are many, from the botanic gardens’ impressive flora collection to lookouts offering photo-ops galore of the city centre below. In summer, film buffs can watch movies under the starts at the Moonlight Cinema.
Hike an urban walking trail
Bold Park in Floreat boasts more than 15 kilometres of walking and horseriding trails suitable for all fitness levels just 15 minutes from the CBD. One of the most popular walks is the Reabold Hill Boardwalk, an easy trek that rewards finishers with views of the Indian Ocean, city centre and Darling Ranges.
Eat and drink by the beach
Theory: salt water makes everything taste better (the smell of it, not splashing it in your food). Proof: Perth’s seaside restaurants and cafés that turn meals into moments. A spot on the deck at Odyssea is the perfect excuse to explore the new and improved City Beach, while Il Lido serves great Italian food and drink against a backdrop of Norfolk Island pines and vistas of Cottesloe Beach.
Watch an outdoor movie
While Kookaburra Cinema in Mundaring screens movies outside year-round (the prospect of sharing the “theatre” with kangaroos is reason enough to make the 45-minute drive from the city centre), summer al fresco options include Community Cinemas and Rooftop Movies, with the top floor of a multi-storey car park moonlighting as a hip outdoor cinema.
