What Makes Scarborough Perth’s Hottest Beachside Suburb?

It’s easy to live like a local when you’re visiting Scarborough. With a pristine slot of sand, vast parks where little ones can burn off babycinos while the adults sip their lattes and newly upgraded beachside facilities, there are plenty of reasons to pull yourself away from the Perth CBD. Here are just a few.

Weekly markets with an incredible view

There’s nothing quite like a Western Australian sunset and the spectacle is vastly improved when paired with freshly shucked oysters and live music. The Scarborough Sunset Markets kicked off last summer in the refurbished Scarborough Beach Amphitheatre and for five hours every Thursday during the sunshine, it’s a veritable cornucopia of delicious food (including Asian street foods, fresh coconuts, juicy Argentinian barbecue and French crepes) and artisan wares, such as watercolours, jewellery and incredible photography. The hippie vibe is taken further thanks to a rotating cast of guitar-toting musicians, who serenade the dipping sun from 5pm to 10pm.

An eclectic collection of public art

Scarborough is a suburb made for strolling and dotted throughout its parks and along its foreshores are public art pieces from local artists covering every possible form, from mosaic and sculpture to quirky street furniture. There are almost 200 works across the City of Stirling and highlights within Scarborough include the enormous Art Deco sandblasted concentre clock tower and the Ethereal Welcome Hand on The Esplanade and Watch Over You, a pair of two bronze figures in the Amphitheatre honouring the area’s lifesavers.

A stunning coastline

The waves might be well known among surfers but you could spend hours just soaking up the sun on the sand at Scarborough Beach – or get a little more active with a competitive game of beach volleyball. Just a few steps off the sand, past the enormous Norfolk Island pines, is the recently opened Scarborough beach pool complex, which features two geothermally heated pools (ideal if you still want a dip during a cold snap), one 50 metres long and the other 25 metres long.

Scarborough is Perth's Hottest Beachside Suburb

An array of green parks

Whether you need a stretch of grass for the kids to run around, a playground for pre-schoolers to scale or just a spot to sit and sip your coffee, Scarborough’s parks and reserves have visitors covered. A few blocks back from the beach, Butlers Reserve in the south and Abbett Park to the north have playgrounds, cricket nets and barbecues for an afternoon gathering – and welcome four-legged friends. Beachside, the recently opened Sunset Hill space is an ideal knoll for perching with a coffee or green smoothie and simply gazing out to sea while the new skate park has plenty of features to help improve your skills.

A love of dancing

Master of the mambo? Keen to shake your booty to the bachata? Every Sunday at 3pm dance-lovers turn The Sandpit into a hive of hip-shaking. For just $5, you can take part in the hour-long class and try your feet at a range of different dance styles such as lambada, salsa, tango and swing.