Ethicare Resourcing
The western capital

Coast, river & the south-west

Perth Guide · Chapter 9 of 9

Perth’s weekends are unusually good and unusually close. An island half an hour by ferry, nineteen beaches inside the city, wine country twenty-five minutes away, and a three-hour drive to one of the best corners of Australia.

Four ways out of Perth

The city is famously isolated and its weekends are not. Four directions, and something at the end of each that Western Australians will tell you about at length.

West, offshoreNo cars, bikes only, sixty-three beaches — and close enough that Perth families treat it as an extension of the city rather than a holiday.
The cityFremantleRottnest · 30 min ferry
Up the river, then into the hillsThe shortest run to wine country of any Australian capital, and hills villages noticeably cooler than the plain in summer.
The citySwan Valley · 25 minPerth Hills
South, to the south-westWine, surf along a limestone coast, karri forests and caves — the classic Perth long weekend, and it earns the reputation.
The cityDunsboroughMargaret River · ~3 hrAugusta
North, up the Coral CoastLimestone spires in the desert, then reef you can swim off the beach, then whale sharks in season.
The cityThe Pinnacles · ~2 hrKalbarriNingaloo

Each of the four gets its own section below. Indicative times, and all four are drives you would do on an ordinary weekend rather than plan a holiday around.

Rottnest and the coast

Rottnest Island — Wadjemup — sits nineteen kilometres offshore: no cars, bikes only, sixty-three beaches and twenty bays, and the quokkas that made it internet-famous. It is a half-hour ferry from Fremantle and an easy day trip, which is why Perth families treat it as an extension of the city rather than a holiday.

On the mainland coast, the metropolitan beaches run for a hundred kilometres: Cottesloe for the sunset crowd, Scarborough for the surf and the pool, Trigg for the waves, Mettams for snorkelling over the reef, City Beach for families, and quieter sand the further north or south you go. Each has its own character and its own regulars.

The river and the hills

The Swan River is the city’s other playground: kayaking, sailing, the foreshore paths, and the ferry across to South Perth. Twenty-five minutes upriver, the Swan Valley is the shortest run to wine country of any Australian capital — cellar doors, breweries and produce, easily done in an afternoon. East, the Perth Hills give you bushwalking, waterfalls in winter and villages that are noticeably cooler than the plain in summer.

The south-west

Three hours south is the region that makes Western Australians insufferable about their state: Margaret River, with serious wine, surf breaks along a limestone coast, karri forests, caves and a food culture to match. Around it, Dunsborough, Yallingup and Augusta anchor a coastline that runs from the Indian Ocean to the Southern. It is the classic Perth long weekend, and it earns the reputation.

And further

Four ways out of Perth

The city is famously isolated and its weekends are not. Four directions, and something at the end of each that Western Australians will tell you about at length.

West, offshoreNo cars, bikes only, sixty-three beaches — and close enough that Perth families treat it as an extension of the city rather than a holiday.
The cityFremantleRottnest · 30 min ferry
Up the river, then into the hillsThe shortest run to wine country of any Australian capital, and hills villages noticeably cooler than the plain in summer.
The citySwan Valley · 25 minPerth Hills
South, to the south-westWine, surf along a limestone coast, karri forests and caves — the classic Perth long weekend, and it earns the reputation.
The cityDunsboroughMargaret River · ~3 hrAugusta
North, up the Coral CoastLimestone spires in the desert, then reef you can swim off the beach, then whale sharks in season.
The cityThe Pinnacles · ~2 hrKalbarriNingaloo

Wildflower season from August cuts across all four — thousands of species, many found nowhere else, and people plan road trips around it. The Kimberley is further again and belongs to the WA guide.

North of the city the Coral Coast runs a long way: limestone spires in the desert at the Pinnacles, then Kalbarri, then the Ningaloo reef — where you can swim off the beach onto coral, and with whale sharks in season. From August the state produces one of the world’s great wildflower displays, thousands of species and many found nowhere else, and people plan road trips around it. The Kimberley is further again and worth the trip of a lifetime; the WA guide covers the state properly.

Ten weekends, to start

  • Rottnest by ferry, bikes hired, a beach to yourself by mid-morning
  • Margaret River: cellar doors, a surf beach and the karri forest
  • Fremantle — markets, the fishing boat harbour, a brewery in the afternoon
  • Snorkelling at Mettams Pool, then breakfast at Trigg
  • The Swan Valley on a Sunday, twenty-five minutes from town
  • Kings Park at sunset with the city and the river below
  • The Pinnacles at dusk, two hours north
  • Wildflower season in the wheatbelt or the south-west, from August
  • A hills walk to a winter waterfall at Mundaring or Kalamunda
  • Sculpture by the Sea at Cottesloe, then a sundowner on the sand
That’s the guide

Nine chapters on Perth. Statewide and remote topics live in the Western Australia guide, and everything national in Moving to Australia. When you’re ready to talk about roles here, send us your CV.

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