20 things that will surprise first-time visitors to Perth

Perth has undergone big changes in the past decade or so, with massive developments transforming the city centre and beyond. Visitors who haven’t been there recently will see something a bit different. But those heading to the WA capital for the first time can expect a wealth of surprises, old and new. Here are just 20.

It’s so bright

Perth is Australia’s sunniest capital, with an average of 8.8 hours of sunshine a day year-round and even more in summer. This doesn’t, however, convey just how remarkably bright the light is. In summer, in particular, rainfall in Perth is low and cloud cover is often non-existent. This leads to unsullied bright blue skies and strong, eye-opening sunlight. It’s an invigorating factor that stays in the memory’s impression of Perth long after a visit.

It has (arguably) the best city beaches in Australia

Mettams Pool. Credit: Tourism Western Australia

Sydney has a greater variety of beaches and a more spectacular coastline. But for big, long dune-backed beaches with all the golden-sand and turquoise-water cliches, Perth has the best collection.

The beaches in the shadow of Rottnest Island have calmer conditions, but Trigg Beach leads a pack of pretty good surf beaches to the north of the city. Neighbouring Mettams Pool offers a reef-protected natural pool, ideal for snorkelling.

You can snorkel around a shipwreck

Coogee Beach is perhaps the most unusual beach for snorkelling. This is largely due to the Omeo shipwreck, which you can snorkel around to your heart’s content.

The wreck’s popularity, however, has led to an underwater art trail and artificial reef being built around it. Most of the Coogee Maritime Trail is a couple of metres below the surface, so you don’t need diving gear.

The action is in the laneways

On a first walk through, Perth’s city centre can be uninspiring. The main streets are, at best, a bit bland.

If you want the better bars and restaurants, however, you need to be a bit more adventurous and dip down the laneways. Wolf Lane, McLean Lane and Howard Lane bring personality-packed bars and street art that the city seems to lack at first glance.

Kings Park is genuinely world-class

World class: Kings Park.Credit: Tourism Western Australia

In most cities, the main park is somewhere pleasant to hang out but hardly a highlight. This is not the case in Perth, where Kings Park is an unashamed scene-stealer. About two-thirds of it is kept as natural bushland, ideal for mooching and feeling like you’ve left the city. But that leaves space for an impressive botanic garden, which collects species from across WA, and imperious lookouts. The views over the city and the bulging Swan River are nigh-on perfect.

Fremantle isn’t really a separate city

Fremantle tends to be talked about as a separate city – not least by the people who live there. But it isn’t. It is a suburb, swallowed up in Perth’s enormous suburban sprawl. Think of it as Glenelg to Adelaide or St Kilda to Melbourne.

The train from Perth takes half an hour, and Freo is the most engaging part of Greater Perth to hang out in. Expect a herding of cafes, plenty of craft beer, tightly packed markets and stalwart fish-and-chip restaurants.

There’s some heritage to explore

Freamantle Prison.Credit: iStock

Fremantle is also where Perth’s gleaming, shiny and new reputation gets turned over. The port suburb is dotted with old warehouses and more than a few colonial-era buildings. The granddaddy of them all is Fremantle Prison, a hulking stone affair that is now a highly engaging tourist attraction.

Tours through the cells and exercise yards reveal tales of prison life, attempted escapes and – on a more grisly level – hangings.

The Dutch got here first

Fremantle also plays host to the WA Shipwrecks Museum. This shows that despite the Brits being the first Europeans to settle in Western Australia, the Dutch had a couple of centuries’ worth of opportunities beforehand.

Dutch merchant ships kept skimming by Western Australia from 1616 onwards, heading towards the Dutch East Indies. Alas, several didn’t make it that far, slamming their ships into the unforgiving WA coastline. The museum is full of rescued relics and gruesome tales of survivors.

It embraced native ingredients early

Kakadu plums, finger limes and lemon myrtle rubs are now appearing on menus all over the country, but Perth was an early adopter and the trend for native Australian ingredients seems especially prevalent here.

Fine-dining restaurant Wildflower was the trailblazer, with its menu based on the Noongar six seasons, but you’ll also find native ingredients used at buzzy cafe-style joints such as Bread In Common in Fremantle.

Hotels are no longer extortionate

About a decade ago, when the fly-in, fly-out mining boom was at its peak, Perth had a chronic lack of hotel rooms, and room rates soared to outrageous levels.

It’s still not a cheap place to stay, but there has been a blizzard of hotel building, while the furious demand from the mining industry has cooled off. A generic three-star, such as the Mercure on Hay, should set you back about $170 a night.

Eliza, the fashionista statue

On Matilda Bay, in the Swan River, there is a bronze sculpture of a woman about to dive into the water. She’s 15 metres offshore, but that doesn’t stop locals venturing out and giving her a change of clothing.

Periodically, a new day dawns to show Eliza wearing something different. That may be a full frock and heels for Melbourne Cup Day, or a Santa outfit at Christmas.

The Rottnest Island lakes turn pink

Rottnest Island is best appreciated along the coast, with a series of fantastic bay, coves, snorkeller havens and surf spots.

But take your bike inland and you’ll soon come to a series of salt lakes. After a hot spell, these salt lakes can become dazzlingly bright. They sometimes turn pink, too, due to algae secreting red pigments.

The lake most likely to turn pink in hot conditions is uninventively called … you guessed it … Pink Lake. See Rottnestisland.com.

Spotting quokkas isn’t difficult

Quokkas are not hard to find on Rottnest Island.Credit: Tourism Western Australia

Rottnest Island has become globally famous as a place to take selfies with quokkas. However, you may be under the false impression that you have to put some effort in to find them. This is not the case, as they are frankly all over the island.

Turn up at the Settlement where the ferry docks and there are bound to be a few hanging around, wondering why everyone wants a photo with them.

You can see dolphins in the river

Swan River cruises are pleasant, as are the boat transfers from Perth to Rottnest Island. But the thing that makes them genuinely surprising are the dolphins that hang out in the lower reaches of the Swan River.

Given that you’ll probably see black swans flitting about too, a sightseeing cruise becomes a bonus wildlife cruise.

It’s the best Aussie capital for wildlife

Aside from the quokkas and the dolphins, there are plenty of other wildlife-viewing opportunities within Perth’s sprawl. Yanchep National Park is known for its western grey kangaroos, while penguins can be seen on the unimaginatively named Penguin Island.

Perth Wildlife Encounters runs tours out to the island, which also take in the other creatures of Shoalwater Bay. These include rare Australian sea lions, often found lounging on the beach, and enormous flocks of pelicans.

Optus Stadium is an adventure playground

Perth's $1.8 billion Optus Stadium. Credit:

Since opening in 2017, the Optus Stadium hasn’t been content to host just AFL and cricket matches. It has become a giant adventure playground for big kids, with tours letting you walk along the roof and, if you want, lean off it, saved only by a cable and harness.

Several such tours and experiences are banded together under the Ozone brand.

A similar philosophy applies to the new Matagarup Bridge, which leads to the stadium. Here, you can climb the bridge and take a 400-metre zipline ride over the Swan River. See zipclimb.com.au.

There’s a wine region 20 minutes from the airport

Mandoon Estate, Swan Valley.

The much better-known Margaret River wine region is a good three-and-a-half hour drive from Perth, but WA’s oldest wine region is right on the doorstep.

The Mandoon Estate, arguably the swishest of several wineries in the Swan Valley region, is about 17 kilometres from Perth Airport, and it takes less than 20 minutes to drive there. From the city centre, it takes about half an hour.

Either way, the Swan Valley is ridiculously convenient – and you’ll find several interesting breweries and wineries there too.

The local wines pack a punch

By wine region standards, the Swan Valley is hot – and that makes for big, bold, punchy wines. Swan Valley drops are routinely above the 14 per cent ABV mark, with some hitting 14.5 per cent or even 15 per cent.

Basically, prepare to tackle the sort of reds you’ll really want a steak with.

This doesn’t just apply to the shiraz either – the Swan Valley’s speciality is heavy Durif wines. These meaty, plummy and often tannin-heavy wines are not exactly in refreshing-tipple-in-the-late-afternoon territory.

There’s a suburban waterfall

There’s a protective ring of national parks around Perth on the Darling Scarp and in the Perth Hills. But you don’t have to head that far out. Mundy Regional Park is closer – about 16 minutes’ drive from the airport and 27 minutes from the city centre – and hemmed in by suburbia.

The 50-metre Lesmurdie Falls is the obvious highlight here, but there are plenty of walking trails to tackle beyond it.

There’s an island full of snakes

Of these islands off the coast of Perth, you may query why Carnac Island doesn’t get quite as much attention. That’s because Carnac Island has an enormously dense population of tiger snakes, which you’ll quickly discover if you step anywhere but the beach.

If there’s any consolation, these aren’t the most dangerous tiger snakes in the world – most of them have had their eyes pecked out by seagulls.

The writer travelled as a guest of Tourism Western Australia.