11 Best Sights in Perth, Western Australia

Perth's poster beach is as beguiling as it is relaxing, what with its soft cream sand, transparent blue waters, and strip of beachy pubs and restaurants. Naturally, it's very popular, particularly on Sunday, when people of all ages picnic on the grass beneath the row of Norfolk pines that also hosts masses of squawking birds. The water is fairly calm, though punchy waves can roll through, crashing mainly in shallow depths. "Sunday sessions"—afternoon beer drinking in two local pubs at the Ocean Beach Hotel and the swanky Cottesloe Beach Hotel, both of which have good, ocean-facing accommodations—are also held here. South of the Cottesloe groyne is a reasonable reef surf break, but it's often crowded. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; surfing; snorkeling; sunset; walking.

On the south side of Perth's Central Business District lies the ever-expanding Elizabeth Quay, a public area brimful with restaurants, cafés, playgrounds, ice-cream parlors, boat excursions, larger-than-life artworks, and the swanky Ritz-Carlton hotel. Although construction is ongoing, EQ is a bustling hub and a great meeting spot. Transperth also has a bus depot, train station, and ferry crossing here making access without a car easy. 

Tip: Feel like a kid again and take a spin on the classic carousel.

Locals boast that this is one of the few inner-city parks to dwarf New York City's Central Park; it covers 1,000 acres and grants eye-popping views of downtown Perth and its riverfront at sunrise, sunset, and all times in between. Once a gathering place for Aboriginal people, and established as a public space in 1890, it's favored for picnics, parties, and weddings, as well as regular musical and theater presentations, plus the excellent summer Moonlight Cinema (in Synergy Parkland, on the western side). Each September, when spring arrives, the park holds a wildflower festival and the gardens blaze with orchids, kangaroo paw, banksias, and other native wildflowers, making it ideal for a walk in the curated bushland. The steel-and-glass Lotterywest Federation Walkway takes you into the treetops and the 17-acre botanic garden of Australian flora. The Lotterywest Family Area has a shaded playground for youngsters ages one to five, and a café for parents. The Rio Tinto Naturescape is fun for bigger kids who enjoy climbing and exploring in nature. Free 90-minute walking tours depart from Aspects Gift Shop on Fraser Avenue daily. 

Imagine an eerie moonscape where pale yellow limestone formations loom as high as 15 feet. Now see the image in your head displayed before you at Nambung National Park, set on the Swan coastal plain 200 km (125 miles) north of Perth, along the scenic Indian Ocean Drive. At the park you can walk among those otherworldly formations in the Pinnacles Desert, home to one of the world's most spectacular karst landscapes. Geologists believe the pinnacles were created by the dissolving action of water on exposed limestone beds that formed under wind-blown sand dunes. Only a tiny proportion of them have been uncovered. The 1.2-km (0.7-mile) return walk starts at the parking area. There's also a 4-km (2½-mile) one-way Pinnacles Desert Loop scenic drive (not suitable for large RVs or buses). Stop in to the Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre to see interpretative displays focused on the region's unique geology, flora, and fauna. August through October the heath blazes with wildflowers. Note the rules: no pinnacle climbing, no dogs, no littering (no receptacles are provided, so take your trash with you), and no camping. There is no drinking water available throughout the park, although water is available to purchase at the interpretative center and gift shop.

Indian Ocean Drive is a frequent crash zone; please take care and avoid driving at dawn, dusk, and dark.

Huge, colorful aquariums filled with some 400 different species of local sea creatures—including sharks that are 13 feet long—from along the 12,000 km (7,456 miles) of Western Australia's variable coastline are the fascinating draws of this boutique aquarium in northern Perth. Sharp-toothed sharks, stingrays, turtles, and schools of fish swim overhead as you take the moving walkway beneath a transparent acrylic tunnel. You can even do a guided snorkel or scuba dive with the sharks; bookings are essential. Perhaps most interesting is the change in habitats and species as you move from colder, southern waters to the tropics of Western Australia's north. AQWA boasts one of the largest living coral reef displays in the world—check it out from above and then below in the underwater gallery. Other highlights include the rare sea dragons and DANGERzone, featuring a deadly lineup of sea creatures.

Age minimums apply for some activities.

This is the quieter end of Cottesloe, where local residents go to walk their dogs (a section by Grant Street is a designated dog beach), dive in for an early morning dip, or share a sunset wine on the sand. The concrete walking path looks over the sandy beach and affords impressive views of the coastal mansions that look out to sea. Coastal reef fans out to the right of Grant Street and makes for good snorkeling in summer, but take caution in high waves as stronger currents form near the reef. Beware invisible jellyfish, known as stingers, which cause pain but pose little other threat. Amenities: lifeguards; showers. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; sunset; swimming; walking.

All that glitters is gold at the Perth Mint, one of the oldest mints in the world still operating from its original premises, and a reminder of the great gold rush days at the turn of the century. Established in 1899, it first refined gold from Western Australia's newly discovered goldfields, striking gold sovereigns for the British Empire. Today it still produces Australia's legal tender in pure gold, silver, and platinum bullion and commemorative coins for investors and collectors. Visitors can tour the site and watch 200 ounces of molten gold being poured in time-honored fashion to form a gold bar. The tour also lets you marvel at the biggest coin ever made, weighing 1 ton, get close to more than A$50 million worth of gold bullion, and see Australia's best collection of natural gold nuggets, including the 369-ounce Golden Beauty, one of the largest natural nuggets in the world. You can also discover your own weight in gold. There's an on-site gift shop and café.

From kangaroos to crocodiles and venomous Aussie snakes to Asian sun bears and orangutans, this expansive, more than century-old zoo is an easy 10-minute drive from Perth's CBD. Expect lush gardens—perfect for a BYO picnic—and different native habitats of various animals from around the world. Walk among Australian animals in an environment depicting the diversity of Australia's native landscape, including a bird-filled wetland. Discover the Reptile Encounter, Rainforest Retreat, and the Australian Bushwalk. For something a little more exotic, there's the African Savannah, with rhinoceroses, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, and baboons; and the Asian Rainforest, with elephants, tigers, otters, gibbons, and a Komodo dragon. A number of special encounters are available, such as joining a keeper as they feed the lions, which is best booked and paid for in advance. Free guided walks depart daily at 11 am and 1 pm,  and there are more than a dozen free talks and presentations each day. A one-hour guided tour around the zoo on an electric Zebra Car, seating seven passengers, is also available.

Interactive science and technology displays educate and entertain visitors of all ages—particularly the younger ones—in this excellent facility. There are more than 100 hands-on general science exhibits, as well as in-depth feature exhibitions. Daily science and puppet shows present science in an entertaining way, and the space shows in the half dome planetarium will stretch your imagination as they take you to the far edges of the known Universe. Minimum age restrictions apply to the planetarium.

Keep an eye out for the quirky facts that dot the space, including the fact that the heart of a giraffe is two feet long.

With its quintessential Western Australia design, color, and flora, Yagan Square opened in March 2018 as a community space and the gateway to Northbridge. It's become a central meeting spot for both locals and tourists. Market Hall began as a high-end food court, drawing a daily lunch crowd with its variety of local and international flavors but in 2021 only a few eateries remain. Hiss & Smoke holds strong with its Japanese fare, and nearby, Shy John Brewery and Yum Cha delight with Cantonese favorites. 

Sure, it’s nice to cuddle a koala in an enclosure, but it’s far more exciting to see them in the wild, just above your head. Take the 787-foot Koala Board Walk through native bush with your eyes raised skyward to see one of the state’s largest populations of koalas. Watch for western grey kangaroos on the 2-km (1.2-mile) wetland walking trail around Loch McNess lake and then escape summer’s heat by joining one of several daily underground tours of Crystal Cave, where cooling caverns open up to impressive stalactite galleries and clear water pools. The park is also a lovely picnic spot, and there's a hotel and café within the grounds.

Yanchep National Park is a 45-minute drive north of Perth and is open every day of the year; book tours and get walk trail information at McNess House Visitor Centre.