5 Thrilling Places to Visit in Perth, Australia
The city of Perth was founded on 12 June 1829 by Captain James Stirling as the center of the Swan River Colony. Despite a slow start and battles with the urban Aborigines, the city flourished and grew. In 1850, an influx of convicts increased the colony’s size, and their work helped build the city.
The boom was crucial for Perth’s growth throughout Western Australia. On Sundays, Cottesloe fills up with young adults who engage in one of Australia’s most traditional traditions, the Sunday Session. At night, it goes to Northbridge. The locals relax with a good beer and make contact until the early morning.
Kings Park
Kings Park offers a stunning location overlooking the Swan River and spectacular views of the city skyline of Perth. Covering over 400 acres, the park is the largest inner-city park in the southern hemisphere and even more significant than New York’s Central Park.
Walk among the treetops on the Elevated Bridge, wander the trails, the botanical gardens, the open lawns, and picnic among the rubber trees. Kings Park also has several large playgrounds for kids to enjoy, with cafes attached to the takeaway coffee while they play.
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is the perfect location for a day trip. Just be sure to avoid “Schoolies Week” in late November and early December, when the island becomes a drinking party for 18-year-old Aussies. Located 18 km off the coast, it is a first-class island holiday with over 60 scenic beaches and coves.
It is best explored by bike; no cars are on the island. Other activities on the island include tennis, golf, fishing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and diving. Come close to the cute little marsupial, the Quokka, which can only be found in Western Australia.
Fremantle
Known for its maritime history and Australia’s largest prison-built prison, Perth’s port of Fremantle is also known for supporting the arts. The oldest building still in Western Australia today is the twelve-sided Roundhouse.
This building, the first permanent built in the Swan River Colony in the late 1830s, offers stunning views of Bathers Beach and the Indian Ocean. The Roundhouse, originally built as a prison, has since been a police cordon, a police shelter, and a warehouse before it was opened to the public.
Swan River Cruise
Travel from Perth to Fremantle on a relaxing cruise on the Swan River. The Swan River is hard to miss. With so many famous attractions on or near the Swan River, one of the easiest ways to appreciate the beauty of the Swan River is to take a walk along its shores.
The river cruise through the Narrows Bridge and Causeway is a leisurely 10km walk worth exploring. Cruises along the Swan River are also popular and often take a few hours, or take the ferry across the harbor for a cheaper option.
Perth Concert Hall
Designed by architects Jeffery Howlett and Don Bailey, the Perth Concert Hall was the first concert hall built in Australia after the Second World War. Sabemo (WA) completed the construction, and the doors were opened to the public on Australia Day, 26 January 1973. The auditorium seats 1,729 people and houses a 3,000-pipe organ.
In recent years (2017/2018), improvements have been made to the Perth Concert Hall, including the lighting system, which saw significant improvements to the auditorium and facade lighting. Known for one of the most exceptional acoustics in the Southern Hemisphere, the Perth Concert Hall has brought many stars to the stage.
