Australia Independent Travel | Perth City Attractions | Kings Park | Heirisson Island (Kangaroo Island) | Hay Street Mall | London Court | Elizabeth Quay | Blue Boat House | University of Western Australia
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| Perth city skyline |
Perth is the capital of Western Australia and Australia's fourth-largest city. The most interesting area, and the one most visitors head to, is the city centre, also known as the Perth CBD. This area isn't very big and there actually aren't that many attractions, so you can explore the city centre at a leisurely, strolling pace. What's more, the Perth CBD has free CAT (Central Area Transit) buses running on various routes, so unless you're heading to the suburbs, you basically don't need to buy a ticket at all.
List of city attractions:
- Kings Park
- Heirisson Island
- Hay Street Mall
- London Court
- Elizabeth Quay
- Blue Boat House
- University of Western Australia
Kings Park
Kings Park officially opened in 1895 and was named in honour of King Edward VII's accession to the British throne. Today its full name is "Kings Park and Botanic Garden" , and it covers 400 hectares, making it the largest inner-city park in the Southern Hemisphere. The botanic garden within the park showcases a wide variety of plant species from across Western Australia, including many unique Australian native plants.
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| Entrance to the Botanic Garden walking trail |
Kings Park also has vast lawns and lakes offering plenty of space for recreation. Besides the excellently designed walking trails, there are lookouts with magnificent views over the Perth city centre and the Swan River. The spot most recommended online for viewing Perth's night skyline is right here in Kings Park.
For a more detailed introduction, see: Australia Independent Travel | Perth City Attractions | Kings Park | The Largest Inner-City Park in the Southern Hemisphere | Views of Perth's Night Skyline
- Address: Fraser Ave, Perth WA 6005
- Opening hours: 24 hr
- Getting there: Bus 935 or the Blue Cat, alight at Wadjuk Way Kings Park (stop 26)
- Official website: https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park
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| The park's famous glass arch bridge |
Heirisson Island
Heirisson Island is a small island in the Swan River on the eastern side of Perth's city centre. It's a free attraction where you can see kangaroos up close. Seven rescued western grey kangaroos roam freely on the island, and because they're used to human contact they aren't afraid of people. Rangers come to feed them regularly.
For a more detailed introduction, see: Australia Independent Travel | Perth City Attractions | Heirisson Island | A Kangaroo Island in the City | Free-Roaming Wild Kangaroos
- Address: 31°57′58″S 115°52′50″E
- Opening hours: 24 hr
- Getting there: Drive yourself, or take the Red Cat to Braithwaite St Trinity College (stop 80) and walk 15 minutes
Hay Street Mall
Hay Street Mall isn't actually a department store or shopping centre — it's the pedestrianised stretch of Hay Street between Barrack Street and William Street. Together with the parallel Murray Street Mall, it's one of the liveliest and best-known shopping precincts in central Perth.
- Address: Hay Street Mall
- Opening hours: 24 hr
- Getting there: Red Cat stop 3, or bus 86, or Blue Cat stop 3
Hay Street Mall and Murray Street Mall are home to plenty of shops, department stores and supermarkets — you'll find the large department store Myer Perth, H&M and UNIQLO, as well as the supermarket Woolworths and the pharmacy Chemist Warehouse. There are also quite a few restaurants and gastropubs nearby, so you can grab a bite when you get tired of shopping.
That said, compared with other big cities, I felt Hay Street Mall doesn't have all that much to browse, and neither precinct is very large. It's more of an area you can wander through while you're in central Perth.
At night, the section of Hay Street Mall near William Street attracts quite a few homeless people, some of whom shout loudly — there are usually a number of them outside and inside the KFC and McDonald's. It felt a little unsafe to me, so I wouldn't really recommend coming back to this area after dark.
London Court
London Court sits between Hay Street Mall and St Georges Terrace. Built in 1937, it was designed in the Elizabethan architectural style and has a strongly British feel. It's actually a small shopping arcade, but a wonderfully English one — walking through it feels like strolling down an old British laneway.
- Address: 647 Hay St, Perth WA 6000
- Opening hours: 07:00 - 21:00
- Getting there: Red Cat stop 3, or bus 86, or Blue Cat stop 3
- Official website: https://londoncourt.com.au/
The shops inside London Court are just so-so, though — compared with those outside, they're rather old-fashioned establishments. Coming in to take a few photos and have a stroll is enough.
Elizabeth Quay
Elizabeth Quay is a waterfront precinct on the banks of the Swan River in central Perth. The area has a long history, but after being redesigned and redeveloped it's now a bustling district full of restaurants and modern facilities. It's also the harbour from which you can catch a ferry straight from the city centre to Rottnest Island.
- Address: The Esplanade, Perth WA 6000
- Opening hours: 24hr
- Getting there: Red Cat stop 3, or bus 86, or Blue Cat stop 3
- Official website: http://www.elizabethquay.com.au/
There are lots of restaurants and bars here — exotic Thai cuisine, American-style burgers and seafood restaurants too. Prices are all fairly high, but dining here with a drink in hand should be a pretty pleasant experience. Also famous here are "The Bell Tower" and the "Elizabeth Quay Bridge".
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| The Bell Tower |
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| Elizabeth Quay Bridge |
Elizabeth Quay is lit up at night, and combined with the sunset it makes for a truly beautiful scene. Even if you're not dining here, I'd highly recommend coming for a stroll on a fine evening to take in the views.
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Elizabeth Quay at sunset |
Blue Boat House
The Blue Boat House is very much an Instagram-check-in spot — the music video for Jay Chou's song "Pink Ocean" was even filmed here. Its actual name is The Crawley Edge Boatshed, but everyone just calls it the Blue Boat House, and even the Google Maps landmark is listed as Blue Boat House.
- Address: 1 Kings Park Ave, Crawley WA 6009
- Opening hours: 24hr
- Getting there: Bus 23, 950 or 995
The boatshed was originally privately owned. Built in 1972, it was only repainted blue in 2001, and after changing hands and being renovated several times it has become a popular attraction for independent travellers. (Tour groups probably wouldn't make a special trip out to see it.)
The Blue Boat House is actually right next to Kings Park, but the location is a bit out of the way and the free CAT buses don't reach it. On this day we bought tickets and took a regular bus out to the spot.
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia is near the Blue Boat House. It isn't usually a place travellers make a special trip to see, but it was Western Australia's first university, and with its distinctive sandstone buildings and impressive botanic gardens it's counted as one of Australia's six sandstone universities. Winthrop Hall, with the lawn in front and blue sky above, is UWA's most famous photo spot.
- Address: 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley WA 6009
- Opening hours: 24hr
- Getting there: Bus 23, 97, 950 or 995
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