Perth and its surrounding attractions

Just a 10 hour flight from Dubai, Perth is a fantastic city to both live in and to travel to for a few days or for a longer holiday – it has a small but vibrant city, kilometres of beautiful, uncrowded beaches, an incredible winery and brewery region, and some amazing destinations just a few hours drive away.

Kings’s Park is one of my favourite parks in Australia – it is perched up high over the Swan River, with amazing views, and lots of walking (including a fantastic tree top one) and bike trails. You can easily spend a day here, just lying peacefully on a picnic blanket, taking in the views.

Fremantle is a bustling fishing harbour that is famous for its fresh fish and chips and numerous seafood restaurants. Don’t miss the famous Little Creatures Brewery. There are some interesting marine museums, arty cinemas, and great food and clothing markets. Everything is within walking distance, with good connections via train or ferry to Perth city.

My favourite beach is Cottelsoe, just a short train ride from Fremantle, but this is just one of the many beautiful beaches that Perth has on offer. Other popular beaches are Scarborough and City Beach.

Swan Valley, is the nearest wine region and is a great day trip to explore the many wineries, boutique breweries, and gourmet restaurants that exist in a beautifully, scenic setting.

A few hours drive away, is another wine region, Margaret River. It is more spread out but equally beautiful, with a huge selection of world class wineries and breweries. The accommodation choices range from country to beach settings and you should not miss visiting the Cape lighthouses (or walking the long distance track between the two).

And finally, my favourite of all iconic Perth destinations – Rottnest Island! This island is heaven for just one day of bike riding, or a relaxing week. There are no cars on the island, so the first stop is to the bike hire shop (or you can take your own). You can either ride the entire island, or just stop off at one of the many secluded bays and beaches on the island. Be sure to take a packed picnic lunch and beach towels, and to end your day at the main pub with an enormous beer garden. There are lots of accommodation options, but this place is enormously popular with the locals, so either book a very long time in advance, go outside of peak season, or just go for the day!

Perth (and the surrounding region) is ideal for active, nature and outdoor-loving couples or families. The best time to visit is in spring or autumn as mid-summer can get quite hot.