A guide to a few days city exploring Perth from coral reef beaches to weekend markets and the famous quokka selfie.
Is Perth the World’s Most Isolated City?
Perth is often described as the World’s most isolated city due to it being 2000kms from the next big city. While the first statement isn’t 100% true it is almost a world away from the biggest cities in Australia that are mainly nestled in the South/East of the country. While Perth is the capital city of Western Australia there are so many beautiful towns in WA that are 3 hours plus away such as Margaret River and Esperance. Plus, with it being a 5.5 hour flight from Sydney many Australians haven’t been to Perth with flights being cheaper to Bali or Fiji for their annual holiday.
Coral Reef in Perth
I had heard about WA having the most beautiful beaches in the world but I didn’t realise how stunning the beaches would be right on the city.
The sea is so clear you can open your eyes under water, snorkel along coral reefs all in the shadow of the city skyline.
With many beaches to choose from Cottsloe, Scarborough and Trigg Beach remain popular favourites.
Perth’s famous Quokkas
The quokka, renowned for being the most friendly selfie confident animal can only be found in the wild on Rottnest Island a 30 minute ferry from Perth City.
Rottnest is home to stunning sheltered bays perfect for swimming and snorkelling. You can hire a bike or take the bus around the island. I went for the bus as the bike ride is 5 hours and I wanted to spend more time enjoying the beach. I went September 2024 and we saw humpback whales breaching off the shore, New Zealand Fur Seals at Catherine Rocks as well as plenty of quokkas near the main settlement.
Freemantle
Freemantle or “Freo” is the oldest part of the city and home to a major port. But rather than having an overly industrial feel the town hosts weekend markets Friday to Sunday, amazing coffee shops and book stores. On a Saturday night there’s plenty of breweries, rooftop bars and live music in pubs to choose from. At 10pm even the book stores are still open and there’s a great buzz/atmosphere far from the “most isolated city in the world” slogan.
Wild Kangaroos at Heirisson Island
On a little island in the middle of the city you can pop over at dawn or dusk and spot wild grey kangaroos in their natural habitat. When I went many people had Brough picnics to enjoy the sunset over the river as well as spotting the roos which I thought was a lovely idea.
Having only been in Perth less than a week, this is just a “taster” of the recommended things you can do in this city and I look forward to exploring it more.