Wild Side City Guide: Perth, Western Australia
Last updated on May 28th, 2026 at 06:57 am
It’s a city I know, but you also know I like to hunt out the wild side – and it’s not hard in Perth. So, tick off my top seven (mostly wild) things to do for a day in the city of Perth.
(That’s Perth Western Australia – not Scotland or the USA!)
First up….
A Quick Guide to help you plan your trip
Insurance – Click here for travel cover with SafetyWing – almost any nationality, its ok if you are already traveling, up to 64 years old. Or click here for cover with EKTA – any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling!
Internet – get a highly rated yesim eSim before you go – click here for yours
Accommodation – book a hotel with booking.com or Tripadvisor, or, a hostel with Hostelworld
For the best walks get AllTrails so you have offline maps to guide you.
Car rental – compare prices and get the best deals with Rentalcars.com
Tours and Activities – find the best tours with GetYourGuide or Viator. These are my top picks for you:
- The Kings Park walking tour
- The WA wildlife hospital tour
- The Rottnest Island Segway Tour or the Rottnest Island ‘Snorkel and Sail’
- Swan River Dinner Cruise or go by land on a 5/5 VIP Swan Valley Wine & Gourmet Experience!
- Get to know Freo on this bike tour of Freo or this True Crime Guided Tour
The 10 best things to do in Perth – especially for the outdoor lover!
Just a note – if you’re short on time, this tour will take in many of the key spots below and help you get through them in 5 hours! Personally I prefer to go at a more relaxed pace, but…
1. Get on a ferry and head off to the fabulous and wonderful Rottnest Island
Am I waxing lyrical already – well how can I not? I mean Rottnest has quokkas – lots and lots of quokkas!!!! Of course, that means its considered great by me – before I even start to look at the island. But actually, it is a lovely island and easy to walk or bike around. Swimming and beaches are on offer too.
I totally recommend staying a night – that way you get to see the quokkas when they get busy after a hard day’s rest. (They are nocturnal but do come out before it gets dark – yah!!) And of course, the day trippers have all gone so its quieter and just, well… just lovely. And there is every type of accommodation from camping to a resort so you can’t go wrong!
Admittedly this isn’t in the city itself but the ferry leaves from the city or from Freemantle so you spend some of the time in the city and on the Swan River! A perfect way to spend a day.
Check out some of the fun Rottnest Island options and / or check the ferry timetables.
- Rottnest Island Segway Tour
- Rottnest Island ‘Snorkel and Sail’
- Rottnest Island Skydive and Ferry Package
- Rottnest Island Ferry and Bike Day Tour (from Fremantle)
- Rottnest Island Ferry and Bike Day Tour (from Perth)
2. Walk through Kings Park and the Botanic Gardens
If you want to get a birds-eye view of the city then this is it! You get absolutely great panoramic views of the city and the Swan river – for miles and miles.
And, the Botanic Gardens are lovely with some interesting displays as well as a free treetop walk. Not to be missed is ‘Gija Jumulu’ (Giant Boab) – a mighty Boab tree transported from the north of the state to the Botanic gardens, and estimated to be over 750 years old.
A great way to see the park and learn about some of the indigenous culture and history as well as the flora and fauna is to take this 5-star rated walking tour!
3. Walk, climb or zipline over the Matagarup Bridge
The very cool looking, and pedestrian only, Matagarup Bridge sits over the iconic Swan River. Use it to get to the Optus Stadium, and for great views up and down the Swan River and to Heirisson Island. See the feature photo above!
If walking over a bridge sounds a bit boring, then you can amp it up with a bridge climb or zipline – or both! The bridge climb and zipline can be done individually or as a package. Good times for sure!!
Go at night to see the bridge all lit up and colorful. There’s no zipline or climb at this time of day but you get the colors! You can also climb the Optus Stadium roof (close by – see 10 below) at the same time!
Note: Book ahead for the climb or zipline – you can’t just arrive at the bridge and go.
4. Cruise the Swan River from Elizabeth Quay
It’s the best part of the city – the iconic Swan River – and you can cruise it in all sorts of ways. Take a one-way trip to Freemantle and spend the night there, or try any of the day, sunset, wine-tasting cruises on offer.
Start at Elizabeth Quay with a short wander around the gentrified area before boarding your cruise. Relax and enjoy!
Look at these choices!
- Full Day Swan Valley Cruise & Wine Tasting With Lunch (You can also do this by land on a VIP Swan Valley Wine & Gourmet Experience!)
- Swan River Lunch Cruise or Swan River Dinner Cruise (2.5 hours)
- Round-Trip Cruise from Perth or Fremantle (2.5 hours)
5. Check out the streetscapes and explore Freo (Fremantle)
If you took a cruise to Fremantle you’re already in the right place for some wandering through interesting streets and architecture from the Victorian and Edwardian, and of course, the convict-eras!
Visit the old prison, the markets or the war museum. Then after all that wandering cool yourself down with a nice cold beer from the Little Creatures or Gage Roads Fremantle breweries.
You can have a lot of fun here with some of these tours too. Actually get to know some of the convict history along with current coffee and dining spots and beaches on this 5 star rated bike tour of Freo. Equally fascinating is the gritty and intriguing stories from the darker side on this True Crime Guided Tour!
You can also take yourself and your friends on this fun and interesting Fremantle Finds Scavenger Hunt – you just need a phone! And of course not forgetting beer and street art on another bike tour – the Street Art, Beers and Bikes Shared Tour
Its great to stay in Freo if you have time – and easy to take a ferry to Rottnest Island from here.
(See “Where to stay” below for accommodation options – including in the old prison!)
6. Cycle or walk the banks of the Swan River and visit Heirisson Island and its resident kangaroos
Grab a bike and cycle along the iconic Swan River – or just go for a walk! A good option is from the city to Heirisson Island and then on to the Matagarup pedestrian bridge and across the bridge to the Optus Stadium! You can while away some time on Heirisson looking for the resident kangaroos.
7. Take a walk around the city and see the sights – and the beaches!
There’s all sorts to see in Perth. A good way to start off is with this 90 minute Highlights tour – they will recommend what else to see at the end of it.
In the city don’t miss Elizabeth Quay and the Quay Bridge, the Perth Mint, The Bell Tower, the Supreme Court gardens, and of course take a trip out to Cottesloe Beach and see what Aussie is all about!
For me, I prefer a walking tour and so have picked out some highly rated ones (all at 4.9 or 5/5 stars) to choose from.
Take a Coffee, Culture and Art walking tour, or an Art, History and Culture walking tour and learn all sorts from the locals! Or find places that you would never find yourself on this Arcades & Laneways Walking Tour! A final options is to take yourself, and anyone else, on a Murder and Macabre True Crime Self-Guided Walking Tour of Perth
8. Climb the Perth Bell tower and ring the Swan Bells!
Not wild – but quirky and kind of fun, definitely historical, and with great views. Interested?
Well, if you are in Perth from Wednesday to Sunday after 10am, try a bell tower climb and chiming experience!
There are a couple of options but in summary – you get to climb the bell tower where you get 360 degree views of the Swan River and Perth City from the observation deck. Then a 30-minute interactive bell chiming experience with the 14th century bells.
PS – You even get a Bell Chiming Certificate!
Book ahead – there is a 25 person limit.
9. Support the local wildlife hospital and its patients!
This is a great tour for you if you want to, not only support the efforts of this wildlife team, but also get close to iconic Aussie wildlife. (You can only visit on a tour, or as a volunteer – see below.) The first 45 minutes you get to see the running of the hospital and treatment from behind glass windows. But afterwards, you will get close to dingoes, koalas, emus, various reptiles, and Possums and the favorite – Vinnie the Wombat.
The hospital also runs a volunteer program. Its really best for people in town a while but it may interest you if you are!
10: Take in the city twilight views from the roof of the Optus Stadium!
You do have to tour for this one, but the views are great and you get to see how the stadium works and spend time in it before heading up onto the roof. Up there you can let the rail go and lean out over the edge – but don’t worry – they will make sure you are ok if you don’t like heights. Book the Optus Stadium HALO by Twilight for this fun!
Note – if you’re doing the zipline or just want to walk over the bridge, then time it in with this – they are right beside each other!
Bonus: Take a tour and get right out of the city into desert landscapes – the Pinnacles or Wave Rock!
Would you like to have some time right out of the city and into the desert landscapes? If you are not staying and traveling through WA then these two day trips are a great option to get a taste of WA outside of its main city – Perth. I can’t choose as both are pretty cool – so here they are:
The Pinnacles Desert Sunset and Star-Gazing Tour
Wave Rock, York, Wildflowers, and Aboriginal Cultural Day Tour
Where to stay in Perth
You can stay in the city or at Fremantle – both are going to be good.
As always there is a lot of choice and your budget and what you want to do has a big part to play in what is right for you. Book a hotel with booking.com or a hostel with Hostelworld. I’ve selected some good options to start you off. They all have high ratings!
Luxury – Como The Treasury
High End – The Intercontinental, or QT Perth
Mid Range – Attika Hotel, The Terrace Hotel, or, Nightcap at Belgian Beer Cafe (great name!)
Budget – Spinners Backpackers, or, Kangaroo Inn
and in Fremantle
Mid Range – Warders Hotel Fremantle Markets, the Quest Fremantle, Port Mill B&B, or, the Hougoumont Hotel
Budget – The Fremantle Prison Hostel (and yes it was a prison!)
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