Magic Perth – Western Australia

There’s nothing like having visiting family to get you out and about, enjoying where you live. The last two weeks we have been fortunate enough to host our niece and her three children from the UK, and boy did WA put on a show. The weather has been outstanding….. like a second summer. We’ve had stunning blue skies scattered with wispy white clouds, warm balmy days and low winds perfect for boating (We are in desperate need of rain, it is now getting close to 6 months without a drop but for our purposes the warmth has been welcome).

We’ve covered Busselton, Margaret River, Dunsborough, Yallingup, Augusta and for our final couple of days we headed to Perth. For us country kids, this is always a bit of fun but I feel like this time we saw some new parts of Perth as well as its usual beauty spots. I actually felt quite nostalgic about my childhood and university days, Perth really was a great place to grow up.

We started with Caversham Wildlife Park. For those wishing to see Australian wildlife, this is a great place. Set in lush tropical gardens with plenty of shade and picnic spots, the park provided hours of wonderful fun. The youngest of our UK visitors (Miss UK8) was in her happy place and suitably impressed by all the cute and cuddly animals Australia has to offer (she wasn’t so sure about the scaly ones). Although too young and too short to hold a Koala (you must be at least 150cm tall), her dreams were satisfied standing with and stroking James the koala. Being well over 150cm, Miss and Master Travel Bee secretly slunk away to hold Percy the koala (very discretely so as not to upset Miss UK8), the Travel Bees just couldn’t resist the opportunity.

From Caversham we headed to Hillarys Boat Harbour for a dip in the ocean and an icecream. Always a great place to wander around, Hillarys offers a range of shops, eateries and plenty of boats to peruse. But, it was the drive along West Coast highway (Sunset Coast Tourist Drive) that took everyone’s breath away. This drive takes in all the main beaches of Perth including it’s pristine white sands, coastal walking pathway, rocky outcrops and houses perched on the hillside overlooking the Indian Ocean. What is noticibly different to most Australian cities, is the lack of high rise buildings. The Rendezvous at Scarborough being the only one. That means views for miles and no horrible shadows cast over the beach (aka Gold Coast). It is simply beautiful. Finishing our drive at Cottesloe Beach, we were treated to a stunning sunset as we sat on the grass eating fish and chips. An iconic end to a great day in Perth.

On Day 2 we started in Kings Park where we took in views across the city and Swan river. A beautiful and diverse park, this is a place always high on our Perth agenda. No matter the age of visitors there is plenty to keep everyone occupied. From play grounds, tree top walks, botanical gardens to spectacular views, it has it all. The perfect place to relax, however Miss 14 was anything but. She was starting to get nervous because next on the program was her birthday gift……. a bridge climb and zip at Matagarup Bridge.

A relatively new attraction in Perth the bridge was completed in 2018 and stands tall at the gateway to Optus stadium. From the top, there is a 400m zip line crossing over the Swan river, especially made for thrill seekers like Miss 14 and Mr Travel Bee. After initially being a nervous wreck, Miss 14 soon relaxed in the safety of her harness and had an excellent afternoon making memories with her Dad. Two zip lines side by side means couples and family are able to zip together. With a little fist pump along the way and delighted cheers from the (non-thriller seeker) family on the bridge they zipped across the river in the beautiful sunshine.

With adrenalin high, The Travel Bees and family headed to Elizabeth Quay for the final stop on our whirlwind tour of Perth. We visited the Bell Tower, took in the Ephemeral Oceanic art exhibition currently (April 2024) displayed in the quay and enjoyed a relaxed dinner. The vibe in the area was really cool with families enjoying the city lights and unique interactive bubbles (Ephemeral Oceanic). A perfect end to an awesome trip to WA.

So proud of where we live right now and pretty sure our UK visitors had a wonderful time exploring WA.

TTB