Why should you visit Perth, one of the world’s most remote cities?
Looking at a map of Australia, it’s easy to see why many tourists skip Perth while visiting Australia. Perth is recognised for being one of the most remote capital cities of over 1,000,000 people in the world, located just under 4,000 kilometres across the nation from Sydney and stuck well down in the southwestern region of the continent. And, because Western Australia’s capital is so remote, many people ask if there are any reasons to visit Perth.
Perth, Western Australia’s capital
Perth is home to 1,600,000 people, and there are lots of reasons to come and live there! Those that travel there are rewarded with some of Australia’s best beaches, coffee culture, kangaroos, and coastal hiking trails.
The incredible trip to Perth
If you’re going through Australia by rail, the route between Sydney and Perth is one of the most scenic in the country. The transcontinental voyage lasts four days and three nights and is consistently ranked as one of the world’s best rail rides. Given that fares for this trip start at AUD759, you might want to consider purchasing an Australian Rail Pass for your trip, which allows you to take any train in the country, including the famous Ghan, for just AUD990 for a total of six months – the easiest and most comfortable way to see as much of Oz as possible. The 65-hour train ride from Sydney to Perth takes through some of the country’s most beautiful countryside, kangaroos, the Blue Mountains, and the continent’s tiniest town, Cook, with a population of four people. They say that the journey is the goal, and that is certainly true while arriving in Perth aboard the Ghan.
The city’s relaxed atmosphere
Perth is one of Australia’s most beautiful cities, sprawling along the Indian Ocean and centred on the Swan River. With a population of 1.6 million, Perth remains the country’s fourth biggest city; yet, the atmosphere in Perth is much more laid-back than in Sydney or Melbourne. Perth is well-known for its love of fine coffee, and the city is home to hundreds of coffee shops dedicated to the art of crafting exceptional coffee drinks. Kings Street, London Court, and Northbridge are just a few of the city’s outstanding marketplaces and retail locations. Furthermore, due to its wonderful environment, it is an excellent location for visiting some of the numerous neighbouring beaches.
Perth has beautiful beaches.
Perth features some of Australia’s most stunning beaches, and the sunsets are usually spectacular due to its West Coast position. In fact, if you enjoy sunsets and beaches, you have two reasons to visit Perth and Western Australia, since while the East Coast has both, the West Coast does them so much better. reasons to go to Perth Cottesloe Beach is the most accessible by public transportation (take the Fremantle Line to Cottlesloe Station), followed by Scarborough Beach (take the Clarkson Line to Glendalough Station and change to the 400 bus there). Swanbourne Beach, Perth’s sole nudist beach, is the place to go if you want to swim naked.
Shoalwater Marine Park, an hour south of Perth, is the ideal spot for snorkelling, including shipwrecks and deep reefs as well as dolphins, sea lions, and penguins.
If you want to see a genuinely untouched beach, go to Rottnest Island, which is 18 kilometres off the coast of Perth and readily accessible by ferry. The little island (11 kilometres long and 4.5 kilometres broad) features some of the continent’s most secluded and unspoilt beaches with crystal pure blue water.
The beaches get more empty as you travel out from the ferry station; we recommend renting a bike for the day (a full circle around the island is 25km) when you arrive. If you wish to spend the night here, make a reservation in advance because lodging on the island is limited. The cute quokkas, little creatures that reside on Rottnest Island, were my primary motivation for visiting Western Australia during my vacation to Australia. Reasons to go to Perth
Koalas and kangaroos
Kangaroos may be seen in a more natural setting at Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park. It’s the ideal spot for a picnic in the company of several kangaroos. It’s the most affordable way to view them up close and personal.
Kangaroos at Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park on Flickr.com by Paul Wright
You might also visit Caversham Wildlife Park to pet koalas and feed kangaroos. The park is conveniently accessible from central Perth, and entrance costs AUD24.
The Perth Zoo includes an Australian Bushwalk Tour where you may roam the trails inside the animals’ native habitat. You may get up up and personal with native Australian species such as dingoes, emus, koalas, numbats, quokkas, red kangaroos, short-beaked echidnas, southern hairy-nosed wombats, Tasmanian Devils, and Western grey kangaroos by wandering on tourist routes.
If you go road touring across Western Australia, which Perth is a terrific starting place for, you will almost certainly encounter kangaroos in the wild because the roads are often vacant in this huge and barren section of Australia.
5 Natural Attractions Near Perth
Perth is so close to nature that you might spend weeks hiking, surfing down sand dunes, cycling, or visiting national parks. Western Australia’s various landscapes even made my ultimate Australia bucket list! The Lancelin sand dunes (about 90 minutes north of Perth) are a must-see, where you can race up and down giant sand dunes in 4WDs, sand boards, or motorbikes; and the Pinnacle Desert in Nambung National Park (two hours north of Perth) is one of the most otherworldly places on the planet, with eerie limestone bricks sporadically scattered over vast yellow sand dunes. If you just have a day, you can visit both locations in one day.
The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s most magnificent long-distance hikes, stretching 1000 kilometres from Perth to Albany. If you don’t want to walk the entire route, you can choose between a day trip and an overnight journey. People who enjoy multi-day walks have few other reasons to visit Perth.
If you enjoy riding, you should not miss the Munda Biddi Bike Trail, which runs for 332 kilometres along the coast from Mundaring (north east of Perth) to Collie in the south.
If you want to explore Perth’s foothills, try lodging in Armadale, which is near to the area’s parks, gardens, and wildlife while yet providing ample pubs, restaurants, and shopping options. The Heritage Country would be my first option for a location to stay here.
More information about Perth:
Perth, capital of Western Australia, sits where the Swan River meets the southwest coast. Sandy beaches line its suburbs, and the huge, riverside Kings Park and Botanic Garden on Mount Eliza offer sweeping views of the city. The Perth Cultural Centre houses the state ballet and opera companies, and occupies its own central precinct, including a theatre, library and the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Weather: 13 °C, Wind NE at 18 km/h, 75% Humidity weather.com
Local time: Friday 9:07 am
Population: 1.985 million (2016)