Home to pristine Indian ocean beaches, miles of arid outback and the sprawling Margaret River wine region, Western Australia’s landscape is vast and diverse. As Australia’s largest state, WA occupies a third of the country and is steeped in the country’s gold rush history, which has heavily shaped the state’s face and fortune.
As someone living in New South Wales, WA’s uniqueness was striking. Sadly only having enough time to visit part of the state on this occasion, I spent five days in Perth, Rottnest Island and the Margaret River region.
I visited over the long Easter weekend (v late catching up on travel posts) and found Autumn was a great time of year to roam the streets of Perth’s Fremantle with its earthy-shaded Victorian architecture contrasting beautifully with autumn’s colours. Perth – or whadjuk country to use its aboriginal name – has a sleepy vibe and visitors are struck by its slow pace of life and near-permanent blue skies. Here are a few things you should tick off while you’re there.
Explore Fremantle
Fremantle – belovedly named ‘Freo’ by locals – is home to many beautiful beaches including stunning Bather’s Beach and South Beach. It has a sleepy, relaxed ambience and its streets are littered with captivating street art, striking Victorian architecture and heritage buildings with ornate facades. Its colourful, well-preserved architecture is one of the most beautiful aspects of this port city.
Perth houses remnants from Australia’s days as a British penal colony, including the famous Fremantle prison which was initially used for convicts transported from Britain and subsequently as an Australian prison until its closure in 1991. There’s a loooong history behind its various purposes and changes of ownership but nowadays it’s a tourist attraction and the state’s only world heritage-listed building.
Foodwise, one thing Perth does very well is brunch. If you’re looking for a good brunch spot, the quirky Duck Duck Bruce on Collie Street is a good’un. For evening drinks and food, Little Creatures Brewery does good beers and pizzas.
Hop to Rottnest Island
Regular ferries from Fremantle will transport you to the paradisiacal Rottnest Island, home to idyllic beaches and native quokkas – small cat-sized members of the marsupial family whose adorable smiling faces are behind the rising popularity of the notorious #QuokkaSelfie.
These curious little critters are extremely tame and not at all afraid to approach humans – I was pleased to get more than a few snaps with my spirit animal. Posters plastered around the island claim the quokka is ‘the world’s happiest animal’, but my research taught me they have a dark side (quokka mothers apparently fling their young in front of predators to protect themselves when in danger – perhaps not so sweet after all?). Perhaps that’s a post for another time. Note: you’re not supposed to feed them and you can get fined if you do.
Cycling is the main way to get around Rotto and the views make some of the tougher hill climbs absolutely worth it! Rottnest’s beaches are unbelievably stunning. White sands and pristine turquoise waters surround this blissful island – Little Salmon Bay, Little Parakeet Bay and Geordie Bay being some of my favourite snorkel spots.
In addition to the adorable quokkas that can be spotted all around the island, you can also travel to the most westerly point of the island – Cathedral Rocks – to see the New Zealand Fur Seals and dolphins splashing around.
There’s not much else to do in Rottnest apart from cycle around, play with quokkas and explore beautiful beaches. You only need to spend one day there before hopping on the ferry back to the mainland.
Potter around Cottesloe
Cottesloe should definitely be on your list if you’re spending a few days in Perth. The iconic Cottesloe beach is one of the main places to hit up and a beautiful spot to watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean.
Visit Margaret River
The Margaret River region is roughly a three-hour drive south of Perth. Its comparatively cooler climate and abundant sunshine make it a premium wine region and thanks to its beautiful beaches, surf and tall timber forests, the Margy river is a place for indulging many passions.
A wine tour is of course a must. There are tonnes of tours to choose from and I’d recommend booking one well in advance if visiting during a popular holiday season as they can get booked up really quickly. We went with Cheers wine tours which visits Rivendell Winery Estate, Fermoy Estate, The Grove Distillery and Brewery, and the quirky Strange Brew winery. Margaret River is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz grapes and there were plenty of delicious varieties to taste while hopping through these beautiful vineyards.
Beaches in Margaret River
Yallingup is also a very pretty beach and awesome views of the seascape can be seen from Canal Rocks.
If you like surfing, Redgate beach is a good option to do this and has its own surf school if you’re a beginner like me. Though having said that, the waves were absolutely huge the day I went and many signs warn of historical deaths and shark danger. Eeeeek. I clearly lived to tell the tale.
So much more to see…
Unfortunately five days isn’t enough to explore everything this huge state has to offer, but it’s definitely enough time to see a good amount of Perth, Rotto and perhaps a quick trip to the Margy River.
I’d like to come back in the future and check out Broome, Ningaloo Reef and Esperance. One day! Watch this space.
Edgy Satsuma 