72 Hour City Guide: Perth | Australian Traveller

A perfect day in Perth might involve museums, art galleries and historical attractions. But the best of the Wild West can also be found everywhere from its hip hangouts to a lazy lap of the Swan River.

What to expect in Perth

The city of Perth straddles the Swan River, which snakes east to west through the middle of the WA capital. The most isolated city in the world is located in the ancient country of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, and has the Indian Ocean on one side and Australian outback on the other.

While once regarded as a big country town, Perth’s plethora of restaurants, pubs, bars, night markets, galleries, cafes, theatres and festivals has repositioned it as a destination that is now as worldly as it is working class. Perth’s rebirth has seen the city expand outwards from the original settlement on the Swan River where the CBD and Port Of Fremantle are situated.

It’s continued with an abundance of new and refurbished properties, such as the Vibe Hotel, Subiaco, The Adnate Perth – Art Series, Quay Perth , Doubletree by Hilton, The Westin, The Ritz Carlton, Como The Treasury and Aloft Perth.

Hyde Perth Kitchen + Cocktails at The Adnate in Perth — Hyde Perth Kitchen + Cocktails at The Adnate Perth – Art Series. (Credit: Damien Smith)

See the scenic side of Perth with Captain Cook Cruises, which skirts the Swan River between Perth and Fremantle past the city’s Bell Tower, The Old Swan Brewery Precinct and Royal Perth Yacht Club.

Don’t miss the Swan River landmark the Crawley Edge Boatshed in Perth. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)

Visit the snazzy new waterfront development of Elizabeth Quay, located on the Swan River and in the heart of the CBD, or join Perth locals making the pilgrimage to hip hubs such as Subiaco and Mount Hawthorn. Getting to know Perth’s laid-back and outdoorsy side means finding an expanse of lawn and some live entertainment.

Headlining the city’s cultural calendar is Perth Festival, the oldest arts festival in the southern hemisphere. Also worth pencilling in is Perth International Jazz Festival, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival , Fremantle International Street Art Festival , Perth Comedy Festival and Rottofest.

The city’s sophistication also shines at WA Museum Boola Bardip, located in the Perth Cultural Centre and a great place to get a feel for the influence of Indigenous culture on WA’s visual art offerings.

Join Two Feet And A Heartbeat for a progressive dinner and bar crawl to discover the city’s hidden dive bars, revitalised pubs and atmospheric eateries.

Perth has 19 metropolitan beaches, but its proximity to Rottnest Island is what put it on the world map for being home to the quokka, ‘the happiest animal in the world’. Perth is also renowned for its vineyards and valleys: head to Bickley Valley, Guildford and the Swan Valley for the best of them.

Swim at Little Salmon Bay, Rottnest Island. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)

How to spend 72 hours in Perth

Beachside Fare

Odyssea at City Beach, Clancy’s Fish Bar and Hamptons City Beach are three top spots to take in the ambient sounds of the Indian Ocean while watching the waves roll in on the West Australian coast.

Cellar Doors

Some of WA’s oldest vineyards and newest cellar doors are located within easy reach of Perth. Drop a pin using your map app and plot a course to Oakover Wines , Pinelli Estate Wines and Olive Farm Wines.

Visit Rottnest

Hire a bicycle and take it on the ferry to Rottnest Island, where you can cycle, swim, snorkel, and commune with the local population of quokkas, peacocks and pelicans. Stay overnight at The Samphire.

Elizabeth Quay

Perth’s newish precinct, Elizabeth Quay, has added some sparkle to its CBD. Choose between a range of elegant restaurants and casual cafes dotted along the river such as The Reveley or V Burger Bar.

Cottesloe

The Cott, as Cottesloe Beach is known colloquially, is popular with everyone from surfers to swimmers. There is also some great snorkelling to be had at North Cottesloe Beach.

Best places to stay in Perth

Affordable

The Vibe Hotel in Subiaco is near to a string of fashion boutiques and galleries.

Moderate

The Adnate, Perth – Art Series Hotels is a draw for arty types with its 25-storey mural.

The Adnate Perth – Art Series mural — Mural at The Adnate Perth – Art Series. (Credit: Damien Smith)

Luxe

Perth does posh well with Como The Treasury , the most indulgent digs in town.

Where to eat in Perth

Good food and wine permeates every aspect of life in the Western Australian capital so dive in headfirst with a visit to Wildflower , at Como The Treasury, where you can pull back the curtains and peep at the fine dining scene in Perth.

You can also eat like royalty downstairs at Long Chim, and at Silks in the Crown Metropol . Balthazar is another Perth institution, while Petition inside the State Buildings is a popular place to play ‘spot the politician’.

In country Australia, a ‘cooee ’ is a call to gain attention, which is exactly what’s happening at the restaurant of the same name located on the site of the Old Swan Brewery.

Go for Albany rock oysters and Geraldton emperor at Cooee Perth, which is also open for Sunday brunch. For a more international focus, go for a wander down William Street or Washing Lane in Northbridge.

Out on the town in Northbridge, Perth. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)

The Ramen Lab in Mount Lawley and Pinchos in Leederville also nod to Perth’s rich cultural heritage as does the pocket-sized French restaurant P’tite Ardoise Bistro, perfect for a romantic dinner.

An hour’s drive away, Flics Kitchen has put Mandurah on the map for foodies.

What to do in Perth

Head to the hip hubs of Mount Lawley, Leederville and Victoria Park to flit from vintage fashion boutiques and independent design stores to cafes and bars trending on Instagram.

Visit Scarborough on a Thursday night to check out the Sunset Markets where you can find everything from ceramics to jewellery, funky wares and food.

Scarborough Beach in Perth. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)

Next, don’t miss the new $400 million WA Museum Boola Bardip, the living museum that celebrates WA’s rich Indigenous heritage. A day spent wandering around the boho enclave of Freo is also compulsory.

Best walks in Perth

You will find the paths in Kings Park full of Perth locals who climb the Jacob’s Ladder stairs for views of the Swan and Canning Rivers and Darling Ranges.

In addition to the beach walks to suit every mood, walk to Lions Lookout in Lesmurdie to get a great perspective over Perth. If you’re feeling adventurous, set out for Ellis Brook Valley Reserve where you will find Sixty Foot Falls and (seasonal) carpets of wildflowers.

Don’t miss: Northbridge

Northbridge is a Perth suburb that pulses with energy. You can start the day with morning yoga on a rooftop, followed by coffee at Flora & Fauna Laneway Cafe and lunch at Japanese pancake joint, Kumokumo . After carb-loading at Francoforte Spaghetti Bar enjoy a nightcap at No Mafia.

A Delish Ice pop-up in Northbridge. (Credit: Tourism Western Australia)

Conscious Traveller tip

The World Indigenous Tourism Summit is being held in Perth in 2021.

That’s huge news for the Noongar people, who have lived in the south-west of Western Australia for the last 45,000 years. Learn about Perth’s precincts from an Indigenous perspective with Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours & Experiences.

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

City guide: 72 hours in Perth