Perth and Southern WA
Well this trip ticked quite a few items off my “bucket list” …. beautiful WA did not disappoint.
My family and I recently traveled to WA for a week of exploring and had the most amazing time. So much to do an see, we could have easily stayed a month.
We flew with Jetstar Sydney to Perth direct, approximately a six hour flight. It was a very comfortable flight. Jetstar offer a limited service so meals and drinks can be purchased on-board if required. Jetstar no longer offer on-board entertainment consoles, so be sure to pack something to keep the kids busy!
A hire car is a MUST when in WA! Local transport is great when staying local to the city but as WA is so vast you need to get out and explore! Perth airport offer a range of car hire options, we pre-booked an Avis car as part of our package which was ready on arrival for us. The airport is not very big and is very easy to navigate around. The airport is approx. 15 minutes from Perth city.
We chose to stay at The Quest Apartments South Perth, an apartment style hotel with full facilities such as a kitchen, washer/dryer, separate bedrooms, air conditioned and parking. The location was fantastic … walking distance to Perth Zoo, the ferry terminal to the city and easy access to the main highways when day tripping. I would rate this property around a 3.5 star, great for families and it was very comfortable.
Kings Park and Perth City…. TICK!
Kings Park …. Its not just “a park” ……it’s huge, a whole 400 hectares!
There are walking tracks, bike tracks, large open grass areas, discovery play areas and a beautiful ANZAC monument all with breathtaking views over the Swan River and the city of Perth.
Its free to visit! There is a tourist information centre and café located within the park and they were very helpful providing maps and general information on the area.
Perth City was a nice surprise, I wasn’t sure what to expect here. It is a very neat and compact city centre with beautiful old architecture and stunning gardens. Spotted around the city were old churches and cathedrals, the old Fire House and an original Cuckoo clock in the main street that chimed on the hour with a display of jousting knights!
Perth has two streets which are partially closed to traffic, Hay and Murray Street, this is 
where you will find hundreds of shops (including high end fashion) and eateries. Not to be missed is a visit to the famous Miss Mauds Swedish Bakery…. yum! The pastries are the size of dinner plates!
Perth Zoo… TICK!
What a beautiful and well presented zoo, so clean and easy to get around. The zoo has themed area’s relating to the animals such Asian Rainforest, Aussie Bushwalk and African Savannah to name a few!
We loved that you could get so up close to the animals and time had been taken to show the animals in their natural dwellings. Most of the enclosures showed the underground burrows and nests which was a great insight when the nocturnal animals were hiding away during the daylight or nesting.
Orangutan climbing school is an experience in its self we sat for over an hour watching their cheeky behaviour.
Entry Costs were $29 per adult and $14 per child… I thought this was very reasonable as we spent the best part of a day there. My six year old loved it and still talks about it.
Margaret River…. TICK!
Around a three hour drive south of Perth was beautiful Margaret River. Margaret River town itself is a quaint village with Cafes, restaurants, shops and parks etc but the region of Margaret River itself has loads on offer from wineries, breweries, chocolate shops, caves, beaches and the list goes on !
Wineries, Wineries and Wineries… they are everywhere and it actually got confusing as to which ones we should visit. We literally just picked a road and went from there. On average each road would have between 5 – 20 wineries located on it so your possibilities are endless … wine tasting was loads of fun though and the average bottle was around the $20 mark.
We did however stumble across the Margaret River Chocolate Co in our travels. Wow! This place was huge and yes we became professional chocolate taste testers! They have everything here, from chocolate covered snakes, chocolate ice cream, choc covered liquorice and a lovely onsite restaurant with heaps of choices! The kids loved watching the chocolate being made. It is pricey around $15 for a block of chocolate but it is sooo worth it… divine!
Time for some physical activity to burn of that wine and chocolate ! The Margaret River Caves are spectacular and the experience was like no other. There are around 90 caves in this area however there are only around five that are accessible to the public.
We purchased a two Cave pass (Around $100.00) which allowed us to visit two out of the five caves, we chose Lake Cave and Mammoth Cave. Now if you’re not a steps type of person this is not for you, hundreds and hundreds of steps!
Lake Cave, literally took my breath away! You descend down into this cave through Kurri forests, inside is an amazing limestone cave with a permanent lake inside. The lake acts like a mirror and reflects all of the beautiful formations and colours inside the cave. This Cave tour is guided.
Mammoth Cave, one of the largest known caves in the Margaret River area. This Cave is a self guided tour with a MP3 player. You are free to explore the many chambers and cathedrals within. The size of this cave was mind blowing.
Busselton Jetty…. TICK!
Beautiful Busselton with that stunning beaches and pier which stretches 1.8 km out to sea! I’ve seen it in so many photos but it’s just as amazing in real life.
There is a small train which will take you out the end of the pier where the underwater observatory is located. The train and observatory ticket was around $70 for two adults and a child.
Busselton itself is only small and has a lovely cafes, pubs and restaurants to suit everyone.
Fremantle Harbour…. TICK!
A beautiful harbour city located approx. 20 kms form Perth City.
This city has everything to offer …. with its Cappuccino Strip filled with outdoor cafes and restaurants, Harbour front dining with some of the best seafood restaurants in Australia, Breweries and Fremantle markets. The streets are heritage style with beautiful old buildings including the famous Esplanade Hotel.
We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Little Creatures Brewery, right on the harbour. Afterwards we enjoyed the views of the waterfront from the Ferris Wheel, a must see.
The Old Fremantle gaol is close by and offer informative tours of this World Heritage building, the largest of its kind built in WA. Tours include The old watch house, night tours and the labyrinth of underground tunnels.
Watching the sunset over the Ocean….. TICK!
Sunsets in the west… SPECTACULAR!
Beautiful Cottesloe Beach with its grassy esplanade is a perfect location to enjoy and take some amazing photos. We took well over 100 photos, really hard not to… Ooops! 
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the West! We will be definitely heading back and exploring the places we missed!
If you haven’t been and don’t know where to start, we are here to help you! We can arrange everything for you, flights, hotels, car hire, day and extended trips, ferries… we can do the lot!
It’s time to TICK some more fun filled adventures of your list!
Vanessa 🙂
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