Perth, Western Australia

:For other places with the same name, see Perth (disambiguation).

Tourist attractions in and around Perth

A sun-baked city that can go weeks or even months without substantial rainfall, one of Perth's main attractions lies in the pristine quality of its beaches. Unbroken stretches of white beaches run the entire length of the city's coastal suburbs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While not unlike the beach setting of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Perth has not experienced the same level of beachfront and riverfront development of other similar naturally rich Australian urban environments.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Perth City

The centre of Perth is located on the northern bank of the Swan River, a part of the River known as 'Perth Water' and is roughly divided into three parallel sections.

Related Topics:
Swan River - Perth Water

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The Central business district, closest to the river, and which runs along St Georges and Adelaide Terraces, this is the historical core of the city and includes Government House. Parliament House is on the hill to the west looking along St Georges Terrace towards the Darling Scarp.
• The retail district, which has its focus on the Hay and Murray Street Malls.
• The entertainment and cultural precinct, known as Northbridge.

Kings Park

Kings Park occupies 1,003 acres (4 km²) of the crest of a large hill (Mt Eliza) overlooking the CBD. Larger than New York's Central Park 843 acres (3.4 km²), Kings Park contains Perth's botanical gardens as well as tracts of natural bushland. During spring, Kings Park bursts into a world-class display of wildflowers, which is a popular tourist attraction. In August 2003, the Lotterywest Federation Walkway was opened in Kings Park. It is a 620m long elevated walkway through the treetops, providing a remarkable bird's eye view of the park and gardens as well as sweeping views of the Swan River.

Related Topics:
Kings Park - New York's - Central Park - 2003 - Swan River

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Perth is a very green city, with an abundance of parks and tree-lined boulevards.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Perth Zoo

The Perth Zoo is across the Swan River in South Perth, accessible from the city by either the Narrows Bridge or by ferry from the Barrack Street Jetty.

Related Topics:
Perth Zoo - Swan River - South Perth - Narrows Bridge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Swan Bells

The Swan Bells is a bell tower siting on the edge of the Swan River. A copper structure representing the sails of a ship, it houses old bells from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields (of nursery rhyme fame), which were a gift from the United Kingdom to the people of Australia on the occasion of Australia's 200 year anniversary of colonisation. It was opened to the public in 2001. The government of Western Australia took a significant amount of criticism for creating the Bell Tower; it was said that the significant funding allotted for the project (millions of dollars) could have been better placed into the faltering health and education systems, and that the structure could have been better designed aesthetically.

Related Topics:
Bell tower - Ship - Nursery rhyme - United Kingdom - Colonisation - 2001 - Government of Western Australia - Health - Education

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Perth Convention Exhibition Centre

The Perth Convention Exhibition Centre opened in September 2004. Situated on the river foreshore, only a short walk from the CBD, the Centre is WA's only purpose built convention, exhibition and meeting centre. It can cater for functions of up to 2500 delegates. The Centre is expected to attract increased tourism for the state. It is jocularly referred to as 'The Hayshed', because of its flat and extended design which originally was intended to resemble a gum leaf.

Related Topics:
Perth Convention Exhibition Centre - 2004

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Perth Mint

Perth Mint is the oldest still-operating mint in Australia. One of two legal tender mints in Australia, the other is in Canberra. It is open to the public 7 days a week and includes displays and the Perth Mint Shop which buys and sells precious metal proof quality gold and silver coins, bullion, nuggets and jewellery.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Islands

There are a few islands off the coast of Perth, notably Rottnest Island, a significant tourist attraction. Other nearby islands include Garden Island (home to a naval base), Carnac Island, Seal Island and Penguin Island. All of these Islands are 'A' class nature reserves with restricted access. The deep shipping channel between Perth and these islands is called Gage Roads, the site of the America's Cup yachting challenge in 1987.

Related Topics:
Rottnest Island - Garden Island - Carnac Island - Seal Island - Penguin Island - Gage Roads - America's Cup - 1987

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fremantle

The historical port city of Fremantle is located at the mouth of the Swan River, and is home to many attractions. Most notable of these is the mammoth newly-constructed Western Australian Maritime Museum. Located on the dock at Victoria Quay, the museum houses Australia 2, the yacht which won Australia the America's Cup in 1983. Also in Fremantle is the Maritime Museum shipwreck galleries, with recovered artifacts and part of the hull of the shipwrecked Dutch ship Batavia, from hundreds of years ago.

Related Topics:
Fremantle - Swan River - America's Cup - 1983 - Shipwreck - Hull - ''Batavia''

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Aquarium of Western Australia

Perth is home to Australia's largest underwater walk-through aquarium, AQWA (The Aquarium of Western Australia). Located at Hillarys Boat Harbour, this attracts large numbers of international tourists.

Related Topics:
Aquarium - Hillarys Boat Harbour

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whiteman Park

Whiteman Park is situated in picturesque bushland 25 minutes North East from the City Centre, it forms the western boundry of the Swan Valley wine region. The Park covers an area of more than 4200 hectares (over 10,000 acres) with nearly half of this classified as high value conservation bushland or wetland. The Park takes its name from Mr Lew Whiteman (1903-1994), a prominent local identity and enthusiastic collector of artifacts. His family settled in Guildford from England in the late 19th century and Lew acquired some land around Mussel Pool in the 1940s. This, and other land held by a variety of private owners, was purchased by the State Government in 1978 and combined to form Whiteman Park. The Park also protects the southern portion of the Gnangarra Water Mound - a large underground water source that supplies up to 40% of metropolitan Perth's drinking water. All native wildlife in the Park is protected and more than 100 Bird species have been identified. Along with 32 Reptile, 7 Amphibian and 8 Mammals. The Caversham Wildlife Park recently move into an area of park near the Village. There are also a number different collections of transport and machinary equipment as well as working historical Tram and Rail lines.

Related Topics:
Swan Valley - Guildford - England - Bird - Reptile - Amphibian - Mammals - Tram - Rail

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~