Perth Flights and Travel Guide

Perth has not just learnt to live with its remoteness but made a virtue of its isolated location, 2103km away from any major city and closer to Asia than any other Australian city.

Blessed with a Mediterranean climate and natural resources that have seen the city reap the benefits of the mining boom, Perth is a modern, youthful and affluent city with an enviable, laid-back lifestyle. Skyscrapers dominate the CBD skyline, but Perth has the vibe of an oversized village, with open spaces, fine golf courses and the spectacular Kings Park.

The Art Gallery of Western Australia houses one of country's finest collections of Aboriginal art. At the Perth Mint, built in the 1890s to refine gold mined in Western Australia, visitors can watch a live gold pour, where pure gold is heated and moulded into a solid gold bar. Many travellers also book flights to Perth in order to explore the surrounding areas. From the city, you can explore famous wine-growing regions, bushwalk in serene national parks and enjoy Western Australia's stunning white beaches.

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Perth Climate

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When to Fly to Perth

Peak Season:

The summer holidays are peak times for flights to Perth, as are the July school holidays. 

Off Season:

Fares to Perth are generally the lowest during the winter months.

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Getting Downtown Perth

An Airport-City Shuttle services the city and many hotels. There are also regular shuttle services to Fremantle and Scarborough, while the number 37 bus goes to the city centre from the domestic terminal.

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Getting Around Perth

Transperth operates Perth’s buses, trains, and ferries. The Central Area Transit (CAT) that loops the city offers free travel on trains and buses within the Free Transit Zone (FTZ). Bikes are a popular way to get around and there are good bike paths around the city and surrounding area. You'll find taxi ranks at the Perth Railway Station and the Barrack Street end of Hay Street Mall.

Driving in Perth can be tricky. Road signs, if you spot them, tend to tell you where you've  been rather than where you're going, and signs announcing major highways are small and subtle. It's worth getting a GPS with your rental car.

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Perth Insider Information

• Overlooking Perth, Kings Park on Mount Eliza boasts a superb Botanic Garden (with 1700 native species) but two-thirds of the 400-hectare park is native bushland. There are great views of the city,  especially from the State War Memorial or the DNA Tower, the tallest structure in the park.  On a clear day, you can see the Indian Ocean to the west from the top of the DNA tower (so-called because it resembles the DNA double-helix molecule). You can walk over the treetops enjoying stunning vistas along the Federation Walkway's 52m glass and steel bridge. 
• The Sunset Coast is a spectacular 50km stretch of white beaches and dreamy sunsets.
• "Freo," the historic port city of Fremantle south of Perth, has many convict-built colonial era buildings, including the 1830s Round House gaol, Western Australia's oldest building, the Whalers Tunnel, which leads from High to the Indian Ocean, and the Moores Building, now an art gallery and cafe.
• Rottnest Island, a 30-minute ferry ride from Fremantle (or hour from Perth), is a popular island getaway with spectacular beaches. The A-class reserve is known for its resident population of quokkas, a type of wallaby from which it gets its name (a Dutch explorer mistook them for rats). It's a great place for snorkelling, scuba diving, surfing and swimming and also has some of Australia's oldest colonial architecture.
• About 28km east of the city, Perth Hills is a great area for bushwalking, bird watching and stunning city views from the John Forrest National Park. Pick up walking trail maps from the Perth Hills National Park centre. If wine trails are more your style, you're in your element in the Perth Hills wine-growing area.
• Swan Valley is Western Australia's oldest and most distinguished wine-growing region,  best known for its award-winning wines from Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc varieties. It is also known for its microbreweries.
• Perth Observatory, 25km east of the city, is Australia's oldest continuously-operating observatory and a leading astronomical institution. You can take a 90-minute tour of the night sky (including a peek through the largest telescope in public use in the southern Hemisphere) and see the Moon, Saturn, Mars, star clusters and nebulae and galaxies. Book in advance.

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Perth Airports

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