Perth Lastminute Hotels & Travel Guide
Perth is the state capital city of Western Australia, the largest state in Australia and the fourth largest city in Australia. For a city of its size, Perth is one of the most isolated places on earth. To reach Perth, the nearest Australian capital city and the nearest place of similar size, takes a day and a half of continuous travel by land, and Perth is closer to Singapore than it is to Sydney.
The centre of Perth is located on the northern bank of the Swan River, a very green city, with an abundance of parks and tree-lined boulevards. One of Perth’s main attractions lies in the pristine quality of its beaches. Unbroken stretches of golden sands run the entire length of the city’s coastal suburbs. Perth was not the first place in Western Australia to be settled. That honour fell to Albany in 1826. Perth was second, the Swan River Colony here being established in 1829. The city was so named because the Secretary of State for the Colonies in Britain at the time, Sir George Murray, was the member for the Scottish city of Perth.
Despite its fairly long history, by Australian standards, Perth gives the impression of being a thoroughly modern city. Yet, if one looks around, one can still find the older buildings and the history, especially in the city centre. It is a particularly attractive city, with the Swan River, named for the black swans which were always to be found on it, running through its centre, and with King's Park offering a fine view down over the urban area.
Shopping
Perth’s city centre is a shopping hub and a dependable retail therapy hotspot that can be enjoyed seven days a week. From unique designer goods to major department stores the city’s rich mix of retail outlets encompasses the latest in fashion, style and technology.
Shoppers can devour the retail offerings of the central city by walking via the covered overpasses and colourful arcades. Originally created to help pedestrians traverse the wide city blocks, arcades including Carillon City, Piccadilly, Plaza and Trinity Arcade have each developed their own distinctive character.
Dining
Perth has the most restaurants per capita in Australia famous for their seafood, the country’s best wine, produced two hours drive away, for its “Sunday Session” afternoons of beer drinking and eating. Perth is highlighted by its European-style cafe culture, largely influenced by Italian migrants. Hay, Murray and King streets are the dining places to go to & Northbridge is the centre of action of bars, dining and nightclubs. In the main street of Fremantle you can enjoy the plentiful coffee bars which are close to the water.
Nightlife
Perth has a large selection of pubs and nightclubs to cater for all types of tastes. The main nightclub area in Perth is Northbridge, located just over the railway line from the city centre, and only a few minutes walk from the train and buses. Northbridge is about four blocks long by four blocks wide. In this area you will find about 20 nightclubs, 10 pubs, and over 100 eating establishments. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days and nights at Northbridge, but there is always a great atmosphere any day of the week.
Perth Animal Attractions
Perth Zoo – located in South Perth and has more than 2,000 creatures of 280 different species. It tries to present its residents in their natural environment as far as possible. There is an Australian Walkabout section featuring native wildlife, through some parts of which one can wander with the animals.
Caversham Wildlife Park – hand feed Kangaroos, meet a Koala, cuddle a Wombat, view Emus and other birdlife, and see the keepers feeding the wildlife. This hands on experience will certainly excite the senses for all ages, book your Caversham Wildlife Park Tour online.
Perth Beaches & Parks
There are plenty of beaches around Perth, along what has become known as the Sunset Coast. Cottesloe Beach is one of the nearest ocean beaches to the city and a safe swimming beach. Scarborough and Trigg beaches are popular surfing beaches
Burswood Park – A public park with plenty of trails and places to picnic. The park foreshore runs along the Swan River. The Heritage trail tells the story of Western Australia. All the attractions and facilities are free.
Museum
Aviation Museum – The largest aviation museum in Australia is at Bull Creek. Displays include a Spitfire and Lancaster Bomber and lots more.
Scitech – The biggest planetarium in Australia with a huge 18 metre diameter dome screen providing a 360 degree view.
