10 of the very best day trips from Perth
10 of the very best day trips from Perth
Keen to do some day trips from Perth? With so much to do in Australia’s sunniest capital it might be hard to drag yourself away. But there are also so many gorgeous places outside the city to explore. Within one hour you can be in one of Australia’s premier wine regions, swim at a gorgeous beach lagoon, hike a waterfall, or spot the local wildlife.
Day trips from Perth under 1 hour
These easy day trips are all within a 1-hour drive from Perth. While Perth has a great public transport system, it’s going to be difficult to do most of these day trips without your own car.
Swan Valley
Escape Perth’s urban buzz with a day trip to Swan Valley, an iconic wine region boasting Western Australia’s oldest vines, just 30 minutes from the CBD. Home to over 40 world-class wineries, six boutique breweries, cideries and distilleries as well as fantastic restaurants, cafés and art galleries it is the only Australian wine region you can cruise to from a capital city.
Start with a scenic drive, passing lush vineyards. Explore renowned wineries like Sandalford or Mandoon Estate and sample premium wines amid vineyard serenity. Relish gourmet cuisine at local eateries, savouring farm-to-table fare at one of our favourites Old Young’s Kitchen. The best breweries in the region are Bailey Brewing Co. or Mash Brewing or dive into the Swan Valley’s arts and crafts scene, visiting galleries like Maalinup Aboriginal Gallery and local artist studios.
Consider taking a tour to make the most of the day (and save someone from being the designated driver!). Swan Valley Tours has half-day, full-day tour options, or take a leisurely boat cruise from Perth with Captain Cook Cruises up the river to the Swan Valley.
With world-class wineries, breweries, distilleries, artisan food, handcrafted wares and endless dining options, the Swan Valley is definitely one of the best day trips from Perth.
Travel Time from Perth: 30 minutes
Distance: 25 kilometres
Direction from Perth: East
Day Trip Highlights: Wineries, Dining, Art, Scenery
Mandurah
Mandurah is Western Australia’s largest regional city and makes a perfect day trip, being just under an hour from Perth. With the backdrop of beautiful beaches, an estuary twice the size of Sydney Harbour and a laid-back vibe, it’s easy to see why it has been crowned WA’s Top Tourism Town two years running.
There are so many things to do in and around Mandurah, here are a few options that we love:
- Explore the canals and waterways by taking a Dolphin, Sunset, Murray River Lunch Cruise or indulge in a Wild Seafood Experience with Mandurah Cruises.
- See Thomas Dambo’s Giants of Mandurah. The larger-than-life, whimsical wooden sculptures are set amidst the natural assets of Mandurah’s waterways, wetlands, bushland and wildlife. Begin your adventure at the Mandurah Visitor Centre and collect clues along the way to reveal the location of the final Giant.
- Spot dolphin in the region. Whether you are on or by the water, it will be hard to miss these friendly locals. You will often see them playing in the estuary, boat harbour and in the Indian Ocean. Dawesville Cut, Mandjar Bay and the Mandurah Ocean Marina are common places to see dolphins.
- Go for a swim in Mandurah’s new estuary pool. Named Kwillena (dolphin) Gabi (waters) by the traditional owners of Bindjareb Boodja, this natural waterway shares its habitat with local marine life. You might even see a dolphin swim by!!
- Go crabbing in Mandurah. For those who love to catch their own meal, Mandurah is famous for blue swimmer crabs. The season opens on 1 December, and by January the Peel-Harvey Estuary is teaming with full-size crabs ready to be caught. Early morning or evening is the best time to catch them and you can go crabbing from a boat, a jetty using drop nets, or just wade into the shallows with long-handled scoop nets.
Travel Time from Perth: 55 minutes
Distance: 70 kilometres
Direction from Perth: South
Day Trip Highlights: Art, Wildlife, Swimming, Fishing
Bells Rapids
Just off the Great Northern Highway in Brigadoon around 40 minutes from the Perth CBD, Bells Rapids is a series of streams and waterfalls on the edge of the Darling Scarp at the meeting of the Avon and Swan Rivers. With a footbridge bridge spanning the river offering great views, it’s the perfect place for a picnic, hike, or a little downtime in nature. Water levels will vary depending on the time of the year, but in early spring the wildflowers are abundant and the river is usually in full flow. You might even spot a kangaroo or two in the area. Of course, the number one activity in the wet season at Bells Rapids is whitewater kayaking with the annual Avon Descent a two-day river race happening in August. You can also hike to a pretty waterfall that flows into the Avon River. We love visiting Bells Rapids at anytime of year, so make sure to add it to your list of day trips from Perth.
Read our detailed guide on Bells Rapids for everything you need to know before a visit.
Travel Time from Perth: 40 minutes
Distance: 33 kilometres
Direction from Perth: East
Day Trip Highlights: Hiking, Waterfall, Kangaroo, Wildflowers
Yanchep Lagoon + Yanchep National Park
Yanchep is an unassuming little town around 45 minutes from the CBD with two special features making it one of the best day trips from Perth.
Boasting warm, crystal-clear water, the picturesque Yanchep Lagoon is sheltered by a reef making it a beautiful and safe spot to swim. With rock pools teeming with marine life, this calm Lagoon is brilliant for snorkelling or exploring. Visit at low tide with an easterly wind for the best experience and always take care when swimming here. With plenty of parking, great change-rooms, shower facilities and patrolled by the Yanchep Surf Life Saving Club during the summer months, this is a fantastic spot for a beach outing. Pick up a coffee or snack at Yanchep Lagoon Beach Cafe across the road from the beach. Just watch out for the blowfish – they will nibble your toes or legs!
Located 10 minutes drive from the Lagoon, Yanchep National Park is one of Western Australia’s oldest national parks. It’s also one of the best places close to Perth to see Australian wildlife.
A mix of native bushland, wetlands and manicured lawns Yanchep National Park is a beautiful place to spot Australian flora and fauna including kangaroos and koalas, walk the numerous trails, enjoy a picnic in the parklands, or dine in one of the park’s dining facilities. It is also home to Perth’s only tourist cave, an underground wonderland with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, columns and shawls. The Crystal Cave is currently closed – but hopefully it will reopen soon! Or be part of an Aboriginal Cultural Experience at Yanchep National Park that will immerse you in local Noongar culture (runs every Sunday and public holidays). Park fees apply for entry to Yanchep National Park.
Travel Time from Perth: 45 minutes
Distance: 55 kilometres
Direction from Perth: North
Day Trip Highlights: Beach, Snorkelling, Wildlife, Picnic, Aboriginal Culture
Lesmurdie Falls
This is a beautiful waterfall day trip just 30 minutes from the Perth CBD! Whether you’re up for a hiking adventure or simply want to picnic with a view, Lesmurdie Falls is a great option located in the Mundy Regional Park in the Perth Hills. With a 50-metre drop, and featuring a series of cascading waterfalls this is one of the most spectacular falls on the Darling Range escarpment when it is in full flow.
To visit the top of the falls, park in the car park off Falls Road. There are picnic tables here and toilets. To view the top of the falls it’s only a 640 metre short walk and relatively easy. For a full circuit of the falls take the 2.5 kilometre Loop which offers various vantage points to observe the falls from different angles. To visit the bottom of the falls, use the Palm Road entrance. There’s plenty of parking, and it’s a lovely and easy 2 kilometre return walk to the falls, so make sure to add this to your list of day trips from Perth!
Travel Time from Perth: 30 minutes
Distance: 24 kilometres
Direction from Perth: East in the Perth Hills
Day Trip Highlights: Hiking, Waterfall, Wildflowers, Picnic
John Forrest National Park
Located in the Darling Ranges in the Perth Hills, John Forrest National Park is about 40 minutes from the city of Perth. It is Western Australia’s oldest national park and one of Perth’s favourite day trip destinations. Established in 1900, it covers 2,700 hectares of native bushland (jarrah and marri trees) and is home to lots of kangaroo. John Forrest National Park is a beautiful spot for picnics and hiking one of the many walking trails. You can also view the only historical railway tunnel in WA – the Swan View Tunnel which follows the tracks of the old railway line to York. It’s definitely one of the most popular day trips from Perth.
Read our detailed guide on John Forrest National Park for everything you need to know before a visit.
Travel Time from Perth: 40 minutes
Distance: 30 kilometres
Direction from Perth: East in the Perth Hills
Day Trip Highlights: Hiking, Waterfalls, Picnic, Historic Tunnel
Penguin Island + Shoalwater Islands Marine Park
One of the best day trips from Perth, Penguin Island is an easy 45-minute drive south along the freeway. Surrounded by the spectacular Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, its claim to fame is that it is home to a colony of over 1,000 Little Penguins, along with dolphins, sea lions and heaps of other aquatic life. Just 700 metres offshore from Mersey Point in Shoalwater (a few minutes from the seaside town of Rockingham) it’s a great place to enjoy a picnic, walk the 1.5km island boardwalk loop, or swim at the white sand beaches. Whilst Penguin Island is free to visit, you do need to pay for a short ferry ride.
It’s unlikely you’ll see little penguins waddling around during daylight hours, but you can get up close during the feeding of the penguins at the Penguin Discovery Centre. (Note: The Island is closed from June to mid-October for the breeding season)
Read our detailed guide on The Best Things to Do and See In Rockingham for other ideas when heading down to Penguin Island.
Travel Time from Perth: 50 minutes
Distance: 52 kilometres
Direction from Perth: South
Day Trip Highlights: Wildlife, Swimming, Picnic, Snorkelling
Mundaring Weir
This great little day trip from Perth is located in natural bushland in the Perth Hills about 40 minutes from the CBD. Mundaring Weir was completed in 1903 as the centrepiece of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme – part of a vast network of pipelines and reservoirs that spanned over 600 kilometres. Built across the Helena River, the dam has a capacity of 63.6 billion litres, and continues to play a vital source of water for Western Australia – now supplemented by desalinated seawater.
Adjacent to Mundaring Weir is the historic Number 1 Pump Station, an iconic piece of engineering heritage. This impressive structure housed massive steam-driven pumps that transported water from the dam to various reservoirs along the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme. Visit the Number 1 Pump Station Museum to explore the interactive displays and exhibits and learn more about the brilliant engineer behind the project, C.Y. O’Connor.
With educational, historical and natural attractions, this picturesque location hits the brief a scenic drive, picnic with friends or bushwalk in the great Australian bush.
Travel Time from Perth: 40 minutes
Distance: 35 kilometres
Direction from Perth: East in the Perth Hills
Day Trip Highlights: Hiking, Picnic, History
Serpentine Falls
Serpentine Falls is located within the Serpentine National Park, 55 kilometres southeast of Perth. This must-do day trip features a beautiful waterfall, swimming water hole at the base of the falls, picnic areas, hiking trails, and plenty of friendly kangaroo! There’s a lovely grassy and shaded picnic area with gas barbeques available. During winter and early spring, the waterfall is in full flow cascading into the rock-rimmed pool 15 metres below.
Enjoy a hike on the Falls Walk trail (<1km) Kitty’s Trail (14km) or Baldwins Bluff Trail (6km) and leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind as you are immersed in native Australian bush. The best time of year to walk in Serpentine is late autumn to mid-spring when the temperatures are cooler. Spring is a peak walking period because of the spectacular wildflower displays. National Park fees apply at Serpentine National Park.
Travel Time from Perth: 55 minutes
Distance: 65 kilometres
Direction from Perth: South East
Day Trip Highlights: Hiking, Picnic, Waterfall, Swimming
Lake Clifton Thrombolites
Located in Yalgorup National Park, south of Mandurah, Lake Clifton is one of our favourite day trips from Perth. Just over an hour from the city, this unassuming lake is home to thousands of thrombolites. One of the oldest enduring lifeforms on earth, these fragile limestone-looking domes appear at low tide as a testimony to the magnificence and wonder of nature. And, they’re only found in around a dozen locations around the world… as it turns out, our own backyard is one of them!
For the best view just take the path from the car park along the boardwalk, where you’ll find information boards explaining the unique history along the path. If you’re feeling a bit more active, you can do the 5.8km Lake Clifton Walk Trail from the car park which runs along the edge of the lake before circling back via a higher vantage point. There are interpretive boards on the trail with insight into the native fauna and flora. (just watch out for the spider’s webs)
The thrombolites are more exposed during the lower water levels of summer and autumn but can still easily be seen at other times. We suggest checking the tides and visiting when it’s low tide or they may be submerged.
Travel Time from Perth: 65 minutes
Distance: 115 kilometres
Direction from Perth: South
Day Trip Highlights: Hiking, Fossils, Geology
