Perth is a compact and walkable riverside city. Holidays in Perth offer some very good beaches and interesting sightseeing tours thanks to Perth’s old colonial buildings. At nearby Rottnest Island, an eighty-minute ferry ride from Perth, the snorkeling is excellent. Perth is the state capital of Western Australia. It looks out across the Indian Ocean and is a modern, easygoing city with a pronounced feeling of youthfulness. The port district of Fremantle has a lively market and hip café society while Northbridge has the pick of the clubs and bars and is the centre of the restaurant scene. Cottesloe Beach just north of Fremantle has safe swimming.

Relaxed waterside holidays

Interesting day excursions

Its bicycle lanes

Mixing city with beach

You’ll miss the best of Perth and its surroundings if you stay put in one area. Hire a car or use the ferries and local transport and get around.

All visitors to Australia except New Zealanders need a visa or ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) to enter the country and a valid passport (recommended to have at least 12 months until expiry date). An important condition for visa applications is that you can show adequate funds. For more information, www.australia.org.uk or ask your Travel Counsellor.

Summer runs from December to March, autumn from March to May. ! Winter is June to August and spring from September to November. Spring is a key time to visit (around 24°C/75°F, September-November). So is autumn (around 26°C/81°F, April-June).

Flights to Perth from the UK take around 22 hours.

Driving is on the left. There are plenty of car rental companies in the city.