Dubbed by Bill Bryson the world’s most remote city, Perth is among the best cities in the world for outdoors adventures. There’s fantastic diving on nearby Rottnest Island. Surfing and kitesurfing near Perth are world-class, and sandboarding day trips to the Pinnacles Desert can be arranged.
If you’re planning on taking a trip to enjoy the wonderful outdoors, there are affordable flights to Perth that can be booked in advance with sites such as Expedia.
Place
Perth, Australia
Perth Location
Perth is located in southwest Australia between the Indian Ocean and a low escarpment called the Darling Range.
Geography of Perth
With 1.6 million people, Perth is the fourth largest city in Australia. Located on in the southwest corner of the country, Perth is bounded on the west by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and in the east by the Darling Range, a long low escarpment that runs north-south. Perth is also bisected by the Swan River. According to Bill Bryson, Perth is the most remote city on earth. There may be some truth to this statement. Perth is actually geographically closer to Jakarta than Sydney.
Perth sits on a sandy coastal plain of infertile soil. The city is measures about 90 km (56 mi) north-south, and stretches about 50 km (31 mi) inland and has two river systems, the Swan and the Canning. The city sits on relatively flat and rolling land and is known for clean, beautiful beaches.
Perth Weather and Climate
Although far from the area, Perth is said to have a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers that last from December to March and cool wet winters.
Perth receives and average of 8.8 hours of sunshine per day and receives most of its rain between May and September. The average high in the summer reaches up to 31.3°C (88.3°F) and averages lows in the winter dip down to 7.8°C (46°F) in July.
Perth Description
Despite its remote location, Perth draws a great deal of tourism, especially from backpackers and adventure seekers. Although there are no nearby mountains to speak of, the geography is exceptional for outdoors activities. The beaches and Darling Range offer great climbing. Like the rest of Australia, Perth is proximate to exceptional scuba diving, snorkelling, surfing, and kitesurfing. The nearby rivers offer great whitewater rafting and kayaking and, being near the desert, even sandboarding trips can be arranged.
Steak is always in the menu in Australia. Dining at a local steakhouse comes highly recommended.
Perth Highlights
Bullet point highlights including keywords
• Diving on Rottnest Island 18km (11 mi) west of Perth is known for its great visibility, reefs, and biodiversity.
• Surfing and kitesurfing on the beaches up and down the coast are world-class and offer something for enthusiasts of all levels.
• Sandboarding day trips can be arranged from Perth to the Pinnacles Desert, and are a great way to experience the desert.
• Hike and explore Crystal Cave in Yanchep National Park, about an hour’s drive north of Perth.
RECOMMENDED READING
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Recommended Reading
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Perth Outdoor Adventure Activities
• Surfing
• Stand-up paddle boarding
• Scuba diving (wreck, reef, cave)
• Snorkeling
• Surfing (all levels)
• Sailing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Parasailing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Hot air ballooning
• Whitewater rafting
• Kayaking (river, lake, and ocean)
• Canoeing
• Caving and spelunking
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Rock climbing (all levels)
• Abseiling/rappelling
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding
• Sandboarding
Travel Insurance
I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.
Perth Photos
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Images (in order) courtesy rosswebsdale, akeii, michaelroper, maxful, Makenosound, Kate Raynes-Goldie, rksmith99, jp3g, Robin Hutton, Kenny Teo (zoompict) ,kelvin_luffs, and Shane__Watson on Flickr.
Perth Map
Disclosure: If you purchase insurance, book a hostel, or purchase one of the recommended books on this page using the links provided, I will receive a small commission. I do not, however, recommend these products simply to make money. I recommend World Nomads travel insurance because I use it myself and feel that they offer a good product that suits my needs at a fair price. I recommend Hostelbookers.com because they have the cheapest booking prices that I have seen online and a large selection, and I recommend the selected books from Amazon.com because they have reputations for quality information and were up to date at the time of writing.If you have found my blog useful I hope that you will consider purchasing some of these products using the links on this page to help me to continue providing free information about adventure travel around the world. |
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Perth is amazing place to spend good times in summer season.. I had visited last year and enjoyed scuba diving. In the crystal clear water I was able to view the whole marine life clearly.
Agreed. It is a beautiful place!
Perths my home town. While we have some great beaches and outdoor activities, we also have the inflated prices 🙁
http://su.pr/7k38Wo
Yep, remoteness is always expensive. That’s why most places in Canada are expensive too–it costs so much to ship stuff there!
This is a great compilation of information for visitors who are traveling to Perth. Although this area is remote, it offers more activities for visitors than a lot of other areas in Australia. One more thing that visitors can do is go on one of the many off-road adventure tours that are popular in the area.