Perth is a small city with big ambitions to attract more Australia-bound British travellers
Are you going to Rottnest Island to see the quokkas? That seemed to be the only question on anyone’s lips when I mentioned travelling to Perth, the capital of Western Australia and a gateway to this rugged region. With their smiling faces and trusting natures, these mini marsupials star in no end of tourist selfies – but there’s a lot more to discover in and around this city.
The greater Perth area already accounts for three‑quarters of the state’s nearly three million people and the population is expected to rise by a third by 2050. Visitor numbers are climbing too, with 115,000 British arrivals in the 12 months to March 2024 – a third of them first‑timers Down Under – equivalent to 81% of 2019’s figure.
“The UK is our biggest market by visitor numbers,” says Steph Underwood, acting managing director for Tourism Western Australia. “We’re doing our best to reposition Western Australia as the way to enter the country and have your first Australian experience.
“We’re trying to get more of our operators to be trade‑ready. We’re investing heavily and there will be at least 10 new operators to market every year. Having smaller operators working with the trade is critical for us, because consumers want customised experiences and they want to be able to book through an agent.”
With tour operators reporting rising interest in the state and the eyes of the travel trade turning to Perth as it hosted the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Global Summit earlier this month, I went to find out what clients can do once they have captured that cute quokka pic.
Walking tour of Perth
This sprawling city may not seem like a place to explore on foot – but local operator Two Feet & A Heartbeat has been leading walking tours since 2007, taking visitors from tiny arcades and art‑filled alleys to the pedestrianised shopping streets of the central business district.
We set off from Elizabeth Quay, a buzzing waterfront locale with food, drink and craft stalls. But not before guide Jack Sherrell offers up a little London trivia to make me feel at home: the Bell Tower at the centre of the riverside complex holds 14th‑century bells taken from Trafalgar Square church St Martin‑in‑the‑Fields.
There’s plenty more history to follow as we pass along the Swan River – central to the culture of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people, the traditional custodians of this land – and their community meeting place at Yagan Square, now commemorated with public artworks and architecture celebrating this Aboriginal heritage.
There are also landmarks from the time spent under British colonial rule too, including the grand facade of the Palace Hotel, built in the 1890s, and the sturdy ballast from European ships laid out beneath your feet along the path of Howard Lane.
But it’s what’s on the walls of this little laneway that really catches my eye. They are covered in murals by Perth-born street artists Yok and Stormie Mills. It’s my first taste of how local designers have taken the city’s walls and turned them into a canvas for their endless creativity.
Women take centre stage for the Whadjuk, Ballardong and Yamatji artist Marcia McGuire, whose colourful artworks offer further social commentary writ large. And the moving murals of Argentine street artist Hyuro highlight the stories of the female immigrants who worked in the city’s textile factories.
While it’s easy enough to wander down Wolf Lane to gaze at these artworks, recommend that your clients take a guided tour to explore the stories behind each piece (2.5-hour tour from £33).
Fremantle day trip from Perth
The seafront city of Fremantle – a popular port of callfor Oceania Cruises, Azamara, Holland America Line, Ponant and Princess Cruises – is just 25 minutes from Perth by car but is a city in its own right.
This spot has its own rich heritage. It’s home to the oldest public building in Western Australia – the Round House, built during the time of the Swan River Colony in 1830 – along with the state’s only Unesco World Heritage Site, Fremantle Prison.
Perhaps the diversity of its history is best showcased by some of the statues to Freo’s most famous icons – which range from Second World War prime minister John Curtin to AC/DC singer Bon Scott, set alongside the fishing boat harbour.
A tour with Peddle Perth (from £64 for 90 minutes) reveals all this and more on a lively rickshaw ride around the city, passing by Fremantle Markets, Esplanade Park and Bathers Beach. There are snippets of history, from the culture of the Nyoongar people and the tunnels used by 19th-century whalers to the Welcome Walls at the Western Australian Maritime Museum, which list the names of migrants who arrived at the port city by sea.
It’s a timely reminder that this area has long been an entry point into the country – and with more flight links and first-time visitors than ever before, Perth remains the gateway to adventures in Western Australia.
Book it:
Anzcro offers two nights at QT Perth in a Deluxe King Room plus two nights at Warders Hotel Fremantle in a Double King Bed from £2,547 per person, based on two sharing, departing February 28, 2025. The price includes Singapore Airlines flights, a street art tour of Fremantle, and a full-day Swan Valley trip with wine tasting and fine-dining lunch.
anzcro.co.uk
Singapore Airlines flies from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Singapore, with onward services
to Perth four times a day, from £1,132 return in economy class or from £5,555 in business class.
singaporeair.com
Tourism Western Australia is holding agent roadshows – with the chance to win a holiday for two, with flights – in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham on November 13-15. Sign up at
waroadshow.com
Where to stay in Perth
QT Perth
Quirky 18-storey hotel whose decor balances tongue-incheek modern motifs with art deco influences – everything from vivid velvet furnishings and polished brass fixtures in rooms to a trendy rooftop bar. Rooms from £160 per night.
qthotels.com
Warders Hotel
This set of cottages – built by convicts in 1852 to house guards at the nearby prison – has been converted into an atmospheric boutique hotel with original floorboards, doors and staircases. Rooms from £153 per night.
wardershotel.com.au
Top tip
For a food-filled day trip, Swan Valley is a 25-minute drive from downtown Perth and has wineries, coffee roasters, restaurants and local produce aplenty
PICTURES: Tourism Australia; Katie McGonagle
