13 places to visit with kids in Perth

If you’re planning a trip to Perth with kids, you’ll be pleased to know there is tons of stuff to do – while the beaches are an obvious draw (Cottesloe, Scarborough, City Beach and Bathers Beach down in Fremantle being great family friendly choices in the metro area), there are plenty of other things to see and do with your pint sized sidekicks.

Perth CBD

As well as shopping (there is often something on in the Perth City shopping Mall area –especially in the school holidays), there are loads of cultural and back to nature sights to see and things to experience. Make sure you check out:

1. Kings Park - Synergy Parkland – Tons of climbing frames, wide open spaces, learning opportunities and great coffee at the onsite café, Zamias.

2. Kings Park - Ivey Watson/ Lottery West Playground -  Run, don’t walk, to Stickybeaks Cafe and dibs a homemade pie. The play areas are massive and inventive (there are multiple swings, slides, a pirate ship, climbing frames, many built into the landscape. There are also designated areas for smaller and bigger kids, so toddlers can play without fear of being knocked down.

3. WA Museum, Northbridge - A fave with local pint sized dinosaur boffins, follow up an educational morning with a stroll through the neighboring cultural centre.

4. Art Gallery of WA, Northbridge - Open Wednesday to Mondays, the art gallery is filled with… well art – but it has lots of amazing exhibits year round. It’s part of the cultural centre, so you can make a day of touring the area – and pop over the overpass into the shopping area.

5. Sci-tech – located just outside the CBD in West Perth, Scitech is a fully interactive museum designed for kids. They have puppet shows for the younger kids and a science theater for shows designed for a slightly older audience. Perfect for a rainy day – as locals, we used to by a seasons pass every winter and log serious hours on wet days.

6. Perth Zoo – A great day out with lots of walking to tire out active bodies, Perth Zoo offers… well, what you’d expect a Zoo to offer! Consider packing picnic, there are lots of grassy areas to enjoy a meal together, and the food offerings aren’t a highlight (though perfectly acceptable if bringing along food of your own isn’t an option.)

Surrounding areas

A lot of the really great things to see and do with kids are further out from the CBD, many of which can be reached by bus or train (though hiring a car is ideal if you’re planning to get out and about in Perth.)

7. Adventure World – a water park/ fun park out in Bibra Lake, you can easily spend a while day running between rides, water slides, and the designated area for smaller children. There’s a huge pool, water slides dotted all over the park, rides including Bounty’s Revenge and rollercoaster/ stomach turner style rides. There’s also paddleboats, go carts and carnival games. Just check the website before you go to check seasonal opening dates – it does close in the colder months.

8. AQWA – located out in Hillary’s (an area worth a visit, with a great beach for kids and a shopping/ dining precinct, and the Great Escape water fun park.) This aquarium shows off 12,000kms of WA coastline, over 40 exhibits, 4 million litres of water and 4,000+ fish.

9. Fremantle Markets – Fremantle in general is a great place to visit (it’s even a great area to make your base while on holidays in WA – it has a lot of terrific foodie options, the shopping is great and there are a lot of cultural experiences dotted all over the area. Living a thirty minute drive from Freo myself, and with the sheer volume of things to do there, we’ve been known to book a hotel for the weekend and live like tourists rather than drive back and forth.) While there, make sure you get to the markets – as well as fresh food, they have all kinds of crafty stalls and unique buskers.

10. Mandurah Foreshore - Pack a bag, spend a weekend - there’s everything from brand spankin’ new cafes and restaurants (and a shiny fresh arts centre) through to fish’n’chips on the foreshore/ jetty and a waterfront fun park.

11. Rottnest Island – ‘Rotto’ is car and care-free. A rite-of-passage for Perth kids, this island can be reached by ferry – leaving daily from Fremantle or the city. Accommodation can be tricky to come by in peak season (you can camp, stay in a chalet or the hotel), so make sure you book in advance if possible. If you can’t secure accommodation for the night, it’s still a wonderful day trip, and the ferry’s arrive early and leave late, so you do get plenty of time to walk around and spot a Quokka.

12. Outback Splash, Bullsbrook – A huge water park for kids in the summer months, Outback Splash also has loads on offer for winter (though it’s not recommended you visit on wet days, because MUD.) Five head-scratcher mazes, mini golf, giant chess, cafe and camel rides.

13. Whiteman Park - As well as Caversham Wildlife Park, Whiteman Park is home to all kinds of fun stuff - including rides, trains and multiple playground areas.

Article supplied by Melanie Hearse a WA based freelance health, parenting and travel writer. Her work regularly appears on Buzzfeed, Lifestyle.com.au, Kidspot; or you can find her on Twitter @melaniehearse, or at www.sixinthebed.com.au

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