Sights in Perth
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Aquarium of Western Australia
AQWA offers the chance to enjoy the state's underwater treasures without getting wet…or eaten, stung or poisoned. You can wander through a 98m underwater tunnel as gargantuan stingrays, turtles, fish and sharks stealthily glide over the top of you. The daring can snorkel or dive with the sharks; book in advance ($159 with your own gear; hire snorkel/dive gear $20/40; 1pm and 3pm). To get here on weekdays, take the Joondalup train to Warwick station and then transfer to bus 423. By car, take the Mitchell Fwy north and exit at Hepburn Ave, or take the coastal road north from Scarborough Beach. AQWA is by the water at Hillarys Boat Harbour.
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Kings Park & Botanic Garden
The green hilltop crown of Kings Park & Botanic Garden is set amid 4 sq km of natural bushland. The garden boasts over 2000 Western Australian plant species, which bloom during the September Perth Wildflower Festival. The architect-designed Lotterywest Federation Walkway (admission free; 9am-5pm) is a broad 222m-long, glass-and-steel structure that allows you to walk among the treetops – it’s a highlight.
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Holmes à Court Gallery
Idyllically located by the river in East Perth, the Holmes à Court Gallery was started by the late millionaire industrialist Robert Holmes à Court in the 1970s and today the collection comprises more than 3000 pieces. About one-third is made up of the best collection of canvas and bark paintings by Indigenous artists held in private hands; the remainder includes some of Australia’s leading contemporary artworks, and touring exhibitions.
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Perth Zoo
Perth Zoo has a number of interesting collections, including a nocturnal house and an ‘Australian Bushwalk’. Take the ferry ($3.20 return) across the river from Barrack St jetty to South Perth jetty, where the zoo is within walking distance. Otherwise catch buses to the zoo’s entrance: 30/31 from Wellington St bus station or the Esplanade Busport or 730/731 along Adelaide Tce.
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Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum includes an excellent ‘land and people’ display that examines both ancient history and the more recent past; a gallery of dinosaur casts; a good collection of meteorites; and galleries dedicated to mammals, butterflies and birds.
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Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Cutting-edge contemporary art – installations, performance, sculpture, video works – lives at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. This gallery has long promoted new and experimental art, and exhibits graduate works annually.
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Art Gallery of Western Australia
The Art Gallery of Western Australia has a brilliant collection of Aboriginal artworks and a fine permanent exhibition of early Europeans-in-Australia paintings. There are regular exhibitions and a fabulous gift shop.
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Kings Park Visitors Centre
Kings Park Visitors Centre is opposite the war memorial on Fraser Ave. Free guided walks leave at 10am and 2pm. If you are laden with picnic gear, take the free bus (number 37) from the city to the park entrance.
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Houghton Wines
A great little trip out of the city is to the Swan Valley vineyards. Dotted along the river to the Upper Swan, many are open for tastings and cellar sales. Start at the original, Houghton Wines.
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Scitech
Scitech is an option, especially if it’s raining. It has over 160 hands-on, large-scale science and technology exhibits.
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State Library of Western Australia
The State Library of Western Australia has a great reference section on all things WA.
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Western Australian Museum – Perth
This branch of the state's six-headed museum includes dinosaur, mammal, butterfly and bird galleries, a children's discovery centre, and an excellent WA Land and People display that covers indigenous and colonial history. The complex includes Perth's original jail (1856).
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Perth Mint
Perth's oddly compelling Mint (1899) allows you to fondle a gold bar worth over $200,000, mint your own coins and watch gold pours (on the hour, starting 10am).
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Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
PICA may have a traditional wrapping (it's housed in an elegant 1896 school) but inside it's anything but, being one of Australia's principal platforms for cutting-edge contemporary art.
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Kings Park & Botanic Garden
The bush-filled 400-hectare expanse of Kings Park is where the city's good burghers head for a picnic under the trees or to let the kids off the leash in one of the playgrounds. Its numerous tracks are popular with walkers, while the steep stairs leading up from the river support a steady procession of masochistic middle-aged joggers. Apart from buns of steel, the exertion is rewarded by wonderful views from the top.
At the park's heart is the 17-hectare Botanic Garden, containing over 2000 indigenous plant species. In spring there's an impressive display of the state's famed wildflowers. A highlight is the Lotterywest Federation Walkway, a 620m path through the gardens th…
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Bell Tower
Close your eyes and think of England as you listen to the royal bells of London's St Martin's-in-the-Fields, the oldest of which dates to 1550. Clamber to the top of the pointy glass spire for 360-degree views of Perth by the river.
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Art Gallery of Western Australia
Founded in 1895, this excellent gallery houses the state's pre-eminent art collection, with the Indigenous galleries providing the highlight. Free tours take place daily.
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