1

monkey mia has nice hostel near the beach for the dolphin watch and cruise.s 3 days is plenty so you get your bearings after the bus ride get up real 6-7 am early to see the dolphins come in. no feeding or touching them permitted. i used greyhound bus. but check schedule carefully. the mint in perth terrific to visit.

2

Try the Emporers Crown. Ranges from individual rooms to dorms. Gets good reviews and we were very happy with it. Very well run and clean - a cut above the average backpackers hostel. In quiet part of Northbridge but close to the shops, restaurants etc and easy walk to the city. The manager was very helpful. Also close to the free blue CAT bus.

http://www.emperorscrown.com.au/

The city area of Perth has a very good network of free buses (called the CAT buses).

Kings Park at least half a day. There are a series of free volunteer run walks –

http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park/walks

A good day trip is to go down to Fremantle. The maritime museum is very good, especially the climb through the submarine. A free hop on hop bus does the circuit around the city area. From the Perth CBD catch the train to Fremantle and then go back by ferry back along the river (or the reverse). Depending on the time of the year you might need to book the ferry ride. If you wanted to see some of the beach get off the train at say Cottesloe and it is a couple of minutes walk.

Margaret River is 270 kms from Perth so not really a day trip so try the Swan River

3

Fremantle is a nice place to base yourself. It has a great atmosphere. Visit the Fremantle jail, it's a great tour.
1/2 day in Kings park is plently.
Make sure you go to the chocolate factory, there's one in Swan Valley and also in Margaret River.

4

8 nights in Perth is probably too much! I'd go down to Margaret River area, stay there and explore the region. Monkey Mia is over rated IMHO and you can see and swim with dolphins at Bunbury, which is en route for Margaret River. Do the inland route back to take a look at the Karri Forests.

5

Hmm.

margeret river or swan valley? What is the best choice for a great day of wine tasting and local products?

Margaret River for a day trip is a really long day. The Swan Valley is much better if you just want to have a trip round wineries and associated little places and still be in Perth. One or two nights in Margaret River might be better. Alternatively, somewhere around say Pemberton has much the same thing, and a bit of different ambience.

kings park, full day or is half a day enough?

Well that depends how long you enjoy hanging around a park really. It's not called 'Kings Park' as some sort of in joke. It's a park.

fremantle, what to do there? Wander around a bit, hire a bike?

Well, the impolite answer is "nothing you couldn't do anywhere else". Wandering around a bit and hiring a bike is about as good as it gets i'm afraid.

-same goes for rottnest island

Other than the same answer as for Fremantle, you can look at quokkas.

maybe a 4 day tour to monkey mia and pinnacles? Does anyone has some expierence with this tour? Where can i book! ( all of the sites i can find, the booking is only available till 31st of march)

Getting out of Perth for 4 days would be a very good idea. I don't know about the booking issue - I'd guess something to do with the encroaching winter. Try ringing some of the companies.

Whether you stay near the beach or in the city depends on what you like. Do you want to be near the beach, or do you want the bright lights of the city (such as they are)?

6

Margaret River region is an awesome place to visit. Lots of world class wineries and lot of great things to do.

For accommodation, I would suggest: www.abbeybeach.com.au

Or if you are in for a bit of adventure, then check this out too: http://www.facebook.com/BlackwoodRiverHouseboats

Wish you a very happy and enjoyable trip.

7

Wow, thanks for the quick replies and suggestions.
I think i will stay a few days close to CBD (anyone xpeience with YHA?) and a few days at the beach. It is wise to stay at Cottlesloe because its closer to Freo and Rottnest, or is Scarborough nicer (or any otherbeach suggestion)?
One more quetion, i like to jog around, should i bring my running shoes? Do they have somenice running tracks/parks?
Thanks again!

8

Bring your running shoes as you should find some running tracks around Perth. I would suggest hiring a bike on Rottnest as it is a good way to get around and see the island. Also consider staying overnight on Rottnest as it is nice in the evening and morning without all the daytrippers.

9

Scarborough is not an easy place to stay if you are relying on public transport to get to other beaches, Fremantle etc.

Fremantle, Cottesloe or Northbridge would be better for train access. At Cottesloe the train station is about a 10 minute walk from the beachside hostel. From there a train to Perth/Northbridge takes about 15-20 minutes and a train to Fremantle takes about 10 minutes.

Margaret River is vastly superior to the Swan Valley both in the quality of its wines and the local countryside. But if you are only allocating a day then there is no point going all that way so just do Swan Valley.

Half a day is easily enough to poke around Kings Park I think.

Fremantle is definitley good for a poke around and Rottnest Island has some great, deserted or near deserted beaches if you cycle around.

Monkey Mia might seem overrated if you literally do just tour in, see the dolphins and tour out again. When I went I spent 3 days just there and thought it was great with the wildlife cruises, tours of Francois Peron National Park and other tours, activities and spots you can visit.

But without your own transport you are probably just left with the quick 4 day tours. There are worthwhile sights on that route north so you might as well do it.

10

The xSwan Valley. I liked it much better than xMarg River and the tourist drive is lovely. Lots of delicious food too. Elmars for smallgoods, has a nice little cafe, and Edgecomb Brothers make a delicious muscat ice-cream. Caversham House is a beautiful old house with lovely gardens and a feature waterfall. Don't forget to pop into the xMargaret River Chocolate Factory there.


The xFremantle markets. I stayed Saturday & Sunday at this place - it was a YHA then, very friendly place with good vibes. Loved it, much nicer than xPerth. The "Cappucciono Strip" is beaut and there's the free CAT buses - see bus routes. Take a stroll to the Round House, the Maritime Museum. The best fish and chips were at the 'Fisherman's Basket' which was located near the posh, expensvie restaurants and tasted wonderful.

Did a tour tour to the xPinnacles - the sand boarding was crazy fun. Crazy going down the tunes, bit of a hard slog walking up the sand dunes though. I went with Pinnacle Tours and did the 1 Day Pinnacles, loalas & sand boarding 4WD one. It was great fun.


This is where I stayed - Perth City YHA. The new place hadn't been opened very long and I believe the swimming pool's copmpleted now. Very clean and modern, great staff when I was there. It's in Wellington Street, the yellow CAT bus runs along and the train station is a mere 5 minute walk.
At reception, they had "specials" - choose the tour you want, put your name down on the list, the hostel rings at 6pm to check for vacancies, and the tours cost $99 instead of the $160/$170 it was then.

Am i missing something?
Just realised you said you won't have a car and will be replying on public transport. That being the case, to visit the xSwan Valley, you'll have to do a tour. If you wanted to go to xMargaret River, you'd be better off staying there a couple of nights and doing a winery tour from there. Can recommend Inne Town Backpackers Train from xPerth station goes to xBunbury, then a connecting bus. There's a shuttle bus (free) takes you into the xBunbury township and back. I did a winery tour with this company

And Kings Park is called Kings Park. There's a lovely boardwalk, you could easily spend the better part of a day there. Here are some photos
Perth & Freo
Margaret River
Swan Valley

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My recommendations for day trips are Rottnest Island , combine that with a stay in Fremantle , my favourite place in Perth , Perth central , give it a miss , boring as !