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Perth is situated on Australia's western coast, close to the southwestern tip of the country. The city centre is fairly compact, situated on a sweep of the Swan River. The river, which borders the city centre to the south and east, links Perth to its port, Fremantle. The western end of Perth rises to the pleasant Kings Park, which overlooks the city, then extends to cosmopolitan Subiaco. Further west, suburbs extend as far as Scarborough and Cottesloe beaches on the Indian Ocean. The railway line bounds the city centre on the northern side, with Northbridge immediately north of the line.
Perth's international and domestic airports are about 8km (5mi) east of the city, and are 10km (6mi) apart. Buses and trains arrive at the Westrail Centre in east Perth.
Perth has a wide variety of accommodation catering for all tastes and price brackets. The main areas for budget accommodation are the city, Northbridge, Fremantle and Scarborough, while hotels, motels and holiday flats of all standards are spread throughout the city. Northbridge and Fremantle are definitely the places to go for nightlife, especially on Friday night.
Getting There
A few international airlines fly direct to Perth, but most visitors arrive in the west via the eastern states. There are direct flights to Perth from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide, Uluru, Darwin and Alice Springs. You can also fly to regional WA centres such as Albany, Broome, Carnarvon, Esperance, Exmouth, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Geraldton, Monkey Mia and Port Hedland.
There are daily bus services from Adelaide via the Nullabor to Perth, or head north along the WA coast on the 56-hour journey to Darwin. Buses also go to regional centres. The Indian-Pacific train line runs from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide, and is one of the world's great train journeys. There are also trains to York, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury.
Getting Around
Transperth(www.transperth.wa.gov.au) operates buses, trains and ferries. A free transit zone, including all Transperth buses and trains, as well as special CAT buses, covers the central city area.
A privately run bus meets every flight into Perth airport and travels to the city, hotels and hostels. There is also a suburban airport bus (No 37) which runs every half-hour or so and costs substantially less.
Cycling is a great way to explore Perth, and there are many bicycle routes around the city and its environs. Ferries cross the river regularly between and .
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