Kings Park
Overlooking the city this large and lush park is the perfect place to escape the city and get a full view of the Swan river and surrounds. A myriad of paths wind through various gardens showcasing flora from different regions of WA including a boab tree brought down on the back of a truck from the Kimberly. The striking War Memorial and Flame of Remembrance are also here. Take either free bus #37 weekdays or #39 weekends from St Georges Terrace.
Perth Cultural Centre
Adjacent to the Perth Train Station on the Northbridge side, this is the hub of cultural activity in Perth. Including the Art gallery, Museum, State Library and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts PICA See listings below. A 2 min walk from the Perth Train Station. Blue CAT Stops 7 and 15 both service the Cultural Centre, as well as Yellow 24 and Red 31.
Western Australian Museum
The museum has an interesting collection of social and natural history from WA and beyond. The main building has an extensive display of marine creatures, minerals, butterflies and birds, as well as the shrivelled taxidermed bodies of mammals familiar to generations of Perth residents plus the revitalised Katta Djinoong Aboriginal history display. The Old Gaol building at the rear houses colonial artefacts, displays of life from the different periods and a couple of meteorites. Make sure to look into the creepy eye of the rare Megamouth shark whose preserved body floats in a subterranean tank next to the Old Gaol.
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Rotating exhibitions of contemporary Australian, International and Indigenous art and design drawn from the state collection. Exhibitions can be a bit heavy on Indigenous art though there are some fantastic Indigenous works represented but you could easily fill a few hours here surveying 150 years of Australian Art.
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Rotating exhibitions of local and international artists work that focuses toward the more experimental end of contemporary art.
Kangaroos in the City
If you don't get the chance to see some real ones, do like everyone else and take a photo with these friendly Roos. The larger than life size bronze kangaroo sculptures were installed in 1997 and have become a magnet for international visitors who are subsequently disappointed with the diminutive size of their real life counterparts.
Barracks Arch
Equally loved and loathed by residents this arch is all that remains of the 1866 Tudor style accommodations for soldiers of the Enrolled Pensioner Guard. The two wings were demolished in 1966 to make way for the Mitchel Freeway but public protests held back the wrecking ball from dispatching this part of Perth's history.
Perth Mint
The nation's oldest operating mint and one of the oldest mints in the world. Even today it still produces coins and gold bullion from its original premises. You can buy and sell gold, jewellery and souvenirs, see the mint in operation and watch molten gold being poured to create gold bars. Walk from City Centre along Hay Street east or catch the red CAT
Festivals and events
Perth International Arts Festival
A month long annual festival held around February is Perth's biggest arts event, offering local and international acts of every artful stripe. Most performances are ticketed but a number of free exhibits or street performances may be worth catching.
The Red Bull Air Race
held in Perth annually in early November. It is the Final of the season and the event determines the overall winner of the competition. Thousands of spectators pack the Swan River foreshore as planes fly at low altitude just metres above the water! at speeds reaching well over 300kmp/h). After the race, there is an air show in which the pilots can perform some airborne trickery. Potential spectators should be warned that it is a very busy event: parking will be a enormous problem with some locals going to extreme lengths to get spaces and public transport sparse.