Top Daytrips From Perth

Perth, the capital of Western Australia, is an amazing city. Besides the lovely beaches, amazing parks, good wineries and good vibe within the urban region, there are many daytrips you can take within a two hour drive that will make your stay in the most isolated city in the world memorable.

Pinnacles and Lancelin

Located approximately 190 kilometres north of Perth, the Pinnacles desert will certainly make you feel like you are in Mars. This area of the Nambung National Park is full of unusual limestone formations and is great for walking around and also driving. The Pinnacles can be as tall as 3.5 metres, and the combination of the yellow sand and the reddish formations generate a unique image.

To enter the Nambung National Park, you might need to pay a fee of 13 AUD per vehicle, and you can go to more than one park within the same day with one pass. If planning to visit many during a year, you might want to consider the Annual Pass. See details here.

On the same trip, you can stop at Lancelin, which is 77 kilometres south of the Pinnacles (126 kilometres from Perth), where the main attraction is the possibility of sandboarding in incredible white dunes, as well as, if interested, driving Quads, Buggies and 4WD within the designated area.

Boards can be rented for 12 AUD per 2,5 hours (details here)

You can easily wake up early, drive to the Pinnacles and spend the morning there, have lunch somewhere nearby (a BBQ in Cervantes might be a great plan 😉 ), then go south to Lancelin, enjoy the sand dunes, and then finish your day returning to Perth after sunset.

New Norcia

Did you know that the only Monastic Town in all of Australia is located in WA? Only 144 kilometres Northeast of Perth, New Norcia was founded by Spanish Benedictines in 1846, with the mission to evangelize the local aboriginals (traditional thought in the 1800s).

Although currently there are no missions, this little town in the middle of nowhere is still the home of the Benedictine community that strive to cater for tourists. Visitors can follow a heritage trail, which will include the Abbey Church, the former colleges of St. Gertrude and St Ildephonsus and a traditional mill. The Museum and Art Gallery showcase religious memorabilia.

We strongly recommend taking the walking tour, which departs from the museum every day at 11:00 and 13:30 and costs AUD $15. It is worth doing as it is the only way to go inside some of the buildings. The stories told by the guide add value to the experience. See details here.

If you’re hungry, you can grab a bite at the New Norcia Hotel, another heritage building.

For us, raised in a Catholic Country, it kind of reminded us of some places back home… which was completely weird to see in Australia!

For very religious people, New Norcia is a great place for a spiritual retreat. More information here.

Apart from the Monastic tradition, there is a ground Station for the European Space Agency in New Norcia. 

Avon Valley

Located 97 kilometres east of Perth, York is Western Australia’s first inland settlement, dating back to 1831. Located in the beautiful Avon Valley, this town is great to see some historical buildings. Among these you can find the Courthouse, St Patrick’s Church and the Townhall.

A short drive up Mount Brown rewards visitors with amazing views of the township and the surrounding countryside.

Very close to York (35 kilometres north) the town of Northam is located. A bit bigger and more industrial than York, it still features some picturesque heritage buildings. Oddly enough, Northam is home to some cool pieces of street art, one of the best being the grain silos just a few kilometres outside of town.

If you are interested in street art, see our post about Melbourne Lanes!

One of the most attractive activities in the region is ballooning. Windward Balloon Adventures offer sunrise flights in their hot air balloons between April and November.

Although we haven’t experienced it yet, we had the chance to witness the National Ballooning Championship in September 2017. This doesn’t happen every year, so we were very lucky. The experience was unbelievable! You will be able to read all about it in an upcoming post.

Undoubtedly the best time to visit the Avon Valley is between August and September, when the canola fields are blossoming. The sight of the bright yellow fields against the blue skies is stunning and totally worth the trip.

Rottnest Island

An island 19 km off the coast of Fremantle (Perth’s main port), this place can only be described as paradise on Earth.

Getting there is very easy – just a 45 minute ferry ride from Fremantle B Shed with Rottnest Express. This company also offers services from Elizabeth Quay, cruising the Swan River, but it takes a lot longer to get there. Another option is Rottnest Fast Ferries, which departs from Hillary’s Boat Harbour.

The best time to go is undoubtedly during summer, so as to enjoy the magnificient beaches the island has to offer. Some of our favourite are Pinky Beach, The Basin (gets really crowded) and Parakeet Bay, all good for swimming and snorkelling.

There are no vehicles allowed, except for service ones and a special bus that circles the island with different stops along the way. A good way to move around is by bike: you can take your own one on the ferry or rent one. Rottnest Express has good deals.

And of course you can’t leave Rottnest without greeting the island locals: the quokkas! These cute little creatures are wild marsupials that gave the name to the island: Rotte Nest in Dutch, which means rat’s nest. But don’t fret! They are nothing like rats and are actually very friendly. You can take pictures with them, but do not feed them as they are protected.

Rottnest Island has more to offer if you have the time or if you like exploring. Lighthouses, pink lakes, old military barracks, a train ride up the hill and other tours will keep you busy, specially if you go during the colder months.

It is possible to stay overnight, if you want to. Multiple types of accomodation can be found in Rottnest official website, here, including Hotel, Hostel, Bungalows and Camping, but it getts pretty crowded, so you need to plan in advance!

So far, this are our favourite spots for a day scape from the City. We will keep on adding as we visit more, but certainly this ones are unforgettable!

Have you been to Perth? any other favourite day-trip? tell us!