Kings Park & Botanic Garden
The green hilltop crown of Kings Park & Botanic Garden
is set in the midst of 4 sq km of natural bushland. The garden boasts over 2000
Western Australian plant species, many of them in full flower during the September
Perth Wildflower Festival.Free guided walks of Kings Park and the Botanic Garden are
available year-round.
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Western Australian Maritime Museum
Housed in a stunning, architect-designed building on the harbour, just west of
the city centre, the Western Australian
Maritime
Museum is a
fascinating exploration of WA's relationship with the ocean. It faces out to the
sea, which has shaped so much of the state's, and Fremantle's, destiny.
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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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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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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 that includes a 222m-long, glass-and-steel bridge that passes through the canopy of a stand of eucalypts.Free guided walks leave from Kings Park Visitor Centre.
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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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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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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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Art Gallery of Western Australia
The Art Gallery of Western Australia has a brilliant
collection of Aboriginal artworks. There's also a fine permanent exhibition of
European, Australian and Asia-Pacific art, regular temporary exhibitions and a
fabulous gift shop.
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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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