Perth or I should say WA was never really on my travel radar. Sure, I thought about going to the Kimberleys some day, one day, eventually when I had travelled the rest of the world. But then came Covid, with which all of the world's travel dreams collectively came to a halt and lucky were those who could cross the border to the next state.

2. Sunset at Kings Park - Kings Park offers spectacular views of the city and Swan river. It's actually one of the largest inner city parks in the world so come here with plenty of time to explore. There are several lookouts, bushwalks to do and amazing spots to enjoy a picnic. There are also free blue cat buses running from the CBD and surrounds to Kings park so absolutely try to take advantage of that. Since we were staying in Elizabeth Quay and Kings park was the first spot we headed to, we decided to walk to Jacob's Ladder from our hotel and then up the 300 very steep steps. Its very doable but also a bit tiring and I started to regret given I wasn't wearing appropriate shoes or had a water bottle, but the views from the top were rewarding! At the very top of the stairs you'll find some of Perth's most luxe real estate. For my husband and I, both real estate enthusiasts, we loved exploring this corner of the city. Pro tip: For the best views, keep walking along Fraser Avenue and enjoy the multiple lookout points. 

3. Northbridge - This is the vibrant, artsy inner city district of Perth so if you're looking for some nightlife, Northbridge is where its at. We ventured here while looking for Chinatown and some good food and the latter definitely did not disappoint, in fact the yum cha at Little China Girl was one of the best vegetarian Asian food I've had. Highly recommend. And for dessert you can go to Whisk Creamery. Honestly, I was about to write off Perth CBD until we stumbled across Northbridge.

4. Fremantle - This was my favourite part of Perth and our pictures don't do it justice. This historic port city is a great place to walk around with all its well preserved heritage buildings and streets. Fremantle prison is a popular option to visit but we did what we love best, exploring the various streets with its cute architecture and indulging in some great food! There's a lot of great walking tours available though if you would like a bit more structure to your day in Fremantle. With some amazing food available, I'd definitely recommend trying to fit in more than one meal in the streets of Fremantle if you can.

5. Rottnest Island - Every Perth itinerary must include a Rottnest island day trip! I was sceptical because I wasn't particularly impressed by our Bruny Island day trip from Hobart during our Tasmania trip. But oh man, was Rottnest Island absolutely gorgeous!1 The water so blue and inviting and I've seen my fair share of stunning beaches. 

In saying that, a day trip to this island is certainly not cheap. There are two ways you can get a ferry, from Fremantle which takes only 25mins or from Barrack Jetty in Perth CBD which takes 90mins. Considering a drive from the CBD to Fremantle is 25-40mins depending on the traffic, its not a bad idea to drive to Fremantle, specially if you have a car and catch a ferry from there. The ferry will be cheaper and shorter, also giving you time to grab dinner in Fremantle which is another must see as mentioned above.

Cars are not allowed on Rottnest Island but at 19metre square, you certainly can't cover a lot of ground by just walking. The best option is cycling, which you'll see everywhere on the island. You can take your own or rent a cycle directly at the island as soon as you get off the ferry. Be aware though that if you plan on covering more than 1-2 beaches, you should be ready to shell out for the electric bikes at $70. The normal bikes are the default, and at $30 a day, they're a great deal and what everyone around you will mostly go for. Its only when you set out on your journey do you realise just how hilly the island is and you'll have some serious leg workouts to do. With a normal bike and our return ferry booked for 2:30pm instead of full day 4:30pm, we were only able to go as far as Little Salmon Bay. With an electric bike, we would have certainly covered more ground.

With that said, don't be afraid to take it slow on your visit to Rottnest island. You don't have to explore every single of the total 63 beaches! Instead, I recommend taking the time to get off your bike, dip in your toes into the ocean, or have a nap and jump in the water like us. 

After getting our bikes, we headed straight to Henrietta Rocks, a pretty beach famous for the shipwreck very close to the shore. The shipwreck isn't all that big but if you haven't seen one before, this is your chance to spot one directly from the shore. You can also choose to snorkel around the wreck if you wish.

Further up is Porpoise Bay. I was so exhausted from cycling up the hill by now that I didn't even want to get off to check out the views, but in hindsight, I'm really glad we did. Such striking colours but also so tranquil and calm. You feel serenity wash over you. The view is stunning and you can access the beach easily through some steps.

At this point, the views were already so stunning, I was ready to go back instead of cycle further and tackle the hilly terrain. But thankfully, I persisted because Little Salmon Bay surely superseded my expectations. The pristine white shores and the crystal clear water was so enticing that we jumped in for a swim even though it was cold! 

I would highly recommend the itinerary we did if you're visiting Rottenest Island. Another option is to go to Geordie Bay which is a walkable distance, followed by Little Parakeet Bay if you would like to head further. 

Our cycling trip was stunning and fulfilling but we didn't spot a single quokka. This island is famous for these cute little furry creatures and the infamous quokka selfie. Honestly, the island was so stunning I had completely forgotten about ticking off this bucket list item until I chanced upon them at the main settlement. After returning our bikes, we walked around the settlement to grab some food and the quokkas were everywhere. I didn't try to get a selfie but they really were so darn cute. Apart from the quokkas, I found the main settlement quite charming with its all yellow buildings. The yellow contrasted so well against the bright blue water, the whole vibe really gave us a taste of Europe close to home. 

With our ferry due at 2:30, we were really not ready to leave Rottnest Island and wished we had scheduled for a 4:30 ferry instead. It was a testament to how stunning Rottnest Island was but also how much I underestimated it, thinking its another beach destination when it was so much more. 

Overall our time in Perth was time well spent! Fremantle, Rottnest Island, Kings Park and Northbridge were all standouts and I would definitely dedicate sometime to all these places on your Perth itinerary. I for one know that I'll be visiting both Rottnest Island and Fremantle again!

Up next is our Coral coast roadtrip! Blue, pink, red and yellow, all the colours we ticked off on this road trip and can't wait to recommend it to everyone!