A visit to Perth must include the magnificent Swan Valley, known as Perth's Valley of Taste. Just 25 minutes from Perth City, the Valley hosts world-class wineries, restaurants, and cafes to suit a range of budgets. For the serious cook fanatical about quality produce, the Valley is home to world-class fresh producers. The Valley also produces iconic, local beers, like the Belgian white beer and German red beer. With more than 70 cafes and restaurants in the valley, the visitor will be spoilt for choice. If time is not your side, then pop into some of the local stores which make their own chocolate, ice cream and nougat, for a quick introduction to the delights of this region. Muscat ice cream by the Edgecomb Brothers comes highly recommended.



Just 40 minutes out from Perth is the beautiful beach city of Rockingham, famous for its friendly natives and dolphins. Rockingham Wild Encounters is an award-winning, eco-friendly tour company that specializes in sensitive tours that allow visitors to interact with local wildlife in their habitats. The company arranges a variety of tours, including swimfests with boisterous dolphins, and rides in glass-bottomed boats to watch sealions in Shoalwater Bay. Rockingham Wild Encounters also operates the only ferry service to Penguin Island.

For the more cerebral visitor, the State Art Collection, in the Art Gallery of Western Australia, is a feast for the intellect and senses. The Collection comprises 16,500 art works. Indigenous art is a highlight, and provides a comprehensive overview of traditional and contemporary art from Western Australia, the Central Desert and Arnhemland. The Collection also has extremely important examples of Western Australian art, craft and design from 1829 to the present. Devotees of British sculptor Sir Henry Moore will want to fawn over his magnificent bronze, "Reclining Figure". The sculptor was installed in the gallery in 1956 amidst much controversy, and attracted 2,000 visitors in two days.

If you prefer something a little more restful, then a short 25-minute drive from Perth's city centre is the magnificent Whiteman Park. Sprawling over 10,000 acres, the park is named after an English immigrant, Mr Lew Whiteman (1903-1994), who was a prominent local identity and enthusiastic collector of artifacts. Visitors can view Mr Whiteman's artifacts, ride on restored trains and trams, or explore the park more intimately by following any or all of its three bushwalking trails. The park also has extensive pathways for walkers and cyclists. Children are not forgotten too, with fully-fenced shaded playgrounds to cater to kids of all ages. In fact, when the park's main playground was constructed in 1997, it was the largest in the state.