Highlights: City tour 4WD driving & Sand Boarding Flora & Fauna Nambung National Park & Pinnacles Desert Cottesloe Beach
What you get
Perth City Centre is located alongside the peaceful waters of the Swan River, twenty kilometres inland of the Indian Ocean on the West Coast of Australia.The Perth city centre, a premier destination for business, entertainment, nightlife, culture and the arts, bustles with activity and offers a range of choices for shopping.
If you enjoy long relaxing walks along clean sandy beaches, swimming in the surf on a warm sunny day, or perhaps lazing on a beach towel while watching the world go by, then a visit to the Sunset Coast in Perth is for you.
The Port city of Fremantle lies just south of Perth on the coast of Western Australia. Fremantle is a popular spot, particularly at weekends when you will find markets, entertainment and plenty of alfresco style cafes and eateries.
The Swan Valley Region is steeped in history and is one of Western Australia's oldest wine regions. The region is home to more that 40 vineyards, many of which are still run by the original families which started the wineries many years ago.
FREMANTLE
Fremantle, the maritime centre of the west boasts spectacular colonial architecture, vibrant restaurant and cafe lined streets and an energetically colourful market. Fremantle is famed for a somewhat bohemian atmosphere and a rich history. Just 19km southwest of Perth is Fremantle, Western Australias largest port.
Today, Fremantle has a strong ethnic base and its many large groups of different nationalities give it a strong cultural atmosphere. Many artists, professionals and others seeking a life outside Perth City or suburbia come to live and work in Freo. The Sardine Festival in January attracts thousands to its summertime international food and wine festival on the Esplanades grassy areas. The streets come alive during November with the art and culture of the Fremantle Festival, a great start to Perths lively summer period.
One of the most interesting port cities in the world, Fremantle has become a cultural, historical and entertainment mecca. It is a huge port and has a busy industrial area around the docks with containers piled high on the old wharves. However, it has another side that boasts a number of galleries, shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs, and nightclubs scattered throughout its quaint streets, parks, river and coastal areas.
The main attractions in Fremantle include the Western Australian Maritime Museum that contains a collection of shipwreck relics and artifacts from the many ships that have met their doom on the West Australian coast.
PINNACLE
Nambung National Park is home to the Pinnacles Desert, a series of eerie limestone formations sporadically scattered over vast yellow, rippled sand dunes. Just 245km or three hours drive from the center of Perth city, the Pinnacles make for a comfortable day trip where visitors can walk amongst these spooky stones and visit the nearby fishing village of Cervantes.
There is only one access road into the Pinnacles Desert that is 27km long. Visitors should ensure that insurance permits their vehicle to be driven on the unsealed roads.
The limestone formations of the Pinnacles vary in size and shape; some are as small as a mouse whilst many are as big as 3.5m high. These unusually shaped rocks have been likened to tombstones, termite mounds and even fingers. The Pinnacles Desert is best seen at dawn or dusk when they cast long, strange shadows over the rippling yellow sand dunes. Although the desert teems with wildlife, most animals are nocturnal. However, it is not uncommon to see western grey kangaroos, emus and many sorts of reptiles and birds like black-shouldered kites hanging around the strange stones.
The area surrounding the Pinnacles Desert comes alive with wildflowers from August to October.
