May 7, 2025 • 21 mins
In episode 53 of the Global Travel Planning Podcast, Tracy chats with guest Tess Moone, a Perth travel blogger and content creator.
Tess shares her top five must-do experiences in Perth, Western Australia, including meeting quokkas on Rottnest Island, wine tasting in the Swan Valley, and enjoying West Coast sunsets on the beach. She also provides insights into lesser-known spots, dining recommendations, and practical travel tips for visiting Perth.
Discover what makes Perth a unique destination and the best times to visit this vibrant city. While Perth may be the world's most isolated capital city, it offers travellers a perfect blend of stunning beaches, world-class wineries, and unique wildlife experiences all within easy reach of its relaxed urban centre.
• Rottnest Island (30 minutes by ferry) is home to adorable quokkas and over 60 pristine beaches
• Perth's west coast location offers spectacular ocean sunsets best enjoyed with local fish and chips
• Swan Valley wine region is just 30 minutes from the CBD with over 40 family-run wineries to explore
• Kings Park Botanic Garden provides breathtaking city views and showcases Western Australia's unique flora
• Caversham Wildlife Park offers close encounters with native Australian animals, including kangaroos and koalas
• Hidden gems include Heirisson Island's wild kangaroos and the snorkelling-accessible Omeo shipwreck
• Summer evenings are perfect for outdoor cinema experiences at Kings Park or Northbridge rooftop
• Pinnacles Desert stargazing tour combines sandboarding, lobster tastings and BBQ under desert stars
Remember to venture beyond Perth's CBD to truly experience Western Australia's natural beauty, with numerous day trip options all within 1-2 hours of the city.
Guest - Tess Moone of Tessomewhere.com
Show Notes - Episode 53
🎧 Listen to next
- Episode #46: Discovering Western Australia with Tess Moone
- Episode #20: An Introduction to Margaret River with Kerry Heaney
- Episode #32: Brisbane Day Trips: Islands, Wildlife, and Hidden Gems
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What are the must-do experiences in Perth, western
Australia?
Well, in this episode of theGlobal Travel Planner Podcast, I
chat with Tess Moon about thetop five things to do in WA's
capital, from meeting quokkas onRottnest Island to wine tasting
in the Swan Valley and catchingbreathtaking west coast sunsets
.
Tess shares why Perth is worthexploring.
(00:20):
Plus, she reveals hidden gems,seasonal highlights and the
practical tips to help you makethe most of your time in this
relaxed yet vibrant city.
Hi and welcome to the GlobalTravel Planning Podcast.
I'm your host, tracey Collins,who, with my expert guests, will
take you on a weekly journey todestinations around the globe,
providing travel inspiration,itinerary ideas, practical tips
(00:44):
and more to help you plan yournext travel adventure.
Hi and welcome to the podcast.
This week, we're delving intothe capital of Western Australia
, perth.
Dubbed the most isolated cityon earth, perth is home to
(01:05):
stunning beaches, world-classwineries and a laid-back
atmosphere that makes it aunique destination To uncover
the best experiences in the city.
I chatted with Tess Moon, whopreviously joined us in episode
46 to share tips for first-timevisitors to Western Australia,
and episode 5, where she sharedabout her three-month trip
around Japan and Europe, but inthis episode, she reveals her
(01:27):
top five must-do experiences inPerth, including iconic
attractions, hidden gems andexpert travel tips.
So hello Tess, welcome back tothe podcast.
So this is your third time onthe podcast, but for listeners
who haven't met you yet, wouldyou like to introduce yourself
and tell us a little bit aboutwhere you live and what you do?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Hi everyone, I'm Tess .
I'm a travel blogger andcontent creator.
My social media handles and myblog is called Tess Somewhere
I'm born and bred from, perth.
I do love traveling around theworld, but Western Australia is
what is, I just think, one ofthe best places in the world to
travel to?
Um, and I spent a lot of timeexploring it.
I also love traveling aroundAsia.
(02:09):
Japan is one of my favoritecountries in the world other
than Australia, so I spent a lotof time in Japan as well.
Um, so I've been a travelblogger now for about five years
, and before that I spent mostof my corporate life as a
corporate finance analyst.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I don't know.
You're very successful in theblogging and travel writing
world, so it's absolutelyfantastic to talk to you about
WA and especially about Perthtoday.
Who else to talk to about Perth, but somebody who was born and
bred and knows the city so well?
So can you introduce Perth andtell us what is where it is for
a start off?
Because I mean, some peoplemight not even know, but some
people might think Perth andthey think Scotland or there
might be a Perth in, maybethere's a Perth in America, I
(02:47):
don't know.
So where in the world is Perthlocated and what makes it so
special?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
So Perth is the capital of Western Australia.
So if you picture Sydney,that's on the East Coast, so
we're on the West Coast, sowe're going over to the other
side of Australia.
Western Australia isAustralia's largest state.
We're about a four-hour flightfrom Sydney.
So basically one side of thecountry to the other and it's
actually known for being one ofthe most isolated capital cities
in the world.
(03:14):
So I can fly for four hours andI'm in Sydney.
I can fly for three hours andI'm in Bali.
So a lot of people from Perthgo to Bali because it's a lot
closer and also a lot cheaper togo to Bali than it is elsewhere
in Australia lot closer andalso a lot cheaper to go to Bali
than it is elsewhere inAustralia?
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Definitely, and you can actually reach Perth by
direct flights as well, now fromEurope.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It's very exciting.
So there's now last time Ichecked three direct flights
connecting Perth to Europe.
So Qantas, the national airlineof Australia, flies direct from
Perth to London, to Paris andto Rome.
So if you want to spend 17hours, 17 hours, in one plane,
you can do that.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I wouldn't want to, but you can do it well,
dominique is, my daughter isactually flying back in August
and she's taken that flight andI actually may join her on that
flight to try it.
And I actually met up with somelovely Aussies who took me out
for afternoon tea in London, whowere from Perth recently, and
they took the flight because Iwas like well, how was it?
(04:11):
And they said it was actually.
It was okay.
I think they must be medicated.
Well, I know I would be, that'sfor sure.
I definitely would want tosleep through that flight.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Most people I've spoken to.
They either love it or theyhate it.
I think it's one or the other.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, definitely.
Well, I'll let you know if I doit, and I'll definitely.
Dominique's definitely do itand she's already booked it, so
we'll see how it goes.
Now, for those people whoarrive in Perth, what would be
your five top five experiencesor must do activities in Perth
and why they stand out?
So what would be really quitegood is to go through each of
the five, give a kind of briefoverview of each of them and
(04:49):
some tips that could enhance theexperience for visitors.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Okay, so my top five.
I'm going to start withRottnest Island.
If you listened to our WesternAustralia episode, you know I
already spoke about that.
But as a quick recap, rottnestIsland is a small island off the
coast of Perth.
It's about 30 minutes away byferry and quokkas call
Rottenness Island home.
So I hope most people haveheard of a quokka selfie.
They're the most adorablelittle marsupial creatures.
(05:13):
You get down low, take a selfieand they're just adorable and
they're just free roaming allover the island.
So a lot of people travel toPerth just to go to Rottenness
Island and take the quokkaselfie.
A tip to enhance yourexperience is do what the locals
do and rent a bicycle.
There's no cars on the island.
You can jump on a hop-on,hop-off bus or join a guided bus
(05:33):
tour, but I recommend hiring abike which you can get on the
island and cycling around.
There's over 60 beaches and 20bays, so the beaches are just
incredible.
I think they're some of thebest in Australia.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Oh, definitely they are beautiful, I have to say.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yes, the water is like nothing else, all right.
So while we're talking aboutbeaches, it would be amiss of me
not to talk about WesternAustralia and Perth's beaches.
So in Perth, I think you'requite spoilt for choice.
Perth is all situated along thecoast, so you've got so many
beaches to choose from forchoice.
Perth is all situated along thecoast, so you've got so many
beaches to choose from.
(06:08):
And the reason why it's on thelist is you can also catch a
West coast sunset, which is sucha special experience, I think,
for a lot of people in Australia.
If you're on the East coast,you can watch the sun rise over
the ocean, but you can't see itset over the ocean, but you can
on the West coast, and they'rejust beautiful.
It's summer at the moment andeven last night the sky has been
putting on the most beautifulshows, so I love watching the
sunset from the beach.
Grab some fish and chips, havea takeaway dinner, have a beer
(06:31):
or a glass of wine and justenjoy.
It's beautiful, particularly insummer.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Oh yeah, definitely, and I've got some beautiful
pictures from my last trip over,from the sunsets, just stunning
.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I saw.
I saw some of those Beautiful.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So what about your third experience?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So I'm going to go with wine tasting in the Swan
Valley.
It's a wine region only 30minutes from the CBD, so it's
one of my favourite day tripsfrom Perth.
The Swan Valley wine region hasa bunch probably over maybe 40
cellar doors and wineries.
A lot of them are family runand they've got fantastic wines.
So I think Western Australia isquite well known for its wine.
(07:10):
Most of it's coming from theSouthwest region and Margaret
River in particular, but we dohave some great varietals that
are grown just 30 minutes fromthe city, which I think is quite
unusual.
So being able to go out andhave a wine tour, have a
delicious gourmet meal, havelunch, you know, sitting next to
the vineyard or sampling somebeautiful wines is an amazing
way to experience the city.
(07:30):
So my next on the list is KingsPark Botanic Gardens.
It's one of the biggest botanicgardens in a city worldwide, I
believe, and it's reallypicturesque.
You've got beautiful manicuredgardens.
It's quite high.
It's up on kind of almost likea cliff, overlooking the entire
Perth CBD and the Swan River.
So the views are unparalleled.
There's so much beautifulnative plants to look at from
(07:53):
all over Western Australia soyou can even see like a giant
boab tree which is from theKimberley region in Western
Australia up in the Northwest.
So whether you go in themorning and have a coffee, or
you go and have a picnic lunchor go and watch the sunset, a
visit to Kings Park at any timeof day is highly recommended.
And then, lastly, we haveCavisham Wildlife Park.
So again, this is probably only30 or 40 minutes out of the
(08:15):
city and it's a native wildlifesanctuary, I guess, and I think
it's so great for particularlyinternational visitors to go and
see some really classicAustralian wildlife.
So Cavisham Wildlife Park ishome to kangaroos, koalas, even
big wombats.
So my husband, dane just wenton a team building event.
(08:37):
He had some colleagues visitingfrom Houston in the US and they
all went to Cavisham WildlifePark and they got to take photos
with koalas and photos with thewombats.
Yes, it's a really specialexperience and a great way to
really get, I guess, that kindof Aussie experience.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Oh no, that sounds really cool.
I'll definitely add that to mylist when I visit this year,
because that sounds reallyperfect, and some of the beaches
around Perth as well.
I know you've mentioned thesunset, but do you have any
particular favourite beachesthat you'd recommend?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
I think an iconic beach that is very popular for
visitors is Connoisseur Beach.
So that's on.
That's probably about 20minutes from the CBD.
Um, it's got a quite abeautiful like uh building set
on the coast.
It's it's an old tea house,it's called the Indiana Tea
House.
It now has a lovely, um, modernAustralian restaurant in it.
Uh, it's really calm, you can.
(09:31):
There's lots of like pubs andrestaurants and cafes kind of
along the strip of the beach, soyou can, you know, grab a meal,
watch the sunset, get fish andchips, take away.
So that's a really great beach,particularly with all the
dining options.
And then my personal favoriteis City Beach, which is about 15
minutes from the city and it'sactually where I got engaged
about six years ago.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
So it holds a special spot in my heart.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Oh, that's lovely.
Yeah, and that's a really big,long, beautiful beach.
Um, really it can.
It can be a bit dumpy in termsof the waves sometimes, but if
you visit on on a low wind dayit's flat, calm, gorgeous,
crystal clear water, so it's areally great spot oh, that
sounds amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Now that kind of I pivots really nicely into.
Is there a better time of yearto visit and experience Perth,
or is it kind of an all-rounddestination?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
That's the thing I love about Perth you can truly
visit all year round.
We do have quite aMediterranean climate, and
winters are usually quite mild.
If you do want to make the mostof those beaches, though, I do
definitely recommend visitingaround the warmer months.
Probably more October to Aprilwould be best you don't have to
visit in the peak of summer.
Honestly, visiting even thepeak of summer, like right now
(10:43):
we're recording it's January andit's been 42 degrees today up
in the Perth hills where I live,which is too hot.
So, yeah, I do really thinktraveling kind of yeah, those
shoulder seasons is a reallylovely way to experience Perth
as well.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, definitely, In fact.
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe seasons again.
So there are very distinctseasons in WA compared to
because I live in Queensland,which is basically hot or hotter
, but WA has definite seasonchanges.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
West Australia is very big, so if you're in the
Northwest, the seasons don'tchange that much, because it's a
lot closer to the equator, soit's a lot more tropical.
If you're talking about Perth,though, there is distinct
seasons, you know summer, spring, autumn, winter.
It just doesn't get too cold.
Yes, it rains in winter, butit's, you know, it's not
torrential, there's no snow.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
So, all things considered, it's, you know, it's
not torrential, there's no snow, um so.
So, all things considered, it's, you know, considered quite
mediterranean, quite mild andbeautiful blue skies.
I know, uh, you get a lot of.
We talked about that before,about how much sunny days that
you get in perth.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yes, apparently, 3 000 hours of sunshine a year
which is incredible.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
So when, with those 3 000 hours, you can enjoy those
five experience that you alreadykind of discussed, you know,
rock nests, the beaches, winetasting, the botanical garden,
wildlife park, which all soundfantastic.
Now, if somebody's visitingPerth and they've already kind
of covered those, what would yousay would be the lesser-known
spots or alternatives that theycould include into their
(12:10):
itinerary when visiting Perth?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Sure.
So a few lesser-known gems.
That I would recommend isthere's actually an island right
off, right in the CBD actuallyyou can just walk there from
Perth centre.
It's called Harrison Island andit's actually home to native
kangaroos and there's noentrance fee.
They're just wild kangaroosthat somehow many years ago got
(12:35):
trapped on this little island inthe middle of the city and
there's a pedestrian footbridgethat you can go across and see
kangaroos and take photos ofkangaroos, with a CBD in the
skyline in the background.
So I think that's quite uniqueand not many people know about
it.
So next one there's a shipwreck.
So there's some great beaches.
We already spoke about beachesbut I don't know if many people
(12:59):
know, but there's actually ashipwreck off the coast near
Fremantle that you can just gosnorkel out to, so it's called
the Omeo Wreck and it's locatedat Coogee Beach, south of Perth,
maybe 40 minutes from the CBD,and it's an amazing snorkeling
spot.
There's octopus, marine lifefish in this quite
well-preserved shipwreck.
So that's a really cool spot.
And then, lastly, summer inPerth is beautiful.
(13:24):
There's always lots to do.
We have an event on that'shappening right now, actually
called Fringe Fest, which islike a cultural and comedy shows
, but what I love to do insummer, on those warm summer
nights, is go to the movies.
So there's two spots I love.
There's the rooftop cinemas inNorthbridge, which is like
Perth's kind of likeentertainment and nightlife
district.
So you go to the top of like a20-story building and,
surrounded by the city lights,you watch a movie on the rooftop
.
That's really cool.
And then also Kings Park thatwe spoke about.
(13:46):
They have an outdoor cinemathat's on during summer and it's
just such a cool vibe.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
So I cool vibe, so I love both of those.
Oh, I love outdoor cinemas.
I think there's nothing betterthan outdoor cinema.
I absolutely love it.
It's, uh, it's.
It's one of my favoritememories from when I was a child
, going to the drive-in cinema,which I just absolutely loved.
Um, now, if you are visitingPerth and you want to go and
experience all these amazingthings, what's the best way to
get around?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
if you're just staying in Perth and you want to
do maybe like a few day trips,you can definitely get around
with just public transport andusing tours for the day trips.
There's lots of guided day tripoptions, so you don't need to
hire a car.
If you do hire a car, though,it obviously just gives you a
little bit more freedom andflexibility and you can explore
a little bit further outside ofthe city.
So, for example, going to theshipwreck that I just spoke
(14:35):
about, you could do it on publictransport, but it's going to
take a lot longer, maybe a bitmore inconvenient.
So I think you know.
If you do want to hire a carand do a few more day trips,
that's definitely recommended.
Otherwise it's not necessary.
So you can get around on publictransport and, you know, using
Ubers.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
That's good to know and I must admit I did use the
trains and uh and ubers andbosses actually when I was over,
uh, last year.
Now, um, I'm going to pivot tomy one of my favorite topics,
which is food and drink.
So when I'm over there, whatabout dining options?
What, what?
Where should I eat?
What should I?
What should I eat?
Where should I eat?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
oh gosh, you're almost spoiled for choice, I
think food is.
I think perth has got somereally great foodie options.
So we spoke about Swan Valleydoing a wine tasting.
Definitely go out there andhave a long lunch, have a few
glasses of wine, one of myfavorite wineries.
Well, it's actually technicallynot a winery, it's a distillery
in the Swan Valley.
It's called Old Young'sDistillery.
They have the most incrediblerestaurant that serves native
(15:33):
bush tucker inspired meals.
So I actually went there inDecember for my mum's birthday.
That was my second visit and wehad things like crocodile
chorizo and emu pastrami and ginmade out of native botanicals
and it's just amazing food.
So I love that.
That's, you know, very WesternAustralian as well.
It's all native WesternAustralian bush tucker.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Oh, that sounds wonderful.
I definitely want to try that.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, for general dining.
Fremantle, which is, I guess, asuburb south of Perth, it's
about 30 minutes from the CBD,you can get the train there.
Frio has a lot of history.
It's a maritime port so there'sjust so much old history from
its port days.
There's some really beautifularchitecture there and Fremantle
has so many amazing restaurants, bars, cafes.
(16:17):
It's very much like they've gota coffee strip, so it's very
buzzing, very hip.
There's actually a place where Irecommend you can stay a couple
of nights, if you want to mixit up, staying in Perth CBD and
then a couple of nights inFremantle, because it's also
where you can go to get theferry to Rottnest Island.
So all the food there isactually amazing.
I've got a few favourites.
If anyone wants recommendations, they can feel free to contact
(16:39):
me, but you can't go wrong withany foodie places in Fremantle.
And then, lastly, I just didsomething this summer which I
would highly recommend.
It's only on during summer, butit is a luxury seafood cruise
that takes place on Rottnest.
So you catch the ferry over toRottnest and then you jump on a
smaller boat and there's aprivate chef who's cooking fresh
(17:00):
seafood, including big crayfish.
So Western rock lobsters youhave oysters, western rock
lobsters you have oysters,free-flowing sparkling wine,
beer, you know, ordinary wine,all from western australian
wineries, and it was the mostincredible experience and very
well priced, considering thefull day experience you got from
it and the amount of amazingfood we were served.
(17:21):
So if you're looking for aspecial experience over summer,
I would highly recommend therottenness island luxury seafood
.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Oh that sounds amazing.
I did see pictures of that onyour Instagram test.
It looked fabulous.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Yes, I've got a couple of videos from that
experience so you can go get asticky beak of all the yummy
things we ate.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Oh no, it sounds fantastic.
So we've covered a good amountof information here about Perth
and we can find more on yourwebsite and obviously beautiful
pictures and videos on yourInstagram.
So just share again where wecan find you.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, my blog is testsomewherecom and on social
media you'll find me under thehandle Tess Somewhere.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Perfect.
Now what is the one tip thatyou would share with someone
visiting Perth for the veryfirst time?
I should have asked you thislast year, shouldn't I?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
It's all right.
You had your daughter as yourlocal tour guide, so my one tip
is don't stay in Perth.
Some of the best things to doaround Perth aren't in the city.
If you spend all your time inthe city, I think you might get
a little bit disappointed.
Perth CBD is definitely not aship and buzz and happening as
maybe other capital cities go,but there is so much incredible
(18:33):
nature and stunning places tosee only a short you know,
sometimes even one hour or lesscar ride away, and it's really
quite accessible to get to,whether you have a car or join a
tour.
So definitely get outside ofthe CBD and explore.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
And I know you've mentioned Rottnest and Fremantle
, but, um, what would be theother kind of places that you
would say that you wouldrecommend?
Because I actually should haveasked you about the best kind of
day trips.
If you're based in Perth and Idid look at some tours myself,
actually to the Pinnacles, whichI didn't get to, but I will be
doing this time so what would be, as well as Rottnest and going
(19:08):
to Fremantle and trying some ofthe fantastic food, what other
kind of day trips out of the CBDwould you recommend?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Yeah, I have an article on my website with 25
day trip ideas from Perth, andthe one that I think would be
the most popular, that I sellthe most tours for, is the
Pinnacles Desert tour.
There's two options, and the onethat's the most popular, that I
advertise on my website and Isee a lot of bookings come
through, is actually PinnaclesDesert Stargazing Tour.
So you leave Perth in theafternoon, you stop at the
(19:36):
Lancelin Sand Dunes.
You can go sandboarding downthese towering white sand dunes,
which is a really coolexperience.
You go have a stop at theCervantes Lobster Shack, see how
they process lobsters, maybegrab a snack or even some lunch,
and then, by the time sunsetcomes around, you're heading to
the Pinnacles Desert and theyset up a barbecue for you under
(19:56):
the stars so you can stargaze inthe middle of a desert which is
just absolutely surreal and hasincredible reviews.
Everyone I've spoken to thathas done that has just
absolutely loved it.
So if you're looking for areally unique and memorable
experience, um, that's a greatway to allow you to have the
morning in perth and then gospend the afternoon and evening
exploring the pinnacles desertoh, that is definitely going on
(20:18):
my list for when I visit laterin the year test, because that
sounds amazing.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Um, thank you again for coming on to the podcast and
sharing your experience andknowledge, and you know just
enthusiasm for travel in WesternAustralia and Perth and
actually all around the world.
It's always fantastic to chatwith you.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Thank you.
I look forward to being yourtour guide when you come to
visit in May.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Thank, you, tess, I'll see you soon.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Thanks again.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Thanks so much, tracey.
Thank you for joining us onthis episode of the Global
Travel Planning Podcast.
For more details and links toeverything we discussed today,
check out the show notes atglobaltravelplanningcom.
Remember, if you enjoyed theshow, please consider leaving us
a review on your favoritepodcast app, because your
feedback helps us reach moretravel enthusiasts, just like
(21:04):
you.
Anyway, that leaves me to say,as always, happy global travel
planning.
What are the must-do experiences in Perth, western
Australia?
Well, in this episode of theGlobal Travel Planner Podcast, I
chat with Tess Moon about thetop five things to do in WA's
capital, from meeting quokkas onRottnest Island to wine tasting
in the Swan Valley and catchingbreathtaking west coast sunsets
.
Tess shares why Perth is worthexploring.
(00:20):
Plus, she reveals hidden gems,seasonal highlights and the
practical tips to help you makethe most of your time in this
relaxed yet vibrant city.
Hi and welcome to the GlobalTravel Planning Podcast.
I'm your host, tracey Collins,who, with my expert guests, will
take you on a weekly journey todestinations around the globe,
providing travel inspiration,itinerary ideas, practical tips
(00:44):
and more to help you plan yournext travel adventure.
Hi and welcome to the podcast.
This week, we're delving intothe capital of Western Australia
, perth.
Dubbed the most isolated cityon earth, perth is home to
(01:05):
stunning beaches, world-classwineries and a laid-back
atmosphere that makes it aunique destination To uncover
the best experiences in the city.
I chatted with Tess Moon, whopreviously joined us in episode
46 to share tips for first-timevisitors to Western Australia,
and episode 5, where she sharedabout her three-month trip
around Japan and Europe, but inthis episode, she reveals her
(01:27):
top five must-do experiences inPerth, including iconic
attractions, hidden gems andexpert travel tips.
So hello Tess, welcome back tothe podcast.
So this is your third time onthe podcast, but for listeners
who haven't met you yet, wouldyou like to introduce yourself
and tell us a little bit aboutwhere you live and what you do?
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Hi everyone, I'm Tess .
I'm a travel blogger andcontent creator.
My social media handles and myblog is called Tess Somewhere
I'm born and bred from, perth.
I do love traveling around theworld, but Western Australia is
what is, I just think, one ofthe best places in the world to
travel to?
Um, and I spent a lot of timeexploring it.
I also love traveling aroundAsia.
(02:09):
Japan is one of my favoritecountries in the world other
than Australia, so I spent a lotof time in Japan as well.
Um, so I've been a travelblogger now for about five years
, and before that I spent mostof my corporate life as a
corporate finance analyst.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I don't know.
You're very successful in theblogging and travel writing
world, so it's absolutelyfantastic to talk to you about
WA and especially about Perthtoday.
Who else to talk to about Perth, but somebody who was born and
bred and knows the city so well?
So can you introduce Perth andtell us what is where it is for
a start off?
Because I mean, some peoplemight not even know, but some
people might think Perth andthey think Scotland or there
might be a Perth in, maybethere's a Perth in America, I
(02:47):
don't know.
So where in the world is Perthlocated and what makes it so
special?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
So Perth is the capital of Western Australia.
So if you picture Sydney,that's on the East Coast, so
we're on the West Coast, sowe're going over to the other
side of Australia.
Western Australia isAustralia's largest state.
We're about a four-hour flightfrom Sydney.
So basically one side of thecountry to the other and it's
actually known for being one ofthe most isolated capital cities
in the world.
(03:14):
So I can fly for four hours andI'm in Sydney.
I can fly for three hours andI'm in Bali.
So a lot of people from Perthgo to Bali because it's a lot
closer and also a lot cheaper togo to Bali than it is elsewhere
in Australia lot closer andalso a lot cheaper to go to Bali
than it is elsewhere inAustralia?
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Definitely, and you can actually reach Perth by
direct flights as well, now fromEurope.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It's very exciting.
So there's now last time Ichecked three direct flights
connecting Perth to Europe.
So Qantas, the national airlineof Australia, flies direct from
Perth to London, to Paris andto Rome.
So if you want to spend 17hours, 17 hours, in one plane,
you can do that.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I wouldn't want to, but you can do it well,
dominique is, my daughter isactually flying back in August
and she's taken that flight andI actually may join her on that
flight to try it.
And I actually met up with somelovely Aussies who took me out
for afternoon tea in London, whowere from Perth recently, and
they took the flight because Iwas like well, how was it?
(04:11):
And they said it was actually.
It was okay.
I think they must be medicated.
Well, I know I would be, that'sfor sure.
I definitely would want tosleep through that flight.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Most people I've spoken to.
They either love it or theyhate it.
I think it's one or the other.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, definitely.
Well, I'll let you know if I doit, and I'll definitely.
Dominique's definitely do itand she's already booked it, so
we'll see how it goes.
Now, for those people whoarrive in Perth, what would be
your five top five experiencesor must do activities in Perth
and why they stand out?
So what would be really quitegood is to go through each of
the five, give a kind of briefoverview of each of them and
(04:49):
some tips that could enhance theexperience for visitors.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Okay, so my top five.
I'm going to start withRottnest Island.
If you listened to our WesternAustralia episode, you know I
already spoke about that.
But as a quick recap, rottnestIsland is a small island off the
coast of Perth.
It's about 30 minutes away byferry and quokkas call
Rottenness Island home.
So I hope most people haveheard of a quokka selfie.
They're the most adorablelittle marsupial creatures.
(05:13):
You get down low, take a selfieand they're just adorable and
they're just free roaming allover the island.
So a lot of people travel toPerth just to go to Rottenness
Island and take the quokkaselfie.
A tip to enhance yourexperience is do what the locals
do and rent a bicycle.
There's no cars on the island.
You can jump on a hop-on,hop-off bus or join a guided bus
(05:33):
tour, but I recommend hiring abike which you can get on the
island and cycling around.
There's over 60 beaches and 20bays, so the beaches are just
incredible.
I think they're some of thebest in Australia.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Oh, definitely they are beautiful, I have to say.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yes, the water is like nothing else, all right.
So while we're talking aboutbeaches, it would be amiss of me
not to talk about WesternAustralia and Perth's beaches.
So in Perth, I think you'requite spoilt for choice.
Perth is all situated along thecoast, so you've got so many
beaches to choose from forchoice.
Perth is all situated along thecoast, so you've got so many
beaches to choose from.
(06:08):
And the reason why it's on thelist is you can also catch a
West coast sunset, which is sucha special experience, I think,
for a lot of people in Australia.
If you're on the East coast,you can watch the sun rise over
the ocean, but you can't see itset over the ocean, but you can
on the West coast, and they'rejust beautiful.
It's summer at the moment andeven last night the sky has been
putting on the most beautifulshows, so I love watching the
sunset from the beach.
Grab some fish and chips, havea takeaway dinner, have a beer
(06:31):
or a glass of wine and justenjoy.
It's beautiful, particularly insummer.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Oh yeah, definitely, and I've got some beautiful
pictures from my last trip over,from the sunsets, just stunning
.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I saw.
I saw some of those Beautiful.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So what about your third experience?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
So I'm going to go with wine tasting in the Swan
Valley.
It's a wine region only 30minutes from the CBD, so it's
one of my favourite day tripsfrom Perth.
The Swan Valley wine region hasa bunch probably over maybe 40
cellar doors and wineries.
A lot of them are family runand they've got fantastic wines.
So I think Western Australia isquite well known for its wine.
(07:10):
Most of it's coming from theSouthwest region and Margaret
River in particular, but we dohave some great varietals that
are grown just 30 minutes fromthe city, which I think is quite
unusual.
So being able to go out andhave a wine tour, have a
delicious gourmet meal, havelunch, you know, sitting next to
the vineyard or sampling somebeautiful wines is an amazing
way to experience the city.
(07:30):
So my next on the list is KingsPark Botanic Gardens.
It's one of the biggest botanicgardens in a city worldwide, I
believe, and it's reallypicturesque.
You've got beautiful manicuredgardens.
It's quite high.
It's up on kind of almost likea cliff, overlooking the entire
Perth CBD and the Swan River.
So the views are unparalleled.
There's so much beautifulnative plants to look at from
(07:53):
all over Western Australia soyou can even see like a giant
boab tree which is from theKimberley region in Western
Australia up in the Northwest.
So whether you go in themorning and have a coffee, or
you go and have a picnic lunchor go and watch the sunset, a
visit to Kings Park at any timeof day is highly recommended.
And then, lastly, we haveCavisham Wildlife Park.
So again, this is probably only30 or 40 minutes out of the
(08:15):
city and it's a native wildlifesanctuary, I guess, and I think
it's so great for particularlyinternational visitors to go and
see some really classicAustralian wildlife.
So Cavisham Wildlife Park ishome to kangaroos, koalas, even
big wombats.
So my husband, dane just wenton a team building event.
(08:37):
He had some colleagues visitingfrom Houston in the US and they
all went to Cavisham WildlifePark and they got to take photos
with koalas and photos with thewombats.
Yes, it's a really specialexperience and a great way to
really get, I guess, that kindof Aussie experience.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Oh no, that sounds really cool.
I'll definitely add that to mylist when I visit this year,
because that sounds reallyperfect, and some of the beaches
around Perth as well.
I know you've mentioned thesunset, but do you have any
particular favourite beachesthat you'd recommend?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
I think an iconic beach that is very popular for
visitors is Connoisseur Beach.
So that's on.
That's probably about 20minutes from the CBD.
Um, it's got a quite abeautiful like uh building set
on the coast.
It's it's an old tea house,it's called the Indiana Tea
House.
It now has a lovely, um, modernAustralian restaurant in it.
Uh, it's really calm, you can.
(09:31):
There's lots of like pubs andrestaurants and cafes kind of
along the strip of the beach, soyou can, you know, grab a meal,
watch the sunset, get fish andchips, take away.
So that's a really great beach,particularly with all the
dining options.
And then my personal favoriteis City Beach, which is about 15
minutes from the city and it'sactually where I got engaged
about six years ago.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
So it holds a special spot in my heart.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Oh, that's lovely.
Yeah, and that's a really big,long, beautiful beach.
Um, really it can.
It can be a bit dumpy in termsof the waves sometimes, but if
you visit on on a low wind dayit's flat, calm, gorgeous,
crystal clear water, so it's areally great spot oh, that
sounds amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Now that kind of I pivots really nicely into.
Is there a better time of yearto visit and experience Perth,
or is it kind of an all-rounddestination?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
That's the thing I love about Perth you can truly
visit all year round.
We do have quite aMediterranean climate, and
winters are usually quite mild.
If you do want to make the mostof those beaches, though, I do
definitely recommend visitingaround the warmer months.
Probably more October to Aprilwould be best you don't have to
visit in the peak of summer.
Honestly, visiting even thepeak of summer, like right now
(10:43):
we're recording it's January andit's been 42 degrees today up
in the Perth hills where I live,which is too hot.
So, yeah, I do really thinktraveling kind of yeah, those
shoulder seasons is a reallylovely way to experience Perth
as well.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, definitely, In fact.
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe seasons again.
So there are very distinctseasons in WA compared to
because I live in Queensland,which is basically hot or hotter
, but WA has definite seasonchanges.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
West Australia is very big, so if you're in the
Northwest, the seasons don'tchange that much, because it's a
lot closer to the equator, soit's a lot more tropical.
If you're talking about Perth,though, there is distinct
seasons, you know summer, spring, autumn, winter.
It just doesn't get too cold.
Yes, it rains in winter, butit's, you know, it's not
torrential, there's no snow.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
So, all things considered, it's, you know, it's
not torrential, there's no snow, um so.
So, all things considered, it's, you know, considered quite
mediterranean, quite mild andbeautiful blue skies.
I know, uh, you get a lot of.
We talked about that before,about how much sunny days that
you get in perth.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yes, apparently, 3 000 hours of sunshine a year
which is incredible.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
So when, with those 3 000 hours, you can enjoy those
five experience that you alreadykind of discussed, you know,
rock nests, the beaches, winetasting, the botanical garden,
wildlife park, which all soundfantastic.
Now, if somebody's visitingPerth and they've already kind
of covered those, what would yousay would be the lesser-known
spots or alternatives that theycould include into their
(12:10):
itinerary when visiting Perth?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Sure.
So a few lesser-known gems.
That I would recommend isthere's actually an island right
off, right in the CBD actuallyyou can just walk there from
Perth centre.
It's called Harrison Island andit's actually home to native
kangaroos and there's noentrance fee.
They're just wild kangaroosthat somehow many years ago got
(12:35):
trapped on this little island inthe middle of the city and
there's a pedestrian footbridgethat you can go across and see
kangaroos and take photos ofkangaroos, with a CBD in the
skyline in the background.
So I think that's quite uniqueand not many people know about
it.
So next one there's a shipwreck.
So there's some great beaches.
We already spoke about beachesbut I don't know if many people
(12:59):
know, but there's actually ashipwreck off the coast near
Fremantle that you can just gosnorkel out to, so it's called
the Omeo Wreck and it's locatedat Coogee Beach, south of Perth,
maybe 40 minutes from the CBD,and it's an amazing snorkeling
spot.
There's octopus, marine lifefish in this quite
well-preserved shipwreck.
So that's a really cool spot.
And then, lastly, summer inPerth is beautiful.
(13:24):
There's always lots to do.
We have an event on that'shappening right now, actually
called Fringe Fest, which islike a cultural and comedy shows
, but what I love to do insummer, on those warm summer
nights, is go to the movies.
So there's two spots I love.
There's the rooftop cinemas inNorthbridge, which is like
Perth's kind of likeentertainment and nightlife
district.
So you go to the top of like a20-story building and,
surrounded by the city lights,you watch a movie on the rooftop
.
That's really cool.
And then also Kings Park thatwe spoke about.
(13:46):
They have an outdoor cinemathat's on during summer and it's
just such a cool vibe.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
So I cool vibe, so I love both of those.
Oh, I love outdoor cinemas.
I think there's nothing betterthan outdoor cinema.
I absolutely love it.
It's, uh, it's.
It's one of my favoritememories from when I was a child
, going to the drive-in cinema,which I just absolutely loved.
Um, now, if you are visitingPerth and you want to go and
experience all these amazingthings, what's the best way to
get around?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
if you're just staying in Perth and you want to
do maybe like a few day trips,you can definitely get around
with just public transport andusing tours for the day trips.
There's lots of guided day tripoptions, so you don't need to
hire a car.
If you do hire a car, though,it obviously just gives you a
little bit more freedom andflexibility and you can explore
a little bit further outside ofthe city.
So, for example, going to theshipwreck that I just spoke
(14:35):
about, you could do it on publictransport, but it's going to
take a lot longer, maybe a bitmore inconvenient.
So I think you know.
If you do want to hire a carand do a few more day trips,
that's definitely recommended.
Otherwise it's not necessary.
So you can get around on publictransport and, you know, using
Ubers.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
That's good to know and I must admit I did use the
trains and uh and ubers andbosses actually when I was over,
uh, last year.
Now, um, I'm going to pivot tomy one of my favorite topics,
which is food and drink.
So when I'm over there, whatabout dining options?
What, what?
Where should I eat?
What should I?
What should I eat?
Where should I eat?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
oh gosh, you're almost spoiled for choice, I
think food is.
I think perth has got somereally great foodie options.
So we spoke about Swan Valleydoing a wine tasting.
Definitely go out there andhave a long lunch, have a few
glasses of wine, one of myfavorite wineries.
Well, it's actually technicallynot a winery, it's a distillery
in the Swan Valley.
It's called Old Young'sDistillery.
They have the most incrediblerestaurant that serves native
(15:33):
bush tucker inspired meals.
So I actually went there inDecember for my mum's birthday.
That was my second visit and wehad things like crocodile
chorizo and emu pastrami and ginmade out of native botanicals
and it's just amazing food.
So I love that.
That's, you know, very WesternAustralian as well.
It's all native WesternAustralian bush tucker.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Oh, that sounds wonderful.
I definitely want to try that.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, for general dining.
Fremantle, which is, I guess, asuburb south of Perth, it's
about 30 minutes from the CBD,you can get the train there.
Frio has a lot of history.
It's a maritime port so there'sjust so much old history from
its port days.
There's some really beautifularchitecture there and Fremantle
has so many amazing restaurants, bars, cafes.
(16:17):
It's very much like they've gota coffee strip, so it's very
buzzing, very hip.
There's actually a place where Irecommend you can stay a couple
of nights, if you want to mixit up, staying in Perth CBD and
then a couple of nights inFremantle, because it's also
where you can go to get theferry to Rottnest Island.
So all the food there isactually amazing.
I've got a few favourites.
If anyone wants recommendations, they can feel free to contact
(16:39):
me, but you can't go wrong withany foodie places in Fremantle.
And then, lastly, I just didsomething this summer which I
would highly recommend.
It's only on during summer, butit is a luxury seafood cruise
that takes place on Rottnest.
So you catch the ferry over toRottnest and then you jump on a
smaller boat and there's aprivate chef who's cooking fresh
(17:00):
seafood, including big crayfish.
So Western rock lobsters youhave oysters, western rock
lobsters you have oysters,free-flowing sparkling wine,
beer, you know, ordinary wine,all from western australian
wineries, and it was the mostincredible experience and very
well priced, considering thefull day experience you got from
it and the amount of amazingfood we were served.
(17:21):
So if you're looking for aspecial experience over summer,
I would highly recommend therottenness island luxury seafood
.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Oh that sounds amazing.
I did see pictures of that onyour Instagram test.
It looked fabulous.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Yes, I've got a couple of videos from that
experience so you can go get asticky beak of all the yummy
things we ate.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Oh no, it sounds fantastic.
So we've covered a good amountof information here about Perth
and we can find more on yourwebsite and obviously beautiful
pictures and videos on yourInstagram.
So just share again where wecan find you.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, my blog is testsomewherecom and on social
media you'll find me under thehandle Tess Somewhere.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Perfect.
Now what is the one tip thatyou would share with someone
visiting Perth for the veryfirst time?
I should have asked you thislast year, shouldn't I?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
It's all right.
You had your daughter as yourlocal tour guide, so my one tip
is don't stay in Perth.
Some of the best things to doaround Perth aren't in the city.
If you spend all your time inthe city, I think you might get
a little bit disappointed.
Perth CBD is definitely not aship and buzz and happening as
maybe other capital cities go,but there is so much incredible
(18:33):
nature and stunning places tosee only a short you know,
sometimes even one hour or lesscar ride away, and it's really
quite accessible to get to,whether you have a car or join a
tour.
So definitely get outside ofthe CBD and explore.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
And I know you've mentioned Rottnest and Fremantle
, but, um, what would be theother kind of places that you
would say that you wouldrecommend?
Because I actually should haveasked you about the best kind of
day trips.
If you're based in Perth and Idid look at some tours myself,
actually to the Pinnacles, whichI didn't get to, but I will be
doing this time so what would be, as well as Rottnest and going
(19:08):
to Fremantle and trying some ofthe fantastic food, what other
kind of day trips out of the CBDwould you recommend?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Yeah, I have an article on my website with 25
day trip ideas from Perth, andthe one that I think would be
the most popular, that I sellthe most tours for, is the
Pinnacles Desert tour.
There's two options, and the onethat's the most popular, that I
advertise on my website and Isee a lot of bookings come
through, is actually PinnaclesDesert Stargazing Tour.
So you leave Perth in theafternoon, you stop at the
(19:36):
Lancelin Sand Dunes.
You can go sandboarding downthese towering white sand dunes,
which is a really coolexperience.
You go have a stop at theCervantes Lobster Shack, see how
they process lobsters, maybegrab a snack or even some lunch,
and then, by the time sunsetcomes around, you're heading to
the Pinnacles Desert and theyset up a barbecue for you under
(19:56):
the stars so you can stargaze inthe middle of a desert which is
just absolutely surreal and hasincredible reviews.
Everyone I've spoken to thathas done that has just
absolutely loved it.
So if you're looking for areally unique and memorable
experience, um, that's a greatway to allow you to have the
morning in perth and then gospend the afternoon and evening
exploring the pinnacles desertoh, that is definitely going on
(20:18):
my list for when I visit laterin the year test, because that
sounds amazing.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Um, thank you again for coming on to the podcast and
sharing your experience andknowledge, and you know just
enthusiasm for travel in WesternAustralia and Perth and
actually all around the world.
It's always fantastic to chatwith you.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Thank you.
I look forward to being yourtour guide when you come to
visit in May.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Thank, you, tess, I'll see you soon.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Thanks again.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Thanks so much, tracey.
Thank you for joining us onthis episode of the Global
Travel Planning Podcast.
For more details and links toeverything we discussed today,
check out the show notes atglobaltravelplanningcom.
Remember, if you enjoyed theshow, please consider leaving us
a review on your favoritepodcast app, because your
feedback helps us reach moretravel enthusiasts, just like
(21:04):
you.
Anyway, that leaves me to say,as always, happy global travel
planning.
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