Fishing Boat Harbour at Freo is not just about the fish and chips! The food might be the main reason you head there but don't forget to have a look around and enjoy the unique heritage the harbour has to offer. Enjoy a ride on the iconic Fremantle Tourist Wheel or wander through the Esplanade Park where you will find a Parkour course, skate park and a playground. Continue towards the railway and make sure you pat Blondie the dog on your way across the tracks before posing

In February (2020) Bather's Beach in Fremantle hosted the Sculpture at Bather's Beach exhibition. Although on a smaller scale than Cottesloe's Sculptures by the Sea there were still plenty of original artworks to see on the beach and around nearby Kidogo Arthouse. We entered Bather's Beach via the Old Whaler's Tunnel under the Round House. You can read about the history of shipwrecks and whalers as you pass through. Bather's Beach is a small beach but there were plenty of s

Oh my it is so hard to choose my 5 favourite walks/hikes for 2020! In the end I chose walks and hikes that were a little off the beaten track and which were a real surprise. These are in no particular order as they were all amazing walks. Of course the time of year can make or break a walk so I have included when I did the walk/hike so you can choose the same time of year. Salter Point to Clontarf This walk was undertaken in June and it was just beautiful walking along th

Discover Subiaco and it's surrounds, including 6 local parks, using the Nature Passport developed in partnership between the City of Subiaco and Nature Play WA. The Nature Passport will have the kids creating, imagining and exploring nature through activities such as inventing a scent, building a muddy sculpture or going on a "wildlife" safari. Suitable for all ages, the Nature Passport is available to collect from all City Facilities (we picked ours up at the Library) or y

Jutting out into the Swan River at Dalkeith, Mandyooranup (place of banksia) offers wonderful views across Karrakatta Bank to Claremont Jetty and down river to the Point Walter Spit. On a hot day it is the perfect place to catch the breezes coming off the river. The Reserve is quite large with the upper level offering broad grassy areas with mature shady trees scattered around - perfect for a picnic. There is a short scenic drive and limited roadside parking inside the rese

Most people head to Araluen for the annual spring display of tulip blooms but Araluen is spectacular all year around. We visited late in November to take advantage of the 90th birthday special entry rate of $5 per person. An advantage of coming in the "off" season is that you almost have this beautiful park to yourself! We had a quick stop at Raeburn Orchards as it was on the way and we hadn't been here before. There is a cafe, gift shop and fruit and veg for sale so it is w

After spending the cooler months hiking Perth's amazing trails we decided to opt for an urban "hike" discovering urban art and parks in Armadale. We parked at the Visitor Information Centre, where you can pick up a handy pocket sized map of the Rediscover Urban Art Trail. You can also download the art trail map in PDF form at: https://www.perthhillsarmadale.com.au/sites/default/files/assets/ReDiscover_Armadale_Map.pdf The first mural as we headed west along Jull Street was

Tucked away in the Annie's Landing section of Ellenbrook Estate this lovely adventure playground is set in natural bush. Access is off Banrock Drive and parking is available off Inglis Avenue. You can plan a longer play here as there are toilets, barbecues, picnic benches and a drink fountain. This play space has been designed for different age groups through the use of “play pockets”, connected by meandering pathways. The natural bush surrounds enhance the earthy tones of t

Dianella Regional Open Space has a nature based playground designed to challenge children. It includes a large area of stepped blocks, rocks and sandbags for balancing and climbing as well as a climbing wall. There are ropes, balancing beams, caves and swings alongside sand, water and mud play. The toddler playground, which is shaded in summer, has more traditional play equipment scaled down for the little ones. The playground area has (limited) picnic tables, barbecues and

Joondalup has a green belt running through the centre of the suburb which allows for a short but pretty walk. As the parks are local there are no parking bays but we managed to park on the kerb in Aswan View at the Water Tower Park. You could also park at nearby Candlewood shops. Water Tower Park has a small playground and a viewing platform (which looks as though it is an evening gathering place for teens so just give it a quick once over if the kids are playing here). As

Rottnest Island has so much interesting history and a short walk around The Settlement will showcase most of it with the heritage buildings and interpretive signage guiding you. Did you know that the shopping precinct used to be the the Stable Yard? The Hay Store is now the Museum and next door is the shell of the Boys Reformatory which housed boys as young as 8 between 1881 and 1901. The Chapel, built in 1860, doubled as the school during the day until the Island School Hou

We finally completed the last section of the Swan River Ramble. Garvey Park is the start, or end point, for this fabulous trail which follows both banks of the Swan River (Derbarl Yerrigan) upstream of Windan Bridge. This trail is ideal for walking (in sections) as there is lots to see including stunning river scenery. It is also ideal for a bike ride as the trail covers almost 25km in total and cycling will allow you to cover more distance while still allowing you to stop at

After walking from the Omeo Wreck to Coogee Beach Reserve we continued on to explore Woodman Point. Woodman Point has a rich history as a quarantine station and ammunition store and you can see part of this heritage as you move through the reserve. From Coogee Beach Reserve the shared use path runs alongside the Coogee Beach Holiday Park, which, judging by the lovely gardens, seems to have mostly long term residents (lucky people!) The path splits as you approach Poore Gro

The wreck of the Omeo is located about 40 metres off the coast north of Coogee Beach. It lies submerged in about 2-4 metres of water and is clearly visible from Omeo Park. Omeo Park has a viewing platform so you can climb the stairs to look down at the wreck or, if you wish to explore the Coogee Maritime Trail, a 300m dive and snorkel trail in 2-3 metre deep waters, you can access the trail by entering the water from the stairs leading down from the platform. The platform a

We heard that Hepburn Heights was a hotspot for many varieties of orchids so we set off to see if we could find them. On a weekend or during holidays there is ample parking in the bays next to Padbury Catholic Primary School on O'Leary Street. All other access points are off suburban roads so have limited parking. On entering from O'Leary Road we cleaned our shoes on the brushes provided to protect against dieback. There is a good map of the reserve at the entrance point a

After exploring South Fremantle in search of urban street art there were two more locations on South Street in White Gum Valley so we decided to explore Booyeembara Park and then wander through White Gum Valley to South Street to look for the art. Booyeembara Park was lovely but we equally enjoyed wandering through the streets of White Gum Valley which was full of whimsical surprises including Valley Park and the White Gum Valley Community Orchard. We entered Booyeembara Pa

We wandered through White Gum Valley on our way to find more street art after discovering all the magical street art in South Fremantle. As we wanted to explore Booyeembara Park as well we parked there and used it as our base. I think this would be a lovely walk for mums and bubs in prams as there are interesting things along the way, including a great little park for toddlers. Starting from the corner of Montreal Street and Stevens Street we headed east along Stevens Stre

We set off to explore WA history by following the Heritage Trail at Fremantle Cemetery but soon realised that we hadn't printed a complete list of the heritage sites and we were missing the names for almost half of the gravesites. Note to self: check the printing parameters next time! We did however have a mostly complete map with the trail and the sites marked on it. You can download the Heritage Trail Map here and more detailed information about the gravesites on the tra

New Norcia is Australia's only monastic town and is still home to around 9 Benedictine Monks. Founded in 1847 by Spanish Benedictine Monks, the town has had many purposes; a mission, a monastery, a provider of education and now as a place of spiritual retreat. You can wander around town on a self guided tour and can download the New Norcia Town Map here or you can pick one up at the the Visitor Centre, open 9.30am -4.30pm every day except Christmas and Boxing Days. There ar

Lightning Swamp Bushland has a number of trails that criss-cross through it. The bushland is designed more for local use as it has no facilities. Access is actually quite difficult to find. We came in off Malaga Drive and did a few circuits before turning off at Mayer Close and parking on the street on Widgee Road. We then had to walk across Malaga Drive and walk up to the turnstile access point. The turnstile does move but makes pram or bike access tricky. A better acces