Perth
Endless beaches, creative streetart artists and rare animals up close
Categories: Perth Western Australia
The Western Australian city of Perth with its approximately 1.8 million inhabitants occupies a special position among the major cities of the fifth continent. Perth is the only city with more than 100,000 inhabitants that is located in the western third of Australia. Founded in 1829, Perth is the vibrant economic, political and cultural centre of the state of Western Australia.
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Despite all the hustle and bustle, the friendly and relaxed nature of Perth's inhabitants is predominant. Perth extends over an area of 5,400 square kilometres between the Australian south-east coast to the Indian Ocean and the hilly country of the Darling Ranges. The climate is comparable to that of Mediterranean countries. The core area of Perth is distributed about ten kilometres inland along the city river Swan River, which here expands into a kind of lake.
The city is characterized by modern, up to 250 m high large buildings, historic buildings from the 19th century and extensive parks. One of the oldest buildings in the city is the Perth Mint, which can be visited.
The four square kilometres large Kings Park with its bushland areas is also particularly worth visiting. In the attached Botanical Garden more than 2000 plant species give an impressive overview of the flora of Western Australia.
The floating fauna of the region can best be traced in the excellent Aquarium of Western Australia in Hillarys.
The AQWA is Australia's largest marine aquarium. It displays 400 species of fish, seals, turtles and other marine life. Art lovers will be in their element at the renowned Art Gallery of Western Australia. Art is also omnipresent in the heart of the city: Perth is known for its many creative street artists.
In Perth with its endless beaches, water sports and sailing are very important. For divers, the waters of Rottnest Island, 20 km off the Perth coast, are world famous.
On the island, which is a popular destination for excursions, the rare quokkas (small kangaroos) can be observed in the wild.
Yacht fans can admire the famous yacht AUSTRALIA II in the Western Australian Maritime Museum in the neighbouring port of Fremantle in Perth. AUSTRALIA II was the first non-American yacht to win the America's Cup in 1983. In Fremantle, it is also worth making a detour to the oldest building in Western Australia, the prison tower Round House, built in 1831. 
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Fremantle Prison (UNESCO World Heritage Site), built in 1855, also offers impressive insights into Australia's early prison system, which had a major influence on its history.
In the Australian spring (September/October) several events invite you to visit Perth. These include the Royal Show and the Spring of the Valley culinary event, where local producers showcase their products and tempt visitors to eat and drink. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
