Best Landmarks and Sights in Perth, Australia

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Perth is quickly becoming known as one of Australia’s most artistic cities, full of striking murals and inspired sculptures that celebrate its history and heritage. Located on the banks of the Swan River at the site of the first landing in 1829, Elizabeth Quay Public Art Walk has some of the city’s most celebrated artwork, including Aboriginal artist Laurel Nannup’s First Contact and the 29m- (95ft-) tall Spanda, which was designed to show the connection between the river, land and sky.

Dating back to 1838, the historic Old Swan Brewery was once a steam-driven mill, a convict depot, a tannery and a restaurant, before it was revamped as a brewery in 1877. The heritage site is also important in Aboriginal folklore as the resting place of the Waugyl, the Dreamtime serpent that created the Swan River. Now converted into housing and restaurants, the old brewery is best seen from the water or from the Lotterywest Federation Walkway in Kings Park.

It’s tough to name just one landmark in Freo, Perth’s trendy and historical maritime city. Aside from Fremantle Prison with its labyrinth of tunnels and harrowing history, there is also the Roundhouse, the Fremantle Markets, the Whalers Tunnel, the WA Shipwrecks Museum, the Rainbow sculpture and the 19th-century harbour itself. It’s worth spending a whole day here if you can, visiting some of the oldest buildings in the state and checking out some of the fascinating museums and unusual street art.

One of the most famous landmarks in Perth is the Crawley Edge Boatshed. Located on the edge of the Swan River on Mounts Bay Road, the 90-year-old blue boathouse and wooden jetty has become quite popular in recent years and is especially photogenic at sunset, when the colours of the sky are reflected in the river.

Perth is home to one of the world’s largest musical instruments, the Swan Bells. Housed in an ultra-modern 82.5-m (271-ft) concrete, copper and glass tower in Barrack Square, the Swan Bell Tower contains 18 bells, including 12 14th-century royal bells from London’s Saint Martin in the Fields Church, which were gifted to the WA government in 1988. With its distinctive design, the Bell Tower has become one of Perth’s most eye-catching landmarks and has great 360-degree views from the sixth-floor open-air observation deck.

Another of Perth’s famous landmarks is Cottesloe Beach’s famous Indiana Tearooms. Named after the first teahouse erected there in 1910, the current incarnation was built in the art deco style in the 1990s, but, despite its famous exterior, its future is currently in question, with several new designs on the cards. For now, however, it sits in its pride of place in the middle of Cottesloe Beach, surrounded by grass terraces and towering pine trees and looking out over the ocean.