Standing at Port Beach near Perth, watching surfers ride the waves at the very edge of the continent, you could be forgiven for thinking that Australia couldn’t get any better than this.
Perth is the world’s most isolated leading city, and is only marginally closer to Sydney than it is to Singapore. As a result, its eclectic mix of inhabitants have had to develop their own way of life without much in the way of outside influences — and they have done so in great style.
Given the raw ingredients of beautiful beaches, a navigable river, boundless sunshine, sensational seafood, fine vineyards and the charming old port of Fremantle, it is hard to imagine that Western Australians could have done otherwise.
As well as beaches, Perth has 900 acres of bushland in the centre of the city in the form of Kings Park, excellent restaurants, frenetic nightlife in Northbridge, and a smattering of galleries and museums as well as the new Aspects of Kings Park, a retail outlet showcasing contemporary Australian craft and design and focusing on work by local artists.
Twelve miles down the Swan River from Perth, “Freo” — as Fremantle is called in these parts — was looking distinctly down-at-heel until 1987, when Australia’s unsuccessful defence of the America’s Cup yachting challenge brought change in the form of big money and investment. The Fremantle Doctor, the afternoon wind that fills spinnakers and cools visitors in the heat of summer — and cricketers at the Western Australian Cricket Association ground in Perth, known to all as the Waca — blew fresh life into the old port, which became the international shop window for displaying Australia’s laid-back, alfresco lifestyle, with its combination of old buildings, lively craft markets and waterside restaurants.
Rottnest Island, or “Rotto”, lies 12 miles off Fremantle. It is virtually traffic-free and the best way to explore it is by rented bike. If you take a swim or snorkel in the clear crystal waters, don’t be surprised if you return to shore to find a quokka sitting on your towel. The island is home to 10,000 of these marsupials, which are about the size of a cat — an early European visitor, the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh, apparently mistook them for rats and named the island accordingly. Today, quokkas are rare on the mainland, where imported European foxes are their main predator — but there are no foxes on Rotto.
The city of Perth has its own outstanding beaches that are all easily reached by bus. Peppermint Grove and Crawley on the Swan River are sheltered, while Scarborough on the Indian Ocean has plenty of seaside restaurants and cafes.
Scarbrough may insist it has the best beach in Australia — indeed, it claims the title of “best white sand surf beach in the world” — but another, much less accessible, beach in Western Australia gives it at the very least a run for its money. Cable Beach, named after the point at which the first telegraph cable linked Australia via Java to the outside world in 1889, is a 15-mile stretch of pristine sand outside Broome, 1,250 miles north of Perth.
Every evening, half an hour before sunset, a bewildering convoy of four-wheel-drive cars, customised Aussie “utes” (utility vans) and 16 camels heads out of Broome, past a five-star hotel complex and onto the firm sands of the beach, bearing the latest influx of lotus-eaters. Visitors deposit themselves at strategic intervals along the first section of strand, some equipped with picnic tables and chairs, champagne and ice-buckets. Others just settle in the dunes for a dress-circle view of sunset over the Indian Ocean. Riding pillion on a camel, your seat swaying above the surf and sand, has to be the preferred viewing platform for the nightly sunset spectacular here.
It is safe to swim at Cable Beach in the dry season between May and November, when the temperature is akin to the South of France and there is a maximum of six days of rain. Don’t bother bringing a book to read — the beach scenery is so mesmerisingly beautiful that your eyes are magnetically drawn to it. Just rent a deckchair and relax.
When the tide is high, the surfers come out to play; when it goes out, children build sandcastles along the busiest stretch of sand in front of the Cable Beach Club Resort, a hideaway of pagoda-style villas painted lacquer red, green and white. These are set in 26 acres of lush gardens with waterways and billabongs criss-crossed by small bridges.
Getting there
- A 16-night trip, including return flights from London with Emirates, internal flights, three nights at the Seashells Resort in Scarborough Beach, Perth, one night at the Cable Beach Resort in Broome, and a 13-day 4WD Safari Kimberley Adventure, costs from £2,962 per person (based on two sharing). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided on the safari
- Perth A four-day Essential Perth tour, including Swan River cruise, city tour and a visit to the Margaret River wine region, costs from £168 per person, including transfers and accommodation
- Broome Three nights at the Cable Beach Club costs from £219 per person (based on two sharing)
- A two-bedroom apartment in the Seashells Resort costs from £38 per night (two people sharing)
- All bookings through Austravel, 0870 166 2050, www.austravel.com
