This coastal playground is far more than just a destination for great food, sandy beaches and incredible sunsets.
There are plenty of thrill-seeking pursuits to be had on land and water. Here we round up some of the best.
Get on your bike
Take in your surroundings on two or four wheels! Paul’s Eco E-bike Tours take the hard work out of peddling, so you can enjoy a longer tour soaking up the local scenery. You can choose between day or sunset tours of beautiful Rottnest Island or start at Hillarys for a leisurely cycle down the coast to North Beach. There’ll be plenty of time for food and photo stops along the way, so make sure you’ve got a charged phone or camera!
Down Under Motorcycle Tours also start from Hillarys Boat Harbour. The views from the seat of a sleek Harley Davidson aren’t too shabby - choose from a half-hour jaunt to half-day tour. The team will even customise the itinerary if you’ve got a few stops in mind.
For a tour with a little more horsepower, Perth Quad Tours offers a one-hour riding experience that’s sure to get the heart rate pumping. Rides are held at Pinjar Motorcycle Area, about 40 kilometres north of the CBD. There, you can test your abilities on different track surfaces including sand, mud and gravel. Yes - it’s bound to be as dirty as it is fun!
Perth Quad | Pinjar Motorcycle Area
Take adventure to new heights
Take a drive to the lush Yanchep National Park, where you can gear up and take to the aerial obstacle courses at Treetops Adventure. These guys take adventure seriously - the course only closes in cases of thunderstorms and strong winds. There are seven levels so beginners can get in on the fun, otherwise you can set your nerves and head straight to the 10-metre-high challenge.
Looking for something a little more subterranean? Yanchep’s famous Crystal Cave, currently closed for maintenance, is set to reopen by early June 2024. Head to the park’s McNess House Visitor Centre to get your tickets to access this underground wonderland of shimmering stalactites, stalagmites and other geological marvels. Just make sure you call the park ahead of time as the cave may be closed without much warning due to weather conditions.
Crystal Cave | Yanchep National Park
Trail-blazing tours
Perthians are an outdoorsy bunch, so do as the locals do and get some fresh air and Vitamin D on one of the many hiking trails of the area. The Sunset Coast Coastal Path is a popular half-day tour stretching from Marmion, just south of Hillarys Boat Harbour, all the way north to Burns Beach. You’ll never tire of the million-dollar water views and there are beachside kiosks and cafes to refuel at along the way.
For a greater challenge, the Yaberoo Budjara Heritage Trail is a 28-kilometre, one-way trail taking hikers from Yanchep down to Lake Joondalup. While the whole trail can be completed in eight hours, you can also jump on in smaller sections if you’re short on time. The trail not only takes you through some beautiful bushland and coastal heathlands, but also takes you past places of indigenous significance, as the trail is based on the movement of local Whadjuk Noongar elder, Yellagonga's tribe.
Still consider the above a stroll in the park? Perhaps you’d like to tackle the 52-kilometre Coastal Plain Walk then? This Grade-4 trail takes hikers from Yanchep National Park across to the Melaleuca Conservation Park, and is particularly beautiful during wildflower season.
Yellagonga Regional Park | Joondalup
Surf safaris
Where there’s coastline, there are water sports. Whether you’re a newbie or seasoned surfer, where better to hone your skills than on Perth’s iconic Scarborough Beach? Perth Go Surf offers one-off lessons or a three- or five-day program if you want to get a bit more experience in. They also offer board hire, so you can save on luggage space!
If you want to really get the adrenaline pumping, Ultimate Watersports up at Hillarys has you sorted. Eschew the standard jet skis and paddleboards for a session on a Waydoo Flyer E-Foil or Flyboard X (think: a board with a jetpack attached)!
Ultimate Watersports | Hillarys
Swim with the sharks at AQWA
The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA) offers two daring underwater experiences to meet some local sharks face to, well, fin. You can opt for a 30-minute guided snorkel tour to see some of the seven species of sharks at the aquarium, along with stingrays and hundreds of fish. There’s also an option to take the plunge in the 3 million litre aquarium (the largest in Australia), to get a little more up close and personal, if you dare!
AQWA | Hillarys
Or spot whales during migration season
Whale watching might seem a bit tame when compared to a close encounter with local sharks, but that doesn’t make them any less impressive! From August to November humpback whales can be spotted all along the Sunset Coast as they make their annual migration south. One of the best places to check them out is aboard a Rottnest Fast Ferry, complete with an on-board marine scientist to help you ensure you don’t miss any of the action.
Indoor thrills
Whether you’re escaping the heat or rainy weather, the Sunset Coast has plenty of indoor fun to keep you busy (and your heart racing). Bounce in Osborne Park is a 10-min drive from the city centre and is exactly as the name suggests. Warm up on the 50 interconnected trampolines in the main bouncing area before really putting your athleticism through its paces. The Wall is an area of high-performance trampolines with adjacent vertical walls to help you with a few vertical tricks. The X-Park is the adventure obstacle course which can be navigated with varying degrees of difficulty to really test you out.
And speaking of obstacle courses, the nearby Ninja Academy offers daily ‘freestyle’ sessions so you can test out anything from parkour skills to bouldering and the Ninja Challenge Course.
Whatever your thrills, there’s plenty to be found along Perth’s Sunset Coast to make one adrenaline-pumping itinerary!
