Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
it. You can also feed 100 kangaroos, wallabies, and emus wandering in natural
enclosures, see wombats and dingoes, walk through an aviary housing Aussie
native birds, and see wild water birds on the ponds. The Caversham Wildlife Park
in the Swan Valley (see “Side Trips from Perth,” later in the chapter) has a bigger
and more intriguing range of native species, but it does not allow koala cuddling.
Off Mills Rd. E., Gosnells (in the suburb of Martin on some maps).
&
08/9390 6090.
Admission A$18
(US$12) adults, A$16 (US$10) seniors and students, A$9 (US$5.85) children 5-14. Koala-cuddling photos
A$15-A$25 (US$9.75-US$16), or A$12 (US$7.80) if you take the photo yourself. Daily 10am-5pm; koala
photo sessions 10am-4pm. Closed Christmas. Train: Gosnells on Armadale line then a cab (about
A$15/US$9.75). Bus: 219. By car: Take Riverside Dr. across Swan River onto Albany Hwy., follow for approxi-
mately 25km (16 miles) to Gosnells, turn left onto Tonkin Hwy. and right (onto Mills Rd. E.; approx. 35-min.
drive from city). A cab from the city is approx. A$40 (US$26).
Holmes à Court Gallery
This glamorous riverside gallery offers rotating
exhibitions from one of the country's most outstanding private art collections,
that of Janet Holmes à Court, Australia's richest woman. Many of the works are
Aboriginal or by well-known Australian artists such as Sidney Nolan. The shop
sells some impressive crafts pieces.
11 Brown St., East Perth.
&
08/9218 4540.
Free admission. Thurs-Sun noon to 5pm. Closed public holidays.
Train: Claisebrook.
Kings Park & Botanic Garden
Smack against the city center and Swan
River is this 400-hectare (988-acre) hilltop park of botanic gardens and bush-
land. You can inspect weird and wonderful Western Australian flora, get to know
the solitude of the bush, and bike, hike, or drive an extensive network of roads
and trails. Visiting the spring
wildflower displays
(which peak in Sept-Oct) is
a highlight for many. On weekends close to special occasions such as Easter, St.
Patrick's Day, or Anzac Day (Apr 25) the lemon-scented gums lining Fraser
Avenue are illuminated. There are barbecue and picnic facilities, several exten-
sive playgrounds, bikes for rent (behind the Visitor Information Centre), tea-
rooms, and the incomparable
Fraser's
restaurant (p. 434).
Pick up self-guiding maps from the Visitor Information Centre, or join one
of the daily free, guided walks leaving from opposite the flower clock on Fraser
Avenue. Walks depart 10am and 2pm and take 1
1
⁄
2
hours, or 2 or 3 hours on
bushwalks (May-Oct only). The
Perth Tram Co.
(
&
08/9322 2006
) runs
1-hour tours of the park and neighboring University of Western Australia in
replica 1899 wooden trams. Tours depart daily from outside the Information
Kiosk on Fraser Avenue at 11am, 12:15, 1:15 and 2:15pm. Tickets cost A$12
(US$7.80) for adults, A$10 (US$6.50) for seniors, A$6 (US$3.90) for children
under 15, and A$30 (US$20) for families. Buy tickets on board. You can stop
en route and rejoin a later tram if you like.
Fraser Ave. off Kings Park Rd.
&
08/9480 3659
information kiosk, or 08/9480 3600 administration. Free
admission. Daily 24 hr. The Information Kiosk on Fraser Ave. inside the park is open daily from approximately
9:30am-4:30pm (closed Christmas). Hours can vary. Bus: 33 stops outside the Information Kiosk and extends
into the park on Sat afternoon, and much of the day Sun and public holidays. Red CAT Stop 25 “Havelock
St.” is 1 block north of the gates.
Picture Perfect
For the only photo of Perth you'll need, snap the view over the city and
river from the War Memorial in Kings Park—it's superb day or night.
Moments
