10 Things To Do Before Turning 10 in Perth

It’s the city that’s got the quokkas, the roller coasters and the museums. The only thing missing? Your little ones.

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Illustration by Mike Rossi @micro.grafik

1. See the world’s smallest penguins

You’ve done the quokkas, now see the penguins (and just about everything else) at Penguin Island, located off the coast of Rockingham, 45 minutes south of Perth and a five-minute ferry ride into the rugged Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Home to endless white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters and a healthy wildlife population, you can swim with wild dolphins, kayak with seals but you can’t miss a visit with the island rangers who present penguin feedings at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm daily. The Penguin Island Ferry & Discovery Centre pass is $89 for two adults and two children. Add a visit to Pengo’s Cafe, on site, for cake or ice-cream for the perfect day out.

Catch the ferry to Penguin Island. (Image: Tourism WA)

See the world’s smallest penguins. (Image: Tourism WA)

2. Get hands-on at Scitech

For the child who asks endless questions about the universe and everything within it (particularly during times when they should be sleeping), we present Scitech, a centre filled with playful science, technology, engineering and mathematics experiences. Located in the heart of Perth’s CBD, kids (and kidults) can unleash their inner scientists by engaging in over one hundred exhibits, but also enjoy science performances, puppet shows, a CSIRO lab and Australasia’s largest planetarium. Admission ($52 for two adults and children or one adult and three children) gives access to all Science Centre exhibition spaces, the Planetarium, Science Theatre and Puppet Theatre. Got a little time up your sleeve? Creative gelato flavours await at Whisk Creamery, five minutes’ drive down the road.

3. Take a quokka selfie

Getting up close and personal with Australia’s most personable marsupial is high on every traveller’s bucket list and the good news is, on Rottnest Island (a 30-minute ferry ride from Perth), you won’t have to try too hard to find them. The only mammal native to the island, there are more than 12,000 of the furry ones getting photo-ready at any one time. The best time to see a quokka is early morning or late evening but remember: there’s no need to approach one or give them food or water – they will come to you. Then all you need to do is crouch, grin and snap (without touching). The best place to compare your selfies? At Rottnest Bakery, where jam doughnuts rule supreme.

4. Ride the roller coasters at Adventure World

A day filled with all manner of heart-stopping roller coasters and water slides, plus smaller, gentler rides for the younger ones? You can hear the ‘yaaaaas’ echoing all the way down the entrance of Adventure World, a family fun park which serves up unlimited access to over 25 rides and attractions, including ABYSS, ‘Australia’s Best Roller Coaster’, and Kraken, the longest, tallest and steepest funnel slide on the planet. Top tip? Book a day cabana and purchase a Fast Pass (from $34.95) to skip the queues. A day ticket is priced from $165 for a family pass (two adults plus one child, or one adult plus two children). Open 10am to 5pm daily, the park is closed for the winter months.

5. Eat the best fish and chips in the west

Just uttering the words ‘fish and chips’ is enough to get the little ones excited, but chowing down at Cicerello’s, one of the longest-standing eateries on Fremantle Harbour, is far from where the action stops. The tropical aquariums inside the restaurant and bathrooms will keep the family entertained while they wait for their dinner, or they can enjoy checking out the restaurant’s unofficial archive of shark-torn surfboards and kayaks. Parents, meanwhile, will enjoy Cicerello’s panoramic views and menu, which covers everything from creamy natural oysters to a rich fish curry. Happily, a large range of desserts – including gelato – are also on offer at Cicerello’s Kiosk.

6. See a movie at Galaxy Drive-In

Every parent likes to let rip with a ‘when I was your age’ story every now and then, and what better setting to launch into one than Galaxy Drive-In, the city’s last remaining drive-in. Located in Kingsley (around 20 kilometres from Perth’s city centre), this is the place to load up on old-school Chiko Rolls and Maltesers, play a pre-movie game of UNO and party like it’s 1985. Open Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, gates open at around 6pm (get in early or you’ll miss out) and movies begin shortly after. Priced at $11 per adult, and $5.50 for kids four to 12, Tuesday nights are cheapest at $22 for a carload of passengers.

7. Foster an animal at Caversham Wildlife Park

Kids asking for a new pet? Why not promise them a koala or wallaby sibling instead by visiting Caversham Wildlife Park and fostering one? Before you commit to a new family member, you’ll need to get to know the park’s native Australian residents (everything from Tasmanian devils and wombats to possums), so take some time to hand-feed the roos, or check out Molly’s Farm for an interactive farm experience. The kids can watch sheep shearing, milk a cow or bottle-feed a lamb. Open daily 9.30am to 4pm, admission is $30 for adults and $14 for kids three to 14.

8. Come face-to-face with giant sharks at AQWA

Are the kids obsessed with sharks, turtles and stingrays? Provide the ultimate ‘meet and greet’ by booking in a session at the Aquarium of Western Australia. Located in Hillarys Boat Harbour, just 20 minutes from Perth’s CBD, this iconic attraction boasts more than 40 exhibitions, enabling visitors to explore over 12,000 kilometres of Western Australian coastline from behind the safety of reinforced glass. A $79 family entry fee (two adults and two children or one adult and three children) includes the top sights from the icy waters of the Southern Ocean to the tropical wonderland of coral reefs in the Far North. Open seven days a week, from 9am to 3pm weekdays and 9am to 4pm on weekends.

9. Get wet at Outback Splash

Take some of WA’s fastest water slides (including a six-storey water slide tower where the brave can hurtle at speeds of up to 75 kilometres per hour), add mini golf, mazes, a handful of Australian animal experiences, plus the odd child-friendly eatery and you have one of Perth’s most popular family attractions. Located on the doorstep of Swan Valley, just 30 minutes from the city, Outback Splash features four new water slides and water attractions (open September to April) but the park’s other attractions can be enjoyed year-round (Cost: Adult: $41.00; Child aged 4–13: $34.00). And it would be rude not to sneak in a cake, slice or ice-cream at one of the retailers on site.

10. Visit WA Museum Boola Bardip

Australia is home to well over 200 nationalities and more than 65,000 years of Indigenous stories. Introduce the kids to their mates and neighbours on a deeper level by visiting WA’s newest museum, the spectacular WA Museum Boola Bardip. Located in the Perth Cultural Centre, the museum reopened its doors in November 2020 after a $400 million overhaul, the spaces offering visitors a range of experiences with a focus on multicultural and Aboriginal stories. In spectacular suspended fashion, it also showcases the massive blue whale skeleton and WA icon dubbed Otto. Activities are offered for kids and the museum has ‘Quiet Hour’ afternoon sessions for those with specific sensory needs. Open from 9.30am to 5pm every day, entry is free.

WA might be enormous, but the right insider knowledge brings its mysteries a whole lot closer.

“Western Australia is a land of record-breakers,” says Carolyn Tipper, a Travel Director working on AAT Kings Western Australia tours. “It has the second-longest fault line, the second-largest meteorite crater, the second-fastest flowing river—it just keeps surprising you. And every area has its charm.”

From tropics to deserts, Australia’s largest state is a land of extremes. You can’t see all of Western Australia in a lifetime, but with the right guide, you can discover its hidden pockets of magic.

Carolyn wishes to reach her guests’ hearts. “I want them to enjoy and be in awe,” she says. “I want them to have the holiday of a lifetime.”

1. Mimbi Caves

You wouldn’t expect a Great Barrier Reef in the outback – but that’s what you’ll find at Mimbi Caves. Once part of a 350-million-year-old reef, these caves hold marine fossils, ancient Indigenous rock art, and Dreamtime stories shared by a Gooniyandi guide.

“That’s when the real connection happens,” says Carolyn, who has taken guests through on the AAT Kings Wonders of the West Coast and Kimberley tour . “When guests connect, not just with the land, but with the people who have called it home for tens of thousands of years.”

Eye-level view of traveller exploring Mimbi Caves. — Walk through ancient limestone passages. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

2. Kalbarri National Park

Nothing prepares you for the Kalbarri Skywalk: a 25-metre platform jutting over Murchison Gorge, 100 metres above the red cliffs and river below. From July to October, join the AAT Kings Untamed Pilbara and West Coast tour to see over 1000 wildflower species paint the park, and listen as an Indigenous guide shares their uses, bush foods and medicine plants.

“I want our guests to have an emotional experience,” says Carolyn. “It’s not just about seeing the land, it’s about stepping into the stories.”

An aerial view of the Kalbarri Skywalk, one of the secret places in Western Australia, with visitors on the edge. — Stand on the Kalbarri Skywalk in Western Australia. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

3. Hamelin Bay Wines

Margaret River isn’t just a top wine region – it’s a winner in every category. Where the Indian and Southern Oceans collide, granite cliffs rise, limestone caves sprawl and Karri forests tower. It almost distracts from the world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Almost.

Out of over 100 cellar doors, AAT Kings pick Hamelin Bay Wines as a favourite. Hosted tastings of small-batch wines on the Western Wonderland tour end with a group meal. The menu shifting with the seasons.

“Get off the beaten track to one of WA’s most relaxed venues for some amazing red and white signature wines,” explains Carolyn, “accompanied with upmarket pub food.”

Spectacular views.

A person raising a glass of Chardonnay against a glowing Western Australia sunset. — Sip world-class wines at Hamelin Bay in Western Australia. (Image: Getty)

4. Wildflower Guided Walk, Kings Park

Western Australia is home to 12,000 native plant species – 3000 bloom in Kings Park’s Botanic Garden. Stroll past Kangaroo Paw, Banksia and blooms from the Goldfields, Stirling Ranges and Kimberley. “The diversity of Western Australia is immense,” says Carolyn, who leads guests through on the South Western Escape tour .

Couple enjoying the view from the Lotterywest Federation walkway at Kings Park and Botanical Garden. — Wander among thousands of native plant species. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

5. Hoochery Distillery

Did you know that between Kununurra and Emma Gorge lies the state’s oldest continuously operating distillery? Well, the oldest legal one. Set on a family farm, Hoochery Distillery was hand-built using materials found on the property, conjuring up award-winning rum from local sugarcane, wet season rainwater and yeast.

Today, visitors can sample a hearty nip of rum, along with whiskies and gins – all crafted using traditional, labour-intensive methods. It’s the ideal way to soak up the ‘spirit’ of the Kimberley on the AAT Kings’ Untamed Kimberley tour .

People enjoying a rum tasting at one of the secret places in Western Australia. — Sample award-winning rum. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

6. Geraldton

The wildflowers of the Midwest will make your heart blossom. In Geraldton, the Helen Ansell Art Gallery brings the region’s botanicals to life in vivid colour and intricate detail. In nearby Mullewa, wander bushland trails lined with everlastings and native blooms. Further afield, Coalseam Conservation Park bursts into carpets of pink, white, and yellow each spring. Do it all on the Wildflower Wanderer tour with AAT Kings.

woman walking through Wildflowers, Coalseam Conservation Park — Chase vibrant wildflower trails. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

7. El Questro

Wake up after a night under the stars at Emma Gorge Resort, ready to explore the mighty beauty of the El Questro Wilderness Park. With deep gorges, thermal springs, and cascading waterfalls, time slows here.

Join the AAT Kings’ Wonders of the West Coast and Kimberley tour to drift through Chamberlain Gorge, where sheer sandstone walls glow burnt orange in the sun, archer fish flick at the surface, and rock wallabies peer down from ledges above. Then, step into Zebedee Springs, a secret oasis of warm, crystal-clear pools among prehistoric Livistona palms – a moment of pure, wild stillness.

Emma Gorge Resort at El Questro. — Wake to adventure at Emma Gorge Resort. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

8. Lake Argyle

Once vast cattle country, Lake Argyle now sprawls like an inland sea – Western Australia’s largest freshwater lake, created by the damming of the Ord River. Scattered with over 70 islands, its glassy waters teem with life, like freshwater crocodiles, barramundi, bony bream, sleepy cod and over 240 bird species. That’s nearly a third of Australia’s avian population.

Glide across the lake’s surface on a cruise as part of AAT Kings’ Untamed Kimberley tour , where the silence is only broken by the splash of fish and the call of birds. For Carolyn, this place is a perfect example of how WA’s landscapes surprise visitors. “Lake Argyle is a big puddle of water that became a game-changer,” she says. “Seeing it from a boat, coach, and plane is mind-blowing. It puts time, isolation and the sheer scale into perspective.”

Aerial View of Triple J Tours on the Ord River, near Kununurra. — Glide past islands on Western Australia’s largest freshwater lake. (Image: Western Australia)

Discover more of Western Australia’s hidden gems and book your tour at aatkings.com.

10 things to do before turning 10 in Perth