Guildford WA guide: The historical town near Perth you must visit

Explore the carefully preserved buildings and learn the stories of one of Western Australia’s first settlements, 12 kilometres north-east of Perth city.

One of three Swan River Colony towns established in 1829, Guildford WA originally connected Perth to the surrounding agricultural areas by steamboat and ship, playing an important role in the growth of Western Australia’s trade and prosperity.

Today, much of the town’s original 19th and 20th-century architecture remains, lovingly restored to tell the stories of their significant past.

Just a 30-minute drive from the city centre, it’s easy to get to know Guildford (known as Mandoon by the local Whadjuk Noongar people) on your next visit to Perth.

The best things to do in Guildford WA

1. Visit the historical pubs

Beer and wine are in plentiful supply in Guildford, with no less than three grand pubs, each within walking distance of each other.

Settle in for a pint in the historic Rose & Crown Hotel courtyard before ambling onto the spacious beer garden at the Stirling Arms Hotel , which hosts regular live entertainment.

Finish up with a hearty meal of smoked meats at The Guildford Hotel , a refurbished 19th-century landmark.

The Guildford Hotel in Guildford, Perth — Enjoy hearty smoked meats at The Guildford Hotel. (Image: supplied)

2. Follow heritage walking trails

Walk off a large lunch with a short self-guided tour of Guildford. There are four heritage walking trails weaving their way through the streets, each starting and ending at Guildford Courthouse (now the Swan Valley Visitor Centre).

Hop between the likes of the former station master’s cottage, the old agricultural showgrounds and the colonial gaol, reading up on their fascinating pasts via the interpretive panels as you go.

The Guildford Courthouse, now known as Swan Valley Visitor Centre, Guildford, Perth — Begin your explorations at the Swan Valley Visitor Centre, which was once Guildford Courthouse. (Image: supplied)

3. Call into the Swan Valley

Guildford sits on the doorstep of Western Australia’s oldest wine region, the Swan Valley. Take Barker’s Bridge out of town over the Swan River, and in less than five minutes you’ll be sipping on a verdelho in a vineyard.

Winery hop from Caversham to Herne Hill on the Swan Valley Fine Wine Trail , on an organised tour, or follow a different Swan Valley trail to stop by the growers and makers who call the region home.

4. Go shopping

The heritage shopfronts of the James Street strip are treasure troves packed with stories of eras past. The furniture and collectables that line the shelves of Dr Russell’s Imagiarium , Jones of Guildford and George’s Furniture Restoration make unique mementos of your time in Guildford.

For more modern wares, check out The Artists Nook , which showcases stunning Australian-made homewares, jewellery, clothes, artworks and more. If you have a few hours to fill, book yourself in for an art workshop, too.

An antique store on James Street in Guildford, Perth — Discover antique treasures along Guildford’s James Street. (Image: supplied)

Guildford WA’s best restaurants and cafes

1. Willing Coffee

Kickstart the day with a specialty brew at Willing Coffee . Inside, the cafe gives a subtle nod to 1950s design, bringing curved lines, pink marble benchtops and chrome accents into the modern era.

Outside, locals surround the tables while their dogs wait patiently for pats from passersby.

2. Padbury’s Cafe Restaurant

Breakfast at Padbury’s Cafe Restaurant is a must, with diners flocking to the all-day cafe for plate upon plate of their famously fluffy souffle pancakes.

Served with a dollop of meringue, lemon curd, honeycomb and granola, it’s a dish for the serious sweet tooth. Come night, the focus shifts to salads, seafood and other proteins, all plated up in generous portions.

Meringue pancakes, Padbury's, Guildford WA — Try the Meringue Munro Pancakes.

3. Locale Mio

For a warming pizza and homemade pasta feed, there’s nowhere better than the friendly neighbourhood Italian, Locale Mio . Start with a plate of burrata and prosciutto before moving on to a fresh bowl of cavatelli or casarecce.

There are upwards of 20 pizzas on the menu, the 48-hour dough and woodfired oven producing perfectly bubbled and chewy bases.

4. Alfred’s Kitchen

While there are plenty of great places to dine in Guildford, none are more iconic than Alfred’s Kitchen . The late-night diner has been flipping burgers and boiling up pots of their much-loved pea and ham soup since 1946.

Get your hands around an ‘Alfred’s special’ and devour it by the fire pit, or find a seat in the refurbed 1900s-era train carriage.

Alfred's Kitchen, Guildford, Perth — Stop in for some late-night diner meals at Alfred’s Kitchen. (Image: supplied)

Where to stay in Guildford WA

1. Rose & Crown Hotel

Spend a night (or a few more) at WA’s oldest operating hotel, the Rose & Crown Hotel.

Built in 1841, the 28-room lodge shares a large, leafy block with the historic pub, just across the railroad from town.

The Rose & Crown Hotel, Guildford, Perth — The Rose & Crown is WA’s oldest operating hotel. (Image: supplied)

2. Guildford River Retreat

Closer to the banks of the Swan River you’ll find the Guildford River Retreat . Once the home of a local saddler, the 1897 Queen Anne-style home now hosts a six-room boutique BnB.

After a day of antique shopping and winery hopping, share a bottle of Swan Valley chenin blanc on one of the two large, garden-facing terraces. If there’s a chill in the air, make it a bottle of shiraz in the library.

How to get there

Guildford is a 25-minute drive or a 30-minute train ride on the Midland line from Perth. From Perth Airport it’s an even shorter journey, taking just 10 minutes by car.

When to visit

Any time is a good time to visit Guildford, but the heritage buildings are even more beautiful against a backdrop of November’s blooming jacaranda trees.

If you plan your visit for January or February, the nearby vines of the Swan Valley will be ripe with crisp table grapes. Pick your own at Padbury Pickings , or buy bags full from Kato’s 3000 Grapes or the many rustic roadside stalls.

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Guildford: The historical town you must visit when in Perth