Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

PERTH 439
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 bushland. 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 extensive playgrounds,
bikes for rent (behind the Visitor Information Centre), tearooms, and the incomparable
Fraser’s (p. 435). 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 approx.
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.
Perth Mint This lovely historic building—built in the 1890s to mint currency
from the Kalgoorlie gold rush—produced the victors’ gold medals in the
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Bullion is still traded here. The key event is a
gold pour demonstration (on the hour from 10am weekdays, and from
10am–noon inclusive on weekends). You can also see samples of the 2000
Olympics medals, engrave a medallion with your own message, handle a 11kg
(400-oz.) gold bar, see gold coins being minted, and ogle the country’s biggest
collection of nuggets. A 30-minute free guided tour departs half an hour before
every pour. A shop sells gold coins and nugget jewelry.
310 Hay St. at Hill St., East Perth. & 08/9421 7277. Admission A$6.50 (US$4.20) adults, A$5.50 (US$3.60)
seniors and students, A$3.30 (US$2.15) school-age children; shop admission free. Mon–Fri 9am–4pm;
Sat–Sun and holidays 9am–1pm. Closed Christmas, New Year’s Day, Anzac Day, Good Friday. Red CAT Stop
10 “Perth Mint.”
Perth Zoo Kids This is a good place to see kangaroos, koalas, numbats, wombats,
quokkas, emus, echidnas (the Aussie answer to the porcupine), dingoes,
snakes, frogs, and just about every other kind of Aussie wildlife, mostly housed
Moments 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.