Perth is blessed being a city that hugs the coastline overlooking the fabulous aqua marine of the Indian Ocean. Accessibility is easy from Fremantle Port to Burns Beach to the north. An overall distance of 44 kilometres that passes through Cottesloe, City Beach, Floreat Beach on its way to Trigg Point, Sorrento and to the end at Burns Beach. Along the way there are many rest stops, cafes and well maintained public toilets.
My focus in this article is the 7 kilometres stretch from Trigg Point to Hilary’s Boat Harbour at Sorrento in the north. It is perched atop eroded, and ancient limestone cliffs overlooking inshore reefs, rockpools and mini-beaches.
Access down to the water edge is by strictly controlled accessways. Much work is put in by community landcare groups during winter months in rehabilitating and revegetating the fragile coastal vegetation. Please respect the efforts put in and stay on the paths.
Starting off at Trigg Point, Perth
Trigg Point is home to Perth’s best surfing beach, and a big beach it is. Fuel up for the walk to Hillary’s with breakfast at Island Market Trigg or grab a walking coffee and munchies at their take-out section.
Make sure you take a beach towel and stop at any of the many mini beaches along the way for a cooling dip or swim, and snorkel at the big and safe rockpool of Mettams Pool. Along the way, there are a few café stops including Spinifex and Little Bay.
Once at Sorrento Beach, the stunning White Salt Restaurant, favoured by local foodies, offers a gourmet delight. Yet again, especially if young children are in tow, the relatively calm water of Sorrento Beach beckon. It can get busy from parents with young children in strollers, kids on tricycles, cyclists, joggers and those leisurely walking taking in the wonderful views.
Across the car park, Hillarys Boat Harbour beckons, with a tourist-focused mini shopping mall, many waterfront cafes, and constructed swimming beach backed by a lovely shady lush green grassed park. It is a big boating marina with a wide range of water craft from yachts to big cruisers moored throughout. Hillarys is also home to The Aquarium of Western Australia.
Seasons in Perth
Perth can be a place where a person may need to be prepared for the four seasons. Being sandwiched between the Indian Ocean and the great inland desert, it can be extraordinarily windy from all directions. Depending on the direction, it can be a cold biting wind.
Winter brings big cold fronts that slam into the coast with heavy rainfall sometimes. In between cold fronts, overnight temperatures can plummet to 0°C, but by 11am the next day, you are peeling off the multiple clothing layers.
Autumn from March to early May is usually stunning and is relatively calm weather, with summer gear for daytime, but have something warmer for the nights.
Summer temperatures range from 35 – 40°C. Keeping hydrated and covering up is important.
Handy Hints
- There is plenty of car parking in and around Trigg Point. It can get quite busy especially if the Surf Clubs are running competitions and near dusk, where many come to watch the sometimes fabulous sunsets over the ocean.
- For the slightly more adventurous, there are many e-scooter hire hubs from the coast to the city. Note that Perth is a wheelchair friendly city – wherever you go.
- Perth people do love getting out and about. Midweek is usually the best time to explore without too many others about.
If you’re looking for other things to do in Perth, read Margaret River with kids for our tips!
