Perth, the capital of Western Australia, is a city of glass towers on a wide blue river, with Indian Ocean beaches on one side and the bush on the other. It is also one of the most remote big cities on Earth, and that distance has given it a character of its own. Here are the facts and stories that make it special.
10 fun facts about Perth
- Far from everywhere: Adelaide, the nearest state capital, is more than 2,000 kilometres away, which makes Perth one of the most isolated large cities in the world.
- Named after a Scottish town: Perth was founded in 1829 as the capital of the Swan River Colony and named after Perth in Scotland, in honour of the colonial secretary Sir George Murray, a Member of Parliament for Perthshire.
- Black swans on the river: the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh named the Swan River in 1697 after the black swans he saw there. The black swan is now Western Australia's state bird and appears on its flag.
- Bigger than Central Park: Kings Park covers about 400 hectares on the edge of the city centre, much of it native bushland. It is larger than New York's Central Park.
- The City of Light: in February 1962, as the astronaut John Glenn orbited the Earth in Friendship 7, Perth's residents switched on their lights so that he could see the city from space. They did it again when he flew on the Space Shuttle in 1998.
- Rats that weren't rats: in 1696 de Vlamingh named Rottnest Island 'rat's nest' because he took its quokkas for giant rats. The small, smiling marsupials are now the island's most photographed residents.
- London bells by the river: the Bell Tower at Barrack Square holds twelve bells that once rang at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, a gift for Australia's bicentenary in 1988. Its ANZAC Bell, added in 2018, is the largest swinging bell in Australia.
- A coin that weighs a tonne: the Perth Mint opened in 1899, during the Western Australian gold rush. In 2011 it cast a one-tonne gold coin, recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest gold coin ever made.
- A town hall built by convicts: Perth Town Hall, built between 1867 and 1870 by convicts and free workers, is the only town hall in Australia built with convict labour. Some of its windows are shaped like the broad arrow printed on convict uniforms.
- The Fremantle Doctor: on hot summer afternoons, a cool south-westerly breeze blows in from the Indian Ocean and brings relief to the whole city. Locals call it the Fremantle Doctor.
The Waugal and the Swan River
Long before 1829, this was Boorloo, the country of the Whadjuk Noongar people, who have lived here for tens of thousands of years. In Noongar belief, the Waugal, a giant serpent-like spirit, shaped the land in the time of creation. As it travelled across the country, its winding body carved out the course of the Derbarl Yerrigan, the Swan River, and the places where it rested became lakes and springs. The Waugal is still respected as the guardian of fresh water, and Noongar names now appear alongside English ones across the city.
Fremantle, explained
Fremantle, at the mouth of the Swan River and about half an hour from the centre by train, was founded in 1829 as the colony's port. Its Round House, a former jail completed in 1831, is the oldest surviving public building in Western Australia. Fremantle Prison, built by convicts in the 1850s, held prisoners until 1991 and has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2010 as one of the Australian Convict Sites. Today the port is known for its markets, cafés and fish and chips by the harbour.
What to eat in Perth
- Western rock lobster: caught along the coast and often simply grilled; locals usually call it crayfish.
- Marron: a large freshwater crayfish native to the south-west of Western Australia, with sweet, delicate meat.
- Fish and chips: best eaten at Fremantle's Fishing Boat Harbour, with the sea breeze for company.
- Swan Valley wine: the state's oldest wine region, where vines were first planted in the 1830s, is about half an hour's drive from the city.
Good to know before you go
- Rottnest Island is a short ferry ride from Fremantle, or a longer one from Perth. Cars are not allowed, so hire a bike, and never touch or feed the quokkas.
- For the best view of the skyline and the river, walk up to the State War Memorial lookout in Kings Park, ideally around sunset.
- The sun is strong even when it doesn't feel hot. Wear a hat and sunscreen, and swim between the flags at patrolled beaches such as Cottesloe.
- Transperth's CAT buses loop around the city centre and are free to ride.
Explore Perth with World City Trail
Our Perth scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route leads you through the main sights of the city centre and takes around three hours, with about 42 minutes of walking.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like.
Play the Perth scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.