Attractions

Picture-Perfect -- For the only photo of Perth you'll need, snap the view over the city and river from the lookout in Kings Park -- it's superb day or night.

Anzac Day Dawn Service -- Anzac Day (Apr 25), which commemorates the Australian landings at Gallipoli in 1915 that helped to define the nation, is the most poignant public holiday in Australia. The Perth Dawn Service is held by the War Memorial in Kings Park. You arrive in the dark and ease your way into the throng. The muffled tapping of a drum marks the official procession to the memorial, and then the service starts as the predawn light reveals a hushed crowd of up to 40,000, young and old. The sun rises behind the memorial, silhouetted against the Swan River, and the Last Post sounds. Spine-tingling!

Catch the Fireworks -- Australia Day (Jan 26) commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia. The main celebrations in Perth are around Perth Water, climaxing with a massive fireworks display set off from moored barges. It's free and draws over 300,000 people, so you need to stake out a vantage point early or, if you're staying in a hotel with river views, make sure you're at the window!

Whale Watching Cruises, Tram Trips & Other Tours

Oceanic Cruises (tel. 08/9325 1191) and Captain Cook Cruises (tel. 08/9325 3341; www.captaincookcruises.com.au) run a wide assortment of cruises on the Swan River. Some go downriver to Fremantle and return, with options to spend time in the harbor city and/or to take lunch. Full-day cruises go upstream to historic homes and vineyards in the Swan Valley, with the Captain Cook version operating daily 9:45am to 4:45pm, at A$140 (US$126/£63) adults, A$135 (US$122/£61) seniors, A$99 (US$89/£45) children 4 to 14. Oceanic Cruises offers a regular series of cruises between Perth and Fremantle, allowing time to stroll around the port city before cruising back to Perth.

From September through November, Perth's ocean waters are alive with humpback whales returning from the north with their calves. To join a 2- or 3-hour jaunt to watch them, contact Rottnest Express (tel. 1300/467 688 in Australia, or 08/9421 5888) or Oceanic Cruises. Departure days and times vary from year to year with each operator, so check ahead. Prices are about A$35 (US$32/£16) adults and A$19 (US$17/£8.50) from Fremantle, and A$56 (US$50/£25) or A$30 (US$27/£14) from Perth.

The Perth Tram Co. (tel. 08/9322 2006; www.perthtram.com.au) makes a daily loop of the city, the casino, and Kings Park in replica 1899 wooden trams; hop on and off as often as you wish. Tickets, which you buy on board, cost A$24 (US$22/£11) for adults, A$10(US$9/£4.50) for children 4 to 14, and A$48 (US$44/£22) for families (up to four children). City-to-casino or Kings Park single legs are also available. Join anywhere; the tram starts at 565 Hay St. at 8:30am and makes nine 90-minute narrated loops a day, every day.

Feature Tours (tel. 1800/999 819 in Australia, or 08/9475 2900; www.ft.com.au) runs a comprehensive series of half- and full-day coach tours to attractions in and around Perth, including to the Pinnacles and Margaret River.

Heli West (tel. 08/9499 7700; www.heliwest.com.au) offers three helicopter trips: around the city for A$70 (US$63/£32); down the Swan River to Fremantle and return for A$165 (US$148/£74); and along the northern beaches and back up the Swan for A$275 (US$248/£124). Prices are subject to change. Takeoff and landing are at Burswood Park by the river, 7 days a week, between 10am and 4pm.