Hello Perth

Tulip season is well and truly here at Araluen Botanic Park!

More than 250,000 tulips are putting on a show for It’s Yates Springtime at Araluen, with different colours and displays to discover throughout the park. So even if you made it along last year, there’s plenty of reason to come back and see what’s blooming this time around.

Pack a picnic, take your time wandering through the gardens and, of course, expect to stop for a photo or two along the way. The festival runs until 18 October, so you’ve still got a few weeks to get up there and see the tulips for yourself.

Tickets are available online via the Araluen Botanic Park website.

📷 Araluen Botanic Park

Entwined in the Swan Valley returns this October, with two weeks of special events across the region. From 5 - 18 October, enjoy delicious lunches, wine dinners, tastings, workshops and more celebrating spring in the Swan Valley, Perth Western Australia.

This year’s program includes the Rosé Luncheon at Sandalford Wines, wine and canapés under the vines at Pinelli Estate Wines, wine blending at Talijancich Wines, a Beekeeping and Honey Masterclass at The House of Honey & The Sticky Spoon Cafe and a Chocolate Liqueur Masterclass at Margaret River Chocolate Company and Providore. And that’s just a taste of what’s on!

The festival begins with A Taste of Entwined at Oakover Grounds on Sunday 4 October, a free event with Swan Valley food and wine from 11am - 4pm. Registration is required.

Just minutes from the city, Galup (formerly known as Lake Monger) is a beautiful place to get outside without travelling far. The lake sits in Wembley, around 3.6km from the Perth CBD, with shared paths and nature trails around the water that are great for a walk, run or bike ride.

Along the way, keep an eye out for the local birdlife, stop at one of the boardwalks or lookouts, or bring a picnic and spend some time by the water.

📷 Holly Not-so-Bland

Millbrook Winery is celebrating 25 years!

To celebrate, they’re hosting a special anniversary event on Saturday 24 October. The afternoon begins with regional wines and canapés in the Cellar Door, before heading upstairs for a five-course menu created by Millbrook’s award-winning culinary team, with each course matched with a selection of Millbrook wines.

Book your place and raise a glass to 25 years of Millbrook Winery: https://short.do/mEryAR

A sunny spring afternoon spent amongst the wildflowers at Kings Park and Botanic Garden. Have you checked out this year’s blooms yet?

Get ready for a little Irish magic in the heart of Subiaco! Direct from Off-Broadway and London’s West End, A Taste of Ireland Company is bringing A Taste of Ireland to The Regal Theatre for one day only this September.

Expect world-class Irish music and dance, incredible energy and plenty of Irish charm in a feel-good show the whole family can enjoy. There are just two performances on Sunday 27 September, at 3:30pm and 7:30pm, so if you’ve been looking for a fun family night out, this is one to pop in the calendar!

📷 A Taste of Ireland Company

One of the Swan River’s most interesting natural features stretches almost a kilometre out from Point Walter.

The famous white sandbar at Dyoondalup (Point Walter) formed as sand and sediment built up over limestone beneath the river, and at low water you can walk a remarkable distance from shore. Dyoondalup means “place of white sand”, and the area also holds deep significance for Whadjuk Noongar people, with the sandbar featuring in traditional stories and historically providing a crossing point on the river.

📷 Shaoping Sun

Limestone Park Stud is a family-run property near Gingin where the birds aren’t just something you admire from behind a fence. Step inside the large botanical aviaries and wander among colourful exotic birds, then explore the gardens, meet the resident farm animals and keep an eye out for peacocks roaming around the property!

There’s also a rustic cafe serving homemade, farm-to-plate food, so you can stop for breakfast or lunch while you’re there. You’ll find Limestone Park at 92 Ferguson Road, Beermullah, around an hour north of Perth, open Friday to Sunday from 10am - 4pm.

📷 Suzanne C***s

A visit to Wadjemup Museum reveals a very different side of Rottnest Island, Western Australia.

Housed in the Old Mill and Hay Store, dating back to 1855 - 1857 and built using Aboriginal prisoner labour, the museum still contains the original millstone once operated by imprisoned Aboriginal men and boys to grind wheat into flour. Today, its 17 exhibits share stories spanning Wadjemup’s Aboriginal history, imprisonment, natural environment, arts and culture.

You’ll find the museum in the main settlement, open daily from 10am–3.30pm, with entry by contribution.

📷 Mark Howett

Did you know there’s a 168-year-old shipwreck sitting just 25 metres off the coast of Coogee?

Built in England in 1858, the Omeo spent decades travelling Australian waters and even helped lay important telegraph cables before eventually being driven ashore at Coogee in 1905. Today, you can snorkel around its remains as part of the Coogee Maritime Trail, which also features artificial reefs, underwater art and plenty of marine life. You’ll find the trail in North Coogee, with the wreck sitting in shallow water just a short swim from shore.

📷 Tim Burgess