Perth With a Camper: What to Do and Where to Stay in Sue
Doing Perth in a camper: the best caravan parks, where you can and cannot park a 2.4 m high vehicle, and a four day plan of beaches, Kings Park, Fremantle, Swan Valley and Rottnest.
Most people pick Sue up in Warwick and leave Perth immediately. Fair enough. But if you have a couple of days at the start or end, this is how to do the city from a camper without wasting half of it looking for parking.
First: the parking reality
Sue is 2.4 m high. Undercover car parks are usually 2.1 m. That rules out most CBD parking and every shopping centre. Use open-air car parks: Kings Park (free), the Perth Convention Centre roof is out, but Elizabeth Quay's open bays, Fremantle's Fishing Boat Harbour and Beach Street lots, and beach car parks are all fine. Camping in car parks and streets is illegal in Perth and the rangers do check. Use a caravan park.
Where to stay
Karrinyup Waters Resort, Gwelup. 10 minutes from Sue's pickup in Warwick. Pool, lake, quiet, 15 minutes to Scarborough Beach.
Discovery Parks Coogee Beach. South of Fremantle, beach across the road, 15 minutes to Freo.
Perth Central Caravan Park, Ascot. Closest to the CBD, on the Swan River near the racecourse.
Discovery Parks Swan Valley. Base for wineries and Caversham Wildlife Park.
Mandurah Ocean Marina Chalets and Caravan Park. An hour south, if you want canals and dolphins as your base.
Day 1: Beaches and the coast (Sue's side of town)
Scarborough Beach. Surf, the pool on the foreshore, the Scarborough Beach Bar for sunset.
Cottesloe. The Indiana building, Norfolk pines, a swim at the groyne end. Sculpture by the Sea in March.
Hillarys Boat Harbour. AQWA aquarium, fish and chips, the Rottnest ferry leaves from here.
Trigg to Mettams Pool walk. Mettams is a natural rock pool, calm on a rough day.
Sunset. Anywhere on this coast. Perth faces west. That is the whole trick.
Day 2: Kings Park and the city
Kings Park. Fraser Avenue lookout, the Federation Walkway through the treetops, State War Memorial, Synergy playground. Free open-air parking. Article B7 has the full plan.
Elizabeth Quay. Walk the bridge, ferry to South Perth, the Bell Tower.
Perth Mint. Watch a gold pour. Hold a gold bar.
Matagarup Bridge. Walk it across the river to Optus Stadium. Climb it if you have the nerve.
Northbridge. Dinner. Perth's food strip, Chinatown, small bars. Leave Sue at the caravan park and get a train in.
Lake Monger. Black swans, a 3.5 km loop, sunrise.
Day 3: Fremantle
Article B6 has the full day. Short version: markets, prison, Little Creatures, Cappuccino Strip, Bathers Beach sunset. Park at Fishing Boat Harbour.
Day 4: Swan Valley or Rottnest
Swan Valley for Caversham Wildlife Park and wineries (Article B5). Rottnest for quokkas and the ferry from Hillarys (Article A6). You cannot do both. Choose.
Extra days
Yanchep National Park. Koalas and caves, 40 minutes north (Article B8).
Penguin Island, Rockingham. 45 minutes south, September to May (Article B10).
Whiteman Park. Free, vintage trains, tractor museum, kids love it.
Perth Zoo. South Perth, ferry from the Quay (Article B1).
Bibra Lake and Adventure World. Theme park in summer, lake walk any time.
Jake's tips
Get a SmartRider card at any train station. Parking Sue at a park and catching the train beats driving into the city every time.
Beach car parks fill by 9am on summer weekends. Go early, or go at 4pm for the sunset shift.
The Sunday session is a Perth institution. Cottesloe Beach Hotel, the Scarborough foreshore, Little Creatures in Freo.
Perth is dry. Water bottle in the door, always.
Events, what is on, transport info: https://www.visitperth.com and https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au
Sue is a Toyota Prado with an automatic rooftop tent, fridge, solar and a full camp kit. Pick up in Warwick, 20 minutes from Perth. Check dates and book Sue here: https://jacob-stone.sites.camplify.com.au/