I CAN’T make out a thing in the inky-blue waters beneath me, but I squint into the darkness anyway.
A minute later, I see it – an Australian sea lion. A gorgeous coat of silvery grey beaming up from the deep, it flashes its belly as it swerves past me.
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A second later, a dolphin follows it in a game of tag, disappearing just as quickly. Then it’s just me again, my heart pounding with awe.
I’m on a dolphin swim in the cool waters off Rockingham, a suburb 40 minutes’ drive south of Perth in Western Australia.
This six-hour excursion with Perth Wildlife Encounters costs £157 per person, including lunch and soft drinks, and proves well worth it (Dolphins.com.au).
We spotted our first pod of wild dolphins barely five minutes into the trip — but a sea lion popping up is the cherry on top. “This never happens,” Jake, one of the guides, excitedly tells me. “Usually dolphins don’t like to swim with sea lions.”
GOING QUOKKAS
It’s wildlife experiences like these that keep me returning to Australia.
This is my third trip, but my first to Perth, a 17-hour direct flight from London.
A popular stop is Rottnest Island — or Wadjemup, as it’s known to the area’s indigenous community of Noongar people — a nature reserve that’s a 25-minute ferry ride off Perth’s coast, with quokkas everywhere.
These cute cat-sized marsupials are famous for the way they “smile” when eating, but you have to lie on the floor to get the perfect shot.
While there, I explore on the island’s hop-on hop-off bus, £16 per adult.
Little Salmon Bay and Parker Point are the most popular, but everywhere here is Instagrammable, and there’s a kaleidoscope of marine life off the pristine sandy beaches.
Day return ferry tickets cost from £42 (Sealink.com.au).
Heirisson Island, a 15-minute bike ride from Perth’s business district, also makes for a lovely morning jaunt.
It’s a sanctuary for Western grey kangaroos, and has bike trails and picnic spots, surrounded by the scenic Swan Canning Riverpark.
BUSHTUCKER TRIALS
Keen to feast well in this foodie city, I head to Argyle Bar & Restaurant, where the budget-friendly set menu of sashimi, grilled beef, rice, salad and miso soup costs just £13 (Argylebarandrestaurant.com.au).
Another day, I work my way through the pan-Asian menu at cocktail bar and kitchen Modu.
The charred lamb neck comes with a chilli-laced Nahm Jim sauce that’s punchy and moreish, £25, while open gyozas filled with wagyu rump and truffle, £12.60 for four, are messy to eat but utterly decadent.
Don’t miss the citrusy, gin-based Tai-Pan Teapot cocktail for two, £21, either (Modubarkitchen.com).
For a fancy dinner, I try Garum, an osteria from local celeb chef Guy Grossi. I’m one of the few non-Italians here, which is surely a good sign.
Freshly made pasta is the speciality, so I order the maltagliati – roughly cut sheets of pasta in a creamy prawn and crab sauce, £18 – and finish with indulgent tiramisu, £9 (Garum.com.au).
If Perth’s buzzing restaurant scene isn’t enough, it’s also got a sun-drenched wine region right on its doorstep – Swan Valley, a haven for gourmet day trips by bike.
Hire your wheels from About Bike Hire, £18 a day, and catch the 25-minute train to Guildford for the start of the Swan Valley Heritage Cycle Trail (Aboutbikehire.com.au).
During a free tasting at Lancaster Wines, I try its zesty chenin blanc in the vineyard bar (Lancasterwines.com.au), before tucking into butternut gnocchi and confit duck in Nikola Estate’s restaurant, where two courses cost £40 (Nikolaestatewines.com.au).
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I finish with a bushtucker tasting of treats like quandong – native peach – with Aboriginal guide Dale Tilbrook. A two-hour talk and tasting costs from £37 (Daletilbrookexperiences.com.au).
WALK THIS WAY
To work off my gluttony while sightseeing and meeting new people, I sign up for a trio of walking tours.
Jack from Two Feet & A Heartbeat shows me the city’s incredible public art, such as The Cactus, a squiggly green sculpture, and points out hidden bars like the aptly named Sneaky Tony’s (Lavishhabits.com.au).
Three-hour tours cost from £32 (Twofeet.com.au).
I also visit Kings Park with Kate from eco tour company Hike Collective.
The park’s 400 hectares — about 500 football pitches — overlook the city from its high point on Mount Eliza, while the Botanic Garden and bushland within are ideal for spotting native birds, including rainbow lorikeets. Guided two-hour hikes cost £31 (Hikecollective.com.au).
Then there’s the city of Fremantle – known as Freo – just a 20-minute drive south.
Here, I meet Adie from Oh Hey WA for a tour of Freo’s historic centre. A 2 1/2-hour tour costs £30 (Ohheywa.com.au).
The old port retains much of its 19th-century architecture, but amid the colonial-era buildings are warehouses and shipping containers housing hip eateries and luxe hotels.
My favourite find is speakeasy pirate bar Darling Darling, where ropes hang from the ceiling, peanut shells are strewn over the floor in a nod to Freo’s maritime history, and the first people I meet invite me to join them for a drink (Instagram.com/darlingfreo).
For solo adventures, Perth and its friendly neighbours are hard to beat.
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