5 Days Beyond Perth: The Odd Route

Five days from Perth adds a Penguin Island half day, plus flex time back in the city, onto the 4 day plan . It is the gentlest version of this itinerary, since day 5 is deliberately light after four bigger days on the road and the water.

Book these before you go:

Day Focus Travel time from Perth
1 Fremantle Prison, Markets, Cappuccino Strip 30 min train
2 Rottnest Island quokkas, bike loop, salt lakes 25-30 min ferry (Fremantle), 1.5-2h ferry (Perth)
3 Swan Valley wineries, breweries, chocolate 25-45 min drive
4 Pinnacles Desert limestone pillars ~2h drive (190km)
5 Penguin Island cruise, Perth CBD flex time ~45 min drive to Rockingham

Day 1: Fremantle Prison, the Markets, and the Cappuccino Strip

Catch the 30 minute Transperth train from Perth Station to Fremantle Station. Start at Fremantle Prison, Western Australia’s only UNESCO World Heritage-listed building, inscribed in 2010 as part of the Australian Convict Sites listing. The Gatehouse and courtyard are free; the True Crime Tour, which goes into the actual punishment cells, runs A$24 (~US$17) adult. Walk 5 minutes to Fremantle Markets, trading in the same heritage building since 1897, for lunch and a wander through 150-plus stalls. Finish along the Cappuccino Strip on South Terrace, dense enough with cafes to have earned that nickname back in 1977, when Fremantle issued the city’s first outdoor dining licence. More on visiting hours at Fremantle Prison .

Day 2: Rottnest Island’s quokkas, a bike loop, and the salt lakes

Rottnest Express same-day return ferries run about A$85.50 (~US$60) from Fremantle’s B-Shed, including island admission, or A$129.50 (~US$91) direct from Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty, a 1.5 to 2 hour crossing. Skip the instinct to just chase quokkas at the main settlement; rent a bike (about A$30-50 a day, more for an e-bike) and ride the loop out to the pink-tinged salt lakes and the quieter west end beaches, since the island is largely car-free and a bike is the real way to see it. Check current fares on rottnestisland.com before booking, since fee schedules move.

Are Rottnest quokkas safe to touch?

No. Touching, feeding, or cornering a quokka for a selfie is illegal in Western Australia and can draw a fine, however tame it looks trotting toward a picnic blanket. Let it approach on its own, shoot low without a flash, and keep a respectful distance from an animal that is wild, not a park mascot.

Day 3: Swan Valley’s wineries, breweries, and a chocolate factory

A 25 to 45 minute drive northeast of the CBD reaches Western Australia’s oldest wine region, vines first planted in 1829, spread across more than 40 wineries plus breweries, distilleries, and a chocolate factory. Public transport out here is thin, so either designate a driver or book a half-day wine tour, running from around A$74 (~US$52) depending on operator and inclusions. Treat it as a food trail as much as a wine trail; the cheese and nougat producers earn the detour as much as the cellar doors do. See more on the region at westernaustralia.com .

Day 4: The Pinnacles Desert’s limestone pillars

The Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park is about a 2 hour, 190km drive north via the Indian Ocean Drive coastal route, near the small town of Cervantes. Thousands of limestone pillars rise out of yellow sand in a landscape that looks like a different planet, and it reads better near sunset than at midday. Full-day coach tours running roughly 7am to 6pm cost between A$147 and A$199 (~US$103-139) depending on operator and extras like a lobster lunch or a Yanchep koala stop, with sunset-specific departures sold as a separate product from the standard daytime run.

Day 5: Penguin Island’s cruise and flex time back in the city

Rockingham sits about 45 minutes south of Perth and holds a little-penguin colony just offshore, plus dolphin and sea lion sightings on the wildlife cruise add-ons. The direct ferry landing on the island itself has been suspended over vessel access and safety concerns, so check penguinisland.com.au before you go; the wildlife-viewing cruise is still running daily, weather permitting, and works as a solid substitute. Spend the rest of the day back in the Perth CBD, the natural point in this trip to circle back to whichever city sight got skipped on arrival, since everything on today’s agenda is a half day at most.

Is Penguin Island’s ferry actually running?

Check before you plan around it. The direct ferry landing on the island has been suspended over vessel access and safety concerns, though the wildlife-viewing cruise, with dolphins and sea lions alongside the penguins, is still running daily, weather permitting, as a solid substitute.

Before you go

Keep day 5’s Perth CBD time loose rather than fixed in advance; whatever felt rushed earlier in the week is what deserves the leftover hours. For the full spread of options, see the guide to Perth’s day trips or extend to a Margaret River overnight with the 6 day itinerary .