In short
Perth is the most isolated capital in the inhabited world: Adelaide, the nearest large city, is more than two thousand kilometres away. That distance explains the rest — the prices, the pace, and the fact that Southeast Asia is closer than Sydney.
The CBD runs along the Swan River. Northbridge holds the nightlife. Fremantle, south at the river mouth, is a port city in its own right, with its market and preserved colonial architecture. Cottesloe and Scarborough are the city beaches.
Arriving and getting around
Kings Park overlooks the city from Mount Eliza and covers more ground than Central Park, two thirds of it left as native bush. It is reached on foot from the CBD.
Transperth runs free CAT buses in the centre, in Fremantle and in Joondalup. The airport rail line links the terminals to the centre.
Rottnest Island is reached by ferry from Fremantle, Hillarys or central Perth. Private cars are banned on the island; you get around by bicycle. The quokkas are protected: touching or feeding them is prohibited.
What it really costs
Perth follows the mining cycle: housing prices rise with iron ore and fall with it. A budget survey ages faster here than elsewhere in Australia.
The time zone is a real issue for remote work: AWST is Singapore and Hong Kong time, not the Australian east coast, which runs two or three hours ahead depending on the season.
When to come
September–November: the Western Australian wildflowers, and a workable temperature. Summer (December–February) is dry and very hot.
The Fremantle Doctor, the afternoon sea breeze, cools the coast in summer with the regularity that earned it the nickname.
What nobody tells you
Margaret River, three hours' drive south, concentrates vineyards, karri forests and surf breaks: it is the trip that justifies renting a car.
The river is used more than the sea for everyday recreation, and the Swan River ferries are part of the Transperth network.
