Entry is free, and the Federation Walkway's glass and steel bridge crosses the Botanic Garden treetops on a 40-minute return walk. At Rio Tinto Naturescape, kids can take their shoes off and build a dam in Paperbark Creek. Naturescape is closed on Mondays, and from November it opens only 8.30am to 12.30pm.

A raised boardwalk in Yanchep National Park lets you see koalas in the trees, 8am to 4.30pm daily. The flat 2.7km Wetlands Walk circles Loch McNess from McNess House, past a lookout over the water. Western grey kangaroos graze the lawns early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

Wadjemup / Rottnest Island has the world's largest quokka population, most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Watch them from a distance; don't touch or feed them. Hire bikes from the ferry companies or Pedal & Flipper, or ride the Island Explorer bus with its 19 stops.

Inside Whiteman Park, kids can hand-feed kangaroos, watch the penguins being fed and catch the daily Farm Show with sheep-shearing and whip-cracking. A photo with the koalas is part of the entry price. It opens 9am to 4.30pm, and the park suggests arriving before 2pm to allow three to four hours.

An easy walk from the car park leads to the falls, which pour into a rock-lined pool after autumn and winter rain. Arrive before 10am, because the area often fills and closes to new visitors. Do not climb or jump from the falls; people have died doing this.

This north-facing beach is sheltered from the prevailing winds, so the water stays clear and calm for most of the year. Playgrounds and picnic areas line the foreshore beside cafés and restaurants. Swimming pontoons go in off Railway Terrace and Flinders Lane from late November to March.

Transperth ferries cross from Elizabeth Quay to Mends Street Jetty every day, and the zoo is a 500 m walk from there. It opens 9am to 5pm every day of the year. Entry is $20 for kids aged 4 to 15, and under-4s are free.

Guides lead daily tours past stalactites, helictites and the "jewelled city" in Yanchep National Park. Buy tickets at McNess House on the day or book online; a family of four pays $40. Park entry of $17 per car is extra.

This hollowed-out reef is a 10-minute walk or short bike ride from the main settlement. When the wind blows from the south-east, south or south-west, the water is calm and protected for kids learning to snorkel. Showers, barbecues, drinking water and toilets are by the beach.

Unless it is closed for operations, you can walk across the 1902 dam wall for views over the Helena River valley. The picnic areas have a nature play space, barbecues and toilets with a baby change table. Gates close at 5pm until the end of October, and swimming or touching the water is not allowed.

Fourteen hectares of gardens fill a sheltered Perth Hills valley at Roleystone, about an hour's drive from the city. In spring the tulips bloom, and the 2026 Tulip Festival runs until 18 October, 9am to 5pm. Ask at the gate for a $5 Children's Activity Pack, and leave bikes, scooters and balls at home.

The limestone headland is dotted with reefs, caves and swim-throughs, and the City of Rockingham rates its snorkelling among the region's best. A 2.2km loop trail follows the coast past sheltered bays. Viewing platforms and parking are on the cape.