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.

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.

This bush lake in Chidlow, 45 minutes east of the city, has white sand beaches, a playground and free entry. Canoes for up to three people can be hired from 10.30am on weekends and public holidays. There are no lifeguards, so keep under-fives within arm's reach.

A short walk from the Falls Road picnic area brings you to lookouts over the falls and across the plain to Perth. A 2km return track carries on down towards the foot of the falls. Come in late winter or spring, as the falls are usually dry in summer; entry is free and there are toilets by the car park.

This 340m railway tunnel in John Forrest National Park was built in 1894 with more than 330,000 bricks. It is the only historic railway tunnel in WA you can walk through. There are no toilets at the tunnel, and a car pass for John Forrest costs $17.

This one-way drive follows an old railway line down Gooseberry Hill, with views over the Swan Coastal Plain. Cars can enter from 11am, and the gates lock at 8.30pm. Stop only in the marked areas, as walkers and cyclists share the road.

The Bennett Brook Railway runs steam and diesel trains over 6km of narrow-gauge track, and heritage trams loop the park in about 40 minutes. Trains run from 11am on Wednesdays, Thursdays and weekends, and daily in WA school holidays; a child ticket is $6. Trains don't run on higher fire danger days, so call the park before a summer visit.

The City of Kalamunda calls this the largest folk museum in WA, on the site of the 1890s station for the Zig Zag railway line. Kids can see steam locomotive G118, a 1905 schoolhouse, a blacksmith's display and a settler's cottage from 1895. It opens every day at 56 Railway Road, from noon on Thursdays and 10am on other days.

Hundreds of native animals, birds, fish and reptiles, prepared by a master taxidermist, fill this heritage-listed former theatre. Kids can also inspect life-size dinosaur models. The museum is a five-minute walk from Guildford train station and opens daily in the school holidays.

Walyunga Pool is a quiet place to rest in the shade of flooded gums, beside one of the largest known Aboriginal campsites around Perth. After heavy rain the river runs fast here, so take care around the rapids and slippery rocks. The park gates close overnight, and standard park fees apply.