“You really have to go to Mandurah”, says Georg’s cousin in Perth. “I’m sure you and the kids will love the Giants there.” Giants? What giants are there in Western Australia?
Now we’re curious! It’s a good hour’s drive south of Perth towards Mandurah by rental car. The distance is suitable for a day trip from/to Perth; in addition to the legendary Giants, the city of Mandurah offers other family attractions, too.
Visiting Mandurah, Western Australia with the family.
(The Giants of) Mandurah, about an hour south of Perth.
So we park right in the centre of Mandurah where, to the kids’ delight, a new playground has recently been opened up: Mandurah Eastern Foreshore Playground.
While the kids climb and run around, I book us a boat trip in the Mandurah harbour area (including a big chance of dolphin sightings!). The visitor centre staff hands me a map showing the Giants of Mandurah, an art installation by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. They’re really cool, as we’re about to find out!
Mandurah attracts families with its two large playgrounds, one for older kids/teens (Mandurah Skate Park) and one for the younger ones.
We loved our lunch at The Bay Café Mandurah!
We also really enjoyed the boat trip (we actually saw several groups of dolphins in the harbour!). There is good ice cream to be had in the vicinity of the harbour, too.
A little later, it’s driving to see the Giants of Mandurah: Santi Ikto right by the beach.
Mandurah is generally very artsy. Here is a walk-in installation in the harbour with Aboriginal art.
Gingin Observatory: Star gazing tour in the vast Western Australian desert.
Now here’s something fun! Back when I first travelled in Western Australia in 2011, my friend Anna and I rented a camper van and travelled all the way up to Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef and back to Perth.
Shortly before Perth, we stopped by chance at an observatory that I found fascinating: The Western Australian night sky is one of many so-called “dark sky reserves”, which means it is particularly suitable for observing the night sky, myriads of stars, even planets. My stargazing memory from back then is something I still recall as a must-do.
Fortunately for us, Gingin Observatory, around an hour and a half north of Perth, still offers star gazing tours. We book one with the kids and spend the night in a pub/motel in the nearby town of Gingin, Wild Wild West flair in Western Australia included. Check this out.
After checking in and having dinner in Gingin, we land here: Gingin Observatory & Gravity Discovery Centre “out back”, in the middle of nowhere. Here, with almost no light radiation from the earth, the stars and planets shine particularly brightly at night.
We discover there’s a lot to learn about the night sky above …
… and can actually see it well, despite some clouds on the night of our visit.
The next morning in Gingin: A pub, a café, a playground, a small community shop – Gingin is pure Western Australian Countryside Experience!
Sandy Cape & Pinnacles Desert north of Perth.
From Gingin, Georg’s family’s next tip is to head for Sandy Cape, a stretch of beach around three hours north of Perth. On the way, we encounter the famous “road trains” of Western Australia, huge trucks with up to three or even four trailers! The landscape becomes drier and we realise how vast the Australian outback desert behind the coastline of Western Australia must be!
Sandy Cape Recreation Park, as it is fully known, is a great beach destination: campers and locals meet here, but there aren’t quite as many tourists as at the Pinnacles, which we also visit that day.
A look to Sandy Cape in Western Australia, north of Jurien Bay along the Indian Ocean coastline.
What a view – the kids love it here.
A little later we are back inland, at the famous Pinnacles of Western Australia. Here, children (and adults) can run and romp around freely!
Pinnacles Discovery Centre has you informed about some interesting theories as to how the pinnacles were originally formed.
Would visit again anytime: Really enjoyed our time at Pinnacles in Western Australia.
You can find more travel tips for Perth in my blog post Perth with kids: Travel tips for families in Western Australia. If you have any further questions, I’ll be happy to help you out in the comments.