The days are shorter, the mornings cooler, and the trees distinctly more orange. Yep, we’re smack bang in the middle of one of our glorious Perth autumns. Before you start bunkering down in preparation for the winter chill, there’s still plenty of outdoor activity to be had. Make the most of those beautiful, temperate days and get your outdoor fill with one of these amazing autumn experiences.
Playing in the leaves at Raeburn Orchards
Come May, Raeburn Orchards in Roleystone turns into an orange, red, and yellow-hued autumnal wonderland.
Though the orchard grows apples and pears during the autumn months, it’s a different fruit that brings people to the area in droves. Pay a $5.00 entry fee (free for kids) to access the orchard’s brightly coloured persimmon groves, where you have free reign to take as many photos as you please. Just don’t get handsy with the trees — the fruit isn’t yours to pick.
If you time your visit for the weekend, you’ll catch some of the local food trucks setting up shop by the orchard. So, bring a picnic blanket, grab some apple cider from Roleystone Brewing Company‘s orchard cellar door, and settle in for an afternoon amongst the leaves.
Picking your own apples at The Fruit Corner
Apple pie is on the menu this autumn and, at $4.00/kg for either Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples, you can’t not get your supplies from The Fruit Corner in Pickering Brook. The best part? You can make a day of it and head out to pick a big bag (or box) full yourself.
It costs $5.00 to access the orchard, and then you just pay for what you pick. While you’re there, you can pick up a great range of other seasonal fruit and veg from the on-site store.
Paddling in the crisp morning air
There are few things better than those crisp, clear autumn mornings. Make the most of them by joining an 8:15 am ‘morning meander’ guided kayak tour with Water Wanderers.
The tour will see you paddle around the calm waters of the Swan River, past Burswood Park and Claisebrook Cove. Your guide will give you a run down on the area’s history while you’re on the move and will be more than happy to help take a snap while you’re out there too.
Feasting at Millbrook Winery
With the change in season comes a fresh menu from one of Perth’s most-loved winery restaurants, Millbrook Estate in Jarrahdale. Stone fruits and tomatoes are dropped from the menu to make way for more seasonal heirloom carrots and apples, all sourced from the winery’s incredible heirloom vegetable garden or wider afield on the property. You can book in for an a la carte lunch Thursdays through to Sundays. Or head out on a Monday for a special kind of feast.
After a busy weekend of service, the 3-course ‘no waste Monday’ meal ($50.00 per person) purposely uses the fresh garden produce that remains. You never know what you’re going to get. But they can be some of the best meals at the winery as they really showcase the chef’s creativity.
Spotting the whales in the deep blue
Believe it or not, autumn is actually prime blue whale activity time through the Perth Canyon, 30 nautical miles off the coast of Perth.
The endangered whales pass through the krill-rich feeding ground between March and May. And you can have a chance at spotting them on one of Whale Watch Western Australia‘s 7-hour tours. You’ll board the boat at 8:00 am along with a team of researchers, before setting out into the deep blue on an exciting information gathering expedition. If you’re lucky, you might even spot an orca or two!
Tickets for the tour start at $385.00, and include morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea on board.
Biking through the perth Hills
Suck in that fresh autumn air as you gently peddle your way through the scenic Perth hills on a Perth Hills Mountain Bike Tour.
Our choice in tour? The ‘See Why Pub Tour the Long Way Round’ ($125.00 per person). As the name suggests, at different points along the 42km journey, you’ll be calling into the hills’ favourite pubs to catch your breath and enjoy some of their most popular refreshments.
The slightly cooler weather at this time of year is perfect to knock out the five hour ride along the Railway Heritage Reserve Trail, through Glen Forrest, and beyond to Darlington.
While the tours require you to have some mountain biking experience, they aren’t so advanced they’re going to alienate relative newbies to the sport. All tours are run on e-bikes, so no need to stress if you’re not Lance Armstrong on two wheels.
Picnicking at Hyde Park
Hyde Park looks different season by season. In spring, it’s covered in a sea of red and purple from the blooming flame and jacaranda trees. In autumn, it’s awash with orange as the leaves of the plane trees edge ever closer to dropping.
Make the most of the autumnal scenes and roll up your picnic blanket, schedule a stop at nearby Chu Bakery for some meticulously decorated pastries, and set up on a patch of grass overlooking the lake and the frame of plane trees.
Related Reads: Raeburn Orchards: Everything You Need To Know About This Autumn Paradise
Related Reads: Perth Secrets: 14 Secret Places Nobody Wants To Tell You About In Perth
