Something big has just popped up on the Swan. The ‘Perth Wheel’, also officially known as SkyVista, a 36-metre ferris wheel roughly the height of a ten-storey building, has landed on Riverside Drive foreshore near Elizabeth Quay and starts spinning on July 2nd, right as the winter school holidays begin.
And for everyone who drove past a half-built Ferris wheel out in Malaga earlier this year and wondered where it went: this looks to be your answer. It’s a nine-minute ride to a 360-degree view of the river, Elizabeth Quay and the full city skyline, and at $14.00 for an adult, making it the cheapest big-ticket outing of the holidays.
But you’ll have to be quick to book your turn; it packs up on Sunday, August 23rd.
How much does the ferris wheel cost to ride
SkyVista sits at the corner of Riverside Drive and Governors Avenue, right on the Swan River foreshore. The wheel carries 24 fully enclosed gondolas, climate-controlled against the July chill, each seating up to six people, all wheelchair accessible with assistance animals welcome.
Adults are $14.00, children aged three to 13 are $12.00, and toddlers under three ride free. The family pass, two adults and two children, is $50.00, and private gondolas are available for groups of up to six.
Buy at the booth on the day or pre-book at rideskyvista.com.au.
When to ride for the best view
The ride is the same nine minutes whenever you go, but the view is not. Two windows are worth planning around. The first is sunset on a clear evening, when the light drops behind the skyline, and Perth gets its golden glow.
The second is after dark, when the wheel itself becomes the show: 125,952 LEDs wrap the structure and cycle through millions of colours, so while the wheel provides the best view of the city skyline, the best seat in the house might just be the one looking back at SkyVista.
Through the July school holidays, the 4th to the 19th, it runs every day from 10:00 am until late. From Monday, July 20th it turns into more of an evening act: Tuesday to Friday from 4:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, and Sunday 10:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Aim for a clear weeknight around dusk, and you get the golden hour and the light show without the weekend crowd.
