← Goldfields Pipeline Marathon·2 nights

Perth by the Prospector

A seven-hour train across the wheatbelt to the coast, then two nights in Perth with Kings Park above the river and a train to Fremantle.

Duration2 nights
TransitTranswa Prospector train from Kalgoorlie to East Perth, about 7 hours
DepartsKalgoorlie station

After the Goldfields Pipeline Marathon: Perth

The Route: Kalgoorlie → East Perth → Kings Park → Fremantle → Perth Airport Logistics: Transwa Prospector train to Perth, about 7 hours. Trains, buses and walking in Perth. Marathon Month: July Duration: 2 nights

Kalgoorlie ──(approx. 7 hrs, Transwa Prospector)──> East Perth ──(approx. 30 mins train)──> Fremantle
                                                        │
                    Perth Airport (PER) ◄──(approx. 20 mins, Airport Line)

The Goldfields Pipeline Marathon follows the pipe that carries water from the hills behind Perth to the gold fields, 530 km inland. On the Monday after, the Prospector train makes the same journey in reverse, across the wheatbelt to the coast. Seven hours in a train seat is a good way to spend the day after a marathon, and it ends in the state capital.

July in Perth is winter: mild days in the high teens, cool nights and the year's heaviest rain, which comes in fronts off the Indian Ocean with sunny spells between. Pack a light waterproof. The city is quieter than in summer.

Transwa's Prospector runs between Kalgoorlie and East Perth, taking about seven hours, with a buffet on board. Book ahead and check which days it runs at transwa.wa.gov.au. From East Perth, suburban trains run into the city centre in a few minutes.

Night One: Perth and Kings Park

Perth sits on the broad Swan River, known to the Noongar people as Derbarl Yerrigan. Kings Park, on Mount Eliza above the city centre, covers about 400 hectares, mostly native bushland, with the Western Australian Botanic Garden at its heart. The main paths through the botanic garden are sealed and gently graded, with views over the river and the city. The Lotterywest Federation Walkway, a glass-and-steel bridge through the tree canopy, is level. Entry is free. The climb up to the park from the city centre is steep, so take a bus or taxi to the top.

Night Two: Fremantle

Trains from Perth reach Fremantle, the port city at the mouth of the river, in about 30 minutes. Fremantle's centre is flat and compact, full of 19th-century limestone buildings from its time as a convict colony and port. Fremantle Prison, built by convicts in the 1850s and used as a prison until 1991, is now a museum; its tours involve stairs and uneven floors, so choose the shorter options. The WA Maritime Museum on Victoria Quay is indoors and level.

The Fremantle Markets open from Friday to Sunday, so they may be closed early in the week.

Where to stay: COMO The Treasury, in the restored 19th-century State Buildings in central Perth, is the city's best-known luxury hotel. In Fremantle, the Esplanade Hotel, facing the park near the waterfront, is a short walk from the station and the old centre.

Where to eat: Little Creatures, a brewery in a former crocodile farm on Fremantle's fishing boat harbour, serves pizza and its own beer in a huge shed on the water. In Perth, the restaurants around the State Buildings and Elizabeth Quay cover every budget.

Getting to Perth Airport

The Airport Line runs from Perth station to the airport's domestic and international terminals in about 20 minutes. Taxis take 20 to 30 minutes from the city. Perth Airport (PER) has direct flights to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and every Australian capital.