For a Half Day

Fremantle: The reasons for taking the 25-minute train ride from Perth Railway Station to Fremantle are many. Visitors to Perth's old port of Fremantle, located 19km (12 miles) to the southwest of the city, can experience charming heritage architecture and superb museums, sample the many pubs and South Terrace cafes, or simply enjoy fish and chips on the wharf while watching the boats bobbing on the water.

'Freo' was spruced up to welcome visitors during the 1987 America's Cup and has remained vibrant ever since, while retaining a bohemian edge. Highlights include the Fremantle Markets (which bustle every Friday to Monday, with stalls selling handicrafts, produce and hippy clothes) and the History Museum and Arts Centre (tel: (08) 9430 7966) converted from a convict-built lunatic asylum, open Monday-Friday 1030-1630, Saturday 1300-1700 and Sunday 1000-1600, with admission by donation. The striking Western Australian Maritime Museum (tel: (08) 9431 8444) explains the port's history and showcases the remnants of shipwrecks dating back to the early 17th century - including many relics of Dutch attempts at colonisation. Opening times are daily 0930-1700 and admission is by donation.

Fremantle's numerous historic buildings, along with their surprisingly bloody pasts, are located along the Tram West (tel: (08) 9433 6674; website: www.tramswest.com.au) route. Four different narrated tours are offered and all leave from the tourist bureau (see below). Perhaps the most fascinating (and macabre) example of Fremantle's architecture is the Fremantle Prison (tel: (08) 9336 9200), a maximum-security facility from 1855 to 1991, now open to the public, daily 1000-1700, and for spooky night tours at 1830 and 2115.

The Tourist Bureau is located at Fremantle Town Hall, corner of William Street and Adelaide Street (tel: (08) 9431 7878; website: www.holiday-wa.net).

For a Whole Day

Rottnest Island: In spite of a name that is Dutch for 'rat's nest', this island is an idyllic 10km (6-mile) stretch of sandy beaches and crystal clear waters, lying approximately 20km (12 miles) west of Fremantle. The 'rats' in question are actually quokkas - cute, small, harmless marsupials that are nonetheless incorrigible picnic crashers (feeding them is forbidden). Swimming, snorkelling, windsurfing, skindiving, sunbathing and fishing are all enjoyed on the island. Bicycles are available for hire and are the popular mode of transport. A two-hour bus tour leaves from Thomson Bay three times a day in winter and six times a day in summer, exploring the island's natural features and ignoble history as a prison for Aborigines. A light railway tour to Oliver's Hill gun emplacement offers impressive views. Birdwatching is an especially fruitful pastime on Rottnest, with cormorants, reef heron, whimbrels, swans and ospreys among the species populating the isle's various habitats.

Ferry services to Rottnest Island leave from Perth (Barrack Street Jetty) and Fremantle (East Street Jetty and Victoria Quay). The Rottnest Air Taxi (tel: (1 800) 500 006) offers flights on demand from Jandakot Airport, 20 minutes from Perth on the Southern Freeway. The Visitor and Information Centre is located in Thomson Bay (tel: (08) 9372 9732; website: www.rottnest.wa.gov.au).