After one month in confinement and two months of being a full-time mum, I really needed a break.
My four-month maternity leave was also ending soon, and I knew that once I went back to work, everything would change. We felt this was the only window we’d have as a carefree family of three before the juggle of being full-time working parents began.
So we decided to just go for it and fly to Perth.
Is Perth Baby-Friendly?
How we landed on Perth was actually pretty simple.
We were only looking at destinations within a six-hour flight. I didn’t want to be cooped up in a plane for too long because I needed to pump, and anything longer felt much harder to plan for. My husband also had one non-negotiable: he only wanted to travel somewhere English-speaking, so we could communicate easily with medical staff if anything unexpected happened.
That narrowed our options pretty quickly.
Perth ticked every box. It’s only about a five-hour flight from Singapore, English is the primary language, the pace of life is slower, and from everything we’d read, it was incredibly pram-friendly.
Looking back, I genuinely think Perth is one of the easiest overseas destinations for travelling with a young baby.
How Was the Flight With a 3-Month-Old?
Much better than we expected.
We flew Singapore Airlines because they offer bassinets, and we’ve always had good experiences flying with them. We’re also lucky to have a pretty easy-going baby. He happily slept in the bassinet for most of the flight, which gave me time to pump, rest, and even enjoy a little downtime.
We followed the common advice of feeding him during take-off and landing to help with the pressure changes. He cried briefly during take-off but settled within a few minutes and then slept for most of the journey.
Pumping on the flight was a whole experience in itself, though. If you’re planning to travel while breastfeeding or exclusively pumping, I’ve written a separate guide covering everything I wish I’d known before flying.
Getting Around Perth With a Baby
Getting around Perth was surprisingly easy. We didn’t rent a car at all.
Our itinerary was centred around Perth CBD and the surrounding areas, so everything was either accessible by public transport or a short Uber ride.
Perth is genuinely pram-friendly. Pavements were wide, train stations had lifts, and getting around with a stroller felt almost effortless. We packed our Ergobaby carrier as well, but ended up using the pram for almost the entire trip.
One thing I also appreciated? I pumped throughout the trip whenever I needed to, and nobody even looked twice. It made travelling feel so much less stressful.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Parmelia Hilton in Perth CBD, and location was the main reason we chose it.
It was within walking distance of train stations, restaurants and many of the attractions on our itinerary. It also has an outdoor heated pool, which was important to us because we wanted our baby to experience swimming for the first time, even though it was spring (around 19-22°C).
The room was spacious, and at around S$190 per night, we thought it was great value.
For me, a larger room wasn’t just nice to have — it was essential. I needed somewhere to pump comfortably, wash and dry pump parts, and set up a little baby station without everything feeling cramped. The room worked perfectly for that.
One honest note: the hotel is fairly dated. It’s not the kind of place you’d book for Instagram-worthy interiors. But it was comfortable, practical and in an excellent location, which mattered much more to us while travelling with a baby.
Our 6-Day Perth Itinerary With a Baby
We spent six days in Perth (18–23 September). Here’s exactly how we spent each day, including what worked really well with a baby and what we’d probably do differently next time.
Day 1 — Arrival: Keep It Gentle
We landed early in the morning after an overnight flight, so we intentionally kept our first day slow.
After clearing immigration and freshening up at the airport, we took the Airport Line from Airport Central Station into Perth CBD. The journey took about 45 minutes and was completely pram-friendly.
We paid for early check-in at the hotel so we could freshen up before heading to Mount Street Breakfast Bar for brunch.
After that, we wandered through Kings Park, which I’d easily recommend as one of the best places to visit in Perth with a baby. The paths are wide and smooth, there are beautiful views across the city, and you can walk as much or as little as you feel like.
We also stopped by the City of Perth Library, although if I’m being honest, it wasn’t particularly memorable.
Back at the hotel, we squeezed in a nap before ending the evening with an easy stroll around Elizabeth Quay and the Bell Tower.
Day 2 — Perth Zoo
Perth Zoo turned out to be one of our favourite days.
We took the ferry from Elizabeth Quay, which was a fun experience in itself. Unfortunately, we also managed to lose our stroller handlebar because we removed it while lifting our baby up to look at the water. Lesson learnt.
The zoo itself was incredibly pram-friendly, and we saw so many local families with babies and young children. It immediately felt like we were in the right place.
Our little one happily napped in the pram while we explored, and I even walked around pumping without feeling self-conscious. The zoo is also a manageable size, so it never felt exhausting.
Afterwards, we caught the ferry back and enjoyed an early dinner at Elizabeth Quay.
Day 3 — Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island was easily one of the highlights of our trip.
We booked the Rottnest Express ferry online before our trip and added the hop-on hop-off bus tickets because we knew we wouldn’t want to cycle or walk long distances with a baby.
Our route around the island was simple:
- Geordie Bay for lunch at Geordie’s Café.
- The Basin, where we thought we’d spend a relaxing afternoon by the beach. We actually only took a quick look before moving on, but it was still worth stopping by to admire the clear blue water.
- Rottnest Museum, which closes at 3.30pm and completely surprised us. We weren’t expecting much, but it ended up being our favourite stop because of all the history behind the island. And before you leave, grab one of the famous jam doughnuts from the nearby bakery — they’re every bit as good as people say.
One unexpected highlight was simply riding the bus around the island. The scenery was beautiful enough that we happily stayed on for extra loops. It also helped that Rottnest was freezing that day — around 11°C — so we definitely weren’t in a rush to get off the nice, warm bus.
Baby tip: Bring a carrier for Rottnest. Some paths are sandy and uneven, making a carrier much easier than pushing a pram everywhere. We also planned our feeds and pumping sessions around the bus timetable since the buses run on a fixed schedule.
Day 4 — Fremantle
Fremantle (or Freo, as the locals call it) is about a 30-minute direct train ride from Perth on the Fremantle Line and is another very easy day trip with a pram.
We could easily have spent another day here.
Some of our favourite stops included:
- High Street for browsing independent shops.
- Paper Bird Children’s Books & Arts, a gorgeous children’s bookshop with a hidden wardrobe door connecting it to another section of the shop. Such a fun surprise.
- Fremantle Markets. While worth seeing, it was packed and not particularly pram-friendly, so we only stayed for about five minutes.
- Little Creatures Brewery for lunch, which had a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.
- WA Shipwreck Museum, which is free and fully accessible with a stroller.
- Esplanade Park for a relaxing break.
- Bathers Beach House for dinner by the water before catching the train back.
Day 5 — Swimming and Exploring the City
We started the morning with Sunday Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, something we always try to do when travelling.
We originally planned to visit Things We’d Do Differently Next Time, but by this point we realised we were enjoying taking things slowly, so we skipped it and spent the afternoon swimming in the hotel pool instead.
Afterwards, we wandered through London Court, Hay Street Mall and Murray Street before heading to Northbridge for dinner.
Sometimes the best travel days aren’t the ones where you tick off the most attractions.
Day 6 — Heading Home
Our final day was intentionally slow.
We enjoyed a proper hotel breakfast, packed at our own pace, and checked out at 1pm before making our way to Perth Airport for our Singapore Airlines flight home.
One tip I’d definitely recommend: ask for a late check-out when you first check in. We requested a 1pm check-out on our first day, and those extra couple of hours made departure day so much calmer. Travelling with a baby always takes longer than you think, and having extra time to pack, feed, pump and get everyone ready made all the difference.