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School Holidays
School Holiday Activities in Perth — 2026 Family Guide
📅 2026
⏱ 8 min read
📍 Perth Metro & surrounds
Two weeks of school holidays, kids at home, and the pressure to keep everyone entertained without spending a fortune. Perth families have it better than most — a genuinely world-class city with beaches, bushland, museums, wildlife parks, and a calendar full of holiday events. The challenge is knowing what's on, what's free, and what's worth the cost.
This guide covers the best school holiday activities across Perth and surrounds — a mix of free options and paid experiences that deliver real value.
WA school holidays 2026
Check education.wa.edu.au for exact dates
Tip
Book paid attractions in advance — they sell out
Best Free Activities
Perth has a remarkable number of genuinely excellent free things to do — these are the ones that keep kids engaged for hours.
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Free
Kings Park — Lotterywest Family Area
Perth's best free playground. DNA tower, water play, flying fox, and enormous grassy spaces. Half a day gone without spending a cent. Read our
full Kings Park guide.
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Free
WA Museum Boola Bardip
Perth's flagship museum on James Street is outstanding — permanent free entry with a massive range of WA natural history, indigenous culture, dinosaur fossils, and interactive science exhibits. School holiday programs run throughout.
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Free
Scitech
One of Perth's most loved family attractions — interactive science and technology exhibits designed for curious kids. Free during many school holiday periods thanks to city funding. Check for special holiday shows and planetarium sessions.
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Free
Perth's Patrolled Beaches
Scarborough, City Beach, Trigg — all patrolled and free. A beach day with a good picnic is still one of the best school holiday activities going. Read our
complete beach guide.
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Free (parks pass required)
John Forrest National Park
Bushwalks, picnic areas, a historic railway tunnel, and seasonal waterfall. Beautiful in the cooler holidays (April, July) when the forest is lush. 30 minutes from Perth CBD.
Best Paid Experiences Worth the Cost
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Paid — ~$20 adults, ~$10 kids
Caversham Wildlife Park
Hand-feed kangaroos, hold koalas, meet wombats. Perth's most universally loved family activity. Book online — it sells out during holidays. Read our
full Caversham guide.
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Paid — ~$30 adults, ~$20 kids
AQWA — The Aquarium of WA
Western Australia's aquarium at Hillarys Boat Harbour features a walk-through underwater tunnel, touch tanks, shark feeding shows, and marine displays covering WA's diverse marine life. School holiday dive shows are popular — book ahead.
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Paid — varies
Adventure World
Perth's premier theme park in Bibra Lake. Water slides, rides, rollercoasters, and a dedicated toddler area. A full-day activity that genuinely exhausts kids in the best possible way. Book online for discounted entry.
🎭
Paid — varies
Perth Theatre & Circus Shows
The Perth Cultural Centre, Regal Theatre, and His Majesty's Theatre all run school holiday programs — kids' theatre, circus performances, and family musicals. Check BOCS Tickets and Perth Theatre Trust for what's on during your break.
Best Day Trips Out of Perth
When you've exhausted the city options, these day trips offer something genuinely different.
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Mix of free and paid
Swan Valley Family Day
Caversham Wildlife Park, Margaret River Chocolate Company (free samples!), farm gates, and winery stops. The ultimate all-ages day trip from Perth. Read our
complete guide.
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Ferry + entry
Penguin Island, Rockingham
A small island 600 metres off the Rockingham coast, home to Australia's smallest penguin colony. Take the short ferry crossing, walk the island, see the penguins up close. Combine with Rockingham Beach for a full day. School holidays book fast.
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Free (parks pass)
Yanchep National Park
Wild koalas, kangaroos, caves and a beautiful lagoon beach — 60 minutes north of Perth. Yanchep Lagoon has some of the calmest, most beautiful water on the Perth coastline.
Rainy Day Options
Perth school holidays occasionally bring rain, particularly in the April and July breaks. These options work rain or shine:
- WA Museum Boola Bardip — fully indoors, free, hours of content
- Scitech — excellent on a cold wet day
- Reading Cinemas or Event Cinemas — major release films and kids' sessions during holidays
- IKEA Småland — free supervised play area for kids 3–10 while you shop
- Indoor climbing centres — Boulder World (Perth) and Cliffside (Cannington) are popular with older kids
Plan ahead: School holiday weekends in Perth are extremely busy at popular attractions. Midweek visits to places like Caversham and Adventure World are noticeably quieter and more enjoyable. If you can, save the big paid attractions for Tuesday–Thursday.
Moving the Family Around During Holidays
The school holidays are when families travel together most — extended family outings, cousins visiting from interstate, multi-family day trips that mean 7 or 8 people heading to the same place. Getting everyone there in one vehicle instead of two or three cars makes the day simpler, cheaper to park, and more enjoyable from the moment you leave home.
Our 8-seat Hyundai iMax is available for single-day holiday hires. Check availability and book online in under 2 minutes.