Pleasure boating in Perth

With Perth being our hometown, we’re spoilt to have the Indian Ocean and Swan River on our doorstep, providing boating options every day of the year. Fishing, skiing, diving, crabbing, cruising or paddleboarding – if it involves water and boating, Perth’s got it covered.

The city’s relatively small population of just over two million people has access to more than 20 sealed boat ramps (plus numerous sand ramps and private facilities like sailing clubs) for accessing the Swan River and the coast. The locations you launch from depends on the activity you chose – waterskiing, for example, is very popular in Belmont, while for fishing it’s hard to beat the protected ocean waters of Cockburn Sound.

Ramp skills such as launching and retrieving the boat are important, as is understating how to read a chart and navigate around the river as there are plenty of sand spits and areas of shallow water.

Fishing is one of the most popular activities in Perth and there are numerous species you can target in the river by trolling, casting, flyfishing or using bait. Fish such as flathead, tailor, flounder and bream can be caught year-round.

If you know what you’re doing and are in the right place at the right time, then giant herring can be found from October to April. It’s the same time of year that big mulloway come out to play, key areas being near Narrows Bridge, Canning Bridge or Blackwall Reach.

Cockburn Sound is on the city’s doorstep and, being protected from the swell and big winds, is perfect for small boats and kayaks. It’s home to a variety of species such as pink snapper, squid, herring and whiting – snapper breed in Cockburn Sound, hence there are specific closures around spawning times and also a demersal catch ban in place, so anglers need to be aware of these regulations prior to targeting pinkies.

Diving at night can be spooky in the Swan, but the river is remarkably alive and it’s super easy to dive from the shore. There are a couple of places we frequent, one of them being Mosman Bay. During the cooler months, take a prawn net and you can have an evening of fun chasing these beady-eyed creatures.

Blue manna crabs are extremely enticing: they sit still, holding up their claws almost begging to be picked up. But be mindful to grab them correctly – I have had them bite aggressively through my thick gloves.

Blackwall Reach, on the southern side of the river, is an easy shore dive from the entry point at the Bicton Baths car park. If you swim north on the surface until you find mooring 716, then descend about 14m down the mooring line, you’ll find an old sunken barge.

Keep a watchful eye out for stonefish, the most venomous fish of all, and cobbler, which have venomous spines on their dorsal and pectoral fins that can cause a very painful wound.

Elizabeth Quay is in the heart of the city, with the inlet providing 24 short-stay moorings for up to three hours, free of charge. The only catch is, if you own something any bigger than a trailerboat or with a flybridge of over 4.5m, it won’t fit under the pedestrian bridge. In that case, there are swing moorings just outside the entrance.

To indulge in some sightseeing, the Bell Tower and Exhibition Centres are next door, with the Perth Mint, Supreme Court Gardens and Government House just a block away.

Guided river tours depart from Elizabeth Quay, where customers enjoy lunch while being informed about the Swan River, the local history and the river environment. And if you’d like to see one of Australia’s most famous selfie spots and tourist magnets, go to the Blue Boat Shed (officially the Crawley Edge Boatshed) at Crawley.

Perth is well-known for its blue manna crabs, prawns and the world’s best crayfish, the western rock lobster. If it’s prawns you’re chasing, the best time of the year is during autumn after the first rains when there’s a strong outgoing tide. Crabs can be caught in the river and the ocean, but be aware of bag limits and closed seasons, as well as areas where crabbing is not permitted.

To find crayfish you need to head to the ocean in early summer. They can be caught close to shore with pots, often sitting along the breakwalls and reef structures near land.

Lobster can be caught at any time of the year in pots and by free diving or scuba diving with the use of a loop or just your hand. Summertime is the most successful period to catch crays and while we love diving for them, we also put a couple of pots out over the Christmas holidays.

The warmer months see the Swan River come alive with boats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, waterskiing, swimming and canoeing. Speed boats and personal watercraft make use of the river’s many designated powerboat areas.

Another paradise is found 23km offshore from Fremantle, being the boating haven and extremely popular Rottnest Island. On a calm day, it’s easy for small trailerboats to access the island, which is famous for its 63 beaches and 20 bays to explore.

Visitor Information:  visit the Perth tourism website

Rottnest Island: Rottnest Island website

Perth Boating Guide:  search ‘metropolitan boat ramps’

Perth Boating Guide:  search ‘Link to WA fishing rules’

Read the full story in the Vol. 38.4 August-September Club Marine Magazine.

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