As told by Jackie Te-Aroha.

We arrived in Perth early in the evening and after checking in to our Air BnB home we were keen to get our week-long adventure underway but decided to grab some dinner first instead. Yes, we were sidetracked by food… what’s new? Lebanese was our chosen cuisine and The Hummus Club won us over with their Instagram account.

Before leaving home the plan was to stay just west of Perth CBD so that we could catch a sunset by the Crawley Edge Blue Boat House then explore the Kings Park Botanic Gardens next day. But as you learn whilst traveling, not all things go to plan so some rearranging needed to occur. That being said we rearranged our pillows before laying our heads to rest and calling it a day. Put your hand up if your holidays sound like something your nanna would enjoy haha.

We were up before our 7’oclock alarm sounded and readied ourselves in the most activity appropriate clothing for what was about to be a 33 degree day then began fuelling our bodies. Breakfast consisted of a coffee, 2 slices of vegemite toast and some fruit that had been lovingly supplied by our air BnB hosts. Just what nanna would have enjoyed! Thanks for that Colin ol mate, you made our day that much easier. I had a big day planned for us that included ‘Law Walk’, a 2.5km trail along the edge of Kings Park but first we had to get to the Boat House and you guessed it, we were also walking there. You can thank me later babe, I thought as I handed her some sliced apple and kiwi fruit.

So our day began with a 2.7km walk from our place through the modest upper-class suburb of Shenton Park entering Kings Park through the western end. We followed the Zamia path which was a concreted narrow bush track that put a skip in Zades step every time she heard the sound of a dry leaf crack – an obvious sign of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from her Bluff experience in South Australia.

Luckily though we weren’t in there long, the dry bushland gave way to an open road with sculpted lawns and a small pond surrounding the Zamia Café. There was one more section of bushland trail we had to get though before we exited the parklands walking via Crawley’s neighbourhood of high-rise apartments set just back off the Swan River.

We could see the Insta-famous Blue Boat House down on the water and to my surprise there were only a couple of people around it. During my research I’d read that because of its close proximity to the city and is easily accessed by public transport it can attract quite a crowd. But unlike other tourist attractions at this one people form a line and gave each other both the space and time to frame their images, set their tripods, hold their loved ones and and the rest of it, which I thought was nice because never have I ever experienced such courtesy. Once we got closer I realised that this wasn’t a change in tourist behaviours but a forced politeness due to the narrow entry to the jetty. Whatever the case, it still gave us the opportunity to do what we love to do.

If you’re looking at visiting the Blue Boat House when your next in Perth to get your Instagram photo here are my tips:

1. Go early in the morning when nobody else is there. Get your shots and get out!
2. Take a tripod, a selfie stick, a friend or your manners to ask the people in line behind you to help take your photos.
3. Be respectful of others waiting in the line, don’t abuse the privilege of having the house to yourself by spending half an hour out on the jetty
4. Don’t plan a whole day around this house, its definitely a stop and go spot unless you intent to include a walk, which I highly recommend!

The Crawley Boat House is a 15-minute bus ride from Perth CBD, a $10 Uber ride or in our case a 40-minute walk through 2 neighbourhoods and along a parkland bush trail.

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BROWSE MORE AUSTRALIAN DESTINATIONS

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN NEW SOUTH WALES (NSW)

Blue Mountains | Central Coast | Illawarra | Mid-North Coast | Newcastle & Hunter | Port Macquarie | Sydney

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN NORTHERN TERRITORY (NT)

Darwin | Kakadu

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA (SA)

Adelaide | Fleurieu Peninsula| Yorke Peninsula

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (WA)

Perth | Peel |South West

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