Perth & things to do
Perth sits on Whadjuk Noongar boodja, on the edge of the Indian Ocean and at the northern end of one of the planet's great biodiversity hotspots. It is also the stretch of coast that gave marine heatwave research its defining case study: the 2011 Ningaloo Niño, which pushed water temperatures up to 5 °C above average, killed kelp forests across hundreds of kilometres of reef and shifted whole communities poleward. Much of what you will be discussing at the symposium happened just offshore from the venue.
Everything below is grouped by how far it is from the University of Western Australia, because the useful question is usually not what kind of thing it is but whether it fits in a free afternoon, a spare Saturday, or a week tacked onto the trip. Use the filters to narrow by activity.
September in Western Australia
You are arriving at an unusually good time of year, and three things worth planning around happen to coincide with the symposium week.
18 SEP – 4 OCT
Peak wildflower season
The south-west has around 12,000 plant species, most found nowhere else, and they flower in spring. The Everlasting Kings Park Festival runs across the symposium dates, ten minutes from campus, with more than 3,000 WA species on display and free guided walks and talks.
AUG – NOV
Humpbacks heading south
One of the largest humpback populations on Earth passes Perth on its way back to Antarctica, and from September that includes mothers with newborn calves moving slowly through sheltered water. Boats leave from Fremantle and Hillarys; morning departures are calmest.
PACK FOR IT
Water is about 19–20 °C
Visibility is often excellent in spring, but this is not tropical water in September. Bring a 3 mm wetsuit if you plan to snorkel or dive, or hire one locally. Air temperatures sit around 13–23 °C, and spring can deliver a bright still morning and a squally afternoon on the same day.