Perth · Kid-friendly · 8 days / 7 nights

Scarborough to Fremantle — one move, seven nights, a lot of quokkas

29 Aug – 5 Sep 2026 Arrive 4:15pm · Depart 5:20pm Scarborough 29/8 → 1/9 Fremantle / Coogee 1/9 → 5/9

Tickets to book before you go

Strawberry picking

Farms near Gnangara/Wanneroo vary week to week — check the farm's Facebook page the night before Day 2, and have the chocolate co. or a playground as backup.

Rottnest ferry

Book the Fremantle–Rottnest ferry ahead of time (about 25–30 min each way) and pack windbreakers — late winter/early spring can be breezy on the island.

Shoalwater cruise

Penguin Island's landing stays closed through 14 Sep for the nesting season, but the wildlife cruise around Penguin, Seal & Bird Islands runs daily regardless — confirmed available for your Day 6 visit.

Adjustments from the original spreadsheet: you're checking out of Scarborough on 1 Sep, so Day 4 is kept as a light moving day. Busselton Jetty has been dropped from the trip entirely — Rottnest Island now runs on Day 5, Rockingham/Shoalwater on Day 6, and Day 7 is a shopping day (Fremantle Markets + Cockburn Gateway). Penguin Island's landing stays closed for the winter nesting season through 14 Sep, so the Day 6 cruise goes past the islands without landing on Penguin Island itself.
Sat 29 Aug Scarborough

Day 1 — Arrival & settle in

Keep expectations low. Groceries, milk/snacks, diapers and an early bedtime win the day.

Arrival
Land 4:15pm, collect the rental car from Europcar in the terminal.
Grocery stop
Woolworths at Perth Airport (10 High Street) — open till 7pm on Saturdays, so it's an easy stop right after landing rather than hunting for a supermarket after check-in.
Lunch / nap
Already handled on the plane.
Drive & check-in
Drive to Scarborough (~30–40 min), check in and unpack.
Evening
Walk to the Scarborough Sunset Markets (Winter Edition, 3–8pm on the Esplanade) for dinner — food trucks and stalls right on the beachfront.
Airport → Scarborough: ~30–40 min Scarborough Airbnb → Sunset Markets: walk
Kid noteScarborough Sunset Markets run their Winter Edition Saturdays 13 Jun–24 Oct 2026, 3–8pm — 29 Aug falls right in that window.
Perth Airport → Scarborough Airbnb
Sun 30 Aug Scarborough

Day 2 — Scarborough Beach / Kings Park + strawberry picking

Keep the morning low-key and flexible; strawberry picking in the afternoon-evening if farms are open.

Morning
Scarborough Beach and/or Kings Park — pick whichever suits the morning's energy, no need to do both.
Lunch / nap
Lunch locally; car nap if you've headed out to Kings Park.
Afternoon–evening
Potentially strawberry picking in Gnangara/Wanneroo, if farms are open — check the farm's Facebook page the night before. Otherwise Swan Valley Chocolate Company or a playground.
Evening
Dinner back in Scarborough.
Scarborough Airbnb → Kings Park: ~20–30 min Scarborough → Wanneroo farms: ~25–35 min
Parking tipKings Park's own Wadjuk Carpark is free — plenty for a morning visit, well within the 4-hour weekday cap.
Scarborough Airbnb → Kings Park
Mon 31 Aug Scarborough

Day 3 — Caversham Wildlife Park

Morning
Drive to Caversham Wildlife Park, aiming to enter by 9:30–10:00am so you're not rushed before last entry.
Lunch / nap
Lunch in the Swan Valley / Whiteman Park area.
Afternoon
A full run of Caversham's daily experiences — kangaroo walk-through, farm show, koala photos, penguin feeding — with no need to rush off for strawberry picking this time.
Evening
Back to Scarborough for dinner and laundry.
Scarborough → Caversham: ~35–45 min Caversham → Scarborough: ~35–50 min
Kid noteCaversham is open 9am–4:30pm daily (last entry 3:30pm) and recommends 3–4 hours.
Scarborough Airbnb → Caversham Wildlife Park
Tue 1 Sep Scarborough Moving day

Day 4 — Checkout & relocate to Fremantle / Coogee

Adjusted from the spreadsheet's original "free suburban day" — this is now the move, kept deliberately light.

Morning
Slow morning at Scarborough Beach / playground / coffee before checkout. Optional Trigg Beach drive-by.
Midday
Pack up and drive south to the Fremantle / Coogee base.
Afternoon
Check in, unpack, and keep it unstructured — a walk around Coogee Beach or South Fremantle is plenty.
Evening
Easy dinner locally. This is also your laundry/grocery buffer, just relocated a day earlier than the spreadsheet had it.
Scarborough → Coogee: ~30–40 min
Scarborough Airbnb → Fremantle Airbnb
Wed 2 Sep Fremantle / Coogee

Day 5 — Rottnest Island day trip

9:00am
Leave the Airbnb, drive to Northport, Rous Head Harbour (North Fremantle).
10:15am
Ferry departs Rous Head Harbour for Rottnest Island (~25–30 min crossing).
11:00am
Hop on the Rottnest hop-on-hop-off bus.
12:00pm
Lunch.
1:30–4:00pm
Free and easy, using the hop-on-hop-off bus to get around — Thomson Bay, The Basin if the weather allows, settlement area.
4:00pm
Ferry departs Rottnest Island back to Rous Head Harbour.
Evening
Dinner with Sabrina and Jonathan back in Fremantle/Coogee.
Coogee → Rous Head Harbour: ~20–30 min Ferry each way: ~25–30 min
Kid noteBook the ferry ahead, and bring windbreakers — late winter/early spring can be breezy out there.
Fremantle Airbnb → Rous Head Ferry Terminal
Thu 3 Sep Fremantle / Coogee

Day 6 — Rockingham + Shoalwater wildlife cruise

Morning
Drive to Rockingham for the Dolphin, Sea Lion & Penguin Island Cruise — a 60-minute glass-bottom boat trip past Penguin, Seal & Bird Islands. Confirmed running daily through the winter closure, though it doesn't land on Penguin Island itself.
Lunch / nap
Lunch in Rockingham; nap on the drive back to Coogee.
Afternoon
Free-and-easy Coogee Beach, or the Rockingham foreshore and Cape Peron lookout if you skip the cruise.
Evening
Relaxed dinner.
Coogee → Rockingham: ~25–35 min
Kid noteCruise departs several times daily — check current times when booking. Adult $85 / Child $65 / Family $260.
Fremantle Airbnb → Rockingham
Fri 4 Sep Fremantle / Coogee

Day 7 — Shopping day

Fremantle Markets in the morning, Cockburn Gateway (or Garden City Westfield) in the afternoon for anything else.

Morning
Fremantle Markets on South Terrace — stalls, produce, gifts, and the food hall. Open Fridays.
Lunch / nap
Lunch at the markets; nap on the short drive to Cockburn.
Afternoon
Cockburn Gateway Shopping City, the closest mall to the Airbnb, for anything the markets don't cover — or Garden City Booragoon (the nearest actual Westfield) for a bigger range.
Evening
Dinner locally, and a head start on packing before departure.
Coogee → Fremantle Markets: ~15–25 min Coogee → Cockburn Gateway: ~10–15 min Coogee → Garden City: ~20–25 min
Fremantle Airbnb → Fremantle Markets
Sat 5 Sep Fremantle / Coogee

Day 8 — Fremantle + departure

Morning
Slow checkout. Esplanade Park, the Little Creatures area, or a beach walk depending on the weather.
Lunch / nap
Early lunch; car nap if needed.
Afternoon
Leave a buffer for the airport by around 2:15–2:30pm for the 5:20pm flight — allow extra time for the Europcar return before heading to check-in.
Evening
Depart Perth 5:20pm.
Coogee → Fremantle: ~15–25 min Coogee/Fremantle → Airport: ~35–50 min
Kid noteKeep the final day low-risk — avoid paid attractions that could run late and squeeze the flight.
Fremantle Airbnb → Perth Airport

Drive times are planning ranges, not guarantees — they'll shift with your exact accommodation address, traffic, road works, weather and ferry/tour schedules. Worth rechecking closer to travel. Maps are live Google Maps driving directions between each day's start and main destination — open any of them directly in Google Maps for turn-by-turn navigation.