No trip to the land down under would be complete without seeing some kangaroos. And even if you don’t have time to trek to the outback, you can see some these unique Australian natives within the city of Perth. Head over to Heirisson Island, located at toward the city’s eastern end. This is home to a colony of Western Grey kangaroos. And be sure to get their early in the morning as this is the best time to view the ‘roos.

The leading science center of Australia, the Scitech is located in Perth. It features a range of exhibitions as well as live demonstrations throughout the year. The Horizon Planetarium, which uses the latest digital technology, offers live presentations of the night sky. The Scitech is open year round, except for Christmas Day. It is open weekdays from 9:30am until 4pm, and weekends and holidays from 10am until 5pm.

Who wouldn’t like to make a mint? Well you probably won’t strike it rich but you can visit the Perth Mint, which is located at the corner of Hay and Hill Streets in East Perth. Open from 9am to 4pm during the week, and 9am until 1pm on weekends, the Perth Mint offers a tour of Australia’s oldest operating mint, where visitors can see how legal tender coins are made.

Kids just love the great outdoors and Perth has some wonderful parks. Kings Park, on the city's doorstep, has the Lotterywest Family Area /Ivey Watson Playground with all sorts of climbing equipment  geared predominantly to children under six. There's a good cafe there, too. Also in the park is the Synergy Parkland with a dinosaur and water theme - can be a bit nerve-wracking if your under 3s are prone to wandering off!  

In the summer, take the tots down to the gorgeous beaches at Cottlesloe, Scarborough or Hillarys (Sorrento). There are playgrounds, cheap places to eat and plenty of room for them to run around.  Hillarys especially has a good little beach inside the harbour for the little ones to swim in and it is right next to a playground, and an amusement area for older kids (trampolines, rope climbing etc).