Where to Park Along Perth’s Beautiful Coastline

Discover 7 of Perth’s most breathtaking beaches and where you can park for free.

If there’s one thing Western Australia knows how to do, it would be sunbaking on some of the most pristine beaches Australia has to offer. Sorry — world-renowned beaches* 

When summertime hits, Perth beaches pop off. There’s no better way to take advantage of a hot sunny day than to spend a day at the beach with friends and family, soaking up the sun’s rays and cooling off in the water. 

Here’s the dilemma. You’ve just loaded up the car with your beach-essentials, kids & all. As you approach the beach, you can see the clear blue ocean glistening on the horizon, smell the salt in the air, you’re almost there.

That is until you get a bit closer and see tens of cars lined up for the one person who’s leaving their parking spot. 

The car parks are full.

Don’t sit around waiting 20 minutes for a parking spot, plan ahead on your next trip to the beach with our list of free places to park and more, at some of Perth’s most prestigious beaches.  

1. Scarborough Beach, City of Stirling

Located 14kms North-west of the Perth CBD is arguably one of Perth’s most hottest beaches. Most famous for unparalleled views of the Indian Ocean from atop the Rendezvous Hotel, Scarborough Beach is certainly every beach-goers ideal day in the sun. 

Thanks to a foreshore redevelopment plan, which includes a competition grade skate park, a state-of-the-art children’s playground and a 26 million dollar outdoor beach pool, ‘Scabs’ is a beach that exceeds all expectations.

Parking

There is an abundance of free parking bay options, including a number of ACROD bays available. It is best accessed from Manning Street, Reserve Street or Brighton Road. Time limits do apply so make sure to keep an eye on the time, as hard as that is to do when in Rome.

Paid parking is available at the Wilson Carpark on Manning Street, with the first two hours free or $5 all day. There is parking available at Rendezvous Hotel — for a small fortune — park for $5 for the first hour or $30 for the whole day.

If you plan on hitting up scabs sometime soon, make sure to check out the Scarborough Sunset Markets. Plenty of delicious food stalls to taste, and enjoy live music & entertainment while watching the sunset. Now that’s Perth-living Barry.

Pet owners:

doggos are allowed, but must be kept on a leash at all times.

2. Cottesloe Beach, Town of Cottesloe

Known as Perth’s second most trendy and expensive suburb, Cottesloe is home to one of our most popular beaches. Some would argue Cottesloe is on-par, if not, better than scabs, but we’ll leave that for you to judge. 

You know how the battle of Northies vs Southies goes.

If you’re looking for more to do this summer, Cottesloe Beach is the place to be. Not only is it a world-famous tourist attraction, Cottesloe is more than your ‘average’ beach. 

From the 6th to the 23rd of March 2020, you’ll be able to enjoy a magnificent display of sculptures created by artists from all around the world at Sculptures by the Sea. The exhibition is featured from the sea wall all the way along the sand towards North Cott and on the surrounding grassed areas. 

Parking

As for parking, there is plenty of free parking available through the suburb, including ‘Car Park One’ located on Marine Parade. However, there is a time limit of 3 hours on each bay, so keep an eye out for electronic infringement sensors. 

You can always move your car to another carpark once your time is up to avoid a fine, but not to a different bay in the same car park.

Car Park One usually fills out pretty fast, so if you’re out of luck you can head to the western end of Napier Street, which has approximately 130 free parking bays available. 

There are a further 130 designated free parking bays at the western end of Forrest Street. Marine Parade car park has about 600 free bays, just keep an eye on the time, as there is a 3-hour time limit.

Amenities

Public toilets, change rooms, outdoor showers, children’s playgrounds, picnic tables, BBQ’s, restaurants, cafes

Pet owners

Doggos are allowed, but must be kept on a leash at all times in public areas. Dogs are free to roam on Vera View Beach before 10am and after 4pm from 1 October to 31 March every year. For more information click here.

3. City Beach, Town of Cambridge

If you’re looking to escape hoards of tourists and overcrowded beaches, City Beach is the perfect place to spend some quiet time at the beach. 

Unlike Cottesloe or Scarborough, there isn’t as much to see and do at City Beach except to relax and soak in picturesque views of the Indian Ocean. 

There are a number of beachside restaurants to enjoy a delicious meal, live music and sip on some of WA’s most prestigious Margaret River wines. 

Parking

For parking, there are plenty of free bays available along Challenger Parade, so no stress.

Amenities

Plenty of amenities are available, including BBQ’s, public toilets, picnic tables, volleyball courts, change rooms and outside showers, as well as a children’s playground.

Pet owners

Doggos are allowed at South City Beach just south of the access path and opposite Dartmouth Avenue, but not in the main City Beach area.

4. Coogee Beach, City of Cockburn

Coogee Beach Reserve is a little known beach that’s ideal for all Southies who aren’t bothered with trekking it to scabs.

It’s far less crowded than our more popular beaches, which makes it perfect for families and friends who’d like a little more space to setup a picnic and enjoy the water without bumping into anyone. 

Parking

There is ample free parking at both Coogee Beach, near Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club and Surfing Lizard Cafe. There’s also a main car park available at Woodman Point.

Amenities

Amenities include exercise equipment, children’s playground, public toilets, a shelter/gazebo, and tennis court.

Although Coogee Beach is a little more isolated, Fremantle is just a stone’s throw away, offering up it’s famous Cappuccino strip, fine dining restaurants, and Fremantle Markets. If you’re interested in casting a line out, Woodman Point Ammo Jetty is a 10 minute walk just South of Coogee Beach.

Pet owners

According to the City of Cockburn, 

• Dogs are allowed on leads on the beach around Woodman Point
• Dogs are still not allowed on the beach from Caledonia Loop to the old power station.
• Dogs are not allowed at all on the beach from the Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club to the Woodman Point ammo jetty, a distance of about 800 metres
• Dogs are not allowed at all on the southern entrance to the Coogee Beach Café
• Dogs are not allowed at all on Ngarkal Beach except on the footpaths where dogs are permitted on leads

5. Mullaloo Beach, City of Joondalup

Mullaloo Beach is best known for its vibing community and is packed full of restaurants, bars and cafes. The beaches are far and wide, but it’s true benefit is how shallow the water extends out, making it a safe and popular attraction for families with young kids. 

That being said, it’s an ideal beach for kids and adults of all ages, with a little something for everyone. At low tides on calm days, the rock pools at the north end are definitely worth exploring. 

If the wind picks up, the kite surfers takeover, but other popular water activities include water skiing, snorkelling, and fishing.

And yes, we haven’t forgotten the iconic Mullaloo Beach Hotel. An exceptional venue with beachside views and half price drinks 7 days a week, it easily becomes one of Perth’s greatest venues by the beach.

Parking

The great news is there is plenty of free parking! There are 116 parking bays just off Tom Simpson Park 5 Oceanside Promenade MULLALOO. West View Boulevard also has plenty of free parking available.

Amenities

Changerooms, public toilets, grassy picnic areas, BBQ’s, bike racks, children’s playgrounds

Pet owners

Unfortunately dogs are prohibited in the main Mullaloo Beach area, but just north of Mullaloo on the corner of Whitefords Avenue and Flinders Avenue is a designated dog beach with it’s own carpark.

6. Port Beach, City of Fremantle

Beautiful flat pristine shoreline and crystal clear waters, Port Beach is a place for both relaxing in calm waters and tearing up waves kitesurfing. 

It has become a destination for all beach goers looking to engage in water activities, especially snorkelling and stand-up paddle boarding. Coast Cafe is located right next to the car park, a great place to kick back with a cuppa and enjoy the sunset.

It is also home to one of Perth’s largest beachside music events, Sets On The Beach, where festival goers can experience great music while watching the sunset.

Parking

Free parking next to Coast Cafe

Amenities

Changerooms, public toilets, cafe, showers

Pet owners

All dogs must be held on a leash in a public place, unless in a designated dog exercise area.

7. Trigg Beach, City of Stirling

Trigg Beach is what we’d call Perth’s very own Surfers Paradise. It has developed into a major attraction for surfers throughout Perth for its near-perfect surfing weather conditions all year around. 

That being said, it’s still rated as one of Perth’s most beautiful and family friendly beaches. Thanks to a reef which completely surrounds the beach, there are hardly any waves, making it ideal for kids to play in shallow waters without getting dunked by a wave. 

Smoother waters is also a great time for paddle boarders to break out their gear and enjoy a paddle around the reef. If you’re a snorkeler, there are shallow sections of the reef teeming with small fishing swimming about. 

Parking

There is plenty of free parking around Clarko Reserve and it’s only a short walk from the car park to the beach, making it ideal for those hauling boards, toys or other gear. There’s ramp access that leads you straight to the beach.

There’s more free parking located at Trigg Island Parking Station, however there is a 3 hour parking time limit on these bays, so you’ll need to be mindful of the time. 

And if you’re still stumped for parking, you should find plenty of free bays at Trigg West Coast Driving Parking Lot towards South Trigg Beach.

Amenities

Showers, public toilets, children’s playgrounds, BBQ’s, disabled access ramp, changerooms, coffee and cafe’s just a stroll away.