Museums and galleries in Perth

16 museums and galleries in Perth, from the big collections to small independent spaces.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

SeeNorthbridge
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Rotating exhibitions of contemporary Australian, International and Indigenous art and design drawn from the state collection. Exhibitions can be a bit heavy on Indigenous art (though there are some fantastic Indigenous works represented) but you could easily fill a few hours here surveying 150 years of Australian Art.
Wed-Mon 10AM-5PM, closed TueFree (except special exhibits)
SeeFremantle
Cantonment Hill
A terrific view of Fremantle Harbour and beyond. The Signal Station at the top is now home to the Fremantle Volunteer Sea Rescue (the building is not open to the public). The Army Museum is at the foot of the hill as well and is easily visited at the same time.
free
DoFremantle
Fremantle Arts Centre
A museum for Contemporary Arts with a shop and a cafe. In summer free Sunday music sessions in the courtyard.
Free entry
SeeFremantle
Fremantle Prison
The convicts that were transported to Australia from the UK built it in 1851 to house themselves. Following the end of convict transportation in 1868, Fremantle Prison served as Western Australia's main maximum security prison until its closure in 1991. Today it remains as a UNESCO World Heritage Site building as part of the Australian Convict Sites and is used for several purposes including as an art gallery, museum and conference center. Basic tours run throughout the day, and a 'Torchlight tour' runs on Wednesday and Friday nights, which explores the history of prison hauntings. For the adventurous, the tunnels tour will take you through the tunnel network underneath the prison.
Open every day of the year except Good Fri and Christmas day$18.50 (basic), $59 (tunnel tour), less for students and children
SeeThe Hills
Mundaring Weir
A scenic reservoir surrounded by hills and forests. Good for a picnic, and there are hiking trails nearby. The weir (a large dam) was completed in 1903. Visitors may walk over or around the Weir, and the surroundings have picnic areas featuring public barbecues. There is also a museum nearby which documents the history of the Weir and the Pipeline project. The Mundaring Weir Hotel is also a historic landmark and offers good food, accommodation and often live (usually classical) music.
SeeNorthbridge
Perth Cultural Centre
Adjacent to the Perth Train Station on the Northbridge side, this is the hub of cultural activity in Perth. Including the Art gallery, Museum, State Library and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) (See listings below). In addition, the amphitheatre (under the video screen screening ongoing visual confectionery) is an excellent vantage point for watching people flow between Perth's railway station and places of work and play around Northbridge. A 2-min walk from the Perth Train Station. Blue CAT Stops 7 and 15 both service the Cultural Centre, as well as Yellow 24 and Red 31.
SeeFremantle
Round House
Western Australia's first permanent building. Built as a prison in the 1830s, the Round House now serves as a small, but informative museum, that focuses on the convict lifestyle of the 1800s. Now restored and updated with more detailed information, maps and volunteer guides (although the tour of the building is mostly self-guided).
Entry is free, gold coin donations encouraged.
SeeSwan Valley
Swan Valley Visitor Centre
Situated in historic Guildford, the Swan Valley Visitor Centre has lots of information about Swan Valley attractions and events and can assist with bookings, tourist maps, and souvenirs. It is attached to an interesting museum, and is amongst buildings of a former prison.
Daily 9AM-4PM
DoFremantle
The Moores Building
Part of Fremantle Arts Centre, a contemporary art gallery. The Moores has six individual exhibition spaces and a cafe.
Free entry
SeeFremantle
WA Maritime Museum
A wonderful collection of vessels, including the winged-keel Australia II, which won the America's Cup. You'll also find a full history of marine activity on the West Australian coast. A tour of HMAS Ovens, a retired Oberon-class submarine, is well worth the time.
Daily 9:30AM–5PMMuseum $15, museum and submarine $25
SeeFremantle
WA Shipwrecks Museum
Shipwreck Galleries
Recognised as the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the southern hemisphere. The Museum is housed in 1850s-era Commissariat building and has since been restored to its historic glory. Steeped in history, the galleries house hundreds of relics from ships wrecked along WA’s treacherous coastline, including the original timbers from the Batavia (wrecked in 1629), the de Vlamingh plate, and also countless artifacts from the Dutch shipwrecks Zuytdorp, Zeewijk and Vergulde Draeck.
Entry is free, gold coin donations appreciated
SeeNorthbridge
Western Australian Museum
The museum has an interesting collection of social and natural history from WA and beyond. The main building has an extensive display of marine creatures, minerals, butterflies and birds, as well as the shrivelled taxidermed bodies of mammals familiar to generations of Perth residents plus the revitalised Katta Djinoong Aboriginal history display. The Old Gaol building at the rear houses colonial artefacts, displays of life from the different periods and a couple of meteorites. Make sure to look into the creepy eye of the rare Megamouth shark whose preserved body floats in a subterranean tank next to the Old Gaol.
Daily 9AM-5PMFree
SeeThe Suburbs
Whiteman Park
A unique recreation and conservation reserve in the northern outskirts of Perth. Kids can pet the kangaroos and other wildlife and the grownups can enjoy the railway, railway museum, craft shops and loads more. Perth features an abundance of similar wildlife parks which are spread around the outskirts of the metropolitan area.
8:30AM-6PMFree
Do Not mapped
Get out
For a day in Fremantle; great for a walk around without a specific goal in mind or for some light shopping or why not enjoy a meal or coffee and cake whilst soaking in the atmosphere? Don't miss Fremantle Markets. Fremantle Prison, the Maritime Museum, the Round House and the statue of AC/DC's Bon Scott are popular attractions.
SeeThe Coast Not mapped
Sculptures by the Sea
Annual exposition staged in Autumn on the beautiful Cottesloe Beach. The exhibition is featured from the sea wall, all the way along the sand towards North Cottesloe and on the surrounding grassed areas, creating a beautiful sculpture park. Each year, tens of thousands of locals and visitors come down to the coast to admire the works from local and international artists.
SeeFremantle
Army Museum of Western Australia
6 Burt St
Wed–Fri, Sun 10:30AM–3PM with last entry at 1PMAdults $10, seniors and children $7, and family (2+2) $20

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Perth (CC BY-SA 4.0).