Ride Perth Like a Local: 6 of the Best Cycling Routes & Rides

Words, video & images: Nat Tan — The Velographer

Perth might not immediately spring to mind when people think of the world's great cycling destinations, but perhaps it should.

I'm a Perth-based cyclist, photographer and content creator, and I've spent countless hours exploring this city on two wheels. What makes Perth special isn't just one famous climb or spectacular stretch of road. It's the variety.

Within a single ride, you can leave the city behind, climb into the Perth Hills, roll alongside the Swan and Canning Rivers, explore quiet suburban roads and spend kilometres on dedicated cycling paths.

The weather helps too. We get plenty of sunshine, and outside the hottest part of summer, there are some absolutely beautiful conditions for riding.

If you're visiting Perth with a bike, or you're a local looking for somewhere different to explore, here are six of my favourite places to ride.

1. Welshpool Road East to Melaleuca Road

If you want to experience the Perth Hills, Welshpool Road East is a great place to start.

Heading east from the suburbs, the road gradually points towards the Hills before the climbing properly begins. That transition is one of the things I love about riding in Perth. One minute you're surrounded by suburbia and relatively flat roads, and before long you're climbing through bushland.

Continue towards Melaleuca Road and you'll get a proper taste of Perth Hills cycling. Turning up Melaleuca Road is more scenic than continuing straight ahead and makes for a slightly shorter option for riders who are new to the Hills.

It's a route that rewards strong legs, but you don't need to be chasing a Strava KOM to enjoy it. Settle into your rhythm, look around and enjoy the change in scenery as you gain elevation.

One word of caution: Welshpool Road East is a real road rather than a dedicated cycling route, so traffic awareness is important. I prefer riding these roads earlier in the day, when conditions tend to be quieter and cooler.

Best for: Climbers, road cyclists and anyone wanting their first taste of the Perth Hills.

2. Zig Zag Scenic Drive

If you're bringing a camera, this is the one.

Zig Zag Scenic Drive winds its way along the Darling Scarp at Gooseberry Hill and provides some of the most recognisable views over Perth and the Swan Coastal Plain.

On a clear day, you can look all the way across the metropolitan area towards the city and coast. Sunrise and early morning can be particularly spectacular.

For me, Zig Zag isn't about riding as hard as possible. It's one of those places where it's worth slowing down, taking in the view and remembering why we ride bikes in the first place.

It's also easily combined with a longer Perth Hills ride, so you can incorporate it into a proper training day rather than riding there purely for sightseeing.

Best for: Views, photography, relaxed riding and first-time visitors to Perth.

3. Forget the Destination and Explore Perth's Bike Paths

This isn't technically a single cycling spot, and that's exactly the point.

One of Perth's greatest strengths as a cycling city is its extensive network of shared paths and dedicated cycling routes.

The network covers a surprisingly large part of the metropolitan area, with routes around the Swan and Canning Rivers and major cycling corridors stretching across the city.

For someone visiting Perth, my suggestion is simple: give yourself a few hours and explore.

You can follow the river, cross one of Perth's bridges, discover a new section of path and inevitably find somewhere for coffee along the way.

Some of my favourite rides aren't meticulously planned routes. They're rides where I've simply picked a direction and gone exploring.

Perth's relatively flat terrain around the metropolitan area also makes this a fantastic option for riders who aren't looking for a huge climbing day.

Best for: Exploring, recreational cyclists, longer endurance rides and riders wanting to spend less time mixing with traffic.

4. Kings Park

Few places combine cycling and Perth quite like Kings Park.

Sitting immediately beside the CBD and overlooking the Swan River, Kings Park offers beautiful roads, greenery, elevation and some spectacular views over the city.

It's also become an important part of elite road cycling in Perth, with its roads featuring in the Australian Road National Championships.

Thankfully, you don't have to ride it at national-championship pace.

Kings Park works brilliantly as part of a longer ride around Perth, but it's equally good for a few laps when you want to get some climbing into the legs without travelling all the way out to the Perth Hills.

And while you're there, look up from the power meter occasionally.

The combination of bushland, the Swan River and Perth's skyline makes it one of the most distinctive places to ride close to the city.

Best for: Road cyclists, short climbs, city views and anyone wanting to ride roads used by some of Australia's best cyclists.

5. Salter Point

Now for somewhere you probably won't find at the top of every Perth cycling guide.

Salter Point is one of my personal picks.

Located alongside the Canning River south of Perth, the area offers beautiful river views and quiet sections that can feel remarkably removed from the city.

That's exactly why I like it.

Not every great cycling location needs to be famous or feature a monster climb. Sometimes you just want beautiful roads, good light, water beside you and somewhere peaceful to ride.

It's particularly nice in the morning when the river can be glassy and the light is low. If you're riding for the experience rather than simply accumulating kilometres, it's well worth incorporating into your route.

Salter Point also demonstrates something visitors sometimes miss about Perth: some of the city's nicest cycling isn't necessarily found at the major tourist attractions.

There are pockets of beautiful riding hidden throughout the suburbs.

You just need a bike to find them.

Best for: Quiet riding, river scenery, photography and discovering somewhere most visitors won't know about.

6. The Perth River Loop

Ask a group of Perth road cyclists about the River Loop and everyone will know what you're talking about.

It's part ride, part training ground and practically part of the local cycling vocabulary.

Following the Swan and Canning Rivers, the River Loop can be adapted depending on where you start, how far you want to ride and which sections you include.

That's part of what makes it so good.

It's a staple because it has almost everything you want from an everyday ride: river views, rolling roads, plenty of other cyclists and endless opportunities to modify the route.

Then there's the crazy Boxing Day Papas ride, when the WorldTour pros are in town.

Ride the River Loop early on a weekend morning and you'll quickly realise how strong Perth's cycling community is. You'll see solo riders, bunches, racers doing their training and people simply out enjoying their bikes.

And, naturally, plenty of rides end with coffee.

If someone visiting Perth asked me for just one classic local road ride, the River Loop would be very difficult to beat.

Best for: Everyone. Seriously. If you're a cyclist visiting Perth, ride the River Loop.

See Perth Cycling for Yourself

Want to see what cycling in Perth actually looks like?

In my accompanying video, I take the bike out to experience three very different sides of riding in Western Australia.

We start with Welshpool Road East and the climb towards Melaleuca Road, head to the spectacular Zig Zag Scenic Drive, and then use Perth's bike-path network to get to the Hills and back home.

Together, those three experiences give you a pretty good idea of why I enjoy cycling here so much.

You can climb.

You can explore.

You can find spectacular views.

And you can do all three without travelling particularly far from the Perth CBD.

When Should You Ride in Perth?

Perth's climate means cycling is possible throughout most of the year, but when you ride matters.

During the warmer months, I strongly recommend starting early. Perth summer afternoons can get brutally hot, while an early morning start gives you cooler temperatures, quieter roads and some beautiful light.

Spring and autumn are arguably the sweet spots, particularly if you're visiting specifically to ride.

Winter shouldn't be dismissed either. Perth winters are relatively mild, and there are plenty of beautiful riding days between the rain.

Whatever the season, take enough water, plan for the conditions and, if you're visiting from overseas, remember that we ride on the left-hand side of the road in Australia.

Perth Is Better Explored on Two Wheels

The thing I love about cycling in Perth is that there isn't just one type of riding.

If I want hills, I head east.

If I want a fast morning ride, there's the River Loop.

If I want scenery, there's Zig Zag, Kings Park or Salter Point.

And sometimes I'll forget about training altogether, jump onto Perth's bike-path network and see where it takes me.

That's probably the best advice I can give anyone bringing a bike to Western Australia.

Don't just ride through Perth.

Explore it.

Because some of the best views, roads and little corners of this city are much easier to discover from the saddle.

Words, video and images by Nat Tan, The Velographer. Follow @the.velographer on Instagram.