Description: For anyone who loves beaches, Western Australia is an absolute paradise. Not only are there innumerable beaches of stunning beauty all along the Indian Ocean coastline, but these beaches are often ranging from quiet to deserted entirely, especially in the off-season, and the beaches in Perth were no different.
I will have to be brutally honest and say that compared to all of the beaches I visited in rural Western Australia from Denmark to Yallingup and Bunbury, Cottesloe Beach ranks pretty low down the list for sheer stunning views and location.
But as a city beach, it takes on a whole new level of enjoyability, and of all the city beaches I have been to in my life, Cottesloe ranges very high on the list.
This is a calm beach, to be enjoyed by the locals in the offhanded manner that people used to stunning beaches do. As the sun begins to set you see the occasional runner making their way down the beach, obviously just off work, and people strolling with their dogs.
This beach is a good location, pretty central in the city and with great proximity to some good hostels, restaurants, bars, clubs, and even little breakfast cafes that look out over the beach and the ocean and is a spectacular way to spend an Ozzie morning.
Spotless sand and medium-sized waves great for boogie boarding or body surfing, this is an ideal 'relaxing' beach.
In all the time we spent in Perth (in a hostel with a direct view of the beach) it was never crowded. Some of the patrons of Ocean Beach Backpackers made their way down there during the hottest parts of the day, but even then the beach stretches so far along that it was hardly what you would call crowded, as many beaches I've seen in Florida, Spain, and Hawaii can be in the summer months.
All in all, this is a lovely beach, and my last night in Perth, standing on its shores with two friends from the UK, I managed to see one of (if not the) most amazing sunset view from my entire time in Western Australia.
It’s true that if you want a good, deserted beach to explore, there are more than you could wander in a year in Western Australia. But that is not where Cottesloe's strengths lie. At night, the shoreline is lit up along the pathways, and it's not unusual to see people still wandering along the beach or taking a late night dip in the ocean.
In the prime season it may be a bit busy, but as I mentioned before, for a city beach, this one is extremely good, and very enjoyable for singles and families alike.
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