Southern beaches in Perth

For this guide, Perth's southern beaches means the coast from South Fremantle through Coogee and Woodman Point to Rockingham. It is a practical day-trip area rather than a formal regional boundary. The most useful choice is usually one main beach and, if you have time, a nearby second stop.

Start with the kind of visit you want. South Beach has a picnic reserve and substantial accessible changing facilities. Coogee has a jetty-side swimming enclosure. Woodman Point combines the coast with parkland and walking trails. Rockingham puts a beach beside its town-centre food precinct.

South Beach for a picnic-led outing

South Beach is a useful first choice when some of the group want the water and others want a barbecue, a café or time on the reserve. The City of Fremantle lists toilets, showers and new changing facilities, including a Changing Places facility with MLAK access.

Free beach wheelchairs and walkers are available through the City's booking arrangements. Matting is seasonal, so a trip that depends on it needs a check before departure. Confirm equipment collection and the assistance needed as part of the booking.

This is an easy place to make the reserve the centre of the day. Choose a meeting point and leave swimming as a decision for the conditions on arrival. You do not need to add several more beaches to make the outing worthwhile.

Coogee for the jetty and swimming enclosure

Coogee Beach is the place to look if a jetty-side enclosed swimming area is part of your plan. The City of Cockburn locates the enclosure beside Coogee Jetty at Powell Road and describes it as a year-round installation.

Year-round does not mean unaffected by storms or repairs. The City says damage and maintenance can affect the enclosure, with signs used to advise swimmers. Check those notices rather than assuming the barrier is intact because it appears in a photograph.

Keep Coogee Beach distinct from the Omeo wreck and the Port Coogee marina precinct. They are separate destinations, and the enclosure at Coogee Jetty should not be described as surrounding the wreck. Choose the right destination before arranging a snorkelling or swimming visit.

Woodman Point for parkland and a longer walk

Woodman Point Regional Park has no park entry fee. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions identifies John Graham Recreation Reserve as a picnic base, with playground space and coastal access, alongside walking trails through a landscape with quarantine-station and ammunition-store history.

The old ammunition jetty is used for activities including fishing and diving. It is a different place from the boat ramp at Jervoise Bay, so use the specific destination that matches your plans. Sharing a coastal park does not make all of its facilities interchangeable.

For a family visit, a picnic and one manageable walk may be enough. If you are there for diving, fishing or a water sport, plan around that activity's conditions and requirements rather than adding it casually to a beach swim.

The photograph shows the shore between Woodman Point and Woodman Spit, not the exact John Graham Reserve swimming entrance. Use the park's official map to choose your access point. Commercial accommodation and recreation facilities within the wider area have their own arrangements; free park entry is not permission to camp anywhere.

Rockingham Beach and Palm Beach

The City of Rockingham's visitor information places Rockingham Beach beside a dining precinct, playgrounds and picnic areas. Palm Beach is another nearby foreshore option. These suit a day in which time on the beach is followed by lunch or a walk, without needing to move to another coastal suburb.

For accessible visits, the City lists seasonal matting at several named entrances, including the Beach Bowl on Rockingham Foreshore and just west of Palm Beach Jetty. Installation normally runs from October to April, depending on weather. Check the exact location and current availability.

Beach wheelchairs and walkers can also be borrowed through listed local organisations. Book ahead and confirm the collection point: the equipment host is not necessarily beside the part of the beach you first planned to visit.

Choose a route that leaves time to stop

For a shorter outing from the Fremantle end, choose South Beach or Coogee as the main stop. Add the other only if your group wants a change of scene and the parking and access arrangements suit.

For a park-focused day, give Woodman Point enough time for both the picnic and a walk. Rockingham can be a separate day, or the main destination for a longer outing that finishes with food near the beach. Trying to include every place in this guide is likely to leave little time at any of them.

Use the Transperth JourneyPlanner for complete journeys to the actual beach entrance. Include bus connections and the final walk; reaching a suburb or railway station does not necessarily mean you have reached the shore. Drivers should check local parking signs and current works rather than relying on a fixed travel-time estimate.

Before you choose where to swim

Each stop has its own conditions. An enclosure, a sheltered-looking bay or a jetty does not remove the need to supervise children and assess the water. Check SharkSmart alerts, follow local closures and swim between red and yellow flags when operating.

Dog areas, accessible equipment and seasonal facilities also vary by location. Use the detailed guide or managing authority for the beach you choose. If you would rather stay around central and North Fremantle, compare our Fremantle beaches guide.

Visitor information checked 25 September 2026. Suggested combinations are planning ideas, not timed itineraries or assurances of swimming conditions.