Best Running Routes in Perth

Perth is quietly exceptional for runners. The city's low density, extensive shared-path network, and proximity to both river and ocean mean you can run long distances without constant road crossings or crowds. Add dry heat, wide horizons, and sunset-worthy coastlines, and Perth becomes an endurance runner's dream, especially for visitors wanting quality mileage with minimal friction.

1. Swan River Loop (CBD – South Perth – East Perth) (15–21 km, customisable)

The Swan River loop is Perth's signature long run and the one most visitors fall in love with first. Linking paths on both sides of the river, it delivers uninterrupted kilometres, skyline views, and a calm, rhythmic flow ideal for endurance work.

Highlights

• Distance: A core loop of around 10 km via Elizabeth Quay, the Narrows Bridge and South Perth foreshore, easily extended to 15–21 km by pushing further east or west along the river.
• Scenery: Elizabeth Quay, the South Perth foreshore with its postcard skyline view, and open river reflections at sunrise and sunset.
• Difficulty: Easy. Wide, flat, consistently runnable shared paths for almost the entire distance.

This is the loop every visiting runner in Perth ends up doing first, and it's easy to understand why: the South Perth foreshore delivers one of the best skyline views in Australia, with the city's towers reflected across the Swan River, and it's directly accessible on foot from the CBD via Elizabeth Quay and the Narrows Bridge. The core loop runs a manageable 10km or so, but because the shared path network extends well beyond it in both directions, ambitious runners regularly stretch the same basic route out to 15, 18 or 21km simply by continuing further before turning back. The flat, wide, consistently paved surface makes pacing genuinely easy to hold, which is part of why it's become Perth's default marathon-base-run route, and sunrise and sunset both transform the river into a mirror for the skyline, making this as much a photography stop as a training run.

2. Coastline Run: Cottesloe to Scarborough (12–16 km, one-way or looped)

If you want ocean views for nearly every kilometre, this is the Perth run. Linking Cottesloe Beach, City Beach, and Scarborough Beach, the route follows continuous coastal paths with sweeping Indian Ocean scenery.

Highlights

• Distance: 12–16 km one-way, or looped back for a longer combined session.
• Scenery: Continuous Indian Ocean views the entire way, linking three of Perth's most iconic beaches.
• Difficulty: Easy. Long, open, flat coastal paths with only the sea breeze to contend with.

Few Australian cities offer a coastal run this consistent: from Cottesloe's famous sunset strip through City Beach and on to Scarborough, the Indian Ocean stays in view for almost the entire route. What sets this apart from equivalent coastal runs elsewhere is the openness of the sightlines, wide, uninterrupted horizons that locals describe as genuinely mentally refreshing on a long run, rather than the more built-up, cafe-lined coastal strips found in other capitals. Early mornings bring cooler air and fewer people, making the path feel almost private despite its popularity, while late afternoons deliver Perth's famously vivid sunsets, arguably the best reason to time a run here for golden hour rather than dawn. Easy extensions further north or south make this one of the most adaptable coastal routes in the country, and it's become a genuine favourite for half-marathon training specifically because the flat, consistent surface lets runners hold pace with minimal disruption.

3. Matilda Bay to Fremantle via the Swan River (15–22 km)

This route blends riverside calm with historic waterfront energy. Starting near Matilda Bay, runners follow the Swan River west toward Fremantle, passing shaded foreshore sections, quiet parklands, and open river views.

Highlights

• Distance: 15–22 km, run as a genuine point-to-point rather than a loop.
• Scenery: Shaded riverside foreshore, quiet parklands, and a shift from leafy university-adjacent Matilda Bay to Fremantle's historic port energy.
• Difficulty: Easy to moderate. Largely flat and uninterrupted, with the distance itself the main challenge.

This is Perth's classic long-distance point-to-point, and its appeal lies in the sense of genuine journey it offers rather than a there-and-back loop. Starting near the University of Western Australia's Matilda Bay, the path follows the river's natural curve west, alternating between shaded foreshore sections and open river views, before arriving in Fremantle, a working port city with a completely different character to leafy Matilda Bay or the CBD. That contrast is a big part of the draw: you finish somewhere that feels genuinely different from where you started, rather than simply retracing familiar ground. Many runners finish in Fremantle and recover with a coffee or meal in the historic port precinct before heading back by train, which turns a demanding long run into a genuinely rewarding half-day outing. The path stays largely uninterrupted throughout, making it ideal for maintaining rhythm over real distance, and the easy public transport return is what makes the one-way format so practical.

4. Lake Monger & Herdsman Lake Extended Loop (11–18 km, combined loops)

For runners who prefer looped routes, linking Lake Monger with Herdsman Lake creates a peaceful, wildlife-rich long run close to the city.

Highlights

• Distance: 11–18 km combining both lake loops, easily adjusted by repeating either circuit.
• Scenery: Still water, resident birdlife including black swans, and quiet, nature-focused surroundings just minutes from the CBD.
• Difficulty: Easy. Flat, well-maintained, controlled terrain throughout.

These twin lake loops offer something none of Perth's river or coastal routes quite match: genuine stillness. Both Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake are known for resident birdlife, black swans in particular at Lake Monger, and the flat, well-maintained paths around each lake create a quiet, almost meditative running environment that stands in contrast to the busier Swan River foreshore. They're especially popular on days when coastal winds are strong, since the inland location shelters runners from the blustery conditions that can make beachfront routes uncomfortable. Early mornings are especially rewarding here, with still water and low light creating some of the most peaceful running conditions available anywhere in Perth. Because each loop is a self-contained circuit, it's trivially easy to extend the session simply by linking the two lakes together or repeating a loop, making this a genuine favourite for recovery long runs and easy aerobic base mileage.

5. Bold Park & Reabold Hill Trail Network (Advanced Option) (12–20 km, loop combinations)

For runners wanting elevation and trail-style challenge, Bold Park delivers. Located near City Beach, the park's trail network includes rolling climbs, exposed sections, and panoramic coastal views from Reabold Hill.

Highlights

• Distance: 12–20 km depending on which loops are combined within the trail network.
• Scenery: Rolling coastal heathland, exposed high points, and panoramic views over both the ocean and the city from Reabold Hill.
• Difficulty: Moderate to hard. Genuine rolling elevation, though never technical, on trail surfaces rather than paved paths.

Bold Park exists to answer the one thing Perth's flatter river and coastal routes can't offer: real elevation. Its trail network winds through rolling coastal heathland just inland from City Beach, and the climb to Reabold Hill rewards runners with a genuinely rare double view, ocean on one side, the Perth city skyline on the other, from a single high point. That combination is exactly why locals rate it so highly for training: it trades pure speed for strength and scenery, offering a completely different physical experience to anything else on this list without requiring a long drive out of the city. The rolling nature of the terrain means the climbing comes in manageable, repeated doses rather than one long grind, and despite sitting close to one of Perth's most popular beach suburbs, sections of the park feel genuinely remote once you're inside the trail network. It's the clear pick for runners wanting hill training or a trail-leaning long run without leaving the metro area.

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