South Beach

South Beach is a great spot to chill out in South Fremantle. With a large grassed area, shaded by trees leading to the actual beach, the place is filled with families and people doing all sorts of activities from picnicking to yoga.
I’d classify this as the bohemian beach of Perth. It usually attracts a few backpacker vans using the car park as home for the night but this all just adds to the vibe.
The beach itself is flat with calm water. Its a great spot for the kids and has a pontoon off the shore that can be swum out to quite easily.

The beach access path borders a well grassed and landscaped off-​lead area (a significant feature of South Beach) thus providing dogs with additional exercise opportunities when walking to or from the beach. The short beach is bounded to the north by the Fremantle Sailing Club and affords pleasant views of the boat harbor from the adjacent groin.
The beach itself has an intimate community feel about it, a place for the family to spend leisure time at the weekend. South Beach is an attractive span of white sand which allows «fetch» and similar activities without the interference of rocky outcrops. The adjacent grassy exercise area gives South Beach a depth thus compensating to some extent for its short sea frontage. South Beach’s northern sands tend to be top-​dressed with seaweed, a factor which some handlers may not like, although their dogs don’t seem to mind.

South Beach is my favourite beach in Perth.
Mainly because I don’t like people.
That came out wrong. What I mean is, I don’t like crowds. And beaches, by definition, are horribly crowded.
South Beach is different. As a dog beach, you’re not going to find hordes of people fighting for a patch of sand to throw their towels on. You might, however, find a dog or two going mental over a tennis ball.
If you go during the week you’re likely to have the place practically to yourself, too. And it’s weird, but people seem to be friendlier there as well. Everyone smiles or shares a few friendly words while their dogs exchange pleasantries as only dogs can. And it’s not like you have to have a dog to enjoy it, either. It’s just a nice little beach if you’re after a quiet afternoon with a bit of sun and sand.

Perth has a reputation of having some of the best beaches in the world. Sure, Sydney has Bondi, and Melbourne has Brighton, and let’s not forget the Sunshine Coast’s tourist favourites. Three cheers for industrialisation! Whilst these beaches have achieved international iconic status as must-​see sunbather spots, Perth’s beaches have this untouched, natural beauty which will see you recharging your camera batteries every time you have a day off.
My current favourite has to be South Beach. It’s easy to get to via the Fremantle Cat (which comes every 10 minutes from various stops throughout the CBD), and is best to visit on week days when it’s not too busy. Make sure you pack a picnic lunch though, food options are very limited. If you’re a little bit precious about sand like I am, but are in desperate need of some Vitamin D, there’s also a huge grass area to work on your tan.