Most of the world's great cities face east, north or a harbour. Perth faces the Indian Ocean, due west, with nothing between the sand and Africa. The nightly result is a show other cities schedule festivals around, and we get it for free.

Cottesloe

The classic for a reason. The Norfolk pines, the terraced lawns, the pylon offshore — everyone finds their patch of grass an hour before the sun goes and nobody's in a hurry afterwards. Fish and chips on the hill is the correct order.

Scarborough

Bigger sky, bigger surf, and the amphitheatre steps at the beachfront were practically built for it. In spring the sundowner crowd spreads along the whole esplanade, and the after-glow over the ocean pool is the best free photo in town.

South Mole, Fremantle

Walk out along the harbour wall past the fishing rods and watch the sun drop behind Rottnest, with the container cranes going amber behind you. The most industrial-romantic sunset in WA.

The lookouts

When a winter front has just cleared, skip the beach: Kings Park's Fraser Avenue lookout catches the whole western sky turning pink over the ocean with the city glowing in front of it. In the hills, the Zig Zag at Gooseberry Hill runs the same show from a thousand feet up.

The rule of thumb any Perth local knows: the messier the afternoon sky, the better the evening will be. Broken cloud after rain is the jackpot. Check the horizon at 4pm, and if there's a clear strip beneath the cloud deck, drop your plans.

Photo: Marek Ślusarczyk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).