The City of Perth, Australia, sits on the beautiful Swan River which flows slowly around the city, before moving onwards to the Swan Valley Wine Region. One of the best day trips from Perth is to get out on the river and watch the city slide by in the sunshine.
Even better, sign up for a Swan Valley Wine Tasting Cruise which leaves from Elizabeth Quay in the Central Business District. We did the heavy lifting for you and tried out one of these cruises, so read on to find out what to expect and whether it’s worth signing up for.
A Swan Valley wine cruise from Perth is around 6.5 hours, leaving from Barrack Street Jetty at Elizabeth Quay in the city centre. You get a two hour cruise from the Swan River with wine tasting and sharing plates served on board, then a minibus around two family run Swan Valley wineries, a chocolate shop, and a brewery, back in Perth for about 4pm.
First, some context.
The Swan Valley wine region is one of 3 wine regions in Greater Perth – Swan Valley, Perth Hills and Peel.
More broadly, it is one of 9 wine regions in Western Australia – the 3 above, plus Geographe, Margaret River, Pemberton, Blackwood Valley, Manjimup, Great Southern.
Captain James Stirling founded a settlement around the Swan River in 1826, which became the city of Perth. By 1829, the three settlements of Guildford, Perth and Fremantle had been established along the Swan River. Today, the Swan Valley sits in what is known as the Greater Swan District along the Swan River.
Vines were first planted in the Swan Valley in 1829, and Houghton, the first winery in Western Australia, was established in 1836 after 3 British Army officers bought a piece of land here and cultivated a vineyard on it. Houghton winery was bought by the Yukich family in 2019 and now operates as the Nikola Estate.
The Swan Valley Wine Region benefits from a warm Mediterranean climate which is good for growing wine. It produces a range of grape varieties, including:
Whites – Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Verdelho.
Reds – Shiraz is the most notable red.
Fortified wines – the area is also well known for producing quality fortified wines.
There are various ways to plan a trip to the Swan Valley wine region, such as:
Stay in Guildford – book an overnight stay in the town of Guildford in the heart of this well regarded wine region, and travel around the wineries from this as your base.
Bus tour from Perth – there are several bus tour options available from the centre of Perth which will take you to the Swan Valley wine region and allow you to visit several wineries on the trip.
On the river from Perth – take the slow way and book a boat tour, gently gliding up the river to the heart of this wine region; enjoy the architecture of Perth and surrounding countryside along the way. Even better, waste no time and pick a boat trip with a wine tasting on board!
We booked a leisurely boat cruise along the Swan River starting from Elizabeth Quay, Perth. This was a full day (6.5-hour) tour with Captain Cook cruises booked via Get Your Guide.
There are several itinerary combinations available to book on the boat cruises through the Swan Valley. The options tend to include the same elements, just in different orders, such as:
So, just choose the itinerary option which suits you best when booking.
Boarding point – the Swan Valley Wine Tasting cruise boarded from Barrack Street Jetty at Elizabeth Quay in the Perth CBD (Central Business District). We arrived at a good time but there was already a small queue ahead of us (the reason became apparent when we got on the boat!).
Just before departure time we were welcomed on board a flat-bottomed boat by the crew and shown to a table set with wine glasses, which would be our base for the duration of the boat cruise.
There are a limited number of seats outside at the front of the boat. If you’re lucky and manage to secure these seats when you board, then you can sit in the sun and enjoy the views. The group in front of us in the queue were obviously ‘in the know’ about this, as they headed to the outdoor seats as soon as they boarded, taking their wine and snacks outside from their allocated indoor table.
You will be given coloured wrist bands by the crew relating to the tour that you’ve booked, which becomes relevant when you disembark the boat.
The boat cruise from Perth to the Swan Valley lasts for 2 hours (one way). During that time, you can relax and enjoy the Captain’s commentary to learn more about Perth, the Swan River and the wine region.
Sights on the cruise included, the
Perth skyline behind Elizabeth Quay.
Heirisson Island on the right – look out for kangaroos!
Boorloo Bridge – a cable-stayed S-shaped bridge for pedestrians and cyclists to Heirisson Island and onwards to East Perth.
WACA international cricket ground to the left.
Claisebrook Cove – a small marina with exclusive apartments and restaurants.
Perth Arena sitting on land with the river curving around it.
Matagarup Bridge – an impressive bridge which looks like waves.
Attractive houses in the shade of the trees along the riverbank, with boat docks and pontoons (nice!).
The Swan River is wide as you leave central Perth and progressively gets narrower as the journey progresses. The later views can be summarised as – still blue waters below a clear blue sky, with greenery on both sides punctuated by incredible houses!
Although we took this boat cruise in daylight hours, it would be lovely to cruise the Swan River at Twilight as the key bridges and buildings are illuminated by LED lights which look pretty.
Shortly after the cruise starts, the crew brings snacks and sharing plates to your table in preparation for the wine tasting to start. The sharing boards on our trip included: breads, tandoori chicken skewers, prosciutto, melon, mozzarella, lamb cutlets and nuts.
Once wine has been delivered to the tables, a crew member talks about the wine as you taste it – where it comes from and the character of the wine. An information booklet about the wines was also provided on each table.
On the boat we tasted wines from the wider Western Australian wineries, namely:
There was plenty of wine as the crew gave generous helpings and offered seconds. Remember to pace yourself as this is only the start of your wine tasting adventures – you have a long afternoon ahead of you!
The boat moored outside the Mandoon Winery which overlooks the riverbank and were then organised according to our coloured wrist bands.
We were directed to a minibus for the next part of our day trip. However, before setting off, we picked up some people from the Mandoon Winery – they had been doing the activities in a different order. The team did a great job of managing the comings and goings of participants between different activities.
Mandoon Winery looked nice from the outside; it seemed very popular and busy. One for next time…
Our minibus then took us to the following stops in the lush Swan Valley to sample wine, chocolate, beer and cheese:
Our first stop was at family-owned Lancaster Wines, where we sat at high seats and barrel tables under large sun parasols in the ‘outdoor tasting shed’. Behind us were rows of some of the oldest vines in the Swan Valley region.
The owner was behind the bar, serving the wines and talking about each one in turn. From memory, we sampled a sparkling white and an Old Vine Shiraz, amongst others. A gourmet cheeseboard and crackers were provided to accompany the wines.
Lancaster Wines had a lovely, casual vibe to it, perfectly summed up on the winery’s website, “No room for wine tossers here!”
Come, relax and learn about wine in this laid back and cool environment.
Garbin Estate Wines is another family-owned winery in the Swan Valley, the family having emigrated from Croatia.
The tasting took place in a barn style room with a large bar. The owner and wine-maker Peter Garbin led our tasting and talked about the wines and his family’s history with the vineyard. The Garbin wines are described as “award-winning premium boutique red and whites”, along with “rich and traditional fortified styles”.
Wines tasted included:
2024 Rose, 2023 Sangiovese, 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023 Cabernet Merlot, 2024 Shiraz (Reserve)
Fortified wines tasted included:
NV Liqueur Muscat and MV Liqueur Shiraz.
To be honest, all the wines sampled at Garbin were delicious. Had we not been travelling back to the UK, I think we might have bought quite a bit from Peter!
In between the two winery stops above, we visited The Margaret River Chocolate Company outlet and were given a free chocolate truffle. This was a welcome break from wine tasting (remember, you need to pace yourself!) and gave an opportunity for chocolate samples and gift buying. As our visit was just before Easter, we purchased some Chocolate Quokkas as Easter Egg gifts.
The final stop of the Swan Valley Wine Tasting Cruise was at the Slumdog Brewery, where we were given a drinks token to be traded for beer or a soft drink. To be honest, I was quite sozzled by this point, so I opted to chill out with a soft drink and shared snacks (tortilla chips) with the other guests.
We were then transported to Barrack Street Jetty by coach and arrived around 4pm.
In closing
I can highly recommend this full day tour as it was a beautiful introduction to the Swan River and the valley it flows through. Making the trip into the Swan Valley by boat allows you to experience the beautiful natural surroundings in between Perth the vineyards.
In terms of the wine tasting side of things, the trip offered great variety – the wines on the cruise were from the Western Australia region more broadly, followed by the chance to sample wines from the Swan Valley region in situ, and to meet the owners of the wineries.
The logistical organisation of the trip was impressive given how many people the tour operator was managing, and all the staff were friendly.
If you like wine, boats and scenery then this is the tour for you – All Aboard!
Join thousands of travelers looking for inspiration from our FREE Planet Travel newsletter!
Your step-by-step framework for stress-free, unforgettable trips — from first idea to final itinerary.
Your step-by-step framework for stress-free, unforgettable trips — from first idea to final itinerary.
Join thousands of travelers looking for inspiration from our FREE Planet Travel newsletter!
