Seeing a live show at Red Hill Auditorium is one of those rare experiences most travellers to Perth never get around to. Tucked high into the Perth Hills on the edge of the Darling Scarp, this open air amphitheatre delivers something very few venues in Australia can – world class live music with a city wide sunset behind the stage and a sky full of stars once it goes dark.
I recently headed up into the hills with my sister and her boyfriend to see The Last Dinner Party. Baroque pop is not usually my thing, but the setting completely won me over, and that is the magic of Red Hill. Even if the band is not your all time favourite, the night will be.
That said, Red Hill Auditorium’s biggest strength is also its biggest challenge, and that is the location. The venue sits around 30 minutes from the Perth CBD and closer to 45 or 50 minutes from coastal suburbs like Scarborough and Fremantle. Car parks fill up, Ubers surge after the show, and shuttle bus queues stretch a long way into the night.
So instead of treating the journey as a necessary evil, this guide turns it into a half day Perth Hills adventure, and covers the practical things nobody tells you: where to park, where to sit, and what you are and are not allowed to bring.
Red Hill Auditorium is at 2 Toodyay Road, Red Hill, about 30 minutes from Perth CBD. Parking is free and plentiful. You cannot bring a chair, an esky, an umbrella or your own alcohol, but you can bring food and a small cushion. Arrive early, park near the exit, and give yourself the afternoon in the hills first.
Red Hill Auditorium is at 2 Toodyay Road, Red Hill, in the Perth Hills on the edge of the Darling Scarp, north east of the city:
From Perth CBD: Around 30 minutes.
From Scarborough, Fremantle and the coastal suburbs: Closer to 45 to 50 minutes.
From Perth Airport: Around 25 minutes, which makes it more doable on an arrival day than you would expect.
It is a natural amphitheatre carved into the hillside, which is what sets it apart from almost every other outdoor venue in the country. Rather than being enclosed, the stage opens outward so the distant glow of Perth’s CBD sits behind the performers.
The venue is in Whadjuk Noongar Country. The Whadjuk people are the traditional custodians of this part of the Perth Hills and the wider Swan Coastal Plain, and this landscape has been lived on, travelled through and cared for over tens of thousands of years, long before it became an outdoor music venue. As the afternoon light fades and the hills cool, that deep connection to Country becomes part of the experience.
There are shuttle buses, branded the Red Hill Express, and they do work for a lot of people. They run from 18 pick up points around Perth, depart half an hour before the gates open, drop you directly in front of the main entrance and get priority exit afterwards, which does beat sitting in the car park queue. You book them through the ticketing system when you buy your gig ticket.
What they do not do is fit around a half day in the hills. They run to a fixed schedule and the queues afterwards are long.
So if you want to avoid transport stress and eat properly before the show, hiring a car for the day is the single best thing you can do.
The venue asks people not to use Toodyay Road for drop offs and pick ups. If someone is dropping you, use the designated area in the car park instead.
| Time | Activity | What you are doing |
|---|---|---|
| 6.5 hours before | Leave Perth CBD | Depart the city to beat the early afternoon traffic and head for the hills. |
| 6 hours before | John Forrest National Park | Arrive at the trailhead. Enjoy a relaxed one hour walk to the Swan View Tunnel. |
| 4.5 hours before | Parkerville Tavern | A quick 11 minute drive to the pub. Settle in for an early dinner and a drink in the garden. |
| 3 hours before | Head to Red Hill | Aim to arrive just as doors open, usually 60 to 90 minutes before the music starts. |
| 2 hours before | The magic hour | Secure your spot on the tiers, grab a drink, and watch the sun set behind the stage. |
| Gig start | Showtime | Music begins as the city lights flicker on in the distance. |
| Post-show | The smooth exit | Head straight to your car, parked near the exit, and bypass the shuttle bus queues. |
We left Perth at around 2pm, deliberately ahead of the gig day traffic, and by 2.30pm were pulling into John Forrest National Park, Western Australia’s oldest national park and only 24km east of the city. The change from Perth CBD to dense bushland, cooler air and a real sense of space is striking, and it makes you forget how close the city actually is.
If you park at the Swan View car park, then it's free. But if you come via the main area of John Forrest National Park, then entry costs $15 per vehicle for up to 12 occupants, or $8 for concession card holders and motorcycles. Worth having ready.p>
The walk we chose follows the John Forrest Heritage Trail, which runs along the old Eastern Railway alignment. Because it was built for trains, the path is wide, steady and largely flat, which makes it ideal if you are already dressed for the evening. There is no sense of rushing here. It is a gentle, grounding way to break up the day before the excitement of a gig.
The highlight is the Swan View Tunnel. Work began in 1894, the two tunnel drives met in April 1895, and it opened in February 1896, well over budget and well behind schedule. It runs 340 metres through solid granite and was the only railway tunnel in Western Australia for more than a century.
The history is darker than the setting suggests. The tunnel was narrow, unventilated and on a steep 1 in 49 gradient, so heavily laden trains needed two engines and the smoke had nowhere to go. Crews took to covering their heads with hessian bags soaked in water to get through.
In November 1942 both drivers and firemen were overcome by carbon monoxide after a badly loaded bale of chaff caused the engines to lose traction and stall. The train ran back down the gradient and crashed at Swan View station, killing driver Tom Beer. The line was finally lifted in 1966 once the Avon Valley deviation opened.
A phone torch is important here and it is worth watching your footing. It is also not unusual to spot Australian wildlife sheltering inside during the hotter parts of the day.
Parking at the trailhead is straightforward if you arrive early enough. There is a car park right next to the start of the trail with a larger overflow area across the road. Walking groups were beginning to arrive just as we were leaving, so come early.
The gate at the western end of the Park Road scenic drive is locked at 4pm daily. If you are following this itinerary, you will be out well before then, but do not plan a longer walk without checking which exit you need.
If you have more time on another day, the park has longer trails too: Glen Brook at 2.2km, the Wildflower Walk at 4.5km, Christmas Tree Creek at 10.5km and Eagle View at 15km. There are also two seasonal waterfalls that run in winter and spring.
From Swan View Tunnel it is an easy 11 minute drive to Parkerville Tavern on Owen Road, and this stop ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the day.
The tavern is a classic Perth Hills institution, a two storey federation style building tucked into a wooded valley and surrounded by towering trees and birdsong. The atmosphere alone makes it worth the visit. Sitting in the expansive beer garden feels worlds away from the city and the pace is refreshingly unhurried. It is exactly the kind of place you want to be before a gig – relaxed, comfortable, and with some softer live music of its own at weekends.
What really stood out was the allergy awareness. Ordering is done through an app that lets you clearly flag specific allergies. As someone who has to be careful, I was impressed when a staff member came to the table to confirm they had seen the notes and that my meal was being prepared safely. That level of proactive reassurance is rare and it made the whole evening more relaxed.
If Parkerville is booked out, the other Perth Hills options that came up repeatedly in our research are the Mundaring Weir Hotel, which has been going since 1898 and does live music and Sunday spit roasts, and the Kalamunda Hotel, built in 1902. Both are further from Red Hill than Parkerville, so factor in the extra driving.
From Parkerville Tavern it is a short 12 minute drive to Red Hill Auditorium, close enough to feel effortless but far enough removed that the venue still feels secluded and special. Arriving from this direction also helps you avoid some of the congestion that builds when everyone drives straight out from Perth in the late afternoon.
As the sun begins to set, the sky behind the stage shifts through deep oranges and reds before fading into indigo. Once darkness falls, the lack of light pollution becomes obvious. Perched on the edge of the Darling Scarp, the stars come out in numbers you do not often see close to a major city. It is one of those subtle details that lifts the whole night without you quite working out why it feels so different.
Parking is free, and there is plenty of it, which removes one of the usual outdoor gig headaches. But where you park makes a real difference to how your night ends.
The main car park: At the top of the driveway, closest to the box office. Most convenient on the way in, slowest on the way out.
The exit road: Parking along the perimeter of the exit road is the smarter play. It is a slightly longer walk in and a much faster drive out.
The walking paths: Once you are parked there are five walking paths down to the venue, all signed and fully lit, so you are not stumbling around in the dark.
ACROD parking: Available near the main entrance. Ask the traffic controllers on the way in and they will direct you.
Motorbikes and scooters: Welcomed and encouraged.
Park as close to the exit of the car park as you can, even if it means walking a bit further at the start. On a sold out night that decision is worth 30 minutes at the end.
If you would rather not drive at all, the bar and food vendors keep serving after the show until the traffic clears, so there is no rush to join the queue.
Red Hill is general admission on tiered concrete and paving stones, so you find your own spot and there is no allocated seating. That freedom is part of the appeal, but it does mean the ground is hard:
Chairs are not allowed: No camping chairs, no folding chairs. The one exception is for elderly, unwell or pregnant patrons, who may bring a proper chair but need to sit at the back.
Bring a cushion: You are allowed a small cushion no bigger than 50cm by 50cm. Take one. Three hours on concrete is a long time.
Blankets, within reason: People bring blankets to sit on, but full picnic set ups are not permitted because there simply is not the room.
Accessible seating: A section is reserved at the top of the venue directly in front of the entrance, overlooking the stage and the cityscape, which is arguably the best view in the place. ACROD toilets are to the right of the entrance at the bar end.
Companion Card holders: Buy one ticket as normal and your companion is admitted on the card. Patrons with disabilities can also enter before the gates open rather than queue.
Smoking: Permitted, since the venue is outdoors, in the top half of the auditorium.
This is the section that saves you a difficult conversation at the gate.
No, you cannot. Once you are in, you are in, so do everything you need to before you go through the gate.
Children under 10 are not admitted at all. Ages 10 to 14 can attend the non licensed area with a parent or guardian supervising. Ages 15 to 17 can attend without a guardian but must stay in the non licensed area and enter through a separate gate. An 18 year old sibling or partner does not count as a guardian under the liquor licensing act, so do not plan around that. The non licensed area has its own food vendors, toilets, free water and soft drinks.
Bring a current Australian driver’s licence with photo, a current passport, an Australian learner permit with photo, or a Proof of Age or Photo Card issued by any Australian state or territory.
Red Hill is spectacular, but it rewards a little preparation. A few small choices make a real difference to how comfortable the evening feels.
Bring a layer: Even if it has been hot in Perth all day, the hills cool quickly after sunset. A light jacket, denim layer or overshirt will be very welcome by the encore.
Bring something to sit on: The tiers are concrete and paving stones. A cushion within the size limit, or a blanket, is the difference between enjoying the encore and counting down to it.
Arrive around 45 minutes before the main act: That gives you breathing room for security checks, finding your spot and actually taking in the setting rather than rushing through it.
Park facing the exit: Worth repeating. It is the single easiest thing you can do to improve the end of your night.
Eat before you arrive: There are food vendors on site and the offering changes gig to gig, but a proper meal at Parkerville beforehand is a better evening.
If you are extending the trip rather than just doing the gig, the Perth Hills offers far more adventure than just our half day allows. The Railway Reserves Heritage Trail is a 41km loop through Darlington, Parkerville and Mundaring that connects into John Forrest National Park, and Lake Leschenaultia near Chidlow does swimming, canoe hire and camping. The Swan Valley sits at the bottom of the hill on the same side of the city, so if someone else is driving, the half day and full day Swan Valley wine tours that run out of Perth pair up neatly with a night at Red Hill. Just not on the same day, if you are the one behind the wheel.
Red Hill Auditorium is one of the best places in Australia to see live music. Give the journey the afternoon it deserves and it stops being the price of admission and becomes the best part of the day.
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