Perth beachside suburb built around one of Western Australia's most popular surf beaches.
Scarborough is a beachside suburb of Perth about 14 km north of the city centre, built around one of the most popular beaches in Western Australia. The beach is broad, the surf is reliable, and the foreshore has been significantly redeveloped in recent years with a new promenade, food outlets, and a renovated outdoor pool complex. It is a good spot for a day at the beach without straying too far from Perth.
The surf is consistent enough to support a small surfing culture, and the Scarborough Beach Pool — an outdoor 50-metre lap pool right on the foreshore — is a genuine attraction. The suburb itself is not particularly charming, but the ocean views and the coast path north to Trigg Island or south to City Beach make it worth the trip from the city. The Scarborough Beach Road strip has the usual mix of cafes, fish and chip shops, and casual restaurants.
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Bars and Cafes in Scarborough
Scarborough's bar scene clusters around the Esplanade and the foreshore restaurants. El Grotto is the year-round favourite for sundowners. The Lookout is an upstairs rooftop bar with the best ocean view in the suburb, and Hash Specialty Coffee is the locals' morning spot.
For something more old-school, the Brighton Hotel has been on Scarborough Beach Road since the 1960s and is still a reliable pub.
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Eating Out in Scarborough
The Scarborough Beach Road strip and the Esplanade have the usual mix of cafes, fish and chip shops and casual restaurants — the kind of beachside food that works after a swim.
El Grotto is a beach-shack-style Mexican bar-restaurant on the foreshore, popular for tacos and frozen margaritas. The Sandbar and Hash Specialty Coffee are reliable for breakfast. Peach Pit is a long-running pizza and pasta spot. For fish and chips, the takeaway at Scarborough Sunset Markets (Thursday evenings in summer) is a local favourite. The Wednesday and Saturday food-truck nights on the Esplanade are worth checking out if you happen to be in town.
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Getting There
Scarborough is about 14 km northwest of central Perth. By car, take Mitchell Freeway north and turn off at Cedric Street or Karrinyup Road — 20 minutes from the city most days. Free and paid parking lines the Esplanade and the back streets.
By public transport, take the train to Stirling station on the Joondalup Line and the connecting 990 or 991 bus to Scarborough Beach bus station (about 30 minutes door-to-door from Perth station). The 990 also runs direct between Scarborough and Perth via West Coast Highway, scenic but slower.
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When to Go
The best beach weather is from November to April — hot, dry summer days with the famous Fremantle Doctor afternoon sea breeze that arrives most days around 2 or 3 pm and cuts the heat. December and January are peak season; the beach is genuinely busy.
Winter (June–August) is cool, wet and windy by Perth standards, but the beach is empty and the pool is heated. Whale-watching tours leave from nearby Hillarys between September and December as humpbacks pass north along the coast.
