Perth has a long, glowing connection with the night sky – from being dubbed the “City of Light” by astronaut John Glenn to playing a key role in deep space missions today. Across Perth and regional WA, families can visit real observatories, track distant spacecraft, climb aboard space‑themed Playgrounds, and even stand beneath a giant spaceman in the CBD. Whether your kids are obsessed with rockets, planets or just love looking at the stars, this guide brings together the best space‑inspired experiences around Perth and WA to help you plan adventures that are fun, educational and a little bit out of this world.
Scitech
Scitech in West Perth is WA’s flagship science centre and an ideal spot for budding astronauts and rocket fans. Families can explore space‑themed exhibits, catch live science shows that explain real-world physics in a kid-friendly way, and step into the digital planetarium for immersive journeys through the Solar System and night sky. With dedicated zones for younger children and plenty of hands-on STEM activities, it’s a full‑day, all‑weather option to spark curiosity about space, rockets and how the universe works. Read the Buggybuddys review of Scitech.
City West Centre, Railway Street & Sutherland Street, West Perth WA 6005
www.scitech.org.au
Gravity Discovery Centre & Observatory
The Gravity Discovery Centre & Observatory near Gingin is a brilliant day trip for kids who are mad about space, rockets and the science behind gravity. Families can get hands-on with interactive exhibits in the Discovery Gallery, test out G-forces in the space capsule, explore the cosmology and biodiversity galleries, and tackle the famous Leaning Tower of Gingin to recreate Galileo’s gravity experiments. Outside, the Solar System Walk scales down our planetar neighbourhood into a family-friendly bush trail, while nighttime sessions at the observatory reveal planets, clusters and galaxies in the dark WA sky.
Read the Buggybuddys review of Gravity Discovery Centre, Gingin.
1098 Military Road, Yeal WA 6503
gravitycentre.com.au
Perth Observatory
Perth Observatory in Bickley is Western Australia’s oldest observatory and a magical spot for families who want to go beyond books and actually see space for themselves. Night Sky Tours and moon‑focused sessions let you peer through historic and modern telescopes to spot planets, star clusters, nebulae and the Moon in incredible detail, while Sunday kids’ workshops, school tours and public talks help younger visitors learn the basics of astronomy in a really engaging way. Set in the Perth Hills, it’s a brilliant “real astronomer” experience for kids who are curious about the universe and our place in it.
337 Walnut Road, Bickley WA 6076
https://www.perthobservatory.com.au/
Image Credit: Aero Vista Imagery
WA Museum Boola Bardip – Origins Gallery
The Origins gallery at WA Museum Boola Bardip is a brilliant stop for kids interested in how our planet and Solar System began. Families can follow an immersive journey through time and space, from early life on Earth to the formation of ancient WA landscapes, with stories told through both Aboriginal knowledge systems and Western science. Highlights for space‑mad kids include touching real meteorites, learning how the Desert Fireball Network tracks fireballs and falling space rocks, and seeing how these “time capsules” reveal the history of our Solar System’s formation. A fragment of the 2025 Lake Hope meteorite, now on display in Origins, connects recent events in WA’s sky with hands‑on space science in the gallery.
Read the Buggybuddys review of WA Museum Boola Bardip.
WA Museum Boola Bardip, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth / Boorloo WA 6000
Origins gallery • Main site: https://visit.museum.wa.gov.au/boolabardip
Skylab – Esperance Museum, Esperance
In 1979, debris from Skylab – America’s first and the world’s first large space station – re‑entered the atmosphere and came down across the Esperance region, giving this coastal town an unexpected place in spaceflight history. The Esperance Museum preserves this story with recovered Skylab fragments and interpretive displays that explain how the station worked, why it fell back to Earth, and what happened when pieces landed near Esperance. Families can explore a tangible link to human space exploration and then continue the experience at home with downloadable Skylab‑themed activity sheets like patches, colouring pages, mazes and word searches available from the Shire’s website.
77 Windich Street, Esperance WA 6450
General info: Skylab – Shire of Esperance / Esperance Museum
Boonji Spaceman – Stirling Gardens
The Boonji Spaceman, a 7‑metre‑tall “Lightning” sculpture by artist Brendan Murphy, has “landed” in Stirling Gardens in the Perth CBD and makes a fun, low‑effort stop for space‑obsessed kids. This towering astronaut figure links perfectly to Perth’s “City of Light” story—when astronaut John Glenn saw the city glowing from orbit in 1962—and is designed to spark imagination about space travel, exploration and our place in the universe. Families can visit for free over the 12‑month installation period, grab space‑themed photos, and use the artwork as a springboard to chat about real astronauts and rockets. For more details, see the Buggybuddys article.
Stirling Gardens, Perth CBD (near Point Zero), Perth WA 6000
Bob Gordon Reserve Play Space – Futuro “Spaceship” Playground, Bull Creek
Bob Gordon Reserve Play Space is a fully fenced, all‑abilities Playground with a strong space. Its hero feature is a replica of the old Leach Highway “spaceship” Futuro House – reimagined as an accessible play structure with control panels, speaking tubes, finger mazes and alien‑themed games that feel like you’re inside a retro flying saucer. Around it you’ll find a “space station” tower with a big tunnel slide, a space spinner, a funky space rocker, plus a water play zone that ties into the cosmic theme. It’s ideal if you want to mix imaginative space play with a longer park visit that also has swings, flying fox, BBQs, toilets, shade and nearby BMX and fitness equipment.
You can read the full Buggybuddys review here Bob Gordon Reserve Play Space, Bull Creek
10 Benningfield Rd, Bull Creek WA 6149
International Space Centre – Space Boot Camp (UWA, Crawley)
Space Boot Camp is a two‑day intensive program run by the International Space Centre at The University of Western Australia for motivated students entering Year 11 who are serious about space and STEM. Students take part in university‑style workshops with UWA professors, design and test rockets, and visit key space industry sites in WA such as observatories, deep space tracking facilities, robotics labs and mission operations centres. The program highlights how rockets, satellites, deep space communications and planetary science work in practice and helps teenagers explore pathways into aerospace, astronomy, engineering, computing and other space‑related careers.
Website: Space Boot Camp – International Space Centre
From city Playgrounds and museum galleries to deep space antennas and outback observatories, Perth and WA are packed with ways to feed curious minds and spark big conversations about our universe. You don’t have to be a hardcore science buff to enjoy them – many of these spots combine hands‑on fun with just the right amount of “wow, that’s in space!”. Whether you tick everything off in a school‑holiday road trip or sprinkle them through weekend outings, exploring WA’s space and rocket experiences is a brilliant way to make memories, learn together and remind kids (and adults) that their dreams can reach far beyond our own backyard.
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Jennie McNichol is on a mission to prove there is always something fun to do in Perth. After 11 years in London working in the television industry for the BBC, Jennie moved to Perth in 2010 and founded Buggybuddys to silence the “nothing to do” crowd. Fifteen years later, it is the city’s number one guide for families, packed with daily inspiration and a huge focus on free local activities.
As a mum of two daughters, Jennie has evolved the site right alongside her own family—growing from a toddler-focused resource into a guide that supports parents through every stage, from the early years through to the teens. A passionate advocate for the WA lifestyle, Jennie loves helping families discover the best playgrounds, hidden gems, and budget-friendly days out in the most family-friendly city in the world.
