If you have a little aviation enthusiast in the family, a visit to Jandakot Airport combined with a stop at The Apron Café makes for a fun, easy and quite peaceful outing. Jandakot Airport opened in 1963 and is now one of Australia’s busiest airfields and a major aviation training base, so there is usually something happening in the sky without the constant roar of big jets. It’s a great option for kids who love planes but may be sensitive to noise.
Perched above the Royal Aero Club of Western Australia, The Apron Café offers a fantastic elevated view over the airfield.
The vibe is a relaxed mix of pilots in hi-vis, club members, tradies grabbing a coffee and families with children pressed up against the windows watching take-offs and landings. Even when we visited an hour before closing, there were still several other little plane spotters happily glued to the runway action, which made it feel very family-friendly and welcoming.
The big drawcard here is the view. If you time your visit for a reasonably busy period, you can watch light aircraft and helicopters taxi, take off and land almost constantly. It’s fascinating for kids to see smaller planes up close – they get plenty of action without the overwhelming noise of a major international airport.
Inside the café there is comfortable seating along the windows, so you can set your children up with a drink or snack while they watch the runway below.
The Apron Café runs as the Royal Aero Club’s in‑house café and is open to the public. Current opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 3.00pm and Saturdays from 9.00am to 2.00pm, with Sundays closed.
The café operates with a cabinet-only selection of food, offering a range of fresh, grab‑and‑go style items. You’ll typically find sandwiches, salads, hot food options and tempting sweet treats ready to go, which makes it ideal with kids in tow – you can order quickly, claim a table with a view and settle in to watch the planes. Good coffee and babycinos make it an easy stop for a morning tea or simple lunch.
The café is accessible via lift, with free Wi‑Fi and free parking available, and is explicitly open to the public, so you don’t need to be a club member to visit. This takes away any awkwardness about wandering into a “flying club” with children – you can simply head upstairs, sign in if requested, and enjoy the space. From time to time, the café and club also host special events, food truck nights and aviation-themed programs, which older kids and teens might love to tie in with a visit.
It’s also worth knowing that the café also has a rooftop viewing deck. This upper deck offers an even better vantage point over the runway for keen spotters. However, if you’re juggling prams or multiple small children, the indoor seating with big windows may be the easier option. You’ll still have an excellent view without worrying about little ones getting too close to railings or exposed areas.
Once everyone has finished their drinks and snacks, it’s well worth taking a short drive – just a few hundred metres up the road – to the public viewing area at Robert J Cross Park. This spot sits right beside the runway and has a dedicated car park, toilets, large grassed areas, picnic tables and some shade. It’s open 24 hours a day, so you can visit at any time that suits your family routine. For younger kids it’s the perfect place to throw down a picnic rug, spread out some toys and let them move around while planes and helicopters trundle past. Because Jandakot’s aircraft are generally smaller training planes and helicopters, the noise level is far more manageable than a big jet at Perth Airport, which is ideal for children who are wary of loud sounds.
The viewing area is set slightly elevated above the parallel runway and taxiway, giving excellent, unobstructed views of aircraft landing and departing on one of the main runways. You can watch aircraft taxiing right in front of you, see firefighting helicopters when they are based there, and enjoy close-up helicopter action at the nearby training helipads. There are benches, shelters and trees to provide some shade, and the toilets and bins make it easy to linger for a while without needing to dash off quickly with kids. Free parking, including a disabled bay, means it’s accessible for prams and families with mobility needs.
For families with keen photographers or older kids who are into aviation photography, the viewing area is well regarded by local spotters for its clear lines of sight. Serious photographers may want longer lenses, but for most families a pair of binoculars or a basic camera is more than enough to keep the children engaged as they pick out registration numbers or colours on the aircraft tails.
What makes a Jandakot outing particularly appealing for parents is the relaxed pace. Instead of chasing your toddler around a Playground or supervising slides, you can often sit with a hot drink and simply watch the world – or in this case, the planes – go by. Between The Apron Café and the Robert J Cross Park viewing area, you can easily fill a morning or afternoon with a mix of indoor and outdoor time. Start with coffee and a snack while you spot planes from the comfort of the café, then move on to the park for a picnic and more up-close viewing where the kids can run off some energy.
Overall, Jandakot Airport and The Apron Café offer a refreshing alternative to Playgrounds and shopping centres. It’s budget‑friendly, different enough to feel like an outing, and particularly suited to toddlers and young children who need a calmer activity but still love to explore and watch big machines at work. Whether you have a plane‑obsessed child or you’re just looking for something a bit different to do on a weekend morning, it’s definitely one to add to your Perth family bucket list.
Jandakot Airport & The Apron Café
Address
Jandakot Airport & The Apron Café
Royal Aero Club of Western Australia
41 Eagle Drive
Jandakot WA 6164
Robert J Cross Park (Jandakot Airport Viewing Area)
Eagle Drive, Jandakot WA 6164
Opening Hours
The Apron Café
- Monday – Friday: 8:30am – 3:00pm
- Saturday: 9:00am – 2:00pm
- Sunday: Closed
Jandakot Airport Public Viewing Area (Robert J Cross Park)
- Open 24 hours daily
@buggybuddysJandakot Airport + The Apron Café ✈️☕ plane spotting without the big-airport chaos If you’ve got a little plane lover, this is such an easy Perth outing. Jandakot Airport + The Apron Café gives you all the excitement of plane spotting… without the constant roar of giant jets. Think light aircraft, helicopters, take-offs and landings on repeat, plus coffee for the grown-ups. Why families love it: The Apron Café has big runway views from inside There’s even a rooftop viewing deck for keen spotters Quick, easy café stop with coffee, babycinos + cabinet food Lift access, free Wi-Fi + free parking Super family-friendly vibe, even if you’re not a club member Then level it up: Just a few hundred metres away is Robert J Cross Park — the public viewing area right by the runway 👀 There you’ll find: Free parking Toilets Picnic tables + shelters Grass for kids to run around Close-up views of planes taxiing, landing and taking off This is a great one for toddlers and younger kids who love machines but don’t love loud noise. 📍 The Apron Café, Royal Aero Club of WA, 41 Eagle Drive, Jandakot 📍 Robert J Cross Park viewing area, Eagle Drive, Jandakot More info: Buggybuddys guide #Buggybuddys #JandakotAirport #PlaneSpottingPerth #PerthWithKids #ThingsToDoPerth #FreeThingsToDoPerth #PerthToddlers #PerthKids #Jandakot #FamilyFunPerth #PerthCafesWithKids #PerthDayOut
Official Websites
Jandakot Airport information and viewing area (via AviationWA): Jandakot Airport Viewing Area – AviationWA
The Apron Café & Royal Aero Club of WA: The Apron Café & Bar – Royal Aero Club of WA
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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.
