Bickley: Observatory, Wine and Reservoir Views

Bickley offers several reasons to take a closer look: Perth Observatory explores astronomy and the history of research, the Bickley Reservoir Trail opens up views of the valley, reservoir and city, and Plume Estate is dedicated to wine. These experiences offer different focuses for a stay. If you’re looking for holiday accommodation in Bickley, consider whether you’d most like to experience the observatory and night sky, the landscape or a wine tasting. For families, Plume Estate’s age restriction is an important distinction.

Observatory and the History of Astronomy

Perth Observatory is the oldest observatory in Western Australia. Its heritage museum explores the observatory’s history as an astronomical research facility. Its main tasks in the newly established colony of Western Australia included timekeeping and positional surveying. This combination of observing the sky and carrying out practical measurements gives a visit to the museum a distinctive focus: it’s not only about space, but also about the work the observatory carried out over the course of its history.

On the night-sky tours, knowledgeable volunteers use telescopes to guide visitors through the southern night sky. They show nebulae, dying stars and star clusters, as well as the Moon and planets when visible. The guided daytime tours include a visit to the Indigenous Astronomy Centre Worl Wangkiny. The tours therefore differ not only by time of day, but also in their focus: night-sky tours focus on observable celestial objects, while daytime tours include a visit to the centre.

The history of individual instruments also makes the observatory interesting: among other things, the Lowell Telescope made discoveries about Uranus’s ring system. Astronomy enthusiasts will therefore find both guided observations and historical connections here—two different ways to explore that you can take into account when planning a stay in Bickley.

The Bickley Reservoir Trail

The Bickley Reservoir Trail starts at the Hardinge Road Carpark in Bickley. The trail offers views across the valley, the reservoir below and as far as the city. Near Bickley, it follows a ridge through Wandoo and Sheoak forests and passes granite outcrops. Here, the focus is on landscape and views, unlike the observatory’s astronomical themes.

The trail therefore offers a clear alternative to the museum and telescope when choosing what to do: the views take in the valley, water and city, as well as forest and granite. When choosing accommodation for a stay in Bickley, this difference can help you decide what you’d like your trip to focus on—without combining the outings into a single itinerary.

Wine and Tastings at Plume Estate

Plume Estate is a family-owned boutique winery in the Bickley Valley. Its wines are available at the cellar door and online. Guided tastings introduce a curated selection of handcrafted wines, while you learn more about grape varieties, winemaking and the history of each vintage. This gives the tasting a specific theme, rather than putting the wine alone at the centre.

The cellar door’s seating area offers a selection of dishes to share, chosen to pair with wines produced at the estate. Tables can only be reserved by guests who purchase wine. Important for your plans: the entire estate is open exclusively to guests aged 18 and over. If you’re travelling with children, you shouldn’t plan Plume Estate as a shared outing. For adult guests, the tastings on offer are also quite different from a trip to the observatory or along the trail.

Whether you’re interested in the history of astronomy, the landscape or wine, each experience gives your stay in Bickley a different focus. So when looking for holiday accommodation, it may be helpful to first choose the activities that matter most to you.

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