Last updated: 10 August 2026
Shaw and Partners WA Race Week brings Australia's richest ocean-paddling series to Perth from 19 to 28 November 2026, with its hub at Sorrento Beach on the city's northern beaches. The racing bookends the trip: four events from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 November, including The Doctor on Saturday 21, then nothing until the Fenn West Coast Downwinder on Saturday 28, per the organiser's published schedule. That leaves Monday 23 to Friday 27 free, in a city most visiting paddlers only ever see from the water. Here is the plan: easy afternoons in the city while the shoulders recover, a morning in Fremantle the day before you race out of it, and one proper night out after The Doctor. Start with Perth's Premier Pathways, a relaxed 2.5-hour city walk.
Race Week at a glance, and the gap in the middle
Race dates below are from the official WA Race Week schedule published by Ocean Paddler. The tour slots are ours.
- Thu 19 Nov: Downwind International, City Beach to Sorrento.
- Fri 20 Nov: Twilight Dash, Watermans to Sorrento.
- Sat 21 Nov: The Doctor, 27 km from Rottnest Island to Sorrento. 6:30 pm: celebrate on the Eat Drink Walk Perth bar tour from Perth Town Hall, finished by about 9:30 pm.
- Sun 22 Nov: Nipper Clinic.
- Mon 23 to Fri 27 Nov: free days. 2:00 pm on any of them: Perth's Premier Pathways, a 2.5-hour city walk that ends about 4:30 pm.
- Fri 27 Nov, 10:00 am: Fremantle Convicts, Culture & Street Art, a 2-hour walk through the streets behind the next day's start line.
- Sat 28 Nov: Fenn West Coast Downwinder, Fremantle to Sorrento.
Perth's Premier Pathways: the recovery afternoon
You will spend the week reading the coast; this walk reads the city. Over 2.5 hours it links Perth Town Hall to Yagan Square through the arcades, laneways and street art the CBD hides well: London Court, the State Buildings, Wolf Lane. It costs $69 an adult and $45 a child, includes a beverage, and moves at a genuinely relaxed pace, which matters two days after a 27 km crossing.
Ideal timing: any free day from Monday 23 to Friday 27 November. The 2:00 pm start leaves your morning clear for a training paddle, and you are done by about 4:30 pm.
Eat Drink Walk Perth: the post-Doctor night
Three small bars in central Perth, about 40 minutes in each, with two drinks and grazing food included; extra rounds are your own shout. It is $89 an adult, departs Perth Town Hall at 6:30 pm and wraps up about 9:30 pm, so even a big celebration ends at a sensible hour.
Ideal timing: Saturday 21 November. The Doctor is done and the next start gun is a week away. Book the Eat Drink Walk Perth bar tour for that Saturday night.
Fremantle Convicts, Culture & Street Art: scout the start town
The Fenn West Coast Downwinder leaves from Fremantle on Saturday 28 November, and the port town deserves more than a rushed rigging session. This 2-hour morning walk, departing at 10:00 am on recent schedules, covers convict-built Fremantle, its culture and its street art, with a morning beverage included. Spots on the Fremantle Convicts, Culture & Street Art walk are $65 an adult and $45 a child.
Ideal timing: Friday 27 November, the day before the race. Walk the town the morning before and the start line will sit in a place you already know.
Select evenings and squad bookings
If your crew likes its history dark, Crimes of Perth and Crimes of Fremantle are two-hour true-crime walks at $60, led by specialist guides on Saturday afternoons from 4 to 6pm. In November that is Crimes of Perth on the 7th and 21st and Crimes of Fremantle on the 14th and 28th, so check which falls in your stay.
Travelling as a squad or club? Every walk runs privately for groups, up to 100 people by arrangement, and the private-only Scavenger Hunt runs at $35 per person. Enquire through our contact page.
Before you book
Two Feet & a Heartbeat is a registered WA Companion Card affiliate. The card covers the companion's tour cost; it does not automatically cover food, drink or other paid inclusions, which the companion pays for if they take part. Companion Card bookings are made by contacting us directly, and the detail is in our Companion Card guide. For access information on any walk, see our accessibility page.
Lock in the free days
Five clear days between race weekends disappear quickly once a supporters' group starts planning. Check live availability for every walk and book the afternoons that fit around your training.
FAQs
What is there to do in Perth between WA Race Week races?
The free window is Monday 23 to Friday 27 November, per the official program. The easy combination: one 2.5-hour afternoon walk through Perth's laneways and street art ($69), one 2-hour morning walk through Fremantle ($65), and the 3-hour bar tour on the Saturday night after The Doctor ($89).
Do the walking tours clash with training paddles?
No. Perth's Premier Pathways departs at 2:00 pm and finishes about 4:30 pm, leaving mornings free for the water. The Fremantle walk runs in the morning, so take it on a day you would rather train in the afternoon.
Where should we celebrate after The Doctor?
On the Eat Drink Walk Perth bar tour: three small bars from 6:30 pm, two drinks and grazing food included, $89 an adult. It finishes about 9:30 pm, which still leaves room for a proper recovery sleep.
Can a whole paddling squad book one tour?
Yes. Every walk runs privately for groups, up to 100 people by arrangement, and the private-only Scavenger Hunt is $35 per person. Enquiries go through our contact page.
