Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Perth

PERTH (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours to explore Perth, the capital of Western Australia? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a short visit.

FRIDAY

7 p.m. - Friday's are revered in Perth and no where are they more festive than along Rokeby Road and Hay Street in the village-like Subiaco district. Try the Bhudda Bar Curry House (9382-2941) if you fancy Indian food or Rialto's (9382- 3292) for European specialities. After dinner, all roads lead to the iconic Subiaco Hotel (9381-3069), where several bars and an outdoor area heave with revellers celebrating the start of the weekend.

SATURDAY

7 a.m. - Kick-start the weekend with a brisk walk or jog along the 9.5-km (6-mile) Four Seasons trail, which follows the Swan River as it skirts the city centre. The trail is home to thousands of black swans who reside in the area. From any point, it offers a stunning panorama of Perth's ever-changing skyline. Designated pathways keep pedestrians well clear of the swarms of brightly clothed weekend cyclists who also converge on the trail from sun up to sun down.

8 a.m. - If you're a coffee lover, the next stop must be one of the dozen or so Dome cafes that pepper the city's main thoroughfare, St George's Terrace, for a truly gourmet brew. With their trademark wooden floors and indoor and outdoor seating, it's easy to see why they are popular with the weekend outdoor-loving set, which in Perth includes just about everybody.

9 a.m. - Catch a gentle 45 minute ferry ride to Rottnest Island from Hillary’s Boat Harbour (9246-1039). Most modern conveniences are left on the mainland. Cars are banned on the island, adding to its allure as true getaway. Rottnest Island is 20 kilometres (13 miles) off the Perth coast. Its coral reefs make for fantastic diving and snorkelling; hidden bays and deserted cycle paths wait to be explored. The small marsupial quokka -- a bit like a small kangaroo -- only exists on this island and in some parts they have become very tame. Willem de Vlamingh, a Dutch mariner thought the quokkas looked like giant rats. When he landed in 1696, he named the island Rat's Nest or Rottenest in Dutch. It is affectionately called Rotto by locals.