It was 34 degrees by 9:40am on Cottesloe Beach last Tuesday and there were still three separate groups trying to do the full length of the esplanade in thongs. That's the thing about coastal walks in Perth summer — the postcard version and the actual liveable version are two different activities, and most visitors, and a fair few locals to be honest, get caught out because they plan the walk like it's April.
I grew up in Fremantle, out near South Terrace, and my nan still does her lap of the harbour most mornings before the sun's properly up. That's the trick, really. Not the track you pick, but the hour you pick it for.
Check the forecast before you check the map
The Bureau of Meteorology puts out its UV and heat index numbers each morning, and I reckon more people should actually look at them before lacing up. A 40-degree day with a north-easterly is a completely different proposition to a 26-degree day with a sea breeze that's kicked in early. Perth summer isn't one long uniform heatwave, it's a run of days that swing wildly, and the coastal walks that