Up Close & Local Tours
Meet the Team

Your Local Perth Tour Guides

Up Close & Local Tours is not your average Perth tour operator — we are your personal Perth tour guide, offering unforgettable experiences for both locals and visitors. Whether you’re a local food and wine lover or a visitor looking for an authentic adventure, we’ll help you explore the best of Perth.

Owned and operated by third-generation Perth locals Paul and Shannon, Up Close & Local Tours has been delivering award-winning Perth tours since 2017. Borne from our own passion for travel and discovery, we know that people crave authentic experiences. That’s why your Perth tour guide will only take you to our hand-picked local favourites — places we genuinely love to visit ourselves, that are owned and run by fellow passionate locals.

Having travelled the world, we understand how easy it can be to fall into the usual tourist traps, or even follow online 'recommendations' that are paid ads. With an experienced Perth tour guide by your side, you’ll uncover hidden gems across Perth that most visitors — and even locals — can often miss, as well as ticking off all those must-see items on your list.

With a maximum of just 11 guests on each tour, we ensure an intimate, and “up close” experience on your tour in Perth or Margaret River. Small groups often allow your tour guide to take you behind the scenes, meet the passionate people behind the food, wine, and local businesses, and sometimes even enjoy exclusive experiences not available to the public.

At Up Close & Local, you’re not just getting a driver — you’re getting a true Perth tour guide who is a born and bred local that knows Perth and the South West inside out. We’ve spent countless hours handcrafting and researching the most memorable local experiences. And when your tour wraps up, don’t hesitate to ask your guide for insider tips — from the best coffee near your accommodation, to the top rooftop bars or the perfect sunset photo spot.

We believe it’s the little details that transform a tour from good to unforgettable. Our mission is to give every guest a unique, memorable, and personal experience they won’t soon forget.

We may be a small team, but as your dedicated Perth tour guide, we have a huge passion for sharing the very best of Perth with you!


meet the

Up Close & Local team

Paul Montague

FOUNDER / CHIEF TOUR GUIDE

The founder of Up Close & Local, Paul is our resident wine expert, whiskey lover and coffee snob. He runs some of our wine, whiskey and gin tours, as well as the Low & Slow BBQ food tour. He also loves driving, which means he gets the job of guiding our tours to Margaret River from Perth. Paul has a WSET qualification in wine education.

Paul Montague, a local Perth tour guide, is standing in the cellar door of a winery
Shannon Oliver, a local Perth tour guide, is standing in a Swan Valley vineyard

Shannon Oliver

CO-FOUNDER / EXPERIENCE CREATOR / TOUR GUIDE

Shannon answers most of our enquiries, and works with Paul to create bespoke experiences for our guests. As a wine and food lover, she also guides some of our Swan Valley and Bickley Valley wine, whiskey and gin tours. Shannon also has a WSET qualification in wine education.

Thu Phan

SPECIALIST FOOD GUIDE

Thu is a passionate foodie who enjoys cooking as much as she does eating! As a trained chef with Vietnamese heritage, Thu has a unique insight into not only how flavours are created, but the secrets to the cooking techniques to make it happen. When she’s not running our Asian Street Food walking tour, you’ll find her baking up a storm creating some of Perth’s most delicious artisan cakes and cookies with her business, @shugahills_

VIEW THE ASIAN STREET FOOD TOUR >