We present results from a new vertical deflection (VD) traverse observed in Perth, Western Australia, which is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. A digital astrogeodetic QDaedalus instrument was deployed to measure VDs with ~0.2" precision at 39 benchmarks with a ~1 km spacing. For the conversion of VDs to quasigeoid height differences, the method of astronomical-topographical levelling was applied, based on topographic information from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The astronomical quasigeoid heights are in ±20-30 mm (RMS) agreement with three independent gravimetric quasigeoid models, and the astrogeodetic VDs agree to ±0.2-0.3" (north-south) and ±0.5-0.9" (east-west) RMS. Tilt-like biases of ~10 mm over ~10 km are present for all quasigeoid models within ~20 km of the coastline, suggesting inconsistencies in the coastal zone gravity data. The VD campaign in Perth was designed as a low-cost effort, possibly allowing replication in other Southern Hemisphere countries (e.g., Asia, Africa, South America and Antarctica), where VD data are particularly scarce.