Western Australia stands in stark contrast to its eastern cousins. Here development has not occurred along the coast at the same furious pace as it has on the eastern seaboard. Escape the crowds and float amongst tropical sealife on
Ningaloo Reef just offshore from the tiny hamlet of
Coral Bay, feed wild dolphins at
Monkey Mia or swim with whale sharks off
Exmouth.
This is an ancient land and a huge one: Western Australia is the
largest state in Australia, constituting one-third of the country. Its
diversity often astonishes, with extreme
contrasts in climate from the tropical north to the temperate south.
Indulge in boutique
wineries, gourmet
produce and world-class
surfing in the southwest, known for its forests of
karri trees. Or head north to
Broome, an oasis in a harsh landscape with beautiful Cable Beach, and the gateway to the ancient and spectacular landscapes of the
Kimberley Region.
Perth is regarded as being ’the most isolated city on the planet’ - but you wouldn’t know it when you’re here. This evolving city, its growth fuelled by the state’s rich mineral deposits, is sparkling clean, cosmopolitan and blessed with a wonderful location that includes pristine beaches, hills and leafy woodland areas.
GeographyWestern Australia covers one-third of Australia; it is larger than Western Europe, but has a relatively small population. It is bordered in the east by South Australia and the Northern Territory and in the west by the Indian Ocean, with the Timor Sea to the north. The west coast is nearer to Bali and Indonesia than to Sydney, making Perth a viable stopover destination en route to the rest of Australia. To the south, the nearest land mass is Antarctica, 2,600km (1,600 miles) away. It has mineral wealth in iron, bauxite, nickel, natural gas, oil, diamonds and gold. There are vast wheatlands, forests and deserts, and several national parks. Kimberley, in the far north, is one of the oldest geological areas on earth, a region where time and weather have formed deep gorges and impressive mountains, arid red plains and coastal sandstone rich in fossils. In the northwest there are two notable features: Wolf Creek Crater, an immense hole left in the desert by a giant meteorite 50,000 years ago, and the Bungle Bungles, an ancient sandstone massif covering 3,000 sq km (1,160 sq miles). Southeast of Perth, near Hyden, is the 2,700-million-year-old Wave Rock.
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