Explore West
West Australia contains the major city of Perth closely surrounded by the wildflower, wine growing and scenic destinations of the Margaret River and Albany.
Further north you will find the tropics and the beachside destination of Broome. Small townships, roadhouses, mining communities and national parks are scattered around the long distances.
Destinations of Western Australia:
- Perth - The region surrounding the booming state capital, set on the Swan River and sandy Indian Ocean beaches.
- Wheatbelt - Dominated by expansive golden fields of grain in the interior and empty beaches on the coast
- Mid West - The Western coast has surfing beaches. The closer to Perth, the more temperate the weather and hospitable the landscape
- Gascoyne - The central coast offers various wonders: the Ningaloo Reef is not as famous as the Great Barrier Reef, but equals or surpasses it in beauty, and Shark Bay is a UNESCO world heritage site.
- Pilbara - A hot mining region, very lightly populated, with various natural attractions.
- Kimberley - In the far North. It is a huge chunk of wilderness including the resort town of Broome on Cable Beach. Vast areas of spectacular scenery, and equally vast eras of desolate nothingness.
- Goldfields-Esperance - A barren and flat interior becomes greener toward the coast where chilly king waves sent from Antarctica pummel the rocky shore into wondrous shapes.
- South West - Known for its wineries, surfing, forests and caves
Highlights of Western Australia:
- Kalbarri National Park - explore vibrantly coloured gorges and cliffs sculpted by the Murchison River as it flows to the sea
- Coral Bay and Exmouth - 1250km from Perth, are gateways to the magnificent Ningaloo Reef
- Karijini National Park - a major destination in the Pilbara, featuring huge canyons and gorges, and nice hikes through majestic scenery
- Margaret River - a fine winery and surfing region about 250 km south of Perth, a weekend playground for Perth.
- Mount Augustus - rivalling the better-known Uluru in Northern Territory for size, it's often claimed to be the largest monolith on Earth
- Pinnacles Desert - an eerie landscape of limestone pillars rising from the sand about 100 km north of Perth
- Purnululu National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site features the enigmatic Bungle Bungle dome formations
- Shark Ba - on the westernmost point of Australia, the small town is known for stromatolites and the dolphins at Monkey Mia
- Southern Forests - get among lush ancient forests around Denmark and Pemberton where towering karri and marri trees fringe the rugged coastline of D'Entrecasteaux National Park
Western Australia - Timezone UTC +8
