The sunny and relaxed Western Australia is a beautiful state to visit. The streets of Perth are clean and the weather is always sunny. Just next door are Fremantle, Swan Valley, Rottnest Island and the great beaches Scarborough and Cottesloe. South of it are the giant karri and jarrah forests and the famous Margaret River. North are the pinnacles of Nambung National Park, Monkey Mia in Shark Bay, Ningaloo Reef, Broome and the beautiful Kimberley region. And the best of it all is that the massive tourist crowds haven't yet started to arrive.
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Courtesy of Tourism Australia
Nullarbor Desert - Western Australia Tourism I first approached Western Australia from Nullarbor Plain. It was first of January and my travel companion hadn’t sobered up from the New Year’s party yet, but we had to keep going so I had to drive (I usually prefer to sit back and take photos). Nullarbor is not an Aboriginal word – it comes from Latin and means zero trees. And it describes the surroundings pretty well – for about 1000km that I ended up driving that day, there was no trees. You could see right until the horizon over the open planes and the only change from this scenery was when a kangaroo, a dingo or a flock of emus passed by. It was – a different place to be.
Perth Travel Information - Western Australia Tourism When we finally arrived in Perth (two days later – don’t underestimate Australia’s road distances!), we said, jeez Perth really is so different from the cities of the eastern states. It’s clean and well organised – we could drive around the city without getting lost because the road signs were frequent enough and leaded you where you wanted to get (not always to be taken for granted in the eastern states). The city centre is nice and walkable, with the Hay Street and Murray Street Malls in the hub. North of the CBD is Northbridge with its restaurants and many backpackers’ hostels. West is the lovely King’s Park with lots of wildflowers and walking tracks with views over the city; and east and south is Swan River.
Perth Beaches and Rottnest Island Australia Perth's best beaches are Scarborough in north and Cottesloe in south. Further south is Fremantle – not a southern suburb of Perth like Melbourne’s St Kilda, but a town with its own history and character, even though its Cappuccino strip, weekend markets and proximity to Perth do attract day-trippers. Off the coast is Rottnest Island, known for its endemic quokkas. There are no roads for cars on the island so you either walk or bicycle. Northeast of Perth is the Swan Valley wine region, where in addition to wineries you can visit cheese and chocolate factories.
South Western WA - Western Australia Tourism South-western Western Australia is mostly known for its tall karri forests and Margaret River wine district, but there is more. A drive south from Perth takes you through some lovely coastal towns like Bunbury with its Dolphin Centre, Busselton with its famous long jetty, and Augusta with the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. On the southern coast there are some giant karri trees in the Valley of the Giants, and the Great Forest Trees Drive in Shannon National Park. Near Walpole, there is a tree top walk, and Walpole is also where the famous 962km Bibbulmun Walking Track ends (starting from Perth). The relaxed Denmark, Albany and Esperance have some lovely beaches and great coastal views.
Wave Rock and Ningaloo Reef Western Australia Tourism Inland from Perth is the famous Wave Rock, and the historical mining towns Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie. North of Perth is Nambung National Park with its surreal pinnacles, Kalbarri National Park with its red rocks, and Shark Bay World Heritage and Marine Park with its famous dolphins that you can hand-feed in Monkey Mia. North from here, outside Exmouth is Western Australia’s coral reef in Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, and the spectacular Pilbara region with its dramatic red landscape.
Kimberley and Broome Western Australia Tourism Furthest north is the historical pearlers town Broome, and the remote Kimberley region with its boab trees and deadly crocodiles. The rest of Western Australia - the inland, is covered by empty deserts so large you could spend the rest of your life discovering them.
Here's a map of Western Australia, with places I mentioned on this web page tagged. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
