'''Western Australia''' [http://www.westernaustralia.com] is the largest Australian state, occupying the western third of the continent.

The large majority of the the 2 million inhabitants live on the southwestern area in or close to '''Perth''', its capital and the most isolated city of this size on Earth. Beyond that, Western Australia's vast wilderness is very sparsely populated, with only a handful of townships over a few thousands residents. The state's main attraction resides precisely in its overall remoteness and huge expanses of untouched scenery.

Regions

  • In the far North, the remote '''Kimberley''' is a huge chunk of wilderness with astounding scenery.
  • The '''Pilbara''' is a (hot) mining region, very lightly populated, with various natural attractions that are worth the stop.
  • The coast of the '''Gascoyne''' in the middle of the State 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.
  • The Western coast ('''Mid West''') has surfing beaches. The closer to Perth, the more temperate the weather and hospitable the landscape. Regions around Perth ('''Great Southern''', '''Heartlands''', '''Peel''', '''Perth (region)''' and '''South West''') are laid-back agricultural, with some fine wineries in the South and large forests.
  • Towards South Australia, the '''Goldfields-Esperance''' region is an extremely infertile dry and flat land, with the population concentrated in the town of Kalgoorlie.
  • A few hundred kilometers inland, the inner area of the state (technically divided between the Kimberley, Pilbara, Mid-West and Goldfields regions) is a huge '''remote barren desert''' with little to no population. This area encompasses fully several of the Australian deserts: the '''Great Sandy Desert''', the '''Little Sandy Desert''', the '''Gibson Desert''', as well as parts of the '''Great Victoria Desert''' and the '''Tanami Desert'''. It is extremely challenging to access, and requires a lot of preparation.
  • Cities

    These are some of the major towns and cities in Western Australia.

  • Albany, the largest town in the South of the State.
  • Broome, the gateway to the Kimberley and a fashionable tourist destination among Australians.
  • Bunbury, pleasant city of the South West.
  • Esperance in the South, with fine coastline and beaches
  • Exmouth is the gateway to the magnificent '''Ningaloo Reef'''
  • Geraldton, the Surfer's Paradise of the West
  • Kalgoorlie-Boulder, a relatively large but full of energy mining town in the East
  • Kununurra, the final stop before you enter the Northern Territory
  • Perth (state capital)
  • Other destinations

  • The '''Pinnacles desert''', a little over 100km North of Perth, is an eerie landscape of limestone pillars rising from the sand.
  • '''Kalbarri National Park''', 500km North of Perth, is a comparatively easy to access park featuring nice gorges and clifs.
  • '''Shark Bay''', 850km from Perth. Located on the Indian Ocean coast, the Westernmost area of the continent is a UNESCO world heritage site. The visitors can observe stromatolites, some of the oldest living organisms on the planet, as well as marine mammals (including a population of dolphins regularly paying a visit at the shores of Monkey Mia)
  • '''Mount Augustus''', 900 km from Perth, a "rival" of the better-known Uluru in Northern Territory, is often claimed to be the largest monolith on Earth.
  • Coral Bay and Exmouth, 1250km from Perth, are the gateways to the magnificient '''Ningaloo Reef'''
  • '''Karijini National Park''', roughly 1500km from Perth, is a major destination in the Pilbara, featuring huge canyons and gorges, and nice hikes through majestic scenery.
  • Roughly halfway between Broome and Port Hedland, the '''Eighty Mile Beach''', facing the Indian Ocean is renown for its shelling at low tides. It is (as its name states clearly) a very long beach, its remoteness accounts for its tranquility. The caravan park (there is only one...) makes for a relaxing stop on the long drive between the Kimberley and the Pilbara, and it is a nice place to enjoy the sunset.
  • '''Purnululu National Park''', approx. 2500 km from Perth, is a recently added UNESCO world heritage site. It is rather tough to access park through a rough 4WD road, but the remoteness of the park is precisely what makes it more attractive. It features the enigmatic Bungle Bungles dome formations.
  • '''Rottnest Island''', directly out to sea in front of Perth, is a popular retreat for locals.
  • '''Margaret River''', 270 km South of Perth, is at heart of a fine winery region.
  • The '''Wave Rock''' (a surprising wave-like rock formation) is 370 km due East of Perth and close to the town of Hyden.
  • 400 km South of Perth, close to Albany is the Tree top walk of the '''Valley of the Giants'''. An artificial walkway allows for a nice (and safe) walk 40m above the ground in the canopy of the forest.
  • '''New Norcia''', a Benedictine monastery town founded by Spanish Bishop Rosendo Salvado in 1846, 132km north of Perth.
  • Understand

    Geography

    Western Australia covers about third of the total land mass of Australia. It encompasses climatic zones from the monsoonal and tropical north, to the temperate and mediterranean south, and the desert and barren inland. Apart from the south-western coast, the majority of the land is extremely old, eroded, flat, arid and infertile.

    The population centres are extremely isolated from one another, and from the other populated zones of Australia. This and the tough environment may account for a more independent spirit than the eastern states.

    The vastness of the state is certainly not to be underestimated when planning your trip. If it were a country, it would be in the top 10 by area, as large as Argentina, larger than any African or European country, and twice the size of Alaska. Outside of the Perth area there are less than 500,000 people.

    Perth and the south-west corner including the Margaret River and Albany are easily accessible, as is Broome. Much of the rest of the state is accessible too, but requires some planning, and will probably require some long driving.

    History

    Time Zone

    '''Western Australia''' is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time ('''''GMT+8''''') and 16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST).

    AWST - '''Australian Western Standard Time'''

    Get in

    Quarantine

    There are '''quarantine rules''' if you are coming from other states. You can not bring fruits and vegetables (including seeds and cuttings) into Western Australia. Frozen fresh is not allowed. Commercially packaged are allowed, and also meat and dairy are allowed. Check beforehand on the Western Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service site [http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/PW/Q/QuarantineWA_Traveller_Guide.pdf]. There are quarantine checkpoints set up on the state borders, inspectors board trains into the state and check passengers, and there are checkpoints also at airports. Rules are strictly enforced.

    If you are arriving directly from overseas, different quarantine rules apply. See the Australia article for details.

    By air

    Perth has the only airport in Western Australia with regular international flights.

    The vast majority of interstate flights also land in Perth. However there are a small number of interstate flights to Kalgoorlie, Kununurra, Karratha and Broome. Skywest flies regular flights from Kalgoorlie to Melbourne, however it may still be cheaper to fly Kalgoorlie - Perth - Melbourne depending on the travel dates desired.

    By road

    Considering the huge distances, driving ''into'' Western Australia from anywhere else is an experience by itself.

    There are only two sealed roads into Western Australia: in the south, the Eyre Highway is the most direct route from Adelaide to Perth. In the north, the Victoria Highway connects the Kimberley region with the Northern Territory up to Darwin. Both imply extremely long drives. Perth-Adelaide is at least 3 days of driving with stops only to sleep. Darwin-Perth is at least a week.

    The unsealed Great Central Road, Tanami Track and Gunbarrel Highway run between the Northern Territory and remote Western Australian towns.

    By rail

    There is one railway connecting Western Australia with the eastern states. The [http://www.trainways.com.au/our-trains/indian-pacific/the-journey.php Indian Pacific] train service runs between Sydney and Perth via Kalgoorlie, Adelaide and Broken Hill. Prices are generally more expensive than air travel.

    Get around

    Unless you have a private plane, be ready to drive ''a lot'' to get from point A to point B. There are only a limited number of sealed roads (any map of the state will probably show you ''all'' of them), if you plan to leave them to get to more remote areas you will need to consider renting a 4WD. Contact the company to which you rent the vehicle to check the policy concerning driving on unsealed tracks, as you might have to get their authorization. Usually driving a rented conventional (non-4WD) vehicle on an unsealed track is forbidden.

    Sealed highways and byways

  • Albany Highway, from Perth to Albany.
  • Eyre Highway, from Norseman to South Australia, a very long drive crossing the Nullarbor plain.
  • Great Eastern Highway, from Perth to Kalgoorlie, the main route for travellers.
  • Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, links the Great Eastern Highway with the Eyre Highway & continues south to Esperance.
  • South Coast Highway, from Esperance to just past Walpole.
  • South West Highway, from near Walpole to Perth via Bunbury.
  • Brand Highway, from Perth to Geraldton.
  • North West Coastal Highway, a mainly coastal route from Geraldton to the Great Northern Highway near Port Headlnad.
  • Great Northern Highway, up to the the Northern extremity of the state.
  • Victoria Highway, connecting the Great Northern highway to the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory.
  • Unsealed tracks

    These roads are not what most people would call a "highway" or even a "road". They are unsealed and should definitively not be taken lightly, especially if you have no experience in driving off sealed roads in the Australian desert. '''Be extremely cautious''' if you decide to attempt these tracks, as they are adventures on their own. Petrol supply is scarce, water is rare and accommodation is close to non-existent. These roads should only be used with thorough research beforehand, and a 4WD is very strongly recommended. On some more remote tracks, it could be weeks until anyone finds you or your body if you break down.

  • The legendary '''Canning Stock Route''' is 1800 km long cattle track from Willuna in the northen Goldfields to Halls Creek in the Kimberley, crossing the inner desert parts of the state. It is one of the most remote tracks on the planet, with absolutely no facilities, fuel or food supplies, and runs hundred kilometers from any civilization. Prior fuel dropping arrangements and thorough research about the dangers involved in the crossing are absolute prerequisites. Attempting the track in the summer is madness.
  • The 650 km long '''Gibb River Road''' crosses through the heart of Kimberley in the North through majestic scenery.
  • The '''Gunbarrel Highway''' crosses the heart of the continent from Wiluna to Kata Tjuta in the Northern Territory.
  • The ''comparatively easier'' '''Tanami Track''' crosses the Tanami desert to the Red Centre in Northern Territory.
  • The Great Central Road, regularly graded, may be attempted by strong 2WD (with very cautious and prepared drivers). It crosses several aboriginal lands (for which you will need permits) right to Kata Tjuta in the Northern Territory.
  • See

    If WA does not quench your thirst of (harsh) '''wilderness''', it is unlikely that anywhere else in the world will.

    Do

    Besides '''driving''', which can be an experience for some (being on the only sealed road for hundreds of kilometers, without crossing anyone, might be either disturbing or enjoyable to most of Western Europe drivers), WA offers nice '''surfing''' on its beaches (around Geraldton for instance).

    There are wonderful '''diving''' spots in WA. The Ningaloo Reef is probably THE place to dive, but there are other areas scattered along the Indian Ocean coast (even around Perth and Rottnest Island).

  • Serpentine Falls, located a 35 minute drive east of Mandurah, is an excellent place for a swim.
  • Eat

    Although you can expect the usual outback delicacies in roadhouses (sandwiches, steaks...), as well as some reasonable options in Perth and the larger towns, including nice seafood, WA is probably not the top destination for a gourmet. A trip in WA will probably require some amount of self-catering, should you decide to get away from Perth and the major centres.

    Drink

    The fairly recent Western Australian '''wine''' business may not produce the large quantities of the wineries of the Southeast regions of Australia, but there are a few bustling vineyards that may attract the visitor, especially around Margaret River. All the major vineyards are located in the South of Perth.

    In the outback, bring a lot of '''water''' with you..

    Stay safe

    The vastness of Western Australia requires travellers to be particularly careful when going into remote areas (which constitute the majority of the state anyway).
  • When leaving sealed roads and entering remote unsealed tracks, ''advise someone'' of your movements (for example the local police) of your expected time/date of arrival, and your travel intentions.
  • Many remote rural and outback areas in Western Australia are home to kangaroos and other mammals, reptiles and birds that will cross the roads, especially at dawn and dusk. So try to avoid driving at these times (kangaroos are most active at these times) and always be alert.
  • There are several 'deadly animals' inhabiting the northern regions of Western Australia. Snakes are widespread throughout all Australia. Saltwater crocodiles live in the water systems of northern Western Australia and these are potential killers, while fresh water crocodiles (called Johnson crocodiles) are much less dangerous, but can still bite your arm! Be extremely cautious near waterholes, riverbeds, etc. Deadly jellyfish can be found in the sea (from Carnavon to Wyndham) in the North, particularly in "the Wet" (the wet season ? October to April), so only swim in your hotel pool! Common sense will keep you safe from almost all bad encounters with these creatures. If you don't disturb them, good chances are they won't disturb you.
  • Western Australia is so big that there is a good variety of climates there.
  • In regional Western Australia, ALWAYS carry a lot of water!
  • Get out

    Leaving Western Australia will probably be as hard (or as simple) as getting in, unless you decide to pay a visit to the '''Principality of Hutt River'''[http://www.principality-hutt-river.com/]. By some obscure legal technicality, this small farm near Geraldton successfully declared its independence from Western Australia in the 70s. You can even get a passport, buy rare stamps and coins and if you are lucky you can even meet the Royal Family.