Western Australia

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

…Is coming soon

Regional Western Australia

Coral Coast

Australia’s Coral coast starts tow and a half hours drive north of Perth at Cervantes and follows the Indian Ocean coastline as far north as Exmouth. The Ningaloo Marine Park – the local Aboriginal word for Point of Land - adjacent to Exmouth is the crown of the Coral Coast region in more ways than just its geographical location. It is home to over 220 different species of coral and is on a par with Queensland’s far more famous Great Barrier Reef. While it’s less developed for tourism than the Great Barrier Reef, its infinitely more accessible, only a few metres from shore in places.

Golden Outback

The Outback is a place pretty much all Australian know about, but few ever visit. It is as literal a description of Australia’s massive interior as you could manage; ‘out back’. Amazing then that such a simple and stark definition could invoke a kaleidoscope of colours and images. The rusty dirt, cornflower blue sky, pale ghost gums and green Spinifex. Australia’s Golden Outback takes up well over half of Western Australia’s landmass. The great majority of it is covered by desert and all the good things that go with that. Oases, Freedom and blessed space! But don’t forget the gold rush ghost towns, the wheat farms, wildflowers and a stretch of dramatic coastline that makes up a good few teeth in the Great Australian Bight.

North West

If Mother Nature had ever set her mind to creating a theme park, maybe Australia’s North West was the result? The landscape is unusual and largely untrod. There are several vast natural formations like the Kimberley’s Bungle Bungle Range, and national parks like Karijini in the Pilbara that take the artificial green water grottos of an aquatic fun park and make them real. And then there is a little place called Broome, with the fabled Cable Beach unrolling towards the horizon.

South West

Wineries, gourmet restaurants, 75 sweet surf breaks and towering forests amount to a pretty special corner of the country. Margaret River and its surrounds are a popular destination for world class wineries, top surfing and fun family holidays. Locals head here in winter too, responding to the lure of cosy log fires, brisk walks along the beach, horse riding through the bush and mountains of delicious local produce, a huge draw for scuba divers is the HMAS Swan dive wreck, also visible to snorkelers from above the ocean surface.

The Busselton jetty and Underwater Observatory provide another amazing view of the colourful world beneath the water. The region begins with the farming country south of Perth.

Once the city’s sprawling outer suburbs thin out there is proof of the city’s massive building boom, in the shape of vast new housing developments along the highway. These taper off to a ribbon of coastal hinterlands of sheltered bays and rivers, often lined with massive granite boulders and stunning outlooks.

Experience Perth

Perth is the most remote capital in the world; a clean, green city so far from Australia’s madding crowds that it’s in fact closer to Jakarta than Sydney. The list of things to see and do reads like a greatest hits of all our capital cities; there are superb vineyards and fine dining, some extreme marine experiences and the best of nature right on your doorstep. Eight out of Ten West Australians live in and around Perth. It is a hub in location – bordering the outback, the lush south west corner and the Coral Coast – and in nature. The city centre sits on the banks of the Swan River, named for the native black swans t hat startled early European explorers who’d only ever seen white ones.

From the base of the business district, the river broadens out into lake- size expanses for its journey down to Fremantle on the coast. Overlooking this grand stretch of river is the 400 hectare Kings Park, arguably Australia’s greatest city park.

Classic Drive

Cape to Cape, Western Australia

Start: Busselton

Finish: Cape Leeuwin

Distance: 191km

Roads: Some roads in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park are unsealed, but route is suitable for 2WD

Western Australia’s icon tour takes you from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin, across a cave-riddled landscape patterned with forests, farmland and vineyards. Along the coast are near-deserted beaches and some of Australia’s best surf, while migrating whales can sometimes be seen cruising beyond the breakers. Allow at least two days for this trip. A plethora of interesting accommodation awaits the visitor, particularly around the wine centre of Margaret River.

A Pier without Peer

Busselton, an agricultural centre and key holiday area, lies on the calm waters of Geographe Bay. The town’s landmark is the 2km long jetty, built in stages from 1865 to the 1960s, and put to various uses including servicing American whaling ships and loading timber. Today a historic railway carries visitors back and forth, and an Underwater Observatory at the seaward end takes people below the surface to see the explosion of sea life.

Northern Light

The 1903 Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, now open to the public, lies just to the north-west of Dunsborough. A short stroll away is a whale-watching platform, setup for spotting the humpback whales that linger close to shore as they rest (September to November) before making their journey back to Antarctica.

Surf and Salmon

The tiny town of Yallingup boasts one of the region’s renowned surf beaches, and is a hot spot for salmon between May and June. Go to the Rotary Lookout south of town for a view of Canal Rocks, a canal-like formation that extends many metres out into the surf along a fault line. Close to town is Ngilgi Cave, open daily for tours.

The Moon’s bathing Place

Heading south, a tapestry of emerald-green pastures and vineyards unfurls, dotted here and there with B&Bs and cellar doors. Past Gracetwon is Ellensbrook, the 1857 wattle and daub homestead of a former beef and dairy cattle lease. From the homestead (open weekends), a 1.3km circuit walk winds past Meekadarribee Waterfall and Grotto. Aboriginal legend describes the site as “the moon’s bathing place”.

Competition surf brakes

Much of the coastline between the capes is protected within Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Par4k. it is a wild, untamed landscape of crumbling cliffs and big surf; Prevelly, th the immediate west of Margaret River, hosts the Margaret River Masters each March/April. For those just after a dip, Gnarabup Beach, a short distance south of Prevelly, offers safe swimming.

Among the vines

Margaret River lies at the centre of a large winegrowing district, just 10km from the coast. The first grapes were planted in 1967, and the region’s ever expanding list of wineries now includes names such as Vasse Felix Leeuwin and Moss Wood. Start a winery tour at the Margaret River Regional Wine Centre in Cowaramup. Across the region are cellar door tastings and sales, and many interesting places to have a meal or bed down for the night.

Underground Adventures

Around 360 caves pockmark the malleable limestone landscape of this region. For an introduction head to Cave Works at the mouth of Lake Cave, a fascinating interpretive centre with a dynamic working cave model. Passes are available here for Lake Cave as well as Mammoth Cave, a little to the north and Jewel Cave to the south.

Forests and Wrecks

En route to Hamelin bay, the unsealed Boranup Drive weaves a scenic course through a stretch of karri forest. The trees here have a regenerated from the large scale logging carried out at the turn of the 20^th century; in spring, wildflowers pattern the forest with patches of brilliant colour. A ruined jetty is all that remains at the once busy port of Hamelin Bay.

Where Oceans Meet

Cape Leeuwin marks the meeting place of two of the world’s great oceans: The Indian and the Southern. It is also the site of the majestic 1897 Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, and a great place to watch for whales/ southern rights between June and October and humpbacks in winter. The nearby town of Augusta, established in the 1830s is one of the oldest settlements in the state, and the Augusta Historical Museum explores a number of interesting local themes.