Western Australia
Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, occupying the western third of the continent. Western Australia was discovered by the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog in 1616 while en-route to what is now known as Jakarta.
In the following decade, other Dutch explorers would encounter the land here, but with no apparent natural resources to exploit, left as quickly as they came. During the late 18th century, the British and the French began to explore the more Southern regions of Western Australia and in 1826 the British decided that King George Sound would be a suitable location for a settlement. Three years later the Swan River Colony was established and this would later become the city of Perth. The state grew slowly until the discovery of gold in Kalgoorlie in the 1890s, which led to a huge influx of pepole.
Western Australia is the only state to never have been part of New South Wales and is the only Australian state to have tried to leave the federation, voting to secede in 1933. A delegation was sent to Britain to petition parliament to pass the legislation needed to enable independence, but it was determined that the British parliament did not have the necessary powers to pass such legislation. The suggestion of secession still appears in the Western Australian media from time to time, and there are many Western Australians who support the idea.
Western Australia Destination
Perth
Perth is a region of the vast state of Western Australia. It is centred around the state’s capital city, Perth, one of the most isolated capital cities in the world. The Perth inner area radiates north and south of the Swan River on a flat coastal plain, bounded in by the Darling Scarp to the east and the Indian Ocean coastline in the west. Perth has a population of around 1.6 million (2009), making it the fourth largest city in Australia. The many uncrowded beaches along the Perth coastline define the lifestyle: Perth is laid-back, quiet and safe.
Fremantle
Fremantle is an Indian Ocean port, clinging to the western edge of Australia, facing west towards Rottnest Island, Mauritius, and Africa. Like all good port towns of the world, Fremanlte has a bustling nightlife and is a favorite place to go out for many people who live within the Perth metropolitan area.
You can get around most of central Fremantle for free on the (Central Area Transit) CAT Bus which runs every ten minutes during daylight hours. It is orange with a large black cat on the side. Look for the CAT symbol at bus stops, and maybe even paw-prints on the footpath. The CAT Bus is wheelchair and pram accessible, including kneeling (automatic lowering suspension) and ramp access. Alternatively, you can use your feet; most of Fremantle is fairly flat and good for walking or rent a scooter from Scootabout in Cliff Street.
Broome
Broome is a historical pearling town situated in the Kimberley region in Western Australia. It is a well developed tourist destination, popular with Australians, in the dry season (from May to September). In the dry months the weather is ideal. It has sunny days with temperatures around 30C and balmy evenings and nights when the temperature fall to the low twenties.
The town is situated on the Indian Ocean and the main beach, Cable Beach, is a beautiful expanse of golden sand. The sunsets on Cable Beach are magnificent and can be enjoyed on the beach or from one of the restaurants on the esplanade. The population of the town expands from about 12,000 in the wet to a high of about 30,000 at the height of the tourist season. The camping grounds are booked out pretty early and accommodation can be hard to find at the height of the season.
The town has an interesting history based around the exploits of the men and women who developed the pearling industry, starting with the harvesting of oysters for mother of pearl in the 1880s to the current major cultured pearl farming enterprises. The riches from the pearl beds did not come cheap and the town's Japanese cemetery is the resting place of more than 900 Japanese divers who lost their lives working in the industry.
Tours & Activities in…
- Albany
- Augusta
- Avon Valley
- Ballingup
- Broome
- Buccaneer Archipelago
- Bunbury
- Bungle Bungles
- Busselton
- Cable Beach
- Cape Leveque
- Carnarvon
- Cervantes
- Coral Bay
- Denham
- Denmark
- El Questro Station
- Esperance
- Exmouth
- Fitzroy Crossing
- Fremantle
- Geikie Gorge
- Geraldton
- Gibb River Road
- Halls Creek
- Hillarys
- Kalbarri
- Karijini
- Karri Valley
- Kimberley Region
- King Leopold Ranges
- Kings Park
- Kununurra
- Lake Argyle
- Mandurah
- Margaret River
- Mitchell Falls
- Monkey Mia
- New Norcia
- Newman
- Ningaloo Reef
- Nullarbor
- Pemberton
- Perth
- Pinnacles Desert
- Rockingham
- Rottnest Island
- Rowley Shoals
- Scarborough
- Shark Bay
- Swan Valley
- Tunnel Creek
- Turkey Creek
- Wave Rock
- Windjana Gorge
- Wyndham
- Yallingup
- York
