Western Australia Attractions

Albany
Albany is a historic seaport on the southern coast of Western Australia. This natural Harbor is the finest harbor in the world. Situated on the Coast Highway, part of the Pacific Highway, the climate of this hilly city, is temperate in summer and a little bleak in winter. At a distance of 37 kms from this place, are the nearby mountain ranges , the Stirlings and the Porongurups offer magnificent climbs, spectacular views and around a 1000 species of beautiful wildflowers with more than 3500 varieties. The early settlers established farming in wool, wheat, vegetable products and dairy farming in this area.

Blowholes are present on the coast near Albany, where, in rough weather the force of the water sends spurts of air and water through cracks in the rocks. The private home of the government resident, Captain Sir Richard Spencer, is a two-storied stone house built in 1836, at Old Farm on Strawberry Hill. The major attraction in this place is the Dog Rock in Middleton Road. It is a granite outcrop that looks like the enormous head of a bloodhound sniffing the breeze. At the Gap, one of the most dramatic of the scenic spots, there is a 24m drop to the turbulent sea below. The Natural Bridge, which is a geographical marvel, near the Gap, is made of granite.

Available Activities: Golf, bowls, tennis, surfing, yachting, river and sea fishing.

Broome
The city was once known as the pearling capital of the world. The pearling industry has now slowed down. The bustling tourism centre has been developed at the end of a thin peninsula lined with mangroves. Pearl farms can be found for cultivation of the pearls on the seabed. the town is also famous for its varied culture and tradition. It offers a wide variety of attractive places to explore. Many of the European restaurants are found here. The place is ideal for fishing due to a large number of Salomnd and Barramundi found here. One can come across dinosaurs' tracks embedded in the sandstone at the base of the cliffs of Gantheaume Point. The tracks can be examined only at low spring tide.

Gantheaume Point also houses the Anastasia's Pool, blasted from the sandstone by a pearlier named Patrick Percy. Cable Beach is at a distance of 6 km out of town and is one of the most beautiful beaches near Broome. The city is named thus because it was the terminus of the cable across the Timor Sea from Java. The court house was originally a cable station shipped here by mistake. It was sent from England and should have gone to Kimberley, South Africa.

Bunbury
This place is a commercial port to the south west of Western Australia. Situated between Perth and Albany, the city, facing the Indian Ocean, has developed on the junctions of the Collie and Preston rivers. These rivers are located at Leschenault estuary 180 kms to the south of Perth. A project of $20 million is currently being undertaken to deepen the harbor. This will ensure better facilities for the growing demand caused by the thriving woodchip industry. The city houses the oldest church in Western Australia, nearby Picton, built in 1842. In 1979, the city was recognized as the state's first country city. The first Prime Minister of Western Australia to take office in 1890 was Sir John Forrest, who was an acclaimed explorer.

Available Activities: Fishing on the Blackwood, golf, horse riding, sailing on the ocean and in the estuary, scenic drives and swimming.

Carnarvon
This main centre for the North West is located at the mouth of the river Gascoyne. The city is on the verge of constant development due to the mineral boom and improved irrigation. The project of expanded irrigation has given a new life to plantations of crops. The vast area now stretches from the Gibson Desert to the Indian Ocean. The place is very famous for its banana plantations that are getting commercially successful. There is a prawn and scallop factory at Babbage Island that processes the catch from the boats. Salt still gets the priority, as it is the main export for the town. This salt is produced at the Lake Mcleod salt works and yields 1 million tones a year.

Derby
The most ideal place for fishing is the local jetty. The blowholes along this stretch of coastline contain water spouts of 20 meters or more. The Kennedy ranges nearby host a great number of gemstones and the enormous produce farms or 'stations'.

This place referred to as the Administrative centre of West Kimberley, is at a distance of 221km from Broome. Closer to Derby, this place is an easy drive relatively to Fitzroy Crossing (256km) and Halls Creek (555km). It faces the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Fitzroy River. It forms the centre-piece of the beef cattle industry in the Fitzroy Valley and the King Leopold Ranges.

The town got its name in 1882 from Lord Derby, Secretary of State for the colonies. Derby forms an excellent base to explore the legendary ranges and rivers of the East Kimberley. Derby is also known as the Gateway to the Gorges.

Geraldton
423 kilometers to the north of Perth is an important farming and mining centre for the Mid-West called Geraldton. The town receives its regular income from the supplies of rock lobster. The next best source of income is the iron ore from the Weld Range. The rugged coastline has taken its toll of shipwrecks. Many of the ship relics are to be found in the maritime museum. The place boasts of superb seafood such as the rock lobster, which is abundant in local restaurants. The place also offers you a wide variety of pleasant beaches and spring wildflowers that make it a very popular resort.

Kalgoorlie
There was a big gold strike in 1893, in Kalgoorlie. The place became very famous after this incident. The Hannan Street nearby has been named after the man who made that strike. Since then, Kalgoorlie produces nearly 112,000 oz of gold per year.

The town has an ugly surrounding and dumped rock escarpment and hence the place has been termed as a lush green oasis. There are tree-lined avenues to offer shade. The town displays several buildings, built in 1908, displaying grandeur of architecture. The Town Hall has a splendid staircase and decorated ceiling along with a clock tower.

The place hosts several museums. The Hainault tourist mine is another major attraction for the tourists. Summers are extremely hot here, yet the town has remained a major tourist centre to the visitors. The place has been a proud winner of many tourism awards. Among the town's attractions are the School of Mines and Museum, Paddy Hannan's Tree, Paddy Hannan's Statue and the Golden Mile Museum and collection of local gemstones.

Activities Available: Horse racing, golf, bowls, tennis, gliding and swimming.

Mandurah
Mandurah is a popular resort at the mouth of Peel Inlet. This location is a famous holiday resort at a distance of 60 kms to the south of Fremantle. The place provides three rivers, 150 kms of inland shoreline and 40km beaches. Mandurah has got its name from an aboriginal word mandjar meaning 'trading place'. Thomas Peel was the first person, who tried to settle the area in 1829. He had an ambitious migration scheme.

The main attraction of the resort is the Peel Inlet, forming a conjunction of three rivers, the Murray, Serpentine and Harvey. It is an enormous inland waterway with over 150 km of shoreline. The resort houses wonderful species of birds and fish and hence, these activities are best suited to this region. Lakes Clifton and Preston lie 20 km to the south and are long and narrow and run parallel to the coast. These lakes are conducive for bird watching.

Activities Include: Boating, swimming, water skiing, fishing, crabbing and Cray fishing.

Margaret River
Towards the south of Perth, the "garden of Western Australia" Coastal resort towns are housed. The beautiful vineyards, sheep and cattle farms, orchard and magnificent hardwood forests form a part of this grand place. One of the major attractions is the Margaret River, which is famous for vineyards and wine export. Spectacular limestone caves can be found here and at Augusta. The coastline is conducive for the best windsurfing in the world.

The Leeuwin Estate Winery is another major attraction, which houses a splendid art gallery and the marron farm. The farm specializes in freshwater crayfish.

Monkey Mia
Monkey Mia lies to the north of Geraldton in the Gascoyne region. Here, the Shark Bay is located at a distance of approximately 900 kms to the north of Perth. Up the coast, one comes across Kalbarri on a lagoon near coastal cliffs. The area provides superb views of the surrounding spectacular countryside and coastline. The Shark Bay consists of a maze of inlets and islands providing one of the country's best fish breeding grounds. It also harbors the world's largest banks of whiting, along with many other fish.

Monkey Mia has sheltered wading depth waters of Shark Bay, which have made this place very popular. Here, it is possible for tourists to feed the wild dolphins. The National Parks help by giving valuable instructions on how to feed the dolphins with care. The dolphins average 4m in length and have the ability to keep pace with the fastest craft. These Monkey Mia dolphins have remained wild. They have not been trained to perform but have a natural affinity to humans who show them care.

Pemberton
This sprawling town of Pemberton is housed in a valley in the heart of Karri country, 338 kilometers to the south of Perth. The place is famous for the King Karri Festival, which takes place at Pemberton in March every year. The town possesses the biggest sawmill in the State where about 140cu. m. a day is processed. The burning of sawdust generates steam. The steam powers the mills hooter, keeping time regularly, like a clock. The Pemberton sawmill is open for visitors between 8am to 4pm. The greatest attraction of this area is the giant Gloucester Tree at a distance of 2.4 kilometers to the east of the town, which is the tallest fire lookout tree in the world. The tallest tree ever felled in the district was 104m.

The height of this tree was equivalent to a 34storey building. The other major commercial draw for the town is the Hatchery, which is at a distance of 2 kilometers out of town. 250,000 brown and rainbow trout fingerlings are raised each year at this place. The Pioneer Museum is another place worth visiting as it features reminders of the early days. Other attractions include the Big Brook Arboretum with 32 different species of tree, the Warren National Park with virgin karri forest and its 18km Rainbow Trail. To the west, there are sandy beaches and good fishing at Windy Harbor.

Rottnest Island
One of Perth's favorite getaway places just 19klms offshore in the Indian Ocean. The sandy island is 11klm long and 3klm at its widest part and covered in low scrub. The traditional building color for the island is the distinctive rottenest yellow made from a mixture of phosphate or sulphate of iron and builders lime. This tradition has been adopted since early settlement in 1836 when it was used as a penal settlement for Aborigines. The island was declared a reserve and wildlife sanctuary in 1917 and no vehicles are allowed on the island. Transport is on foot or by bicycle to offer maximum protection. The name was an accidental title bestowed by the Dutch explorer de Vlamingh who landed in the 17th century. He mistook the small wallaby-like quokkas for rats and called the place Rats’ Nest Island.

A most popular resort for the people of Perth, only 21km north-north-west of Fremantle, opposite the mouth of the Swan River. It is a low lying sandy island and has become an important tourist resort.

There are many small shallow lakes on the island and the charming bays and coves dotted around the island with offshore reefs to protect them make this a safe swimming and fishing destination.