nature travel, wildlife tours, adventure travel and general travel to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific

Australia: Western Australia

Another place off the usual visitor route, Western Australia is about as empty as it comes, with only 500,000 people living outside its capital of Perth. This in a State that comprises 40% of Australia's land mass. Think of it as the population of Lexington, Kentucky, being spread out over the entire US east of the Mississippi. Perth people feel a bit isolated; it's as far from Perth to the next Australian city as it is from London to Lenigrad. Here's a western australia distance chart to give you a better idea if you're thinking about driving around one weekend while you're there.

Perth is a pretty city, with lots of sunshine, great beaches and friendly locals at the beautiful Kings Park. From June to October, depending on location, the deserts and open forests south and north of Perth are covered in wildlflowers for one of eht most spectacular botanical sights anywhere in the world; and you don't need to be a botanist to appreciate the beauty of this event. Both private, self drive and small group tours are avaialable to enjoy this cornucopia.

In the south-western corner are tall eucalypt forests full of wildlife, with specialties such as the Numbat, one of Australia’s few truly diurnal mammals, tiny kangaroos called bettongs, and the even tinier Honey Possum. On Rottnest Island, a day trip from Perth, small wallabies called Quokkas are easily seen lounging about near the village. South of Perth coral and other rmore normally tropical sea life can be seen mear Bunbury, 120 miles south of Perth, from the pier at Busselton Pier and at its observatory. This takes on greater perspective when on your way to Bunbury, near Rockingham 80 miles north, you can visit a Little Penguin colony. In additona to all this natural beauty and interest, south-west Australia produces some of Australia's, and the world's leading wines, and winery and food tours are deservedly popular.

Further to the north are endless beaches where millions of shorebirds from Asia find respite during their travels, and just off-shore reefs equal in beauty, if not scope, to the Great Barrier Reef. At Ningaloo Marine Park from April to July the world’s largest fish, the 30ft+ Whale Shark, lounge offshore, where even snorkelers can get close. Don’t worry, these gentle giants feed on plankton, not people. As well as Whale Sharks, dugongs, dolphins, whales and sea turtles and over 180 species of coral can be found here.

Stromatolites, the world's oldest living organisms, can be seen most famously in the Hamelin Pools at Shark Bay, but also in several areas closer to Perth. This state also has the world's oldest exposed rocks, at about 3.5 billion years, so WA stakes it's claim for being around for quite a long while.

Western Australia can be a very different part of your Australia travel at any time of the year.

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