Western Australia/ WA (Perth)

The facts
With a staggering land area of 2.5 million square kilometres, Western Australia is one of the largest states in the world. The population of the entire state is only 2.1 million people – about half the population of Sydney. Most people live in the state capital, Perth, which sits on the edge of the Indian Ocean.

Temperatures in Perth are near perfect throughout the year. Average summer temperatures range between 15 degrees overnight and 26 degrees in the day. Winter temperatures range between 12 degrees overnight and 21 degrees in the day.

What makes Western Australia unique?
Perth is full of museums, galleries and restaurants. In the south of the state, there are beach towns, farms and vineyards. To the north and east are the more rural towns. Western Australia is renowned for its natural wonders including coastal areas, wildflowers and red rock canyons. There are many Aboriginal communities up north around the Kimberley region.

Cultural sights in Perth include the Western Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. Close to Perth is the maritime city of Fremantle, as well as Rottnest Island, which has small furry creatures called quokkas.

There are numerous educational institutions in Perth, including four universities. Other towns with institutions or campuses include Fremantle, Rockingham and Bunbury to the south of Perth, and Northam and Kalgoorlie to the north-east.

The south-west is green and fertile. With more than 7,000 species of wildflowers in WA, the countryside comes to life in spring. The Margaret River region has the best surfing in Western Australia and also produces internationally-acclaimed wine.

In the far east of the state are a number of deserts – Little Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert and the Great Victoria Desert. The Nullarbor Plain stretches across to South Australia and passes through ghost towns abandoned after the gold rush. One town that is still operational, Kalgoorlie, is the largest producer of gold in Australia today.

Shark Bay World Heritage and Marine Park is on the central west coast of the state. Within the park at Monkey Mia Beach, dolphins interact with people in the knee-deep water. At Ningaloo Marine Park on the Coral Coast, you can swim with whale sharks, turtles, manta rays and tropical fish.

Up north, the Kimberley region is home to many Aboriginal communities and rugged scenery. The Bungle Bungles National Park has striped red and yellow rock towers. The coastal town of Broome is popular with tourists. It has a cosmopolitan history of Chinese, Aboriginal and white pearlers, and is known for its pearls.

University campuses in WA
Curtin University of Technology
Edith Cowan University
Murdoch University
University of Notre Dame
University of Western Australia

Getting there and getting around
Perth has an international airport with flights from around the world. There is a network of buses and trains to travel between towns but with such large distances, planes are often used.

Within Perth, there are buses, trains and ferries. Regional towns rely on buses.

Find out more
www.westernaustralia.com (tourist information)