An Overview
Western Australia has a huge land mass, some 2.5 million square kilometers, similar to the size of Western Europe. Much of the state is unpopulated, remote and desolate. Perth is a popular destination and the logical starting point for many local and overseas visitors...however, the Southwest is not to be missed. It's an area of beautiful coastal scenery, an abundance of national parks and reserves, towering trees, lovely food and wine, and many opportunities for viewing the local wildlife.
The more difficult to reach Northwest is rugged, unspoiled and sparsely populated. It's an area of vast wilderness, deserted white sand beaches and turquoise blue sea. It's home to the dolphins of Monkey Mia and the whale sharks of Ningaloo Reef. The Northwest also lays claim to little known Mount Augustus, a monocline twice the size of Uluru.
Then there's the Golden Outback with it's endless red dirt, Aboriginal culture and flourishing mining industry. This is WA's Wild West, renowned for it's former goldrush glory, historic buildings and miner's ghost towns. The Golden Outback extends as far south as the coastal town of Esperance, where one will find an abundance of shockingly pristine white sand beaches.
This collection of Trip Reports and photos provides an insight into how much there is to see and do, and how much time is needed to experience all that WA has to offer.
Perth & Vicinity
Hillary's Boat Harbor (photo by Melnq8)
Swan Valley near harvest (photo by Melnq8)
2011 Sculpture by the sea, Cottesloe Beach (photo by Melnq8)
Cottesloe Beach. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2010)
A DE from Brisbane travelled to Perth, enjoying her visit to Fremantle, Kings Park, watching gold being poured at the Perth Mint, as well as a tree-top walk.
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DNA Tower Kings Park. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2010)
Kings Park fountain and stunning lawns. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2010)
Kings Park tree top walk. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2010)
Enjoying his time in Perth , a visitor from Malaysia writes about his trip in July 2009:
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seoulite33 from Incheon Korea did a loop from Perth to Kalgoorlie to the South West and Back in January 2011: The south west loop - Trip reportssss
Some photos from Perth and vicinity can be found on this TripWow created by Melnq8:
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The Food, Wine and Great Outdoors of the Southwest
Enjoy a fabulous southwest trip report by WA Destination Expert Melnq8 from September 2010. Foodies, hikers and those who enjoy stunning scenery will get a lot of ideas from this report: Wildflowers, Walk Trails and Wine…A Denmark Getaway
Denmark beach (photo by Melnq8)
Food glorious food! (photo by Melnq8)
A “local”, A J, writes about their holiday where they visited Margaret River and the south western area of Western Australia in 2009.
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Lily Dutch Windmill, Stirling Range near Albany (photo by A J)
Elephant Rocks, William Bay National Park (photo by A J)
Free Samples at Margaret River Chocolate Factory...Yum! (photo by A J)
Let's not forget about the timber town of Pemberton with its wonderful food and wineries, towering karri, marri and jarrah trees, and some rather surprising sand dunes:
A feast at Silkwood Winery, Pemberton (photo by Melnq8)
The towering trees of Pemberton (photo by Melnq8)
Yeagerup Dunes, near Pemberton (photo by Melnq8)
seoulite33 from Incheon Korea did a loop from Perth to Kalgoorlie to the South West and Back in January 2011: The south west loop - Trip reportssss
Some photos from Denmark can be found here on this TripWow slideshow created by Melnq8:
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Here's a trip report written by Melnq8, covering a long weekend in Margaret River in March 2011, complete with TripWow slidshow.
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Conspicuous Cliffs, Walpole. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2006)
See the unique Twisted Tingle Tree, Walpole Copyright PerfectlyPerth2006
Leeuwin Lighthouse, Augusta. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2006)
Ellenbrook - the preserved home of the founders of the Margaret River area - the Bussell Family. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2006)
Mammoth Cave, Margaret River. (Copyright PerfectlyPerth2006). Note the flat entrance which allows for wheelchair and pram access. Be aware that there are plenty of stairs once you get a bit into the cave.
The Rugged Northwest
WA Destination Expert Melnq8 shares an itinerary and a few photos from a 17 day Perth-Exmouth-Perth road trip taken in June 2010 and the accompanying TripWow:
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Kalbarri National Park - walking the Loop Gorge Trail (photo by Melnq8)
Shell Beach, Shark Bay (photo by Melnq8)
Feeding the dolphins at Monkey Mia (photo by Melnq8)
Francois Peron National Park (4x4 access only, photo by Melnq8)
The Pinnacles, Nambung National Park (photo by Melnq8)
Stromatolites at Lake Thetis, Nambung Nat'l Park (photo by Melnq8)
In May 2009, a visitor from London wrote about his/her self-drive holiday in Western Australia where he/she drove from Perth to Kalbarri and Monkey Mia to see the friendly dolphins, stopping at various places along the way, then back to Perth before heading down to Margaret River and Albany.
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RitchieR had his first trip to Karijini and Coral Bay and loved the experience. See his report below.
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A wonderful detailed report by Infoaddict driving from Perth to Exmouth and return 12 days:
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A four day visit to Broome and the Bungle Bungles with a tour company was an enjoyable experience in 2009 for this poster from Sydney.
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A visitor from Northern Ireland relates her travels in Western Australia, of driving with “Gerry GPS”, pubs, food and observations about what she saw and experienced noting that “it will be exceedingly difficult to surpass the wonderful experience in this fabulous country” – a great trip report !!!
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Caremyst from Singapore visited WA in June 2010 and explored Perth, Margaret River, Exmouth & Coral Bay over 2 weeks. Check out this great trip report:
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David A from the USA spent 3 weeks in Aug/Sep 2011 on a road trip taking in the natural wonders of of the North West in a campervan experiencing Karijini and Ningaloo with a brief visit to Kalbarri and Pinnacles and other short drive by's like Port Hedland, Tom Price, Carnarvon and brief visit of Broome and Perth themselves... basically maximize Karijinii and Ningalo. Thier trip report contains some very valuable advice regarding the actual drive, and camp grounds etc. Our Travel Experiences - 3 weeks in Northwest Australia
The Wonders of the Golden Outback
The Super Pit, Kalgoorlie (photo by Melnq8)
Esperance beach (photo by Melnq8)
Cape Le Grand National Park (photo by Melnq8)
Local wildlife, Cape Le Grand National Park (photo by Melnq8)