Covering an area of 2 and a half million square kilometres, Western Australia covers one third of the Australian continent.  This is in stark contrast to its population of only 1.9 million – one tenth of the country’s entire population.  And to get a feeling of the remoteness of this state, over 72% of people live in or around the capital city, Perth.

This is a state of incredibly diverse landscapes.  Rugged, dramatic ranges and gorges to the north; some of the world’s tallest forests in the south; the arid deserts of the east and almost 13 000 kilometres of pristine coastline to the west.  The climate naturally varies greatly also with the north being tropically humid; the outback dry and the south enjoys a mild Mediterranean type of climate.

Western Australia also boasts some of the world’s most remarkable natural features such as the 350 million year old Bungle Bungle Range; the unique limestone outcrops of the Pinnacles Desert and the magnificent jarrah, karri, tuart and tingle forests of the south west, including the 25 metre wide Giant Red Tingle, considered one of the ten largest living things on the planet.

As for the flora and fauna – there are over 12 000 species of wildflowers found in this state, 75% of which are found nowhere else in the world. The Ningaloo Reef situated on the central west coast is home to an amazing variety of marine life and the playful dolphins of Monkey Mia can found further south. The small island of Rottnest lying just 18 kilometers west of Perth is home to some 10 000 native marsupials called quokkas.

The city of Albany situated on the south coast was the site of the first European settlement and today evidence of its historic past can be found in the numerous examples of heritage buildings and the old whaling station which closed in the late 70s and has now been transformed into Whaleworld – a very interesting and informative journey into the whaling industry.

The fabulous gold discoveries in the 1890s around Kalgoolie and Coolgardie transformed this remote area into a state that today enjoys a thriving economy. As well as being one of the world’s leading producers of gold, iron ore, nickel, diamonds and natural gas, the primary industry (wheat, sheep, beef and timber) and tourism are also booming.