Western Australia

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday October 19, 2004

Chris Watson

North

Broome, the capital of Western Australia's northern region, simply oozes colour. It is quickly becoming one of Australia's most popular domestic tourist destinations as it sits right on the Indian Ocean's doorstep and is the gateway to what may be the nation's last frontier of pristine winderness, the Kimberley.

If you are looking for an authentic Australian outback adventure, this is one of the places to go.

The region around Broome has dinosaur footprints preserved in rock from the dawn of time, you can rest on the white sand of Cable Beach, venture into red-earth country in a four-wheel drive or cruise the many waterways of the region.

Pearling heritage is strong in Broome and visitors can explore pearl farms or buy locally made pearl jewellery.

A little south of Broome is the Pilbara, home to three world-class national parks and famous for its red earth and the rock formations of Karijini National Park, which can be toured

from coastal towns via day

trips or camping expeditions. Further inland again is Ruddall River National Park, a spot for four-wheel driving and sleeping under the stars.

Anywhere in this region is good if fishing is your thing, from barramundi in the northern coastal areas or out in a boat to the pristine Dampier Archipelago off the Pilbara coast.

Dampier boasts the highest density of Aboriginal rock art in the world, and there are pockets throughout the Kimberley, with plenty of galleries for more modern works.

Mining is also big in the area and you can visit some of the world's largest open-cut mines

and watch the world's longest trains fly past.

Right in the far north is Kununurra,

the gateway

to WA's

top end.

west

From Albany, through Perth and up to Broome there is plenty to see on the west coast, but visitors can get even further west if they like.

In the Indian Ocean more than 2000km from Perth are the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island, which make up part of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories.

There are 27 islands in the Cocos group with a range of accommodation. West Island is the administrative centre of the group and a ferry runs from there to Home Island, which has a museum and the Clunies Ross Home.

Christmas Island is a dot in the Indian Ocean 2600km north-west of Perth and even though it is Australian territory its nearest neighbour is Java, 360km away.

More than 60 per cent of Christmas Island is a national park containing some flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world, with its most noticable resident probably the red crab, with more than 100 million of them living on the forest floor.

The island has a unique population with a blend of Chinese, Malay and Caucasion that provides a diverse cultural and cuisine experience.

Due to its remote location the island is a sales tax exempt zone and GST does not apply.

The island rises dramatically from the edge of the Java Trench, the Indian Ocean's deepest point, providing some of the best scuba diving in the world with many of the longest drop-offs known to man, some only 20 metres from the shoreline.

Within a few hundred metres of boat ramps it is possible to fish in 500 metres of water for sailfish, tuna and wahoo, and when the ocean currents bring the tuna in you can see 100kg fish feeding on the surface.

south

The south-west region of Western Australia, around Bunbury, Margaret River, Walpole and Albany, provides some of the most varied travel experiences in the state.

There's the timber towns along the Blackwood River Valley, with their famous festivals including the Bridgetown Blues Festival and the Nannup Music Festival, plus their art galleries, craft and antique shops.

In the Margaret River Wine Region, covering the area around Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin and the popular seaside town of Busselton, there is more than wine and fine food, flavoursome olive oil, premium cheeses and hand-made chocolates. Also to be found is Dunsborough, a highly regarded dive spot which boasts the famous HMAS Swan dive wreck, also visible to snorkellers, and the world-famous Margaret River surf waves which have turned the area into a surfing mecca.

In Albany there are more fascinating diving experiences including the HMAS Perth dive wreck, which again can be viewed by snorkellers or from an underwater boat observatory, but the town is best known for its whaling history, now preserved in an oceanside museum that was once an old whaling station, and its whale-watching boat trips. There are purpose-built lookout platforms along the coast providing great vantage points for whale watching.

Albany was Western Australia's first European settlement and the state's original capital, and the waters of King George Sound, Princess Royal and Oyster harbours form the centrepiece of the city.

At Walpole visitors can go eco-cruising around the Nornalup Inlet. The area is also home to the famous Valley of the Giants Tree-Top Walk, suspended 40 metres above the forest floor.

In spring, the Stirling Range National Park is the place to be for wildflowers.

east

The east of Western Australia is their Golden Outback, where four-wheel drivers can relish the Canning Stock Route, the Gunbarrel Highway through to Uluru and the sealed Eyre Highway across the Nullabor.

Down on the coast the small town of Esperance is an attraction with its world-class windsurfing and diving, but it's the Kalgoorlie goldfields that hold a unique place in Australian history.

Not only is it the gold capital of Australia, boasting the finest heritage goldfields architecture in the world, but Kalgoorlie offers an extraordinary range of attractions, historic trails and pleasant drives.

The city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder offers visitors the opportunity to see and experience how the early prospectors challenged the outback.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder is Australia's largest outback city and the historic centre of Western Australia, complete with ghost towns and fascinating stories.

There is no end to the riches of the region, from the exploits of the early prospectors captured by the new interpretive Golden Quest Discovery Trail and the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail.

Visits to the townships of Coolgardie, Leonora/Gwalia or Menzies offer an insight into the goldfields with heritage buildings, old abandoned mines, townships and cemeteries.

Many of Kalgoorlie's attractions reflect its historical ties and include the Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame, an underground tour of the historic Hannans North Mine, the KCGM Super Pit viewing platform where you can look over one of Australia's largest gold producing open-cut pits, and a variety of museums.

A visit to Lake Ballard to see the 51 sculptures created by international artist Antony Gormley is a rare experience.

© 2004 Newcastle Herald

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