10 things you will love about Western Australia

Australia’s largest state, Western Australia is 2.5 million sq km, about the same size as the whole of Western Europe, but with only around 2.5 million inhabitants.

Stretching from the remote Aboriginal Community of Kalumburu in the north to the coastal town of Esperance in the south, it is bordered by the Northern Territories and South Australia on the east and by the Indian Ocean on the west.

Western Australia is home to hundreds of unique species of fauna and flora and an abundance of marine life on its shores. If you explore the state via Indian Ocean Drive, in addition to stunning coastal scenery, beaches, you’ll find Australia’s most expansive area of Outback, the country’s largest biosphere, unique rock formations, art forms created by one of the oldest living cultures, and the world’s largest fringing reef.

Getting to and around the state is easy, with many options to suit all budgets. If you’re travelling from one of Australia’s other major gateway cities (e.g. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane), you can choose to travel by air, rail, coach, tour bus, or self-drive a car or motorhome. Once in Perth, you’ll find a network of free public buses to explore the city and many options to explore the state.

No matter what your interests are, there is something for everyone in Western Australia. Unique wildlife and landforms, internationally renowned vineyards, stunning coastline, islands and beaches, tropical forests and lush woodlands, aboriginal culture and art forms, an abundance of marine and land activities, and a vibrant city with lots to see, do and experience.

Here are 10 things you’ll love about Western Australia

1. Australia’s largest state has a varied climate, from a temperate, Mediterranean-like climate in the south to tropical in the north, so it doesn’t matter what time of year you go, you’ll always find good weather.
2. Western Australia has the country’s sunniest capital city, Perth, with around 3200 hours of sun a year. Of course, Perth has a lot more to offer than sunshine hours
3. On the western shores, you can enjoy magnificent sunsets over the ocean while eating fish and chips on a Perth beach or on a camel train ride in Broome in the north of the state.
4. Marine enthusiasts will love Ningaloo Reef; this UNESCO World Heritage-listed reef is one of the world’s largest fringing reefs, where you can swim among the corals, whale sharks, whales and dolphins.
5. Adventure seekers will love the extensive Outback with 3 superb routes to explore by 4WD on long distance road-trips. If you’re also a golf enthusiast, you’ll want to take the Eyr Highway route so you can stop en route to play at the Nullarbor Links Golf Course, the world’s longest golf course.
6. Wine lovers will love the Swan Valley, Western Australia’s oldest wine region. Just a 30-minute drive from Perth, you’ll find family wineries where you can meet the makers and sample some internationally renowned wines. You’ll also love the wine region of Margaret River, about four hours south of Perth, where you’ll find bush tucker, winery and brewery tours.
7. Nature lovers will love the many national parks in Western Australia, especially the Fitzgerald Biosphere Reserve. This bushland is the largest national park in Australia and is home to more than 1,800 flowering plants and 19 native mammals. Here you’ll enjoy many activities including bushwalking, wildflower spotting, canoeing, fishing and whale watching.
8. Rottnest Island, which is a short ferry ride from Fremantle, Perth or Hillarys, has something for everyone who loves wildlife, hiking, snorkelling or getting away from it all. This car-free Island is home to the cutest little marsupial, the quokka, and has 63 secluded bays, 20 beaches, and many fascinating snorkelling and diving sites with coral, shipwrecks and an array of fish.
9. History lovers will enjoy Kalgoorlie with its charming colonial architecture. This northern town is located in the centre of Australia’s  gold country. Here you can explore the Royal Flying Doctor’s Visitor Centre, historical gold rush–era buildings and the world’s largest working open-cut goldmine – the Super Pit.
10. And if you love unique experiences, you’ll find an abundance of them in Western Australia. Just a few include: watching (or even feeding) friendly wild dolphins at Monkey Mia, where you can also walk along one of two beaches formed completely of white shells and spot turtles and dugongs; admiring Hamelin Pool Stromatolites, some of the world’s oldest and largest living fossils in the world; exploring, on foot or by air, some of the strangest rock formations such as the Bungle Bungles in the Kimberley’s, 100-metre high beehive shaped domes; a helicopter ride over or chartering a boat to Hillier Lake, a pink salt lake on Middle Island near Esperance; enjoying a magnificent sunset camel train ride on Broome’s Cable Beach, a stunning  22 km white sand beach with turquoise ocean waters.

These are just a few of the things you will love about Western Australia, where you’ll soon realize why it is nicknamed the Golden State and the Wildflower State.