Western Australia is the largest state of Australia with only 10% of the population. The attraction of this state is the diversity of different landscapes. The South offers an outstanding coastline, a huge forest area with hundreds of years old native trees and the Margaret River wine area. While further north you have the opportunity to watch dolphins from close proximity or to visit some of Australia’s most spectacular national parks in the Kimberly’s.

The big variety of landscapes and climates in Western Australia means there is always plenty of sunshine, making it a perfect year-round destination.

It is a land blessed with spectacular diversity where the deep reds of ancient interior rock formations contrast with the sparkling blue of the Indian and Southern Oceans and the lush greenery of the stunning southern regions.

Western Australia is famous for its long days of sunshine, spotless blue skies and brilliant beaches.

There is much to see and do in this part of the State, from swimming in crystal clear ocean waters to enjoying a sunny afternoon sipping a cold beer at an open-air pub.

Perth, the most isolated city on earth, is closer to Singapore than to Sydney. Nearly 80% of the 1.8 Million population of Western Australia live in and around its capital, whilst the other 360,000 people are spread out over a huge land area. The beautifully located Kings Park the city’s botanical gardens, offers nice picnic grounds, plenty of information about native fauna and good views over the city. The Western Australian Museum and the Art Gallery of Western Australia have excellent exhibitions on Aboriginal culture. The Western Australian Museum houses a large collection on meteorites and marine life, while the exhibition of the Art Gallery of Western Australia showcases paintings of Western Australia. A visit to Perth is not complete without a visit to Freemantle, which is the harbour of Perth.

Try dinner at one of the excellent Italian restaurants on the Cappuccino Strip, browse through the Freemantle Markets or just have a wonder around and enjoy the many heritage buildings and soak up the Mediterranean atmosphere of Freemantle.

On this week in Perth

Flanking the broad reaches of the beautiful Swan River, Perth is edged to the west by white sandy beaches and to the east by the gentle wooded slopes of the Darling Ranges. The sunniest of all Australian cities, with an average of eight hours of sunlight per day, this 'al fresco' city has a casual charm. Northbridge, just north of the city centre, is the city's main dining precinct and is a good place to look for a restaurant or café. Fremantle also has many good restaurants and cafés, especially along the Cappuccino Strip in South Terrace. The wide expanse of the Swan River provides an exceptional recreational facility and Perth residents make good use of it with sailing and motor craft, canoes and fishing boats. A pleasant excursion is a river cruise to Upper Swan vineyards to sample their world renowned wines. At the mouth of the Swan River is the historic port of Fremantle, which has been described by international experts as the best preserved seaport in the world. It is filled with terraced houses, galleries, dining venues and more than 3000 heritage buildings. Two of the most interesting historic sites are The Round House, an octagonal structure which is the state's oldest public building dating back to 1830, and Fremantle Prison, which was built by convict labour and used from 1855 to 1991.

You can reach Rottnest Island by ferry from Perth and Freemantle. The only ways to explore this little island are by bike, bus, train or foot, as there are no cars allowed. Take your pick of the idyllic beaches and have a swim in the clear water of the Indian Ocean, or you might prefer snorkelling or scuba diving. The local animal on Rottnest Island is the Quokka, which has its last refuge on this little island.

The area Southeast of Perth is popular for its big variety on natural attractions and forms a nice contrast to the rest of the desert like landscape of this state, only interrupted by some very impressive national parks. Enjoy carpets of wildflowers in spring time (September till November) or taste one or more of the awarded wines of the Margaret River vineyards. This region offers additionally the best surf in Western Australia and is a paradise for every surfer.

You can swim with dolphins in the coastal villages of Bunbury, Busselton and Dunsborough or you may prefer to just watch these fascinating creatures from the beach.

Augusta, another little coastal village, offers the rare opportunity to watch the sunrise over the Southern Ocean and the sunset over the Indian Ocean. To add to the variety of attractions in this area you can also visit excellent lime stone caves.

The coast around Albany and Esperance is spectacular. You can explore coastal cliffs, white sandy beaches, small coves or long stretches of beach with turquoise clear water as well as beautiful groups of islands. The attractive national parks Cape Le Grand, Cape Arid and Fitzgerald, invite you to swim, fish or hike. It’s not only the coast that is worth a visit, the inland offers also some fascinating scenic landscape and rock formations (Wave Rock).

The second largest city of Western Australia Kalgoorlie – Boulder is located about 600 kilometres (375 miles) east of Perth. The city was founded 1893 as a gold mining town and is up to now still the most profitable gold mine in Australia. You will find many heritage buildings in the main street and some quietly ignored brothels in the side streets. Some of them offer guided tours during the day. The Hannan’s North Tourist Mine, is to be found just outside the main city. It shows you an old gold mining camp and gives the opportunity to have a look at a gold mine 30 metres underground. If you want to try your luck, you can hire equipment and go gold digging. The excellent Museum of Gold Fields displays interesting historic photographs and a lift takes you up to the viewing platform where you can look out over the city and mines. Some insight into an old Aussie tradition offers the Two Up School, a school for the Australian game, which is often played in Australian casinos.

The main attraction of the Nambung National Park is the Pinnacles Desert (Limestone pillars thousands of years old), some only a few centimetres high, others towering up to 5 metres with the deep-blue Indian Ocean forming a contrasting background to this fascinating desert scenery.

Monkey Mia within the World Heritage Listed Shark Bay National Park is one of the few sites on earth, where you can watch wild dolphins coming very close to the beach. Two to three dolphins come into the shallows several times daily to have a look at the tourists, who come to see them. Additionally you can go on a cruise to see more dolphins or maybe even sea turtles or dugongs.

Further north is the Ningaloo Reef, which can be reached from Coral Bay or Exmouth. This Reef is very close to the coast and some parts of this fascinating underwater world can be accessed directly from the beach. It is also a breeding ground for turtles (November to January) and from March until July you have the opportunity to go snorkelling with whale sharks (the biggest fish on earth). For the less adventurous, you can just watch them without getting your feet wet. It is also possible to see humpback whales or Manta Rays (from July until November) or, of course you can go scuba diving or snorkelling to enjoy the marine life.

The Karijini National Park is popular for its deep gorges, waterfalls and natural pools, which invite you to a refreshing dip after a hard climb. The Oxers Lookout is an excellent place for an overview over parts of this park. One of the best climbs brings you to the Circular Pools and Fortesque Falls within the Dales Gorge. This hard climb will be rewarded with the refreshing feeling of water out of the waterfall running down your back or just with a dip into one of the natural pools along the way.

The former pearl centre Broome has grown to a popular tourist destination with it’s special attraction due to the all year around pleasant air- and water temperatures. Some of the attractions are the Crocodile Farm, the Stairs to the Moon, a natural spectacle which shows the reflection of the moon over the ocean (only at full moon between April and October), a camel ride along the famous Cable Beach, or catch a movie at the open air cinema under the stars of the Southern Hemisphere. Broome is also starting point for many excursions into the Kimberly region.

Activities: Jet Boating, sailing, swimming, biking, bird watching, Aboriginal tours

The whole area of Northern Australia has two seasons. The Dry (May till October) and The Wet (November till April) In the Wet it is common for parts of this region to be completely cut off and streets will flood and may be impossible to pass.

Another reason to avoid travelling in the wet season to Northern Australia is the Box Jelly Fish, which is very dangerous to humans and is active during this time in the ocean around Northern Australia.

A journey to the many spectacular national parks of the Kimberly’s is one of the last real adventures, as this area is still relatively undeveloped. The Geikie Gorge National Park offers fantastic scenic views over the gorge, boat tours through the gorge and Aboriginal Tours which give some insight into their traditional bush tucker, history of this region and into their culture. The Winjana Gorge National Park is famous for its 3.5 kilometre gorge and at one point along the way it is 90 metres in depth. While in the Tunnel Creek National Park you can walk through a 750 metres long and up to 3 metres wide tunnel which has some historical significance and several paintings of the local Aboriginal communities. Probably the most well known national park within the Kimberly’s is the Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park which is located about 900 kilometres (561 miles) east of Broome. The long trip will be rewarded however, with a unique and spectacular landscape. The best way to see this vast area is by air, although there are some hikes with various lengths and difficulties as an option. The last attraction I would like to mention here is Lake Argyle and the world’s largest Diamond Mine. Lake Argyle is the largest freshwater lake in Australia, however, water sport activities are prohibited as there are approximately 20,000 crocodiles inhabiting the lake area. Therefore, the best way to explore this unique landscape is by boat.

The national parks within the North of Western Australia are only accessible for 4WD cars and most car rental companies allow their vehicles only on certain routes.

Climate Tables:

Please note, that the following charts show average temperatures.