Western Australia

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

A huge and exceptionally diverse area from the northern boab studded Kimberleys through the Pilbara, Mid West, Wheat Belt, Goldfields to the fantastic Great Southern Ocean coastal region. A mix of red canyons, rugged and long sandy beaches, desert, various large mining areas, wildflowers, scenic agricultural and grazing areas and of course the beautiful Swan River.

 Our favourite entry to W.A. is definitely via the Kimberleys. We have done the drive from Katherine in the N.T. to Broome in W.A. both ways. In the wet and dry season as well as after the annual burn offs and simply love it.

 After you pass through the quarantine station on the N.T. and W.A. border where they check all vehicles very carefully it is only a short drive west to the first port of call of Kununurra. The Kununurra, Wyndham and Lake Argyle areas are an oasis in the desert with a multitude of scenic adventures to encounter. From Lake Argyle, Australia’s largest artificial lake averaging around twenty times the size of Sydney harbour, to the unique Bungle Bungles or just a bit of barra fishing there is something in this area for everyone.

 There are a number of good free camps as you cross the Kimberleys with one of the most popular being Mary Pool. Some of the free camps you can park amongst many huge boab trees or go down to Victoria River with the hope of catching a barra for dinner. As you head west a stop at Fitzroy Crossing in the dry season for a cruise on Geikie Gorge is a must. You may also be lucky to arrive in Derby for the mud crab races, which are not good for the crabs as they all end up in the pot, and have a feast of freshly cooked mud crab.

 At the western end of the Kimberleys is Broome. In the dry season Broome becomes vibrant as the population swells with travellers of all types. We also like the lead up to the wet season when you can pick your van site and you have the town and Cable Beach almost to yourself. If you are in the market for some pearls this is the place to come to.

 As you head south from Broome there are a number of small coastal places to stop, relax and do a bit of fishing. One of our favourites is Eighty Mile Beach where you can simply walk over the sand dunes to try your luck at catching a white threadfin or drive for kilometres along the wide beach looking for shells.

 The Western Australian Pilbara is extremely diverse. Most travellers follow the coast and enjoy beautiful beach resort towns like Dampier and Point Sampson. Dampier is Red Dog country and while you stay at Dampier it is good to watch the movie Red Dog which you can borrow from the caravan park. The North West Shelf Gas Project between Karratha and Dampier is worth a drive to see it in the night as well as the day. We thoroughly enjoyed travelling inland to do a tour of the largest open cut iron ore mine in the world at Newman as well as visit the small mining towns of Tom Price and Paraburdoo. Also do not bypass the rocky canyons of Karijini.

 We have a keen interest in wildflowers and for this reason we have driven the Great Northern Highway a couple of times from Newman to Mount Magnet before turning right to Mullewa then down the Wildflower Way to Dalwallinu. We stop at many of the road side stops to view the wild flowers and there are a few other small towns such as Cue and Perenjori to stop overnight along the way.

 For the beach or fishing enthusiast the Mid West coastal regions of Geraldton, Kalbarri, Carnarvon, Coral Bay, Exmouth and Jurien Bay would be right up you alley. If you cannot find a good beach or a fishing spot in these areas you are difficult to please. We are also keen kayakers and we found a number of good sheltered beaches for a casual paddle with our favourite being Coral Bay. I have found these areas to be the best fishing areas in W.A. and if you want a little extra exhilaration I can highly recommend a sky dive at Jurien Bay to drift in from over the ocean with exceptional coastal views to land on the beach. Just south of Jurien Bay is Cervantes and the Cervantes Desert which can be very eerie to drive through when not many other tourists are in sight. If you enjoy your reading another must is to read the book ‘Batavia’ before going to the museum at Geraldton which has a complete section dedicated to the history of the ship Batavia.

 The Wheat Belt area of W.A. is a huge area partially surrounding Perth. We love this area especially in early spring if the wheat and canola farmers are having a favourable year. To drive and look to the horizon to see fields of green wheat and yellow canola broken up by some paddocks of sheep is ‘simply amazing. Dispersed through this are areas of wattle and wildflowers of all descriptions.

 One of our favourite wheat belt towns is Dalwallinu. The local Dalwallinu community hosts ‘Wattle Week’ every year when they organise low cost activities every day for one week based at the towns caravan park. Activities may include bus tours to see the wreath wild flowers near Wubin, a guided trip through the local or bulk wheat handling facility or a visit to various farms to see the life of the farmers and their equipment.

 The field day at Dowerin is one of the largest field days we have been to in Australia. It is easy to fill in a day in here if the weather is good with huge displays of all aspects of farming in this region.

 Every little town in this region has something to offer a little different from the next. Weather it is the Ettamogah Pub at Cunderdin, Wave Rock near Hyden or the Tin Horse Highway at Kulin we have travelled this region for days and I doubt we have seen it all yet.

 One of the areas not so well travelled by a lot of adventurers is the Gold Fields region from Mount Magnet to Leinster, Lenora then Kalgoorlie. It was a fantastic experience to stop at Niagara Dam to back the caravan up to the edge of the dam then have a bon fire in the fire pits provided. The following morning we could look out the back of the van and watch a huge red desert sun rise reflecting on the surface of the dam. Also on this route is Gwalia where a young American engineer by the name of Herbert Hoover was an outstanding mine engineer before working in China then back to Kalgoorlie before returning to U.S.A. where he eventually became President of U.S.A. To see what he achieved and have scones jam and cream with a coffee in Hoover House is worth the drive. In talking to many adventurers Kalgoorlie is a city some like and some hate with not many in between but we loved it and easily spent a week exploring the city and surrounding areas.

 Of course Perth, Freemantle and the Swan River are a highlight of W.A. Whether it is a day at Kings Park overlooking the city of Perth, a ferry ride from Perth to Freemantle down the Swan River, a tour through the Freemantle Prison or just a simple bit of R and R at the Burswood Casino it is very easy to fill your day in around these cities.

  The South West area of W.A. is the most densely populated area of W.A. and it is very easy to obtain copious amounts of information for this area. Most have heard about the southern coastal towns.  Rockingham with the Z Force Memorial as well as Mandurah, Bunbury and Busselton’s coast and waterways plus Margaret River with the wineries and Augusta where you can stand on the headland where the Indian Ocean and the Great Southern Ocean meet. I admit there is a lot to see along this coastal area but do not overlook the slightly inland towns in the not so well known areas.

 The Manjimup and Pemberton area is peppered with some fabulous wineries with restaurants where you can enjoy a good wine and light meal. If you are lucky to be in this area when the Truffle Kerfuffle is being held you will be treated to an amazing time of tasting truffles in various forms. This is followed by some wine tasting. If you stay at the caravan park at Fonty’s Pool where the Truffle Kerfuffle is held it is worth the effort as you can enter and leave the festival when you need a little rest.

 The Southern coastline of W.A. is amazingly scenic however in our opinion pick the season you wish to travel this area. We have been through this region in winter and we found the weather very cold and unfriendly. The tree top air walk at Walpole is a great stop to walk through the tops of the trees and experience nature from a bird’s eye view. Albany is scenic with a must visit to the Princess Royal Fortress museum which is loaded with history and where you can stand and view the harbour where the WWI troops last saw Australia before sailing off to Gallipoli never to see Australia again. The annual vintage car races in Albany are a fantastic step back in time.

 If you think the Albany coast is scenic then wait until you get to Esperance. From Esperance a drive to Cape Le Grand National Park and Lucky Bay to see the proven whitest beach in Australia and return via the life size replica of Stone Henge. The replica of StoneHenge is something not to be seen anywhere else in Australia.

 The last of W.A. is for us is Norseman which is the western end of the Nullarbor Plain Drive from Ceduna in S.A. The Nullarbor is an experience all adventurers should undertake but it is again one of those love or hate experiences. I know mine – what is yours?