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Western Australia

If the vast expanse of Western Australia (WA) was a separate nation, it would be the world's 10th-largest (bigger than Algeria, smaller than Kazakhstan). Most of WA's population clings to the coast, yet you can wander along a beach here without seeing another footprint, or be one of a few scattered campers stargazing in a national park.

There's something unfettered and alive about this place – a frontier spirit that's free from the baggage of east-coast concerns. This is also an ancient land and its Aboriginal cultures are more visibly present than in much of the rest of Australia.

The state's fertile southwest is a playground of white-sand coves, rampant wildflowers and lush forests abuzz with wildlife. Up north in the big-sky, red-dirt Pilbara and Kimberley you'll encounter gorgeous gorges and mesmerising waterfalls – and no one else for miles and miles. In between is 12,500km of truly spectacular coastline.

Explore Western Australia

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Western Australia.

  • National Park

    Purnululu National Park

    Looking like a packet of half-melted Jaffas, World Heritage Purnululu is home to the incredible ochre and black striped 'beehive' domes of the Bungle…

  • National Park

    Murujuga National Park

    Murujuga is home to the world's largest concentration of rock art (dating back more than 30,000 years), stretched out along the rocky hills of the heavily…

  • Wildlife Reserve

    Mornington Wilderness Camp

    Part of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, the superb Mornington Wilderness Camp is as remote as it gets, lying on the Fitzroy River, an incredibly…

  • Beach

    Turquoise Bay

    This perfect sweep of powdery-white sand, lapped at by cerulean waters, is considered one of the top beaches in Australia. If snorkelling at the reef near…

  • Beach

    Cable Beach

    WA's most famous landmark offers turquoise waters and beautiful white sand curving away to the sunset. Clothing is optional north of the rocks, while…

  • Museum

    National Anzac Centre

    Opened for Albany's Anzac centenary commemorations in late 2014, this superb museum remembers the men and women who left by convoy from Albany to fight in…

  • Marine Reserve

    Hamelin Pool

    Twenty-nine kilometres along Shark Bay Rd from the Overlander Roadhouse is the turn-off for Hamelin Pool, a marine reserve with the world's best-known…

  • Archaeological Site

    Walga Rock

    Some 48km west of Cue via unsealed road, this granite monolith is Australia's second largest after Uluru (Ayers Rock). The shallow cave here is the…

  • Sculpture

    Inside Australia

    Imagine: the salt crust crunching underfoot as you approach one metal sentinel after another, or the white of the salt meeting the red outback dirt and…

  • Gallery

    East Pilbara Arts Centre

    This state-of-the-art gallery is home to one of the state’s most successful art collectives, Martumili Artists, and is a beautiful setting in which to…

  • Gorge

    Hancock Gorge

    The trail through Hancock Gorge is one of the shortest (400m, 80 minutes return) but also one of the most challenging in the park. A steep descent (partly…

  • Beach

    Gnaraloo Bay

    Some 7km north of Gnaraloo Station, past the airstrip, this crescent of white sand is as gorgeous as beaches come. You can snorkel in the cerulean waters,…

  • Gallery

    Tulyurru Regional Gallery

    This terrific art gallery is Australia's largest Aboriginal-owned collection of Aboriginal art. The focus is on Ngaanyatjarra paintings by dozens of…

  • Beach

    Lucky Bay

    One of Australia's top beaches, Lucky Bay has sand so white and so fine that is squeaks underfoot like rubber. Good for kite- and windsurfing. Tame…

  • Natural Feature

    Wave Rock

    The multicolored cresting swell of Wave Rock, 209 miles (336km) east of Perth, formed some 60 million years ago by weathering and water erosion. Streaked…

  • Park

    Kings Park & Botanic Garden

    The 400-hectare, bush-filled expanse of Kings Park, smack in the city centre and enjoying epic views, is Perth's pride and joy. The Botanic Garden…

  • Historic Building

    Fremantle Prison

    With its forbidding 5m-high walls, the old convict-era prison dominates Fremantle. Various daytime tours explore the jail's maximum-security past, give…

  • National Park

    Nambung National Park

    Around 14km from Cervantes, Nambung is home to the eye-popping Pinnacles Desert, a vast, alien-like plain studded with thousands of jaunty limestone…

  • Bay

    Monkey Mia Marine Reserve

    It's hard not to smile as Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins start arriving for a breakfast snack. Note that during feedings, visitors are restricted to the…

  • Gorge

    Dales Gorge

    From the Fortescue Falls car park, a trail descends steeply via a long staircase to stunning Fortescue Falls (the park's only permanent waterfall; about…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Western Australia.

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