Geography of Western Australia 101

For my American friends :-) Check out the links for a few images to whet your appetite for a West Australian holiday!

The state I live in, Western Australia, is mostly desert. The Pinnacles, which we recently visited, and another rock formation, called Wave Rock, are the major land formations that tourists would be likely to visit. The Pinnacles are about 3-4 hours drive north of the capital city of WA, Perth. Wave Rock is, as near as I can tell, in the middle of nowhere, inland (east) of Perth.

Tourists would also probably visit the picturesque Swan River (but then, that runs right through the middle of Perth) and Rottnest Island, home to reputably cute quokkas (small marsupials) and only a ferry ride from Perth.

South of the capital there is the wine-producing region around Margaret River and the absolutely majestic Karri, Jarrah and Marri forests near Pemberton, one of our favourite places in WA.

Our holiday was to Geraldton, a day's drive north of Perth. One of the highlights of our visit there was our trip to the local branch of the WA Museum, where we saw some amazing shipwreck relics and read tales of some of the most famous wrecks on the Western Australian coast, in particular the VOC Batavia and VOC Zutydorp (of the Dutch East India merchant navy); another VOC ship the Duyfken was credited with European discovery of Australia when it reached her western shores in 1606. Click here for Wikipedia's take on the tragic Batavia story of shipwreck, mutiny and murder. I found it gruesomely fascinating. The Perth-based VOC historical Society calls it "the most horrific mutiny in the annals of maritime history" in the detailed account here. (Please be warned, neither of these accounts would be suitable for children, IMO.)

The north of Western Australia is much more sparsely populated than the south. Most of the towns are there for one of three reasons: the town is a tourist destination (such as Broome), the town provides housing for those involved in the mining industry, mainly gold or iron-ore, also such things as blue asbestos, and those who support it (such as Port Hedland) or the town is an Aboriginal community, with traditional or historical connections to the area (such as Fitzroy Crossing).

There is some breathtaking scenery in the north-west of WA, but fewer people get to see it because it is very remote and often only accessible by 4WD or helicopter, and access is sometimes limited further due to seasonal flooding. The Bungle Bungles and the unexpectedly green canyon oases of the Hamersley Ranges, which I visited as a teen with my parents on one of our annual camping trips, are both spectacular.