Helpful Travel Information - Western Australia

Western Australia is massive. It has a huge diversity of landscape, it's not too touristy and you're pretty much guaranteed brilliant blue skies and an average of eight hours sunshine per day...ahhhh! The capital city of Perth even manages to combine the sophistication of city life with a relaxed young lifestyle.

WA also has stacks of natural attractions. There's the towering Karri forest in the south west, the 350 million year old sandstone range of the Bungle Bungle and the seemingly endless stretch of the Nullarbor Plain. WA's 12 500 kilometres of coastline has remarkable beaches with crystal clear water, unmissable whale sharks of Ningaloo Reef and the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight in the south.

SAFARI PETE'S 'DON'T MISS' LIST

The Sunday 'Sesh':

Spending a sunny Sunday afternoon in a pub by the beach is a Perth institution. Try the Cottesloe Hotel, the OBH Hotel (Cottesloe Beach) Caves House (Yallingup), the Stamford Arms or the Indy Bar (Scarborough).

Monkey Mia dolphins:

Head to the world heritage listed Monkey Mia for a true 'shiver shake' moment. Even the most independent traveller won't fail to be moved by the sight of the dolphins here. While you can't actually touch the dolphins, you can get in the water with these beautiful serene creatures guided by the CALM rangers.

Catch some waves:

WA has some of the best beaches in the world. Hire a board and catch some waves with the locals (or have a surf lesson if you're a novice!) Surfing is popular at Scarborough or head to Margaret River for one of the longest surf breaks in the world (after Jeffries Bay in South Africa).

Dive with a whale-shark:

There are few experiences in the world that would rival diving or snorkelling with the whale shark (the largest fish in the world) on the spectacular Ningaloo Reef. The sharks come right up onto the surface of the tropical coral reef every year from April and June.

SAFARI PETE'S QUICK FACTS

Size:

Western Australia is huge!! It spans 2.5 million square kilometres.

Telephone Area Code:

Time Zone:

GMT plus 8 hours. Western Australia operates on Western Standard Time. (WST).

Population:

1 918 900

Capital city:

Perth is WA's capital and has a population of 1.3 million people.

Climate:

Western Australia is so large it extends into different climatic zones. The north of the state is warm and dry while its cool and wet in south. The year round average of 23 degrees Celcius guarantees you pretty good weather all year round.

GETTING ABOUT

Getting to Western Australia

Train/Coach: Most international backpackers are surprised by how isolated WA is - it's a 56 hour bus ride to Darwin or 72 hours on the famous Indian Pacific rail journey from Sydney to Perth via Adelaide. A good way to make the most of the long journey is to join a small backpacker travel group. The interstate train/bus station (Westrail Centre) is in Lord St in East Perth.
Plane: Perth has an international airport and a number of overseas airlines use Perth as their gateway to Australia. There are also direct flights to Perth from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Uluru, Darwin and Alice Springs as well as a number of regional centres. Perth's international and domestic airports are about 8km east of the city and 10km apart. The Airport Shuttle operates between both Domestic and International airport to hostels 24 hours. A cheaper option is to use to the suburban bus that runs a service from the domestic airport to the city (40 mins).

Getting Around Western Australia

There are numerous options for getting around WA ranging from driving yourself to catching buses or trains. The most extensive form of transport is bus (YHA Travel sells express and bus pass tickets for all companies). Westrail Rural trains cover limited routes around the state.
Info and links to trains, buses and timetables for Perth can be found on Perth's public transport website www.transperth.wa.gov.au