Western Australia

Now you don’t need to be an expert map reader to see that Western Australia is big. It seems to take up half the Australian mainland. It’s also sparsely populated. Perth, the capital has about 1.5 million inhabitants but there is often the horizon and then some in distance between towns in the West. To give you some idea of the size of the place, the federal government seats are created to give each one approximately the same number of voters. One seat in Western Australia is huge, about the size of the United Kingdom. That’s a lot of driving just to meet all your constituents. A ‘small’ part of the north of Western Australia is known as The Kimberley. It’s a great place to visit and is bigger than the state of Victoria. WA is big.

So if you are backpacking around Western Australia, think about how you are going to travel. You could fly of course but that can be expensive. You could take the train and there are special deals such as a ticket valid for up to six months which gets you on the Indian Pacific – this runs from Perth to Sydney – and The Ghan which runs from Adelaide to Darwin [neither of which are in Western Australia mind].

Hitching a lift is common with many backpackers. There are notice boards on web sites with offers and requests for lifts. You’ll see notes like “Heading from Perth to Broome in first week of February”. You’ll have to contribute to the petrol [gas] costs but it’s a cheap ride, a way to meet new people and a great way to see the country.

Backpackers can also find work in different parts of the state. Again look out for web sites which list jobs and even make yourself available advertising what you can do and when. Many backpackers make their holiday Down Under last as long as it does by doing odd jobs sometimes for only a day at a time.

Perth has great beaches, a fabulous climate all year round and plenty of pubs and restaurants many of which cater especially for backpackers. Excellent backpacker accommodation is available often with no booking fee. Locally, you have to check out Fremantle, a nearby town with some great old architecture and plenty of backpacker shops and eateries. Take a trip out to Rottnest Island which is about 20 kilometres off the coast. It used to be part of the mainland but some 7000 years ago climate change was all the rage and the sea flooded in and Rottnest was created. It has a fascinating history as a place of internment – a bit like Alcatraz because escapees would need to be darn good swimmers. It was a jail for indigenous Australians in the 19th century and housed prisoners of war [enemy aliens from Germany and Italy] during the two world wars. You can ride a bicycle around the island and there is holiday accommodation available.  If you like diving there are shipwrecks galore. If you enjoy surfing there are great beaches and you can dive for your supper and collect a crayfish or three. A number of movies and TV shows have been made on the Island.

The Kimberley is a long way from Perth but you could easily spend days in this unusual part of the world. Cattle stations up there are bigger than some small countries. There are sealed roads but dirt roads are off the agenda during the wet season. Broome is a big town in The Kimberley and is famous for several things including being the base for pearl harvesting. There is ancient aboriginal art, diamond mining and a huge irrigation scheme on the Ord River. There is plenty of backpacker accommodation in the towns of the Kimberley as well as camping spots especially on some of the cattle stations.

If you head in the opposite direction from Perth, that is south, you’ll come to the Margaret River region which has a fabulous Mediterranean climate, superb scenery, great beaches and the some of the best vineyards in the world. Margaret River wines are superb. There is plenty of budget accommodation as well as camping grounds. If eco-tourism takes your fancy you could walk all or part of the Cape to Cape Track. It takes about 5 or 6 days to do the full stretch. The bird life is stunning and there are dolphins frolicking offshore. You can fish, paddle a canoe or even try some kite surfing. The wildflowers in Spring are some of the most spectacular in the world. Great beaches, great fishing, great climate and just about great everything.

Go West young man is good advice as this vast State offers so much variety and value for your travel dollar. Plan well because of the distances and enjoy the great Western Australia.