Heartlands

North of the South West and Great Southern regions are the endless plains of the Heartlands region. Where sufficient water is available (supplied by pipelines) wheat alternates with clover grazing for sheep. In the outer regions of the Heartlands, where rainfall is much lower and more irregular, the land must be left fallow after the harvest for one or more years. Merredin is the chief town in this region of small agricultural townships and large isolated farms. The town holds no particular attractions for tourists, but can boast a wheat research institute.

At Southern Cross is where the first gold was found in 1887.