Western Australia

Two-thirds of the population are concentrated in and around the state capital, Perth.Western Australia owes its name as the Golden West to the prosperity created by the rich finds of gold in the 'golden mile' between Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie in 1892.The topography of Western Australia is full of contrasts, and it is famed for its very distinctive flora and fauna - the result of its isolation from the rest of the continent by a belt of desert. Visitors are attracted to Western Australia not only by the fascinating scenery and the adventurous world of the outback but also by the profusion of wild flowers in thousands of different species which carpet the land in the southwest of the state in spring (August-November).Most of Western Australia is on the western plateau or tableland, at an average altitude of 200-800 m, which rises gradually from the central Australian depression. On the west this plateau is bounded by the Darling Range round Perth, the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara and the Kimberley in the north. To the west of the geologically very ancient granite shield of the Western Australian tableland with its characteristic rounded hills and crags and its mostly infertile soil, are belts of dunes and narrow coastal plains, in which lie Perth and other towns. On the coasts facing the Indian Ocean and the cold and stormy Southern Ocean, with an alternation of rugged cliffs and sheltered beaches, are scattered fishing villages and holiday settlements.Perth, capital of Western Australia, has developed rapidly in recent years. It has, in the literal as well as the figurative sense, a higher profile, with old buildings of pioneering days giving place to high-rise office blocks. Beautifully situated on the wide Swan River, with resplendent modern buildings to demonstrate its new wealth, Perth offers a wide range of attractions for visitors. The city is a good base for day trips and excursions to many other places of interest and scenic beauty - the port of Fremantle with its well restored old buildings, Rottnest Island, 20km offshore, the dune-fringed coasts to north and south of the city with their popular holiday resorts, the Swan valley, the green Avon valley, Mundaring Weir, which supplies water to the eastern goldfields, and the hills of the Darling Range.Characteristic features of the landscape round Derby are the bottle-shaped boab trees, which can store water in their stout trunks. 7km south of Derby is the Prison Tree, which is said to have served as a jail in the early days of the settlements.