Category: Western Australia

Half an hour’s drive south of Perth on the Kwinana Freeway is the suburb of Jandakot. The suburb’s central feature is Jandakot Airport, one of the busiest airfields and largest aviation training bases in Australia. The main operation of the airport is aviation work rather than transport, with over 300 aircraft based there. Watch the heavy flow of aircraft landing and departing from the Jandakot Flight Centre viewing platform. The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia operates out of the airport. They play a very important role in the rural health system by transporting emergency cases to suburban hospitals. This role is illustrated in their museum and tours can be arranged. Another attraction is the excellent golf course in the heart of Jandakot. The golf complex offers a fully equipped driving range, great for working on that handicap. A meal can be enjoyed at the course’s bistro and bar. Catch all the racing thrills and spills at the local speedway. A great spectacle as the motorbikes, cars and formula 500s tear up the track.

Thirty minutes north of Perth along Toodyay Road is the town of Gidgegannup. Gidgegannup is a very scenic rural area with nature reserves and large farming properties, smaller hobby farms and an abundance of wildflowers in the spring. Just north of the Gidgegannup town site is Noble Falls. The Falls are a wonderful place to picnic, especially in springtime when the water is flowing and the bush along the walking trails is bright with colourful wildflowers. Gidgegannup’s places to dine include a restaurant and a fish and chip shop. There is a tourist information board at the parking bay in the centre of Gidgegannup. There are two bed and breakfast properties offering accommodation. One is on a 75 acre donkey farm and another is at an artist’s retreat where you can swim and canoe in the property’s lake.

Just a 40 minute drive south of Perth, the seaside town of Rockingham offers many memorable experiences. Go swimming with wild dolphins when you take a tour out to the dolphin pods offshore, relax in the clear, sheltered water of Cockburn Sound or head to nearby Point Peron for some scuba diving. Take the ferry out to nearby Penguin Island to see the gorgeous fairy penguins close up; then visit the interpretive centre to gain an understanding of the diminutive birds. Rockingham’s slogan is ‘Your Aquatic Playground’, and it certainly lives up to this claim. Go snorkeling, sailing, or surfing at the beautiful beaches, or try the jetties for fishing and crabbing. Rockingham has a number of beaches safe for children. Rockingham is closely linked to the first settlement of Western Australia, when Captain James Stirling brought the first settlers to Garden Island, just near Rockingham, in 1829. Today Garden Island is home to the West Australian Naval Support facility known as HMAS Stirling. From 1872 to 1903 Rockingham was a major exporter of jarrah timber to many parts of the world. Today Rockingham has ample shops for shopping enthusiasts, plenty of restaurants, cafes and pubs, and a selection of accommodation from resorts to caravan parks.

An hour and a half’s drive north along Wanneroo Road from Perth is the sleepy little fishing town of Ledge Point. The town is a small commercial rock lobster centre which boasts good fishing and beautiful beaches, just right for a relaxing holiday. The Annual Windsurfing Classic kicks off from Ledge Point every January, taking advantage of the world-class windsurfing conditions. The larger town of Lancelin is only 15 minutes north and offers a wide range of leisure activities. Ledge Point has some sporting facilities and is currently developing a nine hole golf course and caravan park within the town centre.

Greenbushes is located 250 kilometres south of Perth and only 17 kilometres from Bridgetown. It is named after the Green Bushes Well, located south of where the town now stands. The well was a watering place on the Bunbury to Bridgetown road and was so named because of the bright green bushes that grew in the area. In 1886, a surveyor reported that the area near the well contained tin in alluvial deposits. In 1888 David William Stinton found half a pound of tin in a gully, which resulted in an influx of miners and prospectors. The town’s prosperity is mainly due to the timber industry, tin, lithium and tantalum mining and farming. There are a number of scenic drives and walks that visitors can enjoy in Greenbushes. Some attractions are the Eco Cultural Discovery Centre, Greenbushes Gwalia Tin Mine, Greenbushes Heritage Park and the Geegalup Heritage Trail. There are two hotels available in the town, both offering meals and accommodation.

Coolgardie is located seven hours’ drive east of Perth and a forty minute drive south west of Kalgoorlie. The Coolgardie of today has retained many aspects of its rich and colourful history. Its charm and friendliness make it a great town in which to discover the past. Coolgardie is world renowned for two events, the birthplace of the great goldrush of 1892 and Varischetti’s amazing mine rescue after nine days trapped in a flooded mine underground. It was once the third largest town in Western Australia with two stock exchanges, three breweries, seven newspapers and 26 hotels. Discover charming and historic Coolgardie with its wide main street and grand heritage buildings. See Australia’s largest bottle and curio collection and fascinating recreated turn of the century pharmaceutical museum. Explore nearby ghost towns and outback nature reserves such as the Department of Conservation and Land Management managed fresh water wetlands at Rowles Lagoon, swim, boat, canoe, bush walk, bird watch, picnic, camp overnight and star gaze. Coolgardie Day, an annual event held in September, celebrates Coolgardie’s birthday with thousands of people from the Goldfields and visitors from across the state coming to town to experience the family fun and activities. The Western Australian Metal Detecting Championships are also held annually in September. Hotel, motel, bed and breakfast and caravan park accommodation is available.

The Vines is located in the foothills of the Darling Ranges, 35 minutes’ drive north east of Perth, in the Swan Valley. The Vines offers the peacefulness and leisurely lifestyle of a rural environment, with the facilities and sophistication of a city. The historical importance of the area is evident in the many colonial style buildings found in this area. Visit the famous Swan Valley wineries, local craft galleries or first class golf course. Self contained and resort style accommodation is available.

Kalbarri National Park is approximately a seven hour drive north of Perth, and stretches 50 kilometres inland from the coast and covers over 183,000 hectares. Surrounding the coastal fishing and holiday town of Kalbarri, the Park is arguably one of the best National Parks in Australia. A main feature is the winding Murchison River, which has cut magnificent red and white banded gorges for 80 kilometres through the Park, as it carves its way to the sea. Gravel roads lead to some of the more interesting gorges where you can explore the river and take in the incredible scenery. ‘The Loop’ gorge has an incredible rock formation known as Nature’s Window, a natural rock arch that frames the view of the river below beautifully. Along the coast are dramatic rugged sandstone cliffs with names like Red Bluff, Eagle Gorge and Mushroom Rock. They make for exciting exploration and wonderfully romantic sunsets. Hiking tours are marked out in the National Park, providing visitors with a chance to discover the Park their own way and in their own time. Springtime (September to December) is one of the best seasons to visit, as the region comes alive with colour. Literally thousands of blooming wildflower species cover the land, attracting enthusiasts from all over. There are no provisions to camp in the Kalbarri National Park, however the town of Kalbarri is nearby and offers an excellent range of accommodation.

Small, rural township with limited retail and banking facilities. Well located however to explore the Margaret River Wine Region with many attractions and wineries only a short distance from the town.

Fifteen minutes’ drive east of Walpole, Nornalup is a small village on the banks of the Frankland River, in the heart of the giant karri forests of the beautiful Walpole Nornalup National Park. Nornalup offers the ultimate natural holiday experience including the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, Frankland River, Bellanger Beach and whale watching off Conspicuous Cliff. Spend time wandering through karri and tingle forests, canoeing on the Frankland River or beachcombing on Conspicuous Beach. The Valley of the Giants is the best place to see huge tingle trees. The tingle forest can be explored at different levels by using the exhilarating Tree Top Walk, a 600 metre long ramp which allows visitors to get a bird’s eye view, high up in the canopy of the giant trees. Within the Frankland River and Nornalup Inlet there is excellent boating, fishing and swimming. Alternatively you can canoe along the river that flows through the forest. During summer the drive down Nornalup Beach Road to Conspicuous Bay and along the coastal plain passes the only known native stand of red flowering gum trees in Western Australia. Nornalup was first settled by Europeans in 1911 when Frenchman Pierre Bellanger and his wife and children took up land in the area. The forest area and stunning Frankland River were preserved as national parks by the foresight of Western Australia’s early premier, Sir James Mitchell. Tea rooms and restaurants are available at the Nornalup town site. Alternative eating establishments also available in Walpole, where Live music is offered periodically at the hotel. Nornalup offers chalets, bed and breakfast accommodation and a caravan park.