Category: Western Australia

Wickham Western Australia Australia

City Beach Western Australia Australia

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.

Dalwallinu is a sheep and wheat farming town located three hours’ drive north of Perth along the Great Northern Highway. Dalwallinu is the first town along the Wildflower Way, a route that stretches north to Mullewa and showcases beautiful wildflowers carpeting the countryside. The wildflower season is from July to October, and during this time thousands of nature enthusiasts make the trip along the Way. Every September, Dalwallinu hosts the Wattle Week Festival to celebrate the wildflower season. A street parade, market day and cabaret are some of the festivities. Dalwallinu has an interesting history. The first graziers in the district were Benedictine monks from New Norcia who shepherded sheep on vast pastoral leases taken up in the nineteenth century. However, European settlers arrived at Dalwallinu in 1907 with the ambition to develop the area into a wheat-growing region. In 1909 the land was surveyed and in 1910 it was opened up for selection. The first crops were sown the same year. Pioneers in the area demonstrated tremendous strength and diligence as they endured basic living standards while they established their first crops. Towns formed along the railway line that was completed in 1914. Previous to European settlement, the first known occupants of the land which now comprises the Shire of Dalwallinu were Aboriginal groups who had no strict boundaries, but used the area for hunting and gathering in the nomadic fashion. The Badima people live in the northern tracts of the shire, while the Galamaia people occupy land throughout the shire and beyond. Accommodation is available at a hotel/motel, bed and breakfast and caravan park.