WA’s South-West filled with unique holiday experiences

There’s nowhere else like it in the world. With its stunning landscapes, adorable wildlife and incredible experiences, Western Australia is truly a unique holiday destination.

It’s the place where you’ll find the “world’s happiest animal”, the quokka; where the red dirt of the Australian desert meets the ocean and people can swim with the biggest sharks on the planet, the whale shark. It’s a place where you can see ancient rock art and where you can spend all day amongst the vineyards in a world-famous wine-growing region and then, a few minutes’ drive up the road, watch the sun set over the waters of the Indian Ocean.

Western Australia is a remarkable place. Different, even, from the rest of Australia — let alone the world. And the jewel in the crown is the South-West. Let’s take a close look at what makes this corner of the world so popular with visitors from America, Asia, and Australia alike.

Wonderful wildlife

What Western Australia lacks in koalas (it doesn’t have any) it makes up for in an incredible abundance of wildlife. It’s home to 141 of Australia’s 207 native mammals — 25 of which are unique to the state. It also has 500 reptile species.

The South-West region is a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot and there are 20 National Parks where you can spot native birds and marsupials in the wild. They’re often animals with splendid names: the Potoroo, the Quenda, the Bandicoot, the Phascogale, the Goanna, and the Echidna. If you’re a lover of animals, the best way to ensure you see these adorable creatures is to visit one of the South-West’s six wildlife parks.

Fantastic flora

Australians use the term “the bush” to describe anywhere that’s outside the city and suburbs — and “the bush” in the South-West is incredibly diverse. Holiday-makers shouldn’t miss the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk, where you can climb up into the top of the trees and get a possum’s eye view of the majestic Karri forest near Walpole on the South Coast.

Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk

There are also incredible Tingle and Tuart forests to explore, hundreds of kilometres of untouched coastal heath and scrubland, and magnificent wildflowers unlike anything else on Earth (August to November). You can even climb 61 metres up into the canopy of Pemberton’s Gloucester Tree.

Beautiful beaches

While WA’s capital city of Perth has 19 beaches, including the picture-perfect Cottesloe Beach, there are hundreds of places for lovers of surf and sand to explore in the State’s South-West.

Margaret River is one of Australia’s most famous surfing spots, but there are also plenty of other breaks along the South-West coast for those who love to get out into the waves. It’s possible to do a five-day surfing tour and never surf the same break twice.

Amazing surf spots all along the Margaret River coastline from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin.

There are also plenty of options for people who love snorkelling and diving to see WA’s unique marine life (and explore dive wrecks, like former HMAS Perth off the coast of Albany).  There’s also whale watching, fishing, or just getting out on the water and having fun.

History, arts and culture

Of course, the South-West also has plenty to offer beyond its unique natural beauty and diversity. It has many great cultural, artistic and historical experiences for holiday-makers to enjoy, too. There’s the fascinating local Indigenous history and cultures to explore, where you can learn about the Aboriginal Dreaming (cultural history and mythology), see places of importance to this ancient culture and hear a didgeridoo being played.

Thanks to the South-West’s beauty it has also attracted hundreds of creative people from all over the world, so there are plenty of art galleries, festivals, crafts and cultural events to experience.

Wonderful wine

No trip to the South-West would be complete without sampling some of the region’s famous wine. Margaret River is, of course, renowned around the world for the quality of its wines. The region produces 20 per cent of Australia’s premium wines — thanks to its fertile soil and climatic conditions similar to Burgundy in France. But there is also the Great Southern wine-growing region, around Albany, Mount Barker and Denmark, which is well-known for the quality of its wine, too.

With so many attractions, the South-West is well-equipped to meet all the demands any traveller might have. There are wonderful cafes, shops, galleries, wineries, restaurants and places to stay throughout the region.

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