Introduction to Perth and Western Australia

Western Australia (WA), the "Boom State," has experienced incredible growth thanks to international demand for its natural resources, especially iron ore, nickel, aluminum, gold, and natural gas. Unemployment is low, demand is high for houses and skills, and there's a buzz in the air. The downside for visitors is that hotels and restaurants can be heavily booked but, paradoxically, short-staffed.

The other thing about WA is how big and empty it is. WA covers a third of Australia, at over 2.5 million sq. km (1 million sq. miles), but has only 2.1 million inhabitants -- almost 75% (1.5 million) of whom live in Perth. And Perth is the most remote large city on earth -- Adelaide is 2,700km (1,700 miles) away.

The state may be enormous, but there are several jewels to entice and entertain. Domestic flights are not expensive and international travelers can use air passes. It's worth the trip for great wine regions, some of Australia's best snorkeling and diving, historic towns, splendid if scattered natural scenery, and a chance to really go "Outback." Every spring (Aug-Oct), wildflowers carpet much of the state. The capital, Perth, has a fabulous outdoor life with parks, rivers and beaches, great walking and biking trails, excellent food, and a beautiful historic port, Fremantle.

The Southwest corner of the state, below Perth, is the prettiest part. Vineyards and pastures sit between massive stands of karri and jarrah trees, the surf is world-class, there are sparkling limestone caverns, and the coastline is rugged. The Margaret River region has some of Australia's most acclaimed wines, and many top-notch eateries -- and en route you can swim with dolphins in the wild.

Head east 596km (372 miles) inland from Perth and you strike what, in the 1890s, was the richest square mile of gold-bearing earth the world has seen. The mining town of Kalgoorlie is a repository of ornate 19th-century architecture, and still Australia's biggest gold producer. If Australia has an answer to the Wild West, Kalgoorlie is it.

Head north of Perth and you reach the Outback. Red sand, scrubby trees, and spinifex grass are all you see for hundreds of miles. About 855km (534 miles) north of Perth, wild dolphins make daily visits to the shores of Monkey Mia. Another 713km (445 miles) on is Exmouth, entry point to one of Australia's best-kept secrets, the 300km (187-mile) fringing Ningaloo coral reef along the Outback shore.

The rugged northern portion of Western Australia is known as the Kimberley. It's been called Australia's last frontier, a vast empty region of cattle ranching, a few Aboriginal settlements, and the exotic coastal town of Broome. This is a rocky region of red cliffs, strange bulbous boab trees, waterfalls, and billabongs. You can visit an enormous cattle station (ranch), see Aboriginal rock art, ride a camel on the beach, and shop for the world's biggest South Sea pearls.