Western Australia

Covering just over a third of the landmass, Western Australia is both the largest and the emptiest state in the country.

Aside from a verdant coastal strip in the southwest, the state is mostly a harsh desert, almost all the populace is gathered on this coastal strip with the rest scattered amongst isolated inland settlements, mining communities and sheep stations.

The first Europeans to WA were the Dutch, charting the coast was an obvious extension of their Indonesian enterprise, however they and subsequent explorers considered the land too hot and dusty for settlement. Only when the French, in the early 19th century, began sniffing around did the English decide to set up shop. In 1826 they founded Frederickstown (now Albany) and in 1828 the Swan River Colony (Perth). Though the embryonic community struggled initially, it was boosted by the arrival of convict labour in the 1850's. The rationale of making this a penal destination was that the bad guys had nowhere to run to. Convicts built the infrastructure of the state but growth only really took off with the discovery of vast mineral wealth in the interior. Even now mining makes WA a rich state. This financial independence led to a secessionist movement in the 1930's that never finally materialised but WA retains a strong sense of independence apart from the conurbations of the east coast.

The Mediterranean climate of the South West may make the area the most 'livable' but the seared desert and the tropical north are the places where the places of most interest lie within the state. Take a trip onto the Nullarbor Plain or the Great Sandy Desert for a glimpse of the outback. Some of the strangest and most memorable scenery in the country is in the Bungle Bungles (its proper name is the Purnululu National Park but no one calls it that). It is hot and not easily accessed, just over 20 000 people are allowed to visit annually, but the chasms and bizarre rock outcrops are well worth the effort.

For more standard tourist fare outside of Perth stick to the coast, stunning beaches, the wine lands and a proper infrastructure; for a look at wild Australia get inland or go north to the still untamed Kimberley region.