Enjoy the sunny side of Oz...
THERE is so much to see in Western Australia, where you’ll find the great outdoors is even greater, encapsulating the very best of this magical continent.
The welcome here is as warm as the weather, from the locals who want to tell you their favourite places to the fellow travellers sharing their adventure with you.
So if you see only the east coast, you’re missing out on some of the most stunning landscapes, beaches, food and wine and wildlife encounters Australia has to offer – not to mention sunsets that will blow your mind. What’s more, state capital Perth – our closest gateway – is now even closer, being the only Australian city with direct flights from the UK.
Exploring this unspoilt, uncrowded place, naturally full of extraordinary experiences found nowhere else, is the perfect way to experience Australia.
OUTSTANDING BEACHES
STEP on to the Qantas Dreamliner at Heathrow at lunchtime and arrive in bustling Perth at lunchtime the next day.
Australia’s sunniest capital city, Perth effortlessly blends urban cool with raw natural beauty, while offering great value. This beachside city is bursting with new hotels, bars, restaurants, shops and culture – and has the huge Kings Park at its heart.
Just a short drive away are the picturesque wineries of the Swan Valley and a string of outstanding beaches where you can watch amazing Indian Ocean sunsets and even swim with wild dolphins. Perth’s idyllic offshore playground, Rottnest Island, is just a ferry ride away.
Around its shores, 63 stunning beaches, 20 beautiful bays and many coral reefs and wrecks invite you to enjoy some of Australia’s finest swimming spots, snorkel trails and surf breaks. And on dry land, you’ll meet the cutest mini-marsupial, the quokka. This furry creature with a cuddly appearance and a tendency to smile is happy to pose for respectful selfies – and in recent years has become a social-media star.
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT
ARE you up for a swim with the world’s biggest fish? Large numbers of giant but gentle whale sharks, which can grow up to 59ft in length, visit Unesco-listed Ningaloo Reef every year between March and July. It’s a cinematic experience to swim alongside one of these majestic creatures.
If you can’t make it to the pristine Coral Coast during the whale shark season, don’t worry – there are also manta rays, turtles, dolphins, dugongs and 500 species of tropical fish to swim with just a short walk from the shore, all year round. And humpback whales come through between July and November.
Waves, wine and more whales await in the gorgeous Margaret River region, down in the south west – another living aquarium and Australia’s only biodiversity hotspot. This picture-perfect playground is the place to go to savour award-winning Australian wines, craft beers and gourmet foodie treats; swim in clear water at powdery white beaches backed by towering Karri trees, and watch whales splash past coastal beach villages.
AUSTRALIA AT ITS BEST
THERE’S a reason kangaroos sunbathe at Lucky Bay, a perfect curve of beach east of Esperance, on the south coast. Not only does it have Australia’s whitest sand, but its translucent turquoise waters make it incredibly beautiful.
It’s in the idyllic Golden Outback, a region that gives visitors a true taste of the ‘real’ Australia – from epic road trips and goldrush history to jawdropping nature. And the Kimberley is considered one of the last great wildernesses in the world. It blends extraordinary dramatic ancient landscapes such as the Horizontal Falls and Bungle Bungle Range with a tranquil pace and fascinating aboriginal culture dating back tens of thousands of years.
From the longest fringing reef on Earth on the Coral Coast, to bubble-gum pink lakes in the Golden Outback, you’ll find the best of Australia in the unspoilt west, all under a near-permanent canopy of blue sky.
Book your Western Australia adventure now with Trailfinders, the number one tour operator Down Under. Call now on 020 7368 1200 or visit trailfinders.com.