"WA - The Mikegr Way!" State of Western Australia by mikegr

I was lucky enough to spend 3 months in WA during my year in Australia 7 weeks of living Fremantle and working in Perth and 5 weeks travelling.

Perth is a very pleasant city, it is manageable in size and incredibly remote. I decided to travel there by Greyhound bus, arriving there an aching 32 hours later. I don't recommend this for anyone who is remotely sane (but I know that there are plenty of you out there that that doesn't apply to!)!

Me and a Quokka (I'm the cute one!)

Whilst in Perth i made a couple of trips into the surrounding countryside.

First, I made the short crossing to Rottnest Island. Staying at the clean and friendly Youth Hostel there, I spent a couple of very enjoyable days cycling and playing with quokkas (the resident marsupials).

Next I hired a car with friends and headed South via Bunbury, Walpole and Margaret River to Albany, returning to Perth via the unspoilt Porongurup National Park. this was a great trip, with beautiful countryside and quiet roads. We also enjoyed visiting the vineyards in Margaret River (I wasn't driving that day as it was my birthday!!!! ;-)

The Bungle Bungles - WA

Departing Perth, I headed North by Greyhound (checkout my transport tip!) stopping off at:

Cervantes (The Pinnacles)
Kalbarri (Z Bends Gorge)
Denholm (Monkey Mia dolphins)
Exmouth (whalesharks May/June)
Broome (Cable Beach)

- and then crossing the Kimberley Plateau via the Gibb River Road, The Bungle Bungles (no sign of Helen Daniels) and Lake Argyll. This stage of the journey was not possible by Greayhound given the rough road conditions so I booked a 9 day camping tour with Kimberley Adventure Tours, who I cannot recommend highly enough. This link should take you straight to their homepage. Their guide, Justin, was fantastic! This is one tour you definitely won't regret taking, and is worth every cent!

I have included notable locations and useful information on the West Coast in my Travelogue - Perth to Exmouth and I have built a seperate page for Broome - please visit them!

• Pros:Perth is a great city and the landscapes are staggering - close encounters with quokkas, dolphins and whalesharks help too!
• Cons:So big you need a bit of time to explore properly.
• In a nutshell:I loved my time in WA. I hope you do too!