Things to do in Western Australia
Discover the Best of Western Australia, Region by Region
From shimmering coastlines and ancient rockscapes to world-class wine regions and legendary outback tracks, Western Australia is a land like no other. To help guide your journey, we’ve grouped its standout attractions by region. Whether you’re chasing sunsets on the Coral Coast, wandering vineyard trails in the South West, or navigating the remote beauty of the Kimberley, unforgettable experiences await in every direction.
Regions covered:
- Perth & Peel
- South West
- Great Southern
- Wheatbelt
- Goldfields–Esperance
- Mid West
- Gascoyne
- Pilbara
- Kimberley
🟣 Perth & Peel Travel Guide
The Perth & Peel region blends urban charm with natural beauty, offering something for every type of traveller. In Perth, Western Australia’s vibrant capital, you can explore attractions like Kings Park, one of the largest inner-city parks in the world, or relax along the Swan River. The nearby Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge is home to art galleries, museums, and live performances. Just a short ferry ride away, Rottnest Island invites you to meet the adorable quokkas and enjoy bike rides around turquoise bays.
Heading south into the Peel Region, the city of Mandurah stands out with its canals, dolphin cruises, and waterside dining. Nature lovers will enjoy exploring Dwellingup, a tranquil forest town perfect for hiking and mountain biking, and Serpentine National Park, where you can take a dip at Serpentine Falls. Pinjarra, one of WA’s oldest towns, offers heritage charm, wildlife parks, and picnic spots by the Murray River.
Together, Perth & Peel offer the perfect mix of cultural experiences, nature escapes, and coastal relaxation—all within a short drive from the city.
🏙️ Perth Metropolitan Area: Top Attractions in the Capital City and Suburbs
🌊 Peel Region Highlights: Mandurah, Dwellingup, Pinjarra & Beyond
🌿 South West WA Road Trip Ideas & Attractions
The South West of Western Australia is a region of extraordinary diversity, offering everything from towering forests and wild beaches to premium wine regions and historic country towns. One of the most iconic areas is the Margaret River Region, where visitors can indulge in world-class wineries, surf legendary breaks, and explore ancient limestone caves. Nearby, Busselton’s famous jetty and Dunsborough’s tranquil beaches make for an idyllic coastal escape.
Venture inland and you’ll find yourself in the peaceful Blackwood River Valley, with charming towns like Bridgetown, Balingup, and Nannup offering artisanal food, historic architecture, and forest drives. Further south, the Southern Forests region is home to Pemberton, Northcliffe, and Walpole, where towering karri trees and canopy walks offer breathtaking natural experiences.
Whether you’re sipping chardonnay, hiking through ancient forests, or enjoying coastal adventures, the South West is a premier destination for food lovers, nature enthusiasts, and weekend wanderers alike.
🌊 Geographe Bay Highlights: Busselton, Dunsborough & Bunbury
🌳 Blackwood River Valley Escapes: Bridgetown, Nannup & Balingup
🌲 Southern Forests Adventures: Pemberton, Northcliffe & Walpole
🍷 Margaret River Region Guide: Augusta, Cowaramup & More
🌊 Great Southern WA Travel Guide
The Great Southern is a spectacularly scenic and culturally rich corner of Western Australia, stretching from rugged coastlines to mountainous national parks. Albany stands at its heart, steeped in colonial and military history. It was the first European settlement in WA and a major departure point for ANZAC troops. Today, the National ANZAC Centre and Torndirrup National Park draw both history buffs and nature lovers.
Head west to the Denmark Region, where tall forests meet wild beaches, and boutique wineries dot the countryside. Peaceful Bay lives up to its name, offering safe swimming and great fishing. Inland, the Stirling Range and Porongurup national parks deliver jaw-dropping hikes and panoramic views, especially in wildflower season.
With its mix of heritage, hiking, and cool-climate wine, the Great Southern is a destination for travellers seeking a quieter, more contemplative side of Western Australia—one rich in stories, nature, and serene beauty.
🐚 Albany Coast Must-Sees: Albany, Torndirrup National Park & Beaches
🏞️ Stirling Range & Hinterland Drives: Mount Barker & Porongurup
🌸 Denmark Region Travel Ideas: Peaceful Bay, Greens Pool & Beyond
🌾 Wheatbelt WA Touring Guide
The Wheatbelt region of Western Australia offers more than golden fields and wide horizons—it’s full of surprises, from natural rock formations to historic country towns and seasonal wildflower displays. Iconic sights include Wave Rock, a giant granite cliff shaped like an ocean wave near Hyden, and The Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park, where limestone spires rise from golden sands.
Charming towns like York, Toodyay, and Northam showcase colonial architecture and a slower pace of life, while the Avon Valley becomes a photographer’s paradise during the spring wildflower season. Meanwhile, ghost towns and heritage trails give insight into early settler and farming history, especially around Merredin and Lake Grace.
Whether you’re following the Wildflower Way, discovering quirky public art, or exploring the wide open roads of the Central, Eastern, and Southern Wheatbelt, this region offers an authentic and often underrated outback experience—just a few hours’ drive from Perth.
🏛️ Central Wheatbelt Highlights: Northam, Merredin & York
🪨 Eastern Wheatbelt Discoveries: Hyden, Wave Rock & Southern Cross
🌄 Avon Valley Towns & Trails: Toodyay, Beverley & Goomalling
🌻 Northern Wheatbelt Wildflowers: Dalwallinu & Wongan Hills
🚗 Southern Wheatbelt Drive: Narrogin, Lake Grace & Country Escapes
🟡 Goldfields–Esperance Region Explorer
Western Australia’s Goldfields region is steeped in mining history and outback charm, offering a mix of grand-scale industrial marvels, ghost towns, and historic heritage. At the heart of the region lies Kalgoorlie-Boulder, home to the iconic Super Pit, one of the largest open-cut gold mines in the world. A visit to the Museum of the Goldfields reveals the boom-and-bust tales of gold rush towns that once drew fortune-seekers from around the globe.
Beyond Kalgoorlie, travellers can step back in time at Leonora and Gwalia, a well-preserved ghost town with links to a young Herbert Hoover, or wander the quirky mining relics of Hannans North Tourist Mine. The region also surprises with natural wonders like Wave Rock, a striking granite formation shaped like a breaking wave, and Lake Ballard, where Antony Gormley’s haunting sculptures rise from the salt crust.
Whether you’re a history buff, a geology enthusiast, or simply seeking unique photo opportunities, the Goldfields promises a rewarding outback adventure rich in stories and rugged beauty. It’s the perfect starting point for deeper explorations across inland WA.
⛏️ Goldfields Heritage Trail: Kalgoorlie, Leonora & Laverton
🌊 Esperance Coastline Adventures: Cape Le Grand & Pink Lake
🛣️ Outback Tracks & Remote Drives: Great Central Road & Nullarbor
🌅 Mid West WA Attractions & Nature Spots
Western Australia’s Mid West region blends red-earth outback with turquoise coastline, making it one of the state’s most diverse travel destinations. Inland, you’ll discover charming country towns like Mullewa and Mount Magnet, especially popular in wildflower season when the landscape bursts into colour. Historic walking trails, such as the Monsignor Hawes Heritage Trail, take visitors through the region’s architectural and religious history.
Along the coast, the vibrant city of Geraldton offers relaxed beaches, a scenic foreshore, and access to the pristine Abrolhos Islands, known for their coral reefs, fishing huts, and the dramatic story of the Batavia shipwreck. Further north, Kalbarri National Park stuns with its coastal cliffs, deep gorges, and the photogenic Nature’s Window.
Whether you’re chasing wildflowers, discovering ghost towns, or soaring over island lagoons, the Mid West serves up a blend of natural wonders, cultural heritage, and small-town charm—ideal for road trippers and adventure seekers alike.
🐠 Coral Coast North: Kalbarri, Geraldton & Hutt Lagoon
⛰️ Inland Mid West Towns: Mullewa, Mount Magnet & Cue
🌊 Abrolhos Islands Guide: Snorkelling & Marine Wildlife off Geraldton
🐚 Gascoyne Region Travel Guide
The Gascoyne region of Western Australia is defined by its extraordinary coastline, ancient landscapes, and vibrant marine life. It’s home to the Ningaloo Coast, where the townships of Coral Bay and Exmouth act as gateways to the Ningaloo Reef, one of the world’s longest fringing reefs. This World Heritage-listed wonder offers unforgettable wildlife experiences—like swimming with whale sharks, snorkelling coral gardens, or spotting turtles and manta rays.
Inland, the Kennedy Range and the Gascoyne River carve through desert landscapes around Carnarvon, where fertile soils support banana plantations, tropical fruits, and produce markets. The region also has strong cultural ties, with Aboriginal heritage woven through the land’s dreaming stories, sacred sites, and rock art.
From reef to range, the Gascoyne is a region for explorers—both above and below the waterline. It’s where rugged outback beauty meets rich marine biodiversity in a way few places on Earth can match.
🐋 Ningaloo Coast Adventures: Coral Bay & Exmouth Marine Wonders
🏜️ Inland Gascoyne Discoveries: Carnarvon & Kennedy Range National Park
🔴 Pilbara Region Road Trip Ideas
The Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia is a striking landscape of red earth, ancient rock formations, and rugged gorges. Renowned for its dramatic scenery and deep cultural significance, the Pilbara is home to one of Australia’s most beloved natural icons: Karijini National Park. Here, adventurers can hike through narrow chasms, swim in rock pools, and marvel at waterfalls tucked between billion-year-old cliffs.
On the coast, towns like Karratha and Port Hedland showcase the Pilbara’s industrial heart, but also offer unique natural experiences. The Dampier Archipelago is a marine playground of coral reefs and island escapes, while Staircase to the Moon, a natural lunar illusion, draws photographers and stargazers to Hearson’s Cove.
Rich in Aboriginal heritage, mining history, and outback adventures, the Pilbara blends raw natural power with cultural depth. It’s a destination for those who want to connect with the land—and be awed by it.
🌴 Coastal Pilbara Towns: Karratha, Dampier & Port Hedland
🏞️ Inland Pilbara Highlights: Karijini National Park, Tom Price & Marble Bar
🟢 Kimberley Region Travel Guide
The Kimberley is Western Australia’s final frontier—a wild and remote region filled with ancient landscapes, Aboriginal stories, and some of the most dramatic scenery in the country. In the West Kimberley, Broome is the tropical gateway to Cable Beach, famous for camel rides at sunset and rich pearling history. The tidal marvel of the Horizontal Falls, reachable only by air or boat, is a must-see natural phenomenon.
To the east, the Bungle Bungles in Purnululu National Park rise from the desert in beehive-shaped glory, while Lake Argyle and the Ord River create a lush oasis near Kununurra. The Central Kimberley is dominated by the legendary Gibb River Road, offering a 660km adventure through gorges, waterfalls, and outback cattle stations, including icons like Bell Gorge, Tunnel Creek, and Windjana Gorge.
Remote, rugged, and rich in Indigenous culture, the Kimberley is a bucket list destination for travellers seeking raw beauty and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
🐬 West Kimberley Icons: Broome, Derby & Horizontal Falls
⛵ East Kimberley Adventures: Kununurra, Lake Argyle & Purnululu
🏕️ Central Kimberley 4WD Routes: Gibb River Road & Windjana Gorge
Experience the Vast Wonders of Western Australia
From the stunning coastline of the Coral Coast and the gourmet delights of the South West to the ancient gorges of Karijini and the iconic wilderness of the Kimberley, Western Australia is a land of extraordinary contrasts. Whether you’re chasing sunsets on Cable Beach, snorkeling with whale sharks, or climbing towering forests, the Sunshine State of the west is an adventure lover’s dream. Begin your journey across WA’s epic landscapes today.
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