Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EXPLORING THE STATE
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Western Australian Tourism Commission
(WATC)
is the official source of information on the state. Its website (www.
westernaustralia.net) provides a good overview, and you may find the
Australian
Tourist Commission's
website (www.australia.com), or the Web pages of local
tourism boards (found under “Visitor Information” in each regional section of
this chapter) useful. Private company
Visit WA
(www.visitwa.com.au) offers an
online tour-planning service.
Also contact the Western Australia
Visitor Centre
in Perth, which dispenses
information about the state, and makes bookings. See section 1 of this chapter
for information. The Department of Conservation and Land Management
(CALM) has information on national and marine parks at www.calm.wa.gov.au.
WHEN TO GO
Perth is blessed with long, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
You'll want warm gear in the Southwest winters, but temperatures rarely hit the
freezing point. Much north of Perth, summer is hell, when temperatures soar to
between 104°F and 120°F (40°C-49°C). Avoid these parts from December to
March; February is worst. Winter (June-Aug) in the mid-, northern, and inland
reaches of the state is pleasantly cool—warm enough for ocean swimming—and
sometimes even hot.
GETTING AROUND
Before you plan a driving tour of this state, consider
the distances (it's three times as big as Texas) and the mostly flat, monotonous
countryside. The Southwest forests make pretty driving; elsewhere, you should
fly, unless you want to count sheep in all those paddocks you will be driving past.
If you do hit the road, remember that Western Australia is largely devoid of peo-
ple, gas stations (keep the gas tank full), and emergency help. Road trains and
wildlife pose a road threat more so here than in any other state. Avoid driving at
night, dusk, and dawn—all prime animal feeding times. Read “Road Condi-
tions & Safety,” in “Getting Around Australia” in chapter 2, before setting off.
The
Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RACWA),
228 Adelaide
Terrace, Perth, WA 6000 (
&
13 17 03;
www.aaa.asn.au), is a good source of
maps and motoring advice. For a recorded road-condition report, call
Main
Roads Western Australia
(
&
1800/013 314
in Australia).
Skywest
(
&
1300/66 00 88 in Australia;
www.skywest.com.au) is the state's
major regional airline, with
Qantas
(
&
13 13 13
in Australia; www.qantas.com.
au) also providing services to smaller centers.
Greyhound Pioneer
(
&
13 20 30
in Australia) is the only interstate coach
company serving Western Australia. It travels the highway from Adelaide over to
Perth, then up the coast to Broome and across to Darwin; it also travels the
remote inland Newman Highway calling at Outback mining towns.
The only train to Western Australia from outside the state is the
Indian
Pacific
, from Sydney via Adelaide and Kalgoorlie to Perth (see “Getting
Around Australia,” in chapter 2). Inside the state, long-distance trains run only in
the southern third. They are operated by
WA G R
(
&
13 10 53
in Western Aus-
tralia, or 08/9326 2000; www.wagr.wa.gov.au) from Perth to Bunbury 2
1
⁄
4
hours
south of Perth, Northam an hour or so eastward in the Avon Valley, and Kalgo-
orlie. WAGR also runs coach services to the Southwest and the southern coast.
All major car- and motor-home-rental companies have offices in Perth.
TOUR OPERATORS
Between them, Western Australia's two biggest coach
tour companies,
Australian Pinnacle Tours
(
&
1800/999 069
in Australia, or
