The West Australian Coast was first sighted by the Dutch in the early 1600's. Many expeditions were led in an effort to find spices and metals but many ships were wrecked on unexpected reefs, or came to disaster in heavy seas or surf. The Dutch and French had been ordered to take possession of parts of
Western Australia but no Europeans tried to settle here. Little did they realise the wealth of West
Australia's underground, with minerals, diamonds, gold and an enormous artesian basin that today adequately supplies the entire state with fresh water.
It wasn't until 1827 that Captain James Stirling, captain of His Majesty's Royal Navy selected the Swan River as the site of a port and naval station on the western side of the huge Australian continent. He discovered everything he wanted to find; the tranquil, meandering Swan River was beautiful, the earth was rich and believed to grow almost anything and he discovered three safe anchorages for ships. The Swan River area was reported to be the finest place on the West Australian coast.
It was two years later, on 2 May 1829 that Charles
Fremantle claimed 2.5 million square km for Britain. The name
Fremantle was given to the colony's port but the site for the capital
Perth was chosen a little way up the Swan. It was to be a free colony with Britain offering generous land offers for first-comers. However, the new colony suffered, with only pockets of good land, disease and suffering. The south-west corner of
Australia was an isolated triangle. Ocean surrounded two sides, desert the third. 10 years after the first settlers had arrived in
Australia, only 2032 Europeans were occupying this western third of the continent. By the 1890's gold discoveries had changed
Australia and our multicultural society began. The concept of Federation was being debated and men were rushing to the most productive goldfield in the country, at
Kalgoorlie.
Today,
Western Australia is still seen as remote and relatively cut off from the rest of
Australia. The deserts and wild tropics cut off sections of the state each year. The majority of people live around
Perth where the major industries are mining and exploration. It is one of the prettiest of Australian cities with little pollution and a Mediterranean feel that reflects the climate, heritage and lifestyle of the people.
West
Australia is lightly referred to as "sand groper country" in jest of the sandy soils. But for beach lovers,
fishing,
boating, swimming, diving and windsurfing enthusiasts WA is the ideal country. Land prices are significantly cheaper than in the Eastern states of
Australia and the West Australian way of life is somewhat more relaxed.
For locals and tourists the West Australian coast has much to offer. Just 2 -3 hrs south is the lush vineyards of Margaret River, and further South grow magnificent giant trees that cannot be seen anywhere else on this continent.
Just off the
Perth coast is
Rottnest Island, where locals take their boats for mooring in the calm, protected bays while they swim, dive,
snorkel or walk around the island. Further south
Bunbury is the only large township set on the magnificent Geographe Bay, as are the other smaller towns of Dunsborough and Busselton. Cape Naturalist at Busselton to Cape Leewin at Augusta is a pleasant day's drive although the wineries, limestone caves and spectacular coastline here is best savoured over time.
The coastline to the North of
Perth is the ideal getaway for fisherpeople and great chains of crayfishing fleets take year-round advantage of this abundant crustacean that delights the plates of West Australian's. The only other large town on the coast is
Geraldton, with Lancelin, Cervantes, Jurien, Leeman, Kalbari,
Coral Bay and
Exmouth remaining idyllic, peaceful and spectacularly beautiful secrets.
To the far North West of the state is the
Pilbara and
Kimberley region that is subject to the monsoonal wet seasons. It remains an important area to Aboriginals and due to its inhospitable terrain and inadequacy for farming is sparsely populated, yet is the perfect place for 4WD adventurers.
Closest Weather Station
Perth at 07:00 09 Nov WST
Distance from Perth 4.24km N
| Temperature | Feels Like | Rel. Humidity | Dew Point | Pressure | Rainfall | Wind Direction | Wind Speed | Gusts |
|---|
| 16.5°C |
16.8°C |
75% |
12.1°C |
1019.3hPa |
0.0mm |
S |
2km/h
1knots |
7km/h
4knots |
Closest Climatic Station
Perth Metro
Distance from Perth 4.24km N
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
30.4 | 31.2 | 29.5 | 25.6 |
22.4 | 19.2 | 18.3 | 18.7 |
20.1 | 22.8 | 26.3 | 28.8 |
| Mean Min. °C |
17.6 | 17.9 | 16.4 | 13.6 |
10.7 | 8.5 | 7.7 | 8.1 |
9.4 | 11.1 | 14.2 | 16.2 |
| Mean Rain mm |
18.9 | 6.6 | 21.1 | 31.1 |
91.5 | 134.3 | 149.3 | 135.1 |
89.3 | 43.5 | 20.7 | 5.2 |
