Almost twice as big as Mongolia, and just as remote, it's impossible to visually represent the whole of Western Australia on a postcard (the old cardboard ones you buy at tourist information centres that is). Stand in the middle and you'll be about as far away from anyone else as it's possible to be on this planet without getting rather wet. Head north and you'll find yourself in a spectacular tropical wilderness of giant gorges and crocodile-infested rivers. Follow the near-deserted Indian Ocean coastline to the southern corner and you won't be able to escape the rolling waves and boutique wineries. The sight of dainty wildflowers photosynthesising alongside Karri forests as high as a football field is long is truly memorable, as is the redness of the dust, the searing outback heat and the stride of a red kangaroo as it bounces off into the sunset.
There's virtually nothing in between Perth and Sydney except 3300km of dirt and sand. Darwin, and the Indonesian capital Jakarta aren't much closer, and Adelaide is still over 2000km away. To put it into perspective, if you put a map of Australia on the north Atlantic Ocean, Sydney would be sitting somewhere near London, and Perth would be in Canada, The Sahara Desert, or Syria, depending on which way you turned things around. Despite its insane remoteness, Perth is a beautifully modern city with beautiful modern people and beautiful modern amenities. It takes ages to get there, but the trip is certainly worth it.
Drive a few hours drive south of Perth and you'll find yourself in this spectacular wine region on the southeast coast. The grapes are legendary and so is the surf. Home to possibly the best Chardonnay in the world, and the gnarliest reefs in the Indian Ocean, it's no wonder the southwest coast of WA is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. Go see it before everyone else does.
Famous for its tall trees, ocean breezes, mountain ranges and perhaps the freshest, most amazing seafood in the world, the southern end of Western Australia is an absolute gem.
The middle of Western Australia truly is in the middle of nowhere. Apart from cattle stations the size of Belgium and a few mining towns (such as Kalgoorlie and Newman), this is the kind of place a Japanese cult could test nuclear weapons without anyone noticing. No really, it happened.
These two vast natural wilderness areas are seen by few Australians, simply because they are so far away from the population. Getting there is like travelling to Alaska from Los Angeles, or from Scotland to the North Pole. The Pilbara and its adjacent coastlines are the most stable region on the planet, with the world's oldest (and some say prettiest) rocks. The Kimberley is a quintessential slice of Australia: huge, old, full of characters, either dry and dusty or soaking with rain, and at all times spectacularly beautiful.
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