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Western Australia

Destination guide

Perth

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Cottesloe and neighbouring Peppermint Grove in Perth now have the highest average income in the country at more than $325,000.
Cocooned bed design at Garde.

One of WA’s most notorious prison complexes now has a five-star hotel

Step inside the revitalised Convict Quarter, where heritage-listed cells have been traded for luxury suites, infrared saunas and sleek Asian fusion dining.

  • Louise Goldsbury
Pristine Salmon Bay is brimming with marine life.

This island paradise is undergoing its biggest transformation to date

The backdrop of many West Australians’ childhood summers, Rotto’s sophisticated new offerings have come a long way from tents and ageing cabins.

  • Katherine Scott
Into the Zodiac to explore Dambimangari Country and the Horizontal Falls.

The clever French invention opening up Australia’s wildest coast

Want to poke around among the mangroves at high tide? Want to get a spray from a Kimberley waterfall? The Zodiac will get you there.

  • Jim Darby
The Pink House … the oldest brothel in Australia.

I visited Australia’s oldest brothel with my mum. It was eye-opening

Kalgoorlie’s infamous pink house has had its doors open for over a century. No questions about the women-run enterprise seem to be off-limits for McGowan.

  • Julia D'Orazio
Kata Tjuta.

Australia’s 100 all-time greatest destinations

Natural beauty, cultural hotspots, amazing food and wine: it’s not hard to find 100 amazing places in our own backyard. The tricky bit? Deciding what to leave out.

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Ready to enter the water.

My dolphin swim overseas was horrible. I tried it again in Australia

Animal tourism can be disturbing – for both tourists and wildlife – if it’s not run properly. Fortunately, this Australian operator treats its attractions with respect.

  • Craig Platt
Coral Geographer at Raft Point in the Kimberley.

The strange mystery of WA’s declining cruise ships

The long West-Australian coast, not always easily navigated by road, makes for an ideal cruise destination. So why are there so few?

  • Brian Johnston
The Indian Pacific on track near Broken Hill.

The verdict on new, extended version of Australia’s epic train journey

The great train odyssey has been reimagined in an itinerary that gives travellers time and breadth to experience the gems of the Australian outback.

  • Riley Wilson
Berkeley River Lodge in the Kimberley.

Remote Kimberley luxury lodge to reopen with a new look

The exclusive Berkeley River Lodge has had a facelift and will offer transfers from Darwin as well as Perth.

  • Julietta Jameson
Birdwatching at Ashmore Reef.

Is a Kimberley cruise too wild for a nervous traveller? I found out

I’m not a fearless traveller. When a crew member warns there are crocodiles everywhere we will cruise, I consider staying on the ship for the next 10 days.

  • Kristie Kellahan