About Perth, Western Australia

Being the largest Australian state, Western Australia offers a diverse range of activities to suit everybody, such as gold panning in the Goldfields, wine tasting in the famous Margaret River or Swan Valley regions, or taking in the true essence of outback Australia in the northern Pilbara or Kimberley regions.

Every year around February/March the Perth International Arts Festival offers entertainment in the form of music, drama, dance, visual art and films.

Closer to Perth there are a number of national and wildlife parks where you can see the kangaroos and emus and other local fauna. Around springtime Western Australia comes ablaze with colour as the wildflowers bloom - stay close to the city and stroll through Kings Park or wander amongst the tall Karri and Jarrah forests of the states South West.

With 12,500 kilometres (7,813 miles) of the world's most pristine coastline to the west of this surfing and swimming at the city's beaches are favoured activities; but Rottnest Island has good diving and fishing, and the picturesque Avon River is a popular canoeing spot. You can also get out on the scenic Swan River by renting a catamaran at the South Perth foreshore, or asking around Perth's yachting clubs for volunteer spots on racing yachts.

If water sports aren't your pleasure then Perth has excellent facilities for just about every sport - soccer, rugby, Australian football, basketball, cricket, baseball, tennis and badminton, amongst others. There are a number of activities that bring you into contact with marine mammals in and around Perth, including watching for humpback whales returning to Antarctic waters after wintering in the ocean off north-western Australia. The Darling Ranges are famous for their geological diversity and around Perth you can explore evidence of the break up of Gondwanaland (formerly one of two ancient supercontinents).