Western Australia is the largest Australian State. With an area of more than 2 500 000 sq km, a 12 500 km coastline and spanning 2 400km from north to south, it occupies a third of the continent. Western Australia experiences a variety of climatic conditions depending on the region. Perth averages eight hours a sunshine a day and temperatures of between 17 and 30 degrees Celsius.
Western Australia is an economic powerhouse, with major industries including mining, resources, fisheries and agriculture.
With more than 270 operating mines, Western Australia is a leading supplier of many commodities including alumina, diamonds, iron ore and mineral sands, - monazite; ilmenite; rutile/synruite and zircon.
The State also produces 70 per cent of Australia’s gold and significant exports of salt, nickel, tantalum and numerous other metals.
Interesting Facts
WA possesses cattle stations the size of England
75% of Western Australia people live in the capital city of Perth
There is a free inner city transport system known as the CAT bus services
When ordering a beer use the local lingo and ask for a middy or a jug
Western Australia is three and a half times as big as Texas, and the British Isles would fit into it 6 times.
WA Regions
The regions within WA include:
Gascoyne region
Goldfields-Esperance region
Great Southern region
Kimberley region
Mid West region
Peel region
Pilbara region
South West region
Wheatbelt region
Perth
Gascoyne Region
Population - 9,854 (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
The Gascoyne region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the north west of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne. The Gascoyne has a diverse economy. Tourism is a major industry, due to the warm, dry climate and the long coastline, which includes the Ningaloo Reef and the World Heritage listed nature reserve at Shark Bay. Pastoralism is an important industry, and represents the region's main land use: 84% of the Gascoyne's land area is covered by pastoral leases. The Gascoyne also has a substantial mining sector, mainly based on extraction of salt and gypsum.
Industries - Mining, fishing, tourism and agriculture
Overview -
The Goldfields-Esperance region is located in the south-eastern corner of Western Australia. A land area of 771.276 km² makes the region over three times the size of the state of Victoria, and just under a third of Western Australia's total land mass. It is the largest region in Western Australia.
Industries - Agriculture, tourism, timber production, commerce, aquaculture, fishing and service industries
Overview -
The Great Southern region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located on the south coast of Western Australia, and is comprised of the local government areas of Albany (both town and shire), Broomehill, Cranbrook, Denmark, Gnowangerup, Jerramungup, Katanning, Kent, Kojonup, Plantagenet, Tambellup and Woodanilling.
Industries - Tourism, agriculture, pearling and pastoral industries
Overview -
The Kimberley region is located in the northern part of Western Australia, extending from Broome in the west to Kununurra and Lake Argyle in the east, from the sea to a bit south of the main Great Northern Highway (Route 1). It covers about 421,000 square kilometres -- slightly larger than Japan and much larger than United Kingdom, New Zealand, or the Australian state of Victoria.
Industries - Tourism, construction, agriculture, fishing and mining
Overview -
The Mid West Region of Western Australia extends along the west coast from Green Head to Kalbarri and more than 800 kilometres inland to Wiluna in the Gibson Desert. Its area of 472, 336 km2 covers nearly a fifth of the state, and comprises nineteen local government authorities.
Industries - Agriculture, mining, construction, equine retail and tourism
Overview -
It is located on the west coast of Western Australia, about 75 km south of the state capital, Perth. It consists of the City of Mandurah, and the Shires of Boddington, Murray, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Waroona. It has a total area of 6,648 km², and a population of about 80,000 people, two thirds of whom live in Mandurah.
The economy of the Peel is dominated by mining and mineral processing; the area has large reserves of bauxite, some gold and mineral sands, and an aluminum refinery. Other important economic sectors include agriculture and a substantial equine industry.
The Pilbara is a region in the north of Western Australia. The Pilbara region covers an area of 507,896 km² (including offshore islands). The Pilbara consists of three distinct geographic areas. The western third is coastal sandplain, and supports most of the region's population and much of its industry and commerce. The eastern third is almost entirely desert, and is sparsely populated by a small number of Aboriginal peoples.
Industries - Agricultural, horticultural, viticulture, retail and tourism
Overview -
The South West region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is so named because it located in the south west corner of Western Australia. The South West region has an area of 23,970 km², and a Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and wet winters.
The Wheatbelt region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It partially surrounds the Perth metropolitan area, extending north from Perth to the Mid West region, and east to the Goldfields-Esperance region. The Wheatbelt encompasses a range of environments and industries. Near the coast, it receives relatively high rainfall and mild temperature, and its 150 kilometres (93 mi) of coastline is a significant tourist area.
Industries - Central Offices- Resource, Mining sectors
Overview -
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australianstate of Western Australia. Perth has a booming economy, primarily due to the rising demands for raw minerals from emerging economies in particular, China. This has lead to a mining boom, which is having a great impact not only for Perth, but for the swan state with mining accounting for 25% of the states total output and 50% of the state's exports.
