Western Australia

In a country as big as Australia, there are bound to be places even some Aussies have not visited. As I found during my time living in Australia, Western Australia (WA) is one of them. Most Australians are located on the east coast, in or near major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane. Unlike the United States, which is roughly the same size as Australia and has people living throughout the country, there are barely any people living in Australia’s interior. Trips to Western Australia can be costly, so it is no wonder that many Australians have never been to Perth, WA’s capital.

Perth is also the largest city in Western Australia. It has reliable public transportation, an exciting nightlife, sports teams, culture and some of the most stunning beaches Australia has to offer. The west coast offers picturesque views of the Indian Ocean, and surfing is a popular sport there. Even though Perth has the third-most shark attacks in the world, the cerulean water is so beautiful you may find it worth the risk.

Each Sunday, bars and beer gardens on the beach host a brunch-type atmosphere, often with heavy drinking and live music. This is called Sunday Session, and while you can experience it in many places, my favorite spot was the Cottesloe Beach Hotel just a few meters from the Cottesloe Beach. From the beach bars, patrons can watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean while sharing a brew with friends.

Natural beauty also abounds in WA, and it is one of the main reasons ecotourism is booming there. The roads north of Perth are largely empty, opening to the Red Desert, deserted beaches and some of the most intimate opportunities to interact with marine and terrestrial wildlife.

During the six months I lived in Australia, I spent around one month traveling to different parts of the country. The most notable trip I took was a weeklong group bus excursion that began in Perth and wound its way up the west coast to Exmouth. As a group, we cooked and ate together, and we often slept in shared hostel rooms throughout the journey. We visited new places on each of the seven days, including the Pinnacles, Kalbarri Gorge, Hamlin Pool Marine Nature Reserve, Hutt River Province and Shell Beach.

One of the most exciting stops was in Monkey Mia. Here, the handful of locals had a great relationship with dolphins that lived in the nearby waters. The animals were not afraid of people. When we arrived at sunset and decided to take a swim, they swam alongside us in the ocean. The next morning, as we gathered at sunrise to hear about these special dolphins from the people that work with them, I was selected to feed one of the dolphins. Feeding a dolphin in the ocean by hand is not something I will soon forget.

The true gem of WA is the Ningaloo Reef, located just offshore from Exmouth. It is a fringing reef that extends 250 km from the shore. It follows the shoreline, allowing curious visitors to walk from the beach and into the sea for a distance of a few meters. In Coral Bay and in Exmouth, I was able to snorkel alongside reef sharks, gray sharks and rays of all types, including a manta ray with a wing span of about three meters. I was also privileged to swim alongside a whale shark in the open ocean. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

Of course Sydney has the glamor, the Great Barrier Reef has the name and the east coast houses the majority of Australians, but for me the west coast was the true Australian gem. It offers trips that are off the beaten path, and it will always feel like an adventure-filled home.