The major gold strikes were made at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, and today the only large town left is Kalgoorlie. Mines still operate here, and the town offers mine tours, historical train rides, museums and excellent examples of goldrush architecture. At the heart of Western Australia's golfields area, the twin towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder, are reputed to be set in the richest square mile in the world. Kalgoorlie is situated 600 km east of Perth on the western fringes of the Nullabor Plain and the Great Victorian Desert.

Coolgardie is one of the best known ghost towns in Australia. The town grew from nothing to a booming town when alluvial gold was discovered in 1892. The gold soon petered out and the population then dwindled. Like Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie offers historical attractions as well as emu and camel farms.

200km south of Kalgoorlie is the largest town on the Eyre Highway - Norseman. It's a popular stopping place on the long overland trip. Again, gold put Norseman on the maps in the late 1890's.

Esperance, further east along the coast, is renowned for its fantastic snow-white beaches and bright blue waters. Off the cape are the islands of the Recherche Archipelago, home to colonies of seals, penguins and a wide variety of water birds.

Hyden is surrounded by semi arid country which contains some fascinating rock formations. The most famous of these is Wave Rock, an incredible 15 metre high granite rock shaped like a giant wave. The rock is streaked with colour - from greys to sandy reds. Surrounding the area are other rock formations, some of which have Aboriginal rock paintings.

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