 Attractions
Albany: This town was Western Australia's first settlement. The town's main highlights are the spectacular coastal scenery and the historic museums. The town was once a major whaling centre and the relics still remain in a museum. With numerous white sandy beaches, and historical monuments, Albany is a very popular tourist destination.
Denmark: This popular holiday town is on the banks of the Denmark River. Nearby is the William Bay National Park which has beautiful white beaches and impressive rocky scenery. The surf beaches are also popular for water sports and the town boasts that fishing is excellent.
Esperance: Renowned for its fantastic snow white sandy beaches and brilliant blue waters, Esperance is a popular holiday area. This coastal drive offers impressive scenery with the highlights being Cape Le Grand and Cape Arid National Parks. Esperance today is the port for and centre of a very prosperous wheat, sheep and beef district.
Fitzgerald River National Park: This park is home to over 1,700 species of wildflowers and numerous native animals, in August and September, whale watching is popular on the coast. In 1987 the park was designated a World Biosphere Reserve, this means it is regarded as a bench mark against which environmental change can be measured. The park today is serviced by the farming towns of Ongerup and Jerramungup, and also coastal fishing villages.
Mandurah: A popular weekend retreat for Perth families, Mandurah is a beach front resort town at the mouth of the Peel inlet. It doubles its population during the peaks seasons as fishing is a sought after sport, Blue Manna crabs are the best summer catch and king prawns are on the go during autumn.
Porongurup Ranges: Located 50 km north of Albany the Porongurup Ranges offers karri forest bush walks on the slopes with wineries lower down the range, Porongurup is a colourful place, brilliant with wildflowers and wildlife in the spring and summer months. Mount Barker is located nearby and is home to a number of Great Southern Wineries.
Rockingham: Located on the Cockburn sound it once used to be a port, however once the ships started to become larger, the town slipped into a tourist atmosphere, based on the access to good beaches along the Sound and at Shoalwater Bay. It is a popular water sports area and has islands off the coast that can be reached by ferry, for example Penguin Island.
South West and Great Southern Wineries: The region is renowned for its range of boutique wineries which begin in the Busselton area and spread further south to Margaret River, Pemberton, Denmark and Albany. All of these wineries offer tasting, and some have craft shops, restaurants and offer entertainment.
Stirling Range National Park: This impressive range reaches out from the coastal farmlands and can be seen from a great distance. The slopes are popular with bush walkers as they have well marked tracks. In Springtime the slopes are ablaze with wildflowers and native wild animals are common.
Walpole-Nornalup National Park: Purple-coloured lorikeets and western rosellas flit through Valley of the Giants where tingle tingle and karri trees grow to 87 m. Trails lead through coastal heath and woodlands to secluded beaches and inlets.
Cape Arid National Park: Walk up to Mt Arid (356m) for superb views of complex shoreline and islands of eastern Archipelago of the Recherche. Swim and fish 20 kilometres of sweeping beaches and relax in total seclusion.
Cocklebiddy Caves: Contains one of the world's longest, known underwater passages. Visitors need approval from CALM in Esperance, and a Cave Divers Association of Australia permit is also be required for diving. Flash flooding can occur, especially during summer and is not suitable for beginner divers.
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