The South West of Western Australia offers fantastic landscape scenery and wonderful beaches, with plenty of small towns offering accommodation and a number of attractions.
Harvey is a great setting for bushwalking and close to the unique Yalgorup National Park. Continuing along the highway you can turn off towards Collie which is the only coal town in the whole of Western Australia, and another great place for bushwalking. There is an interesting coal mining exhibition and offers tours around the Muja Power Station.
South along the coast is Bunbury, which is a busy port and popular holiday destination. From Bunbury, you can either head through the Western Australia's wonderful South West Forests or continue along the coast. Further along the coast at Geographe Bay is Busselton another holiday destination, and further around the bay, Dunsborough. From Dunsborough you can continue to the scenic Cape Naturaliste and the pleasant beaches which surround the cape, including Bunker Bay, Eagle Bay and Meelup. The views from here are fantastic, and you may be lucky enough to spot the Humpback or Southern Right Whales during their migration.
More great beaches continue around Yallingup, which is the spot to go if you are into surfing. From here you should also visit the Ngilgi Cave. Once you reach Prevally Park you can head across to the beautiful Margaret River which hosts more fantastic surfing beaches and gives access to some wonderful wineries. It is well worth making the short detour before continuing south to Augusta, another great holiday resort.
From Augusta you will need to head inland before joining one of the main highways south to the southern coastal towns. You will pass the Shannon National Park and the Mt Frankland National Park on the way, before you reach the town of Walpole and the surrounding Walpole-Nornalup National Park which is home to the Valley of the Giants.
Continuing west you will pass Bow Bridge, Parryville and the coastal William Bay National Park before arriving at Denmark, hich is also known as Koorabup meaning 'Place of the Black Swan'. There are some good beaches around Denmark including Elephants Rocks and Green's Pool for swimming, and Ocean Beach for surfing. There are also a couple of great walking trails around Denmark, including the Mokare Trail and the Wilson Inlet Trail.
Continuing east you come to Albany, from where you can head north to Mt Barker and the Porongurup and Stirling Ranges, or continue west to the fishing town of Bremer Bay which is situated at the Western end of the Great Australian Bight and a great place from where to spot Southern Right Whales.
The South West of Western Australia offers an incomparable experience to travellers from all over the world. Its closeness to the capital, Perth makes it the ideal destination for day trippers or for extended visits. There is something for everyone whether it be surfing or just swimming in tranquil waters, partaking of the many gourmet foods and drinks on offer, lazing away days or having an action packed time or exploring the many and varied natural and manmade attractions. Its idyllic lifestyle and mild climate, stunning and diverse scenery, historical attractions, wineries and superb local craft make the South West a must for any visitor to Western Australia. (Sources: My South West and Australian Explorer websites)
