Theatrical landscapes

Vast clear skies and theatrical landscapes. True outback adventures, authentic Aboriginal encounters and visits to settlements built by goldrush pioneers.

Images of the vast clear skies and landscapes of the Golden Outback region will stamp themselves forever in your minds eye.

Outback adventure

This is the place for true outback adventure. Driving becomes an activity in itself rather than a means to an end, and camping under the stars is a mystical experience.

4WD on the Canning Stock Route

Four-wheel drivers will relish the Canning Stock Route, the Gunbarrel Highway through to Uluru and the sealed Eyre Highway across the expansive Nullarbor.

Esperance

Esperance is located on the south coast of Western Australia, about a nine hour drive from Perth.
With a temperate climate all year round, Esperance is an ideal location for lovers of sun and spectacular beaches.
Esperance is a picturesque town nestled on the shores of Esperance Bay. Visitors to Esperance are charmed by its friendly people, delightful lifestyle and ideal climate.

A necklace of several hundred islands make up the Recherche Archipelago which adorns the coast of this beautiful region. Consequently, Esperance is known as The Bay Of Isles. Woody Island, one of the islands in the Archipelago has been developed for tent and safari hut camping from September to April.

The Esperance region contains national parks, including the very popular and spectacular Cape Le Grand National Park with its unbelievably beautiful beaches, islands, granite headlands, rugged coastal scenery and challenging coastal walks. There are many activities for visitors including four wheel drive safaris, beach safaris, coach tours, aerial sightseeing, island cruises, fishing and diving charters.

Regular events include the Festival of the Wind, held biennially and the Esperance and District Agricultural Show held every October.

Esperance offers a wide variety of accommodation with over 60 establishments including quality motels, hotels, caravan and holiday parks, chalets, apartments, farm stays and bed and breakfasts. Esperance Visitor Centre holds listings of disabled accommodation and places which accept dogs.

Esperance also offers a variety of dining establishments including a la carte restaurants, cafes, tearooms, seafood, Chinese, Thai, pizza kitchens, fish and chip cafes and takeaway cafes.

Kalgoorlie

An hour's flight east from Perth, Kalgoorlie Boulder is the hub of the goldfields and one of Western Australia's largest cities. Still active as a mining town, Kalgoorlie-Boulder's wide streets and grand old buildings are full of people living the prospecting dream.

Travel to the region by bus, train, plane or car. Kalgoorlie Boulder is a place like no other. From wild and heady origins as a frontier town where fortunes were sought, to the prosperous, bustling 'Kal' of today, Kalgoorlie's rich heritage permeates the town and gives it a distinctive character.

Turn of the century architecture, including the magnificent Boulder Town Hall, the red outback just beyond the settlement's streets and nearby ghost towns make this area fascinating to visitors.

Kalgoorlie Boulder is one of the most important mining areas in the world. After Paddy Hannan found gold in the area in 1893, the town's population soared to 30,000. Today the population is again up to 30,000, after the discovery of nickel deposits in the north of the goldfields.

The towns Kalgoorlie and Boulder amalgamated in 1989. Until then they were separate towns side by side. Boulder's main street, Burt Street, is five kilometres from Kalgoorlie's centre, Hannan Street. Boulder was named after The Great Boulder Mine, the first mine on the Golden Mile.

In September, renowned horse race the 100 year old Kalgoorlie-Boulder Race Round takes place. Crowds from all over the State come to enjoy the town's festive atmosphere. The largest indoor pool in Western Australia, great for a cooling dip to escape the outback heat, is on Johnston Street.

The town has a number of pubs and nightclubs, and live music is popular around town. Visiting artists perform regularly at the Arts Centre.

Kalgoorlie Boulder offers the visitor a wide range of restaurants and cafes and a variety of cuisines. Chinese, vegetarian, and Italian foods are available as well as pub counter meals, fast foods and pizzas.
Kalgoorlie Boulder offers many styles of accommodation, including caravan parks, camping grounds, hostels, hotels and motels.

Mount Magnet

Four hours drive east of Geraldton, Mount Magnet, the oldest surviving gold settlement of its region, is four and a half hours drive east of Geraldton on the Great Northern Highway.

Gold rush era

The first pastoralists, Watson and Jones, walked their sheep from Geraldton to Mount Magnet in the late 1870s and settled at Yowergabbie and Boogardie stations respectively. Gold was discovered here in July 1891 and amazingly rich areas around the settlement were found, including Poverty Flats where "they dug it up like potatoes".

Mount Magnet was proclaimed a township soon after these gold discoveries. The remains of other settlements nearby, such as Lennonville, can still be seen. There is much to see here; remains of the early gold rush era, magnificent granite breakaway country and, in season, spectacular carpets of wildflowers.

West Mount Magnet

The prominent hill rising above the township was named West Mount Magnet in 1854 by surveyor Robert Austin who noticed that its magnetic qualities interfered with his compass. It has since had its Aboriginal name reinstated,'Warramboo', meaning campfire camping place.

Historic towns

Mount Magnet provides easy access to the historic towns of Cue, Sandstone and Yalgoo. There are many opportunities to do one-day self drives from Mount Magnet to surrounding attractions.

Seasonal changes

After the winter rains, the bush comes alive with colour and scents from June to November. 12,000 plant species acrpet the state with their vivid beauty and endless variates are still being discovered. Go on a wildflower tour to see carpets of everlastings, mulla mulla tails, and delicate flowers of native bushes. The area is also a treat for the bird watcher as there are many beautiful species of birds.

Horse racing meets and other events

An open air film theatre operates during the summer months. Horse racing meetings are usually held between May and October, and there are other interesting attractions to see: the Historical Society Museum, a variety of historic buildings, Mount Warramboo Tourist Lookout, The Granites, an amphitheatre, heritage walk trails, heritage drives and gold detecting.

The town is well serviced by two supermarkets, two roadhouses, three hotels, a cafe, butcher, nursing post, post office and a number of roadhouses plus mechanical and engineering services. Hotels, motels, a caravan park, backpacker hostel, a lodge, and nearby station stays are available.