I was with Esso Australia in 1981-1982 and I was assigned an oil prospect near Derby, so I made everal trips to Derby. An interesting place, especially the huge tides in the bay. It was pretty outback when I was there.
Bremer Bay is such a beautiful place, just dont spoil it with development of more hotels and rising buildings. What's there now is enough.
The two bakeries in town both claim to be "The Original Lancelin Bakery." My money goes to the one near the park as it has a shadehouse eatery which is nice to sit in and look at your maps while chowing down. Here's my big tip: buy a big round wholemeal roll (better for you) and stick your pie in it :-) with sauce. This goes further, tastes better and no hot dripping split pie oozing drama.
Kalgoorlie is a place you'll either love or hate. I loved it. It was my home for only 3 months but will always be a part of me.
Exmouth is AmAzInG. The Ningaloo Reef is located in The Cape Range National Park far far far away from town, but the good news is that The Ningaloo Reef Retreat does a shuttle bus there. I don't want to tell you my favourite spot as I share it with the likes of my middle brother and my best mate, but here's some food for thought. Ever seen a moon rise? How about a moon set over the ocean? If you've got your own wheels this place is the money. You'll need camping gear including a gas cooker as you are not allowed to make a fire in the National Park, a 20 litre container for fresh water, which you can fill at Neds Camp in the park and supplies purchased from Exmouth. Take out about $100 from the bank in Exmouth as the Lighthouse Caravan Park doesn't accept cards, but you can buy take-away food, petrol, and a shower from them. The caravan park is about the mid point between Exmouth and the best places to camp and snorkel, make sure you leave Exmouth with a full tank of gas, if you camp…
Bunbury is an amazing city with excellent opportunites to see beautiful dolphins right before your eyes.
Coral Bay is the most beautiful place I've ever been. I recommend the coral veiwing and snorkelling tour. And go and walk with the sharks at the south point of the bay, it's a great experience.
We spent a great month in Augusta a couple of years ago (as part of a 3 month journey around SW Australia). We started in a caravan (which was great), and we migrated to a rented a house from an estate agency and extended our visit for another three weeks. We were most impressed by the friendly and welcoming attitude of the locals which included joining a cape to cape walking tour, a visit to the local island, and walking around the estuary and headlands. We would recommend Augusta as a peaceful, scenic, and friendly destination.
For anyone that is traveling Western Australia, get out now or else you're going to end up broke! Don't believe any of the bullsh*t about the work on the fruit farms -- I've the best part of $1,500 spent on accommodation. I've tried about thirty farms, all answers the same -- the weather's too bad. Carnarvon is a hole with nothing with nothing in it -- only rednecks.
I have visited Denmark and I have to say that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world! Nature is stunning and the inhabitants are great!
The biggest attraction to Shark Bay is the area of Monkey Mia, which is known for its friendly dophins. Denham is also in Shark Bay and it's the nearest town to Monkey Mia (at about 25 Km away).
Fremantle is a breath of fresh air. It has a quirky vibe, anything goes! Beautiful climate, beaches, historic buildings...
Here's my TOP 10 to-do's for Freo: (in no order)
1. Fremantle Markets, get a beer at the market bar and listen to the buskers.
2. Definitely do the night-time Prison tour, its excellent.
3. Go to Little Creatures for a pale ale and frites, you'll love it.
4. Get the ferry to Rottnest Island, its so pretty... but don't feed the quokas!
5. Get a caffeine fix on Cappucino strip, Gino's and Benny's do great coffee.
6. Old Shanghai foodhall opposite markets does great food, cheap (especially Taka's Japanese).
7. Jump on the free bus (it's orange and has CAT written on it).
8. Shopping... cool clothes and jewellery by local designers.
9. Go see a band in the Newport, or DJs in Norfolk.
10. Seafood haven... some os the best in the world (according to the locals!). Go to Fishing boat Harbour, for fish 'n chips.
Manjimup … This place is hell -- it's filthy, dirty, and full of alcoholics and pervs.
Rottnest Island … I found Rottnest to be a very charming place and was only there on a day trip from Perth, so I soon realised that even for a small place we didn't have enough time to do everything we wanted. Needless to say, I will be going back, even though it is quite a long haul from London UK. Some bike riding blew away the cobwebs that had gathered over a week of trouncing round the bars and resturants of Perth. And then all was well to do some snorkeling which threw up some yellowfin tuna and black bream to be gawped at in amazment by the old wreck that is quite near to shore. Very friendly people on the island, apart from one oldish gentleman who lived on the island and seemed to be trying to scare away anyone that might look like a tourist, with the help of a bottle of bundy.
Perth … My favourite city. More laid back than Sydney, with better weather and better beaches.
Albany … This might seem obvious, but The Great Southern Ocean goes to Antartica, think of The North pole on the bottom of the globe. In winter it is cccccOLD. Warm clothes are a must. Don't worry there's no snow or polar bears. My last real girfriend was a loch keeper in Scotland. Her philosophy was that there is no such thing as bad weather, just an inappropriate choice of clothes.
Dwellingup … A great tranquil town full of friendly people and an overall great township!
Kalbarri … Ride a horse at The Big River Ranch. I rode Soldier. My middle brother Brendon learnt how to ride in a second, their horses are second to none. The River crossing is a few hundred metres, we spotted a Kangaroo on the river bank. I've only ever ridden horses 4 times in my adult life and I easily managed to use a video camera at a canter. Like I said, their horses are second to none. :D
Broome … A long way from anywhere, but worth the trip. Great atmosphere & Cable Beach is superb. Go before mass tourism spoils it (they're extending the airport to take big jets).
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