WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Australia)

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The state of Western Australia is big, bold and beautiful, and despite covering one third of Australia has a population of fewer than two million. It has miles of coastline washed by the Indian Ocean and a range of climatic zones from tropical through to temperate. The northern area is raw and harsh; the south is characterised by rolling green pasture; to the west is the ocean while to the east lie golden wheat fields.

The true richness of Western Australia lies in its huge mineral deposits - gold, diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, nickel, natural gas and oil lie under the ground and provide employment for much of the population. The goldfields of Kalgoorlie still produce a couple of thousand of ounces of gold a day. The young and vital state capital, Perth, was built on the mineral wealth of the state and offers a leisurely lifestyle centred on its lovely beaches for its large immigrant population.

Western Australia is big on extremes; it boasts 8,000 species of wildflower, more than any other region in the world. It has the smallest church, the largest casino and the narrowest pub in the Southern Hemisphere. Its rocky coastline has also been responsible for plenty of tragedy - more than 700 vessels have come to grief here since the first Dutch sailors arrived on the shores of the state in the 17th century.

Due to its sheers size, like Queensland, a journey through Western Australia of a couple of hundred kilometres is considered a short trip when you realise the state is 2600 kilometres (1625 miles) north-south and 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) east-west. Those are straight line map distances, actual road distances are considerably further. There are wilderness areas bigger than some overseas countries.

There are man made lakes in the north that hold 10 times the volume of water found in Sydney Harbour, excellent coasts and spectacular coastal scenery in the south, ghost towns on the goldfields, the primary pearling centre of Australia, the world's largest diamond mine and home of much of Australia's Aboriginal dreamtime legends.

Western Australia has always been home to a significant proportion of Australia's Aboriginal people. Archaeological records confirm Aboriginal settlements over most of the state dating back 30,000 plus years. Today many of the Aboriginals live in the northern areas of the state.

The state experiences considerable climate variations ranging from tropical to mediterranean to desert heat and cold and most things in between. Winter is June - August with temperatures ranging from around around 8°C min. to 15°C max. in the southern coastal regions, 10°C min. to 22°C max. in the central coastal regions and 15°C min. to 30°C max. in the northern coastal regions.

Summer is December - February with temperatures ranging from around around 14°C min. to 24°C max. in the southern coastal regions, 20°C min. to 35°C max. in the central coastal regions and 25°C min. to 35°C max. in the northern coastal regions.

Temperatures in the central desert areas are extreme. Summer maximums typically reach 40°C and winter minimums can drop to around 3-5°C. The northern areas receive most rainfall during the summer "Wet Season". Monsoonal cyclones (hurricanes) occasionally cross the tropical north coast during the summer months, usually in the region of Dampier to Port Hedland. This is not a frequent event and usually results in localised property damage and flooding. The southern areas of the state experience winter rains. The further removed from the coast, the less the rainfall.