A MILLION DOLLAR VIEW

Mandy Walker finds that Western Australia has as much to offer as the East Coast.

“W.A., mate - miles from bloody anywhere and that’s how we wanna keep it!” I’m standing in Kings Park looking out at the world’s most isolated state capital. They’ve got it all over here; in fact, the south-western corner of Australia could well be the best kept secret of this diverse and wondrous land.

Perth. Glistening in all its glory on the banks of the Swan River. Sweltering in its year-round sunny skies. Brimming over with aromas and flavours of cosmopolitan influences. It seems like there are a hundred different cultures here, united as one, proud to be a part of the lucky country. This is new Australia, and it works in perfect harmony on the west coast.

The best beaches in Oz are here. Once you’ve sat in the magnificent colonial-style Indiana Teahouse at Cottesloe Beach, sipping a latte and watching the sun transform into a stunning ball of fire as it slips into the ocean, you’ll never want to be anywhere else again.

But this is only one of a string of beaches, from Hilarys Boat Harbour, where you can watch the locals taking a day off from their hard yakka to mess about on their boats, down to the bohemian port of Fremantle (‘Freo’) to the south. If surfing’s your thing, then Scarborough should satisfy, this downunder version with bleached-blonde surfies and powder-white sand.

I caught the ferry to Rottnest Island: ‘Rotto’ is Perth’s playground. A word to the wise: watch out for the quokkas (think small, rat-type kangaroos), they give a nasty nip; I still have the scar on my finger to prove it. It’s possible to cycle round the whole island in a few hours, but I chose to kick back and relax, watching tanned young things whiz by on their roller blades.

W.A. doesn’t stop at Perth, though. You can drive for hours north or south of this vibrant city without seeing another soul, until around the corner you discover yet another wonder of the world.

One of life’s richest experiences awaited me at Monkey Mia, 800 kms north. I finally fulfilled a dream I’d had for a while. Years ago, in a Trailfinder magazine, I remember a photograph of a young child standing in the ocean with a dolphin nuzzling at her tiny hand; now I too felt the same excitement as I stood knee-deep in the water waiting for these gentle creatures to come into shore (as they do, regular as clockwork, every day - of their own free will, mind).

I found more close encounters of the remarkable kind slightly further up the coast at Coral Bay. Queensland may have the Great Barrier Reef, but W.A. has Ningaloo Reef, and my vote goes to the latter. You don’t need a boat here to get out to the coral; I stepped into the warm water straight off the beach and put my masked face under to find another world was waiting.

Nothing can prepare you for your first glimpse; it’s a fantasy land that you feel privileged to be part of; it’s a myriad of multicoloured sea creatures, shimmering and fluorescent, who allow you into their kingdom for a few short hours.

250 kms north of Perth is the Namburg National Park (you can do this as a day trip if time’s an issue). Here, out of the yellow sand rise hundreds of limestone pillars like deadmen’s fingers, in stark, eerie contrast to the overwhelming flatness of the land. The Pinnacles are apparently magical at sunrise if you can face it; I saw them at sunset which was surely as awe-inspiring.

I’m in heaven with a glass of buttery Chardonnay or spicy Shiraz, so it’s good to know that the west has its fair share of wineproducing areas. Margaret River (200 kms south of Perth), is probably the most prominent and I spent many days touring the wineries and sampling Australia’s finest at the cellar doors. At the impressive Leeuwin Estate I ate kangaroo pie and roast pumpkin next to a roaring log fire (it can get chilly down here in the winter months).

If you can tear yourself away, go further south into timber country - and I’m talking serious trees! The Jarrah and Karri trees around here grow up to 50 metres high and you can drive for miles through the aptly named ‘Valley of the Giants’. I discovered the highest tree-top walk in the world and made sure I bought some of this dark, luscious wood from local craft shops.

And so to Albany, tucked away on the southwest coastline. As a former whaling town and the first point of settlement of 1826, Albany has always had historical importance, but it’s nature’s artwork that should entice you down here nowadays.

Sandstone-coloured cliffs contrast with milky white sand, dramatically carving out a coastline which feels the ocean’s full fury as the waves crash unmercifully onto the rocks, sending foamy white spray high into the air. Down here, nature reigns supreme, there are natural attractions littered all along the coast. Just don’t forget your camera.

I love all of Australia, but this corner of the vast continent is truly special. Who knows, when people have tired of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, they may discover what they’ve been missing in the west. It’s a shorter flight from London, too!

“It’s a million dollar lifestyle,” the locals love to boast. You can’t argue with them (I should know, I married one!). Go grab a piece of this isolated paradise for yourself; but don’t tell too many people just yet.