Western Australia retains the feel of a frontier state. You need a pioneer’s pulse just to get here, but when you do, adventure opportunities surround you: wild oceans to the west and south, the tropics in the north, and the arid outback on the eastern horizon.
Activities here involve embracing the elements and exploring extraordinary landscapes amid wonderful wildlife. Most are accessible for people with average fitness and some spirit – tree-climbing in Pemberton’s forests (for more information, click here), adventure caving on the coast (for more information, click here), sandboarding down Lancelin’s dune mountains (for more information, click here) – while other challenges are best left to the experts, such as the 20km (12-mile) Rottnest Swim.
Hikers on the Bibbulmun Track
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Mainstream sports
Of all the football codes popular in Australia, the one that really matters in WA is Aussie Rules. People are obsessed, as much with the game at a regional and community level as with the stars of the AFL (Australian Football League). Try to catch a local game. The state’s two AFL teams, the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, both play home games at the new Perth (Optus) Stadium in East Perth, for more information, click here.
International cricket matches are played there too, with smaller games contested at grounds including Lilac Hill Park in Guildford. Cricket is the biggest participation team sport, with impromptu games ever igniting on beaches or in gardens and parks.
With large British, Irish, Italian and Greek communities, soccer is well supported (and widely played) too. Local A-League team Perth Glory play home games at the centrally located Perth Oval.
Tennis players can hire courts at the State Tennis Centre in East Perth (for more information, click here), while golfers are spoilt for choice across city and state, with both classy and quirky options available. In Lancelin you can try Fling Golf (combination of golf and lacrosse).
Outdoor pursuits
Bushwalking and trail running
The many national parks that punctuate the huge expanse of WA offer myriad bushwalking (Australian lingo for hiking) trails across an incredibly diverse landscape, which ranges from dry desert to deep forest. The state has several signature long-distance hiking trails including the Bibbulmun Track (www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au) between Kalamunda (Perth Hills) and Albany. Entirely in the southwest is the fantastic 125km (78-mile) Cape-to-Cape Walk (www.capetocapetrack.com.au) between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin lighthouses. See Bushwalking WA (www.bushwalkingwa.org.au) for more.
Sunset fishing on the beach
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Mountain biking
With a name that means ‘path through the forest’ in the Noongar language, the Munda Biddi (www.mundabiddi.org.au) is a world-class multi-section off-road cycling trail stretching 1000km (621 miles) through WA’s Darling Range and Southern Forests, from Mundaring to Albany.
Excellent mountain-biking trails around Perth include Goat Farm (just off the Great Eastern Highway) and Kalamunda Mountain (40 minutes from the city). The southwest single track is hard to beat, though, with places like Pemberton offering trails through towering Karri trees.
Check in with the West Australian Mountain Bike Association (WAMBA, www.wamba.org.au) for more information.
Surfing and kitesurfing
Surfing is popular along both ocean coasts. Cottesloe and Trigg beaches are suburban Perth’s best, Jake’s Point in Kalbarri has a perfect left-hand break and Margaret River is a sensational big-wave spot, but there are great conditions everywhere from Esperance (excellent reef breaks) around to Geraldton (a kitesurfing hotspot).
Paddling
With its roots in the surf-lifesaving culture, ocean-/surf-ski paddling is a popular pursuit in WA, as is stand-up paddleboarding (SUP).
Diving and snorkelling
WA’s Ningaloo Reef is every bit as amazing as the Great Barrier Reef, but it attracts a fraction of the crowds, and you can snorkel directly out to the coral from the beach in places like Cape Range National Park (for more information, click here). Snorkelling with whopping great whale sharks (Exmouth, March–August) and manta rays (Coral Bay, all year) is an utterly extraordinary experience.
Exmouth Navy Pier is regarded as one of the world’s best shore dives, but there are countless dive spots around the state, including many wrecks, some close to Perth (not least around Rottnest, for more information, click here).
Fishing
Sea fishing is fantastic along all of WA’s 20,781km (12,913-mile; including islands) coastline. Observe restrictions and no-fishing zones around marine parks. Barramundi fishing in the Kimberley is also exciting (just watch out for crocs). Charters and guides are available for both (www.fish.wa.gov.au).