Things To Do in Western Australia

Perth International Arts Festival
Treat your cultural side at the Perth International Arts Festival (www.perthfestival.com.au), the oldest of its kind in Australia. Over 300,000 people each year attend its diverse programme of theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts and literature events.

Diving
Go diving off Western Australia's long stretches of unspoilt coastline. Major destinations include Rottnest Island, Exmouth, the Abrolhos Islands (three groups of islands rated amongst Australia's best dive sites), and Dunsborough in the southwest (noted for its famous wreck dive to the HMS Swan).

Feed dolphins
Hand-feed and stroke wild but amazingly friendly dolphins at Monkey Mia beach in the Gascoyne Region (whose nearby Shark Bay is also a UNESCO World Heritage-listed area and a habitat for turtles, manta rays, whales and sharks).

Spot sharks and whales
Swim with giant whale sharks, the world's largest fish, which make frequent appearances between March and early June at Ningaloo Reef, and whale watch in the Cape to Cape Region.

Surf
Catch waves at some of the best beaches in Australia, many around Perth, such as Trigg, Scarborough and Cottesloe. World-class surfing destinations include Yallingup and Margaret River, whose ominously named beaches, such as Suicide and Grunters, should attract hardcore surfers only.

National parks
Walk along the challenging but sensational Bibbulmun Track (963km/598 miles, from Kalamunda to Albany) (www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au) or around the spectacular red-walled chasms, subterranean pools and waterfalls comprising Karijini National Park in the Pilbara Region.

Kimberley
Australia, the movie, was filmed in this region amid the landscapes of Carlton Hill Station, Cockburn Range, the Bungle Bungle Ranges and Digger's Rest. Take part in a cattle muster and retread the footsteps of the characters in Baz Luhrmann's epic film.

Broome
Discover Aboriginal culture in the northern Kimberley Region, Western Australia's main outback destination, which features a cliff-lined coast, rugged mountains, dramatic gorges, waterholes and tropical rainforest. The town of Broome is the jewel in the tropical crown.

Wineries
Indulge in gourmet produce including marron (freshwater lobster), and boutique wine in the Margaret River Wine Region. There are also excellent wineries at Mount Barker and the Swan Valley, near Perth. All are open for cellar door sales and tastings.

Walk among the trees
Step onto the Tree Top Walk at the Walpole-Nornalup National Park, where imposing giant tingle trees in the Valley of the Giants offer the possibility of walking 38m (125ft) above the forest on a specially designed steel-framed walkway.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.