Western Australia
Western Australia facts and information.
The Capital of WA is Perth.
WA is the only one of the Australian states or territories that was not a part of the colony of New South Wales at some point.
WA was first settled in 1826 with a British settlement at King George Sound (now Albany).The settlement was established because of concerns about a French colony being started on the WA coast.
The Swan River Colony was established in 1829. By 1832, the population of the colony had reached around 1,500. The two townsites of the colony became the city of Fremantle and the capital city of Perth.
WA is the 4th most populated of the Australian states with about 2,105,800 people living there, half of these live in the Perth metropolitan area.
WA has quite a few regional Cities with populations over 25,000 these include Bunbury, Kalgoorlie and Albany.
I lived in Perth for a couple of years, mind you that was a long time ago in my teenage years, I loved it, Perth is beautiful and so is the Swan River, but Perth is so far away from the rest of the major Cities in Australia, in a lot of ways it's like you are in another country , and West Australians tend to think they are a little different from the rest of us, they refer to us as easterners.
WA's economy has benefited recently from foreign demand for resources, especially from China.
WA is a leading alumina extractor, it is the world's third-largest iron ore producer, it also extracts up to 75% of Australia's gold and at the Argyle diamond mine in the north west of the state diamonds are extracted.
Perth is the Capital of WA and the 4th largest city in Australia, it is situated along the estuary of the Swan River, about 19 kilometres above the river's mouth.
From the rugged ancient landforms and deep red gorges of the north west, the wide open spaces of the outback, the white sandy beaches and warm waters of the ocean in the far north, the stunning forests of tall trees and wineries of the south west to the beautiful Swan River and Perth, WA is the state of amazing scenery, unspoilt beaches and big blue skies.
Click on the link if you want to check out the Western Australia Climate
A person from WA is called a Western Australian.
The colloquial term for a Western Australian is a sandgroper.
The State Flag for WA was adopted in 1953. It shows the Union Jack and the WA State badge.
Queen Elizabeth II granted the present Coat of Arms of WA in 1969.
WA has no motto.
Slogan for WA: The Real Thing, Golden State or State of Excitement
Floral Emblem of WA: Red and Green Kangaroo Paw
Animal Emblem of WA: Numbat
Bird Emblem of WA: Black Swan
Go to next state: Tasmania
Return from Western Australia to Australian-Information-Stories home page
"The Legend of Bimi"
Introduction
There's a tale that begins in the sand hills
That I would like to tell,
Built from myth and many legends,
And my pen it does compel.
The desert's a hot, a hostile place,
Nothing's changed since time began,
There's a hazy unreality there
As if it, in the dreamtime was planned.
The noon of the day is so hot and still,
And over all an expectant hush,
Like a canvas that's waiting impatiently
For the touch of the artists brush.
The fire of the day can change swifly
To the night of startlingly cold,
Many legends are told of the people
Who live in this land so old.
To continue to read the introduction to this wonderful piece of poetry our Mother wrote called
"The Legend of Bimi" just go to our
Epic Poetry page
We know you will love it!