Experience diverse and dramatic landscapes like no others on Earth in Western Australia. You’ll find some of Mother Nature’s finest work in WA, why not make it your mission to see all of the natural landmarks we’ve listed below?

One of Australia's biggest waves is also the furthest from any ocean - Wave Rock rises 15 metres above the outback plain. Over 2,700 million years in the making, today it's a popular tourist destination.

 

Located near the Wheatbelt town of Hyden, getting there from Perth is a pleasant 340-kilometre drive (approximately three to four hours) through picturesque rolling farmlands to wide vistas of wheat and canola fields.

This 110-metre long multi-coloured granite cliff is shaped remarkably like a huge wave about to crash onto the bush. Pose on the rock face and surf the giant wave or see it from a different perspective by following the walk trails around the base and over the top.

Between March and October each year, when conditions are just right, visitors to the North West region are treated to a natural spectacle - the Staircase to the Moon.

 

This natural phenomenon is best seen from Roebuck Bay in Broome, when the full moon rises over the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide and creates a beautiful optical illusion of stairs reaching to the moon. This incredible natural event also occurs along the coastline at Onslow, Dampier, Cossack, Point Samson, Hearson's Cove and Port Hedland.

Picture a lake of the brightest bubblegum-pink sitting beside the deepest blue ocean. Lake Hillier is one of the extraordinary sights you'll see flying or cruising through the pristine wilderness of the Recherche Archipelago.

Located on Middle Island, the largest of the Recherche islands (11 kilometres from the coast of Cape Arid National Park), this striking phenomenon can be accessed by chartering a plane or boat with nearby tour operators in Esperance.

 

The lake is separated from the Southern Ocean by just a thin strip of sand and it's widely believed that the water's permanent strawberry milkshake colour is due to the extremely high level of salinity. This discovery was made as early as 1802, when Matthew Flinders led an expedition to the islands and collected a sample from the lake, but there has been no definitive proof that salt is the source of its unique hue.

There are two horizontal waterfalls in Western Australia and both can be found in Talbot Bay in the Buccaneer Archipelago in Australia's North West. The white waters are thrilling to ride by boat and awe-inspiring to view from the air. Join a scenic flight or sea safari to the Horizontal Waterfalls from Kooljaman in Cape Leveque, Broome or Derby to see and experience it for yourself.

 

So, what makes the water fall sideways? These incredible natural wonders are the work of some of the largest tidal movements in the world. As the tide ebbs and flows, a huge volume of water is forced through two narrow cliff passages, creating a variation in ocean level of up to four metres and a unique waterfall effect.

One of Australia’s most remarkable outback landscapes, massive Wolfe Creek Crater National Park, lies on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in the East Kimberley. Wolfe Creek Crater is the second largest crater in the world, measuring 880 metres across and to a depth about 60 metres below the rim. Go bushwalking and see the crater from the rim – you’ll feel dwarfed by its size.

 

There’s also an information shelter where you can learn about the landform; The Aboriginal Dreamtime story tells of two rainbow snakes crossing the desert and creating Sturt and Wolfe Creeks by emerging from the ground.

 

 

Alternatively, request a copy of our 2019/20 Australia brochure here.