Western Australia has a reputation for being bleak and vast. Its State Capital, Perth, is regarded as being 'the most isolated city on the planet' - one spot of civilisation amid a sprawling mix of outback, desert and wilderness.

It is true that Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, covering an area of around 2.5 million sq km (1 million sq miles), constituting one-third of the country. This one State could fit the Texan state twice into its perimeters. Such remoteness is somewhat a curse, with long distances between attractions.

However, the effort is truly worth it. Western Australia is vast but not solely bleak. Its diversity often astonishes, with extreme contrasts in climate from north to south. Although there is desert to the east, there is pristine coastline to the west. Although there is the desolate Kimberley region to the north, there are also emerald, rolling pastures to the south.

Lots of Western Australia's natural wonders are anything but barren: enormous lakes and gorges; spectacular waterfalls; the world's largest monocline, Mount Augustus; scores of colourful wildflowers that speckle the mid-west region; and the aptly named Shell Beach, one of only two in the world, and formed by the deposits of billions of tiny white seashells. In this one State, you can go from hand-feeding friendly dolphins in Monkey Mia to riding camels at Cameleer Park.

With its wealth of natural resources, including gold (the largest open-cut gold mine is in Kalgoorlie), iron, ore, gas and minerals, the land of Western Australia is one blessed by ancient and astounding ecology.