Western Australia is the largest state in area in Australia. It occupies the western third of the continent. However, only about 10 percent of Australia’s people live in Western Australia. In the inland regions of Western Australia, there are large areas of desert and semidesert. Perth, on the southwest coast, is the capital and largest city.
Western Australia has been known by a number of slogans. It has been called the Wildflower State because of its variety of flowering plants. It also used the slogan State of Excitement because of its booming economy. From 1984 to 1987, it used the slogan Home of the America’s Cup after Australia won the America’s Cup sailing race in 1983. Later, Western Australia changed the slogan to the Golden State. More than three-fourths of the gold mined in Australia comes from Western Australia.
In 1829, the British established the Swan River Colony. In 1832, the colony was renamed Western Australia, and its borders were expanded to their present size. In 1901, Western Australia and the other colonies in Australia became states when they united to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
People
Population.
About 3 percent of the people in Western Australia are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. About three-fifths of the state’s people were born in Australia. People who immigrated to Western Australia since the mid-1900’s also make up a significant part of the population. The largest group of immigrants were born in the United Kingdom. Other immigrants came from China, India, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and South Africa.
Most of the people of Western Australia live in towns or cities. About 80 percent live and work in the Perth region.
Schools.
All children ages 6 to 17 must attend school. Secondary schools in Western Australia take students who have completed the seven-year primary program. The School Curriculum and Standards Authority approves courses of study. Students who complete secondary school requirements receive a Western Australian Certificate of Education.
The state has five universities. They are the University of Western Australia; Murdoch University; Curtin University; Edith Cowan University; and the University of Notre Dame Australia, the state’s first private university. All five universities are in the Perth area. Western Australia also has technical colleges.
Land and climate
Western Australia covers 975,543 square miles (2,526,646 square kilometers) in the western part of Australia. The greatest distances are 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from north to south and 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from east to west. The state has about 7,770 miles (12,500 kilometers) of coastline along the Indian Ocean.
Land regions.
Western Australia can be broken into seven different land regions. They are the Central Desert Area, the Ord River Basin, the Kimberley, the Northwest, the Plateau, the Coastal Margins, and the Nullarbor Plain.
The Central Desert Area
is made up of the Great Victoria Desert, the Gibson Desert, and the Great Sandy Desert. These deserts extend across much of the Western Australian interior. The Great Sandy Desert lies in the north. The Great Victoria Desert covers part of the southeast. The Gibson Desert lies between them.
The Ord River Basin
is a low-lying area in the north. It extends from Cambridge Gulf (an inlet of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf) south to the Great Sandy Desert. The shores of Cambridge Gulf have large areas of tidal flats. Farther south is Lake Argyle. Lake Argyle was formed by the Ord River Dam. The vegetation in the basin changes from forest near the coast to grassland with trees. Near the deserts, it becomes spinifex grass, a kind of grass that grows in dry, sandy areas.
The Kimberley
covers much of the northern part of the state. This region features mountain ranges formed by a rugged, dome-shaped plateau. They rise to about 2,800 feet (850 meters). Rivers such as the Fitzroy and Ord have cut steep-sided valleys. The region consists of grassland, a few woodland areas, and soft spinifex.
The Northwest
is a dry area with little vegetation. This region has a wide coastal plain and a large plateau that includes the Hamersley Range.
The Plateau
region lies west of the Great Victoria Desert. It includes the Salt Lakes and the Goldfields in the interior of the state. The Wheatbelt extends from the edge of the Goldfields west to the Darling Range and the coast. The region also includes the Plateau Margins. In places, the land surface is rocky. Lines of low hills rise above the plateau. Except at the northwestern edge, there are no rivers. Occasional rain gathers in shallow depressions and then evaporates, leaving dry salt lakes. The Wheatbelt has a rolling plateau surface with some areas of exposed rock. Much of this area’s natural woodland has been cleared for wheat. In the Plateau Margins, rivers have cut deep valleys. There are forests of jarrah and karri trees. In the west, the plateau ends in a scarp (steep slope). This is the area of the Darling Range, also called the Darling Scarp. The land drops to the coastal plain. The Stirling and Porongorup ranges rise near the southwest coast.
One of Western Australia’s most renowned natural sites is a series of rock formations known as the Pinnacles. These limestone spires rise from the desert along the western coast about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of Perth in Nambung National Park. They were formed by the movement of wind and water over millions of years.
The Coastal Margins
include the Perth area, which lies at the mouth of the Swan River. Offshore, there is a chain of reefs and islands. Sandy beaches are followed by a line of lakes and swamps. Low hills of coastal limestone back the beaches, then a sandy plain extends to the plateau scarp.
The Nullarbor Plain,
in the state’s southeast, is a dry riverless plateau. The Latin word nullarbor means without trees. The rain that falls here soaks into the limestone rocks. Only a few bushes grow on the plain.
Rivers and lakes.
Most of Western Australia is desert. Most of the state’s rivers flow only in the rainy season, from November to March. The chief rivers in the north are the Ashburton, De Grey, Fitzroy, Fortescue, Gascoyne, Ord, and Wooramel. In the central west and southwest, the main rivers are the Blackwood, Frankland, Greenough, Harvey, Moore, Murchison, Murray, and Swan-Avon. Small saltwater and freshwater lakes occur on the western coastal plain. The large salt lakes on the Plateau are dry most of the time.
Climate.
Temperatures in central Western Australia range from 75 to 104 °F (24 to 40 °C) in January. They average about 60 °F (16 °C) in July. January temperatures in the north average 88 °F (31 °C). July temperatures average about 70 °F (21 °C). Temperatures in the south vary from 60 to 80 °F (16 to 27 °C) in January. They average 55 °F (13 °C) in July. Less than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain falls annually in the central area. From 10 to 20 inches (25 to 51 centimeters) falls north and south of this region. Most coastal areas get 20 to 40 inches (51 to 100 centimeters). Marble Bar, in the northwest, is known as the hottest town in Australia. Temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or higher were recorded for 162 consecutive days there, from Oct. 30, 1923, to April 7, 1924. 
Economy
Western Australia’s agriculture industry employs less than 5 percent of the state’s work force. Construction, manufacturing, and mining each provide jobs for about 10 percent of the state’s workers. Transportation, trade, tourism, and business and government services employ most of the rest of the state’s workers.
Agriculture.
The state’s most fertile crop-growing regions are in the southwest. Wheat is the chief crop. Most of it is produced in the Wheatbelt. The Wheatbelt stretches from the coast around Geraldton southeast to Esperance. Barley, oats, and other grains are also grown in the Wheatbelt. Sheep are raised for wool.
In the semiarid lands beyond the Wheatbelt lie sheep stations (ranches) and gold fields. There are large cattle stations in the Kimberley and Pilbara areas in the north and northwest. Important fruits and vegetables include bananas, broccoli, carrots, oranges, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes.
There are three major irrigation areas in Western Australia. In the north, the Ord River Dam complex irrigates thousands of acres of land. Carnarvon, in the northwest, draws on water from the Gascoyne River. In the southwest, the Collie, Harvey, and Waroona river districts provide water for thousands of acres of pasture.
Mining.
Iron ore, natural gas, and oil are the state’s leading sources of income from mining. Iron ore is mined in the Pilbara area. Iron is also mined on Cockatoo Island north of the port of Derby, and in Koolyanobbing in the southwest. Australian industries use some of the iron ore. However, most of it is exported to overseas markets. Western Australia is the country’s leading producer of iron ore, natural gas, and oil. Natural gas and oil are produced off the northern coast.
Bauxite deposits are mined south of Perth. Western Australia is rich in gold deposits. Much of the gold is mined near Kalgoorlie.
Almost all of Australia’s nickel is mined in Western Australia. The central and south-central parts of the state have the largest deposits. Most nickel is exported in processed form. Western Australia is one of the world’s leading producers of tantalite. The mines there also produce tin. Diamond deposits in Argyle, in the Kimberley region, were discovered in 1979. They yield industrial diamonds as well as gem-quality stones. Other products mined in Western Australia include clay, coal, cobalt, copper, gypsum, lead, limestone, manganese, sand, silver, talc, tantalum, zinc, and zircon.
Western Australia produces the vast majority of Australia’s salt. Salt is produced along the western coast between Port Hedland and Shark Bay. The hot, dry climate of the region evaporates sea water from huge, shallow ponds formed at high tide.
Manufacturing.
Western Australia’s manufacturing industries are concentrated in the Perth metropolitan area. The state’s leading manufactured products include aluminum, chemicals, fabricated metal products, food products, iron and steel, machinery, and ships. Important food products are baked goods, dairy products, meat, and wine.
Transportation.
Western Australia’s transportation network centers mainly on Perth and on Fremantle, the principal port. The state owns thousands of miles of railroads. Mining and timber companies privately own hundreds of miles of track. The Indian-Pacific railroad line runs between Perth and Kalgoorlie, and then to Sydney in New South Wales.
Perth has an international airport. Dampier and Port Hedland have major ports.
Government
The government of Western Australia consists of the state Parliament and a representative of the British monarch, the governor. The state Parliament has most of the governing power.
Legislature.
The state Parliament has two houses, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The 59 members of the Legislative Assembly are elected by popular vote. They serve four-year terms. Each member represents one electoral district. The 36 members of the Legislative Council represent six electoral regions. Each region elects six representatives. Election to the council is based on a system of proportional representation. This system gives a political party a share of seats according to its share of the total votes cast. Council members serve four-year terms.
Executive.
The British Crown, on the advice of the Western Australia government, appoints the governor as the chief executive for the state. This position is largely ceremonial, however. Most executive power is held by the party or coalition that wins the majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. Assembly members from the winning party or coalition form the government. They select a leader, called the premier. The premier selects a Cabinet of ministers. The ministers oversee government departments. The state Constitution requires at least one of the ministers to be selected from members of the Legislative Council.
Voting.
In Western Australia, as in the rest of the country, all citizens 18 years of age or older must vote. Both state and federal candidates are elected through preferential voting. That system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.
Local government
units in Western Australia include cities, towns, and shires. They provide a variety of services related to land use, sanitation and health, water supply, and sewerage. They also supervise buildings, roads, libraries, recreation facilities, parks, and gardens. The state has about 140 local councils. Councilors are democratically elected.
History
Aboriginal peoples
have lived in Western Australia for at least 50,000 years. Stone tools about 38,000 years old have been found on the banks of the Swan River in Midland. Thousands of examples of ancient Aboriginal rock art have survived in Western Australia. Scientists have dated one roughly life-size rock painting of a kangaroo discovered in the Kimberley region at about 17,300 years old.
The early Aboriginal people of Western Australia belonged to a number of groups, each with its own culture, language, and territory. They developed ways to exploit and manage a range of environments in the area, from the dry desert land of the interior to the wetter coastal regions.
European exploration.
European navigators knew the coasts of Western Australia as long ago as the early 1600’s. In 1616, the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog became the first recorded European to land on Western Australia’s coast. Other Dutch sailors, as well as French and British sailors, later explored the coast.
European colonization.
In 1826, a French vessel, L’Astrolabe, was reported to have explored portions of King George Sound in Western Australia. In response, the British government ordered Governor Ralph Darling of New South Wales to send a group of soldiers to King George Sound. This isolated outpost was not intended to be a permanent settlement, but a signal to other nations to keep away. The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill, in Albany, survives from this period.
During 1826, the British navigator Captain James Stirling persuaded Governor Darling to permit him to visit the west coast. Stirling arrived in March 1827. He spent two weeks sailing up the Swan River and examining the nearby country. Stirling gave favorable reports on the area. He claimed that it had all the elements for a successful settlement, such as anchorage, building materials, and water. Stirling was made lieutenant governor of the area. He helped set up plans to attract settlers with free land grants. He later became governor of the colony.
On May 2, 1829, Captain Charles Fremantle arrived. Fremantle took formal possession of the western third of the Australian continent for the United Kingdom. Stirling and the first settlers anchored off Garden Island on June 1. Stirling founded the Swan River Colony and selected the sites where Perth and Fremantle were established. By the end of January 1830, 25 vessels had arrived from the United Kingdom, bringing thousands of settlers. In 1832, the Swan River Colony was renamed Western Australia, and its borders were expanded to their current size.
Limited land and resources led to clashes between the European settlers and Aboriginal peoples of the region. The violence included the Pinjarra Massacre of 1834. That year, forces led by the colonial governor Sir James Stirling killed some 15 to 35 members of the Bindjareb Noongar people along the Murray River in the southwestern part of the colony. (Other spellings for Bindjareb and Noongar include Binjarub and Pinjarup, and Nyoongar and Nyungar.) 
Shortages of labor, money, and food caused hardship for most of the pioneer settlers. Few of the settlers or their laborers had any farming experience. Within a few years, a steady stream of people left the colony.
Convicts.
By the late 1840’s, the colony could attract neither laborers nor capital. The British government declared the colony a penal (prison) settlement. In June 1850, the first 75 convicts arrived. The first batch of convicts had been chosen for their behavior and ability at a trade.
Convicts were handled differently in Western Australia than in the other colonies of Australia. After serving their sentences, the men received tickets of leave. Those with tickets of leave were on parole, but were forbidden to return to the United Kingdom. However, they were free to work for wages elsewhere. Many former convicts set up shops, learned trades, or became farmers or miners. Western Australia’s economy began to improve later in the 1800’s. In 1877, a telegraph line was completed between Perth and Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
Gold.
The first commercially profitable gold in the colony was found in 1885 at Halls Creek, in the Kimberley area. The gold rush that followed in 1886 was short-lived. Nevertheless, it brought hundreds of prospectors and miners into the colony. In 1893, Patrick Hannan, Thomas Flanagan, and Dan Shea discovered gold near Kalgoorlie. The gold rush that followed this discovery attracted thousands of miners. Few found gold. Many died of thirst or disease. Most diggers had left the area by the early 1900’s. They could not reach the deeper, richer gold seams without expensive equipment. 
A growing state.
In 1901, Western Australia became a state in the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia. The state’s first premier, Sir John Forrest, had opposed federation of the colonies until the last possible moment.
In 1897, Fremantle Harbour opened to shipping. The engineer C. Y. O’Connor built the harbor. In 1903, O’Connor’s project to pipe water from Mundaring Weir to the gold fields was completed. Wheat farming in the southwestern part of the state expanded greatly during the early 1900’s. By 1917, the Trans-Australian Railway connected Kalgoorlie with South Australia.
The worldwide Great Depression of the 1930’s had a severe effect on the state’s industries. After World War II (1939-1945), Western Australia began to rebuild its economy. The state developed many of its resources. Many Europeans migrated to the state, spurring a large population increase. By the time of the 1971 census, Western Australia’s population had grown to more than 1 million.
In 1952, a Western Australian rancher, Lang Hancock, discovered a range of iron ore as he was flying a plane through a gorge in the Pilbara region. Further exploration revealed that the Pilbara contained one of the world’s richest iron ore fields. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Pilbara experienced tremendous economic growth. Mines were started. Towns quickly sprang up. Railroads and port facilities were established. Later, petroleum and natural gas also were discovered and developed in the region.
The conservative Liberal Party controlled Western Australia’s government during most of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Liberal Party premiers Sir David Brand and Sir Charles Court worked to develop the state’s mineral resources and increase investment.
The late 1900’s.
In 1983, a Western Australian sailing organization won the America’s Cup yacht competition. Australia thus became the first challenging country to ever win the cup away from the United States. The next America’s Cup competition was held off the coast of Perth in 1987. A U.S. yacht defeated the Australian yacht to return the cup to the United States. In 1988, Western Australian yachtsman Jon Sanders became the first person to sail around the world three times without assistance.
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), led by Brian Burke, took control of the state’s government in 1983. His government was accused of improper business dealings with a merchant bank in a scandal known as WA Inc. In 1993, the Liberal Party returned to power under the leadership of Richard Court. He was the son of former premier Sir Charles Court. In 2001, the Labor Party regained control.
Recent developments.
During the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, the state’s population became increasingly concentrated in and around Perth. In 2006, a desalination plant opened in Kwinana, south of Perth. Desalination is the process of removing salt from seawater so that the water is safe to drink. The plant was intended to combat a water shortage stemming from climate change and population growth. Perth has seen a number of recent projects for developing business, housing, and public transportation.
In 2008, with the support of the National Party, Colin Barnett of the Liberal Party became the premier of Western Australia. In 2017, Labor returned to power under party leader Mark McGowan.
The COVID-19 pandemic (worldwide epidemic) spread to Australia in 2020. The government of Western Australia declared a public health state of emergency that took effect on March 16. Early efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Western Australia included closing the state’s borders to tourism and travel, and placing restrictions on social activity.
In Western Australia’s 2021 elections, the Labor Party strengthened its majority in the state Parliament. McGowan remained premier. In 2023, McGowan unexpectedly resigned from politics. He was succeeded as premier by Deputy Premier Roger Cook of the Labor Party.
