The Goldfields and South east region of Western Australia is the vast semi-desert region, which contains the towns of Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie, Boulder and Norsemanas well as the coastal town of Albany. Gold was first discovered in this region is 1887 and the towns, which sprung out of nothing and are today predominantly ghost towns. The goldfields area is covered in a blanket of colourful wildflowers during the spring.

The major gold strikes were made at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, and today the only large town left is Kalgoorlie. Mines still operate here, and the town offers mine tours, historical train rides, museums and excellent examples of gold rush architecture. At the heart of Western Australia's goldfields area, the twin towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder are reputed to be set in the richest square mile in the world. Kalgoorlie is situated 600km east of Perth on the western fringes of the Nullabor Plain and the Great Victorian Desert.

Coolgardie is one of the best known ghost towns in Australia. The town grew from nothing to a booming town when alluvial gold was discovered in 1892. The gold soon petered out and the population then dwindled. Like Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie offers historical attractions as well as emu and camel farms.

200km south of Kalgoorlie, is the largest town on the Eyre Highway, Norseman. It's a popular stopping place on the long overland trip. Again, gold put Norseman on the maps in the late 1890's.

Esperance, further east along the coast, is renowned for its fantastic snow-white beaches and bright blue waters. Off the cape are the islands of the Recherche Archipelago, home to colonies of seals, penguins and a wide variety of water birds.

Hyden is surrounded by semi arid country, which contains some fascinating rock formations. The most famous of these is Wave Rock, an incredible 15m high granite rock shaped like a giant wave. The rock is streaked with colour from greys to sandy reds. Surrounding the area are other rock formations, some of which have Aboriginal rock paintings.

The state of Western Australia is the biggest state in Australia and therefore will have the biggest climate changes throughout the state. There is three main climatic zones in the state, which are Tropical, Semi - Arid and Mediterranean.

The tropical zone is found in the north of the state where the climate is characterised by the Dry and the Wet seasons. This area is known for monsoonal rains during the wet season with the occasional cyclone hitting the region about once every 1-2 years. The Semi-Arid zone is in the central part of the state where the area is mostly covered by deserts. The south of the state is the Mediterranean zone, where there is little rainfall in the summer and the winds are hot and dry except with the occassional afternoon coastal sea breeze. Winter brings the southern region cold fronts and low pressure zones which brings rainfall for the agricultural regions.