Western Australia in Wanderlust

Western Australia is this wonderful vast place in Australia that boasts the country's best beaches, best weather, most breathtaking landscapes, and the most enviable laidback lifestyle of all of Australia's states. It takes up around a third of the country yet has only a tenth of the nation's population so there are lots of wide open spaces. But what I love about it is that even when you're in the middle of nowhere you'll come across the most extraordinary things, like this fridge stencilled with a camel which we came across on a dusty backroad in the outback near the rabbit proof fence. Western Oz was the first state I ever travelled to - aged four years old - in Australia, from my home town of Sydney. It's also the state we return to the most often when we go back to Australia these days, whether it's for writing assignments or to visit family. And it's the state I'm most fond of now. For a whole variety of reasons, but mainly because of its natural beauty, its spectacular outback, its quirky spirit, its fascinating characters, and its fabulous food and wine! You can read more about Western Australia in my piece for UK travel magazine Wanderlust, which is this month's cover story. If you live outside of the UK, you can download a copy of the story from my Media Bistro page.