annruth

Hi! I'm traveling to Qld to visit family near Toowoomba in May. lived in Qld as a child and have been back a few times; (been to Sydney/Melbourne and not going back this trip) but never been to 'the other side'! It's my first solo trip (done it with my 6 kids/husband before, so this is very different!). Want to begin and end my trip in Qld, to spend time with my father, and thinking of 'hopping' over to WA for a new view of Aus. I have friends in Port Hedland. I'm interested in Aus history and particularly literature/arts. I'm in Aus for about a month (not booked yet!) and apart from the historical/Aboriginal interest I need a couple of 2-3 day stays with my Dad near Toowoomba and I'd like to fit in a day or so horse-riding, some rainforest walking, and a visit 'home' to FNQ. (Port Douglas/Mossman area). Help!! By the way, I'm a 54 year-old Grandmother x

eliztravels2

W.A is great: go for it! I will admit to being quite biased as we have family in Margaret River area, and of the 8 or 9 trips we have taken to Oz about 95% of the time was spent in W.A. If it piques your curiosity, now is the time, since travelling solo will be so much easier and less costly than going with the rest of your clan.

Perth has a great museum and on our first visit there we did a walking tour which was great. You can take a train trip to Kalgoorlie which is worth a couple of nights at least to learn about the mining history. Quite possibly some arts festivals going on as well. Do you read Tim Winton? You would likely find it interesting to visit some of the small coastal communities south of Perth which are the setting for his novels.

Use the search function at the top right to take a look and the trip reports written by melnq8. She lived in Perth for many years and her travels are well documented. Let us know if you have questions about specific activities or destinations.

annruth

Thank you so much for your reply! Tim Winton is a particular favourite of mine. I'll check out melnq8. Thank you x

Melnq8

May is a great time to visit WA.

As you know, it's a massive state, so narrowing down what you want to see and do is the hard bit.

Happy to help if I can, although I've never been to Port Hedland, only made it as far north as Exmouth (and Barrow Island), and both were trips, believe me.

The SW of WA is my favorite, lots to see and do down there.

rellie2

WA would be a great place to visit if you get the opportunity (though I am a little biased as I live in Perth).

Melnq8 has some great trip reports. And I agree that May in our south west is just beautiful. Tim Winton's new movie will be set in Denmark (near Albany).

Happy to make suggestions once you've narrowed down your destinations.

Melnq8

Ashamed to admit I've not hear of Tim Winton (just Googled), but will have to rectify that, especially if it involves Denmark!

northie

For your interest in history and indigenous matters I highly recommend going to the Kimberleys - Broome is the start for a trip to this area.