Western Australia
Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, covering an area of 2,529,875 square kilometers and situated on the continent's western third. It shares borders with South Australia and the Northern Territory to the east and boasts a lengthy coastline of 20,781 kilometers along the Indian Ocean, Timor Sea, and Southern Ocean. Perth, located on the south-west coast, serves as the capital, with other significant cities including Bunbury, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and Albany. The state is home to four World Heritage Sites, highlighting its rich cultural and environmental heritage, including Fremantle Prison, Shark Bay, Ningaloo Coast, and Purnululu National Park.
Aboriginal peoples have inhabited the region for over 50,000 years, with a complex history marked by European contact beginning in the 17th century. Today, Western Australia's economy is primarily service-oriented, though mining plays a crucial role, accounting for a significant portion of the state's gross state product. As of 2023, the population stands at approximately 2.92 million, with a notable diversity as over a third of residents were born overseas. The cultural landscape reflects a blend of indigenous heritage and the influences of various immigrant communities, with English being the predominant language spoken.
Western Australia
Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, with a land area of 2,529,875 square kilometres. Located on the western third of the continent, it borders South Australia and Northern Territory on the east. Its west coast borders the Indian Ocean; its north, the Timor Sea; and its south, the Southern Ocean. The length of its coastline is the country's longest, at 20,781 kilometres. Its capital is Perth, located on its south-west coast. Other major cities include Bunbury, Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Albany.
Western Australia has four World Heritage Sites. Freemantle Prison reflects the colony's convict heritage and the contributions convicts made to the colony's development. Shark Bay and the Ningaloo Coast are environmental regions with unique biodiversity, with the latter having the world's largest fringing reef. The Purnululu National Park in the Kimberley has unique sandstone formations and wilderness areas.
Historical Perspective
Aboriginal peoples have lived in Western Australia for over fifty thousand years. European explorers sighted its coast in the seventeenth century, and the first European, Dutch navigator Dirk Hartog, came ashore in 1616. The British claimed the area in 1791 and set up a small settlement at King George Sound to defend its claim in 1826. In 1829 James Stirling established the Swan River Colony for free settlers at the site of what later became Perth. Migration to the new colony was slow, and the colony struggled. It changed its name to Western Australia in 1832 and added territory, growing to its current size and boundaries. In 1846 it agreed to accept convicts for the financial assistance provided by the British government. Between 1850 and 1868 it took in nine thousand convicts, all male. The colony was granted self-government in 1890.
As Western Australia's population grew, so did settlers' conflicts with the Aboriginal peoples. By the mid-nineteenth century, many Aboriginal peoples had been dispossessed of their land and had migrated to the west, with Western Australia having one of the highest populations of Aboriginal peoples of all colonies. The colonial government established a Protection Board in 1886, which allowed it to remove Aboriginal children from their parents and otherwise control the movements of Aboriginal peoples. Western Australia joined the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Geography and Climate
Almost two-thirds of Western Australia falls within a temperate zone. The northern section is in a tropical zone. Climates vary widely within these zones, with the north having a hot semi-arid climate. Much of the interior has a desert climate, while the south-west corner has a Mediterranean climate. Rainfall varies greatly, with much of the interior receiving between 50 and 300 millimetres a year and coastal areas receiving between 400 and 1,500 millimetres a year.
The Western Plateau and several deserts cover much of the interior of Western Australia. The Great Sandy Desert is located in the north, the Great Victoria Desert in the south and the Gibson Desert lies between them. The most rugged parts of the state are the Kimberley region in the north-east and the Hamersley Range, which separates the coastal region from the interior.
Western Australia has a wide variety of flora and fauna, with many species threatened or endangered. Endangered mammals and birds include the woylie, Gilbert's potoroo and western ground parrot. It has over 140 species of animals, including kangaroos, emus, numbats, crocodiles, dolphins and whales, and more than four hundred reptile species, about half of which are found only in Western Australia. Native reptiles include the crowned, mulga and pygmy python snakes. Plant life is diverse, with over twelve thousand species of wildflowers.
Economy
Western Australia has a service-dominated economy. According to the Western Australia Department of State Development, in 2022-2023, 33 per cent of the state's workers were employed in the services industry, which includes health care and social services (5 per cent, or $20.5 billion); professional-scientific tech services (4 per cent, or $19.3 billion); and transport, postal, and warehousing (3 per cent, or $14.4 billion).
Goods-producing industries accounted for 58 per cent of the states's GSP. In 2022-2023, mining accounted for 45 per cent ($200 billion); contruction accounted for 5 per cent ($22.8 billion); manufacturing accounted for 4 per cent ($18.4 billion); and agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounted for 2 per cent ($11.1 billion).
Demographics
The population of Western Australia was 2.92 million in 2023, according to the Western Australian government. According to the 2021 Census, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples made up slightly more than 3 per cent of the total population. In 2021 the state had an overall population density of 1.14 person per square kilometre, which was the lowest of all states and territories other than the Northern Territory. Population density was much higher (358.7 people per square kilometre) in Greater Perth, where 80 per cent of the state's residents live.
Western Australia experienced a population growth rate of 3.3 per cent between 2022 and 2023, with the highest growth rate occurring in Perth, which in 2023 had an annual growth of 81,000 people per year (or 220 per day).
More than a third of Western Australians were born overseas, with the top countries of birth reported as England, New Zealand, South Africa, India and the Philippines in the 2021 Census. For those born in Australia, the most common ancestries were English, Australian, Irish, Scottish and Italian. About 40 per cent of Western Australia's population reported no religious affiliation, while about 30 per cent of the population reported affiliation with either the Catholic or Anglican religion. English was the only language spoken in the majority of homes, while a small percentage of the language spoke Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese or Arabic.
Bibliography
Gregory, Jenny, and Janice Gothard. Historical Encyclopedia of Western Australia. U of Western Australia P, 2009.
"Living in Western Australia." Government of Western Australia, www.migration.wa.gov.au/living-in-western-australia/perth-metropolitan. Accessed 17 June 2024.
"Marine Parks and Reserves." Department of Parks and Wildlife, Government of Western Australia, www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/management/marine/marine-parks-and-reserves. Accessed 17 June 2024.
"Plants & Animals." Department of Parks and Wildlife, Government of Western Australia, www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/plants-and-animals. Accessed 17 June 2024.
"Western Australia Facts." About Australia, www.about-australia.com/western-australia-facts. Accessed 17 June 2024.
Wright, Shane and Heather McNeill. "Hundreds of New Arrivals a Day Make Perth the Fastest Growth Capital City." WA Today, 26 Mar. 2024, www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/hundreds-of-new-arrivals-a-day-make-perth-the-fastest-growing-capital-city-20240326-p5ffgy.html. Accesse 17 June 2024.