![\"Western](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Western-Australia-in-Australia-300x270.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Western Australia is Australia’s largest state, with a total land area of 976,790 square miles, and the second-largest country subdivision<\/a> in the world, surpassed only by Russia’s Sakha Republic<\/a>. The state has about 2.6 million inhabitants \u2013 around 11 percent of the national total \u2013 of whom the vast majority (92 per cent) live in the south-west corner<\/a>, 79 per cent of the population living in the Perth<\/a> area, leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated.<\/p>\n The first European visitor to Western Australia was the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog<\/a>, who visited the Western Australian coast in 1616. The first European settlement of Western Australia occurred following the landing by Major Edmund Lockyer<\/a> on 26 December 1826 of an expedition on behalf of the New South Wales<\/a> colonial government. He established a convict-supported military garrison at King George III Sound<\/a>, at present-day Albany<\/a>, and on 21 January 1827 formally took possession of the western third of the continent for the British Crown. This was followed by the establishment of the Swan River Colony<\/a> in 1829, including the site of the present-day capital, Perth.<\/p>\n York<\/a> was the first inland settlement in Western Australia. Situated 60 miles east of Perth, it was settled on 16 September 1831.<\/p>\n Western Australia achieved responsible government in 1890 and federated with the other British colonies in Australia in 1901. Today, its economy mainly relies on mining, agriculture, exports, and tourism. The state produces 46 per cent of Australia’s exports. Western Australia is the second-largest iron ore producer in the world.<\/p>\n When Australia’s first inhabitants arrived on the northwest coast 40,000 to 60,000 years ago the sea levels were much lower. The Kimberley<\/a> coast at one time was only about 90 km from Timor<\/a>, which itself was the last in a line of closely spaced islands for humans to travel across. Therefore, this was a possible (even probable) location for which Australia’s first immigrants could arrive via some primitive boat. Other possible immigration routes were via islands further north and then through New Guinea<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over the next tens of thousands of years these Indigenous Australians<\/a> slowly moved southward and eastward across the landmass. The Aborigines were well established throughout Western Australia by the time European ships started accidentally arriving en route to Batavia<\/a> (now Jakarta<\/a>) in the early 17th century.<\/p>\n The first European to sight Western Australia was the Dutch explorer, Dirk Hartog, the first European to suggest to have found a continent there, who on 26 October 1616 landed at what is now known as Cape Inscription, Dirk Hartog Island<\/a>. Before departing, Hartog left behind an inscribed pewter plate<\/a> affixed to a post. In 1696 the plate was discovered and replaced by Willem de Vlamingh<\/a> and repatriated to the Rijksmuseum<\/a> in Amsterdam<\/a>. A multitude of Dutch visits followed during that century, charting virtually the whole of the west coast, the West Australian south coast and Australia’s northern coast.<\/p>\n The first English vessel to visit, when attempting to sail the Dutch-established Brouwer Route<\/a> to the Indies, was Tryall<\/a>, an East India Company<\/a>-owned East Indiaman<\/a> under the command of John Brookes who in 1622 sighted Point Cloates<\/a> before later on 25 May wrecking on Tryal Rocks<\/a>, off the northwest coast of Australia. Some of the 143 crew remained on the Monte Bello Islands<\/a> for 7 days, during that time sighting Barrow Island<\/a>, before sailing to Batavia in a longboat. A second boat brought some more crew to Batavia, so just over 40 people survived, including Brookes. Almost one hundred crew apparently perished in the wreck. Tryall became Australia’s oldest known shipwreck.<\/p>\n A later English visitor was William Dampier<\/a>, who in 1699 sailed down some of the western coast of Australia. He noted the lack of water and in his description of Shark Bay<\/a> in his account “A Voyage to New Holland<\/a>“, he expressed his frustration: as the 7th of August when we came into Shark’s Bay; in which we Anchored at three several Places, and stay’d at the first of them (on the W. side of the Bay) till the 11th. During which time we searched about, as I said, for fresh Water, digging Wells, but to no purpose.”<\/p>\n The first formal claim of possession for Great Britain was made on 29 September 1791 by Commander (later Captain) George Vancouver RN<\/a>, on a spot he named Possession Point, at the tip of the peninsula between the waters he also named Princess Royal Harbour and King George the Third’s Sound at Albany (“the Third” was dropped from the name in 1826).<\/p>\n In the early 19th century the British became concerned about the possibility of a French colony being established on the west coast of Australia. In 1826 the Governor of New South Wales, Ralph Darling<\/a>, ordered the establishment of a settlement at King George’s Sound. An army detachment was sent from Sydney headed by Major Edmund Lockyer with eighteen soldiers, one captain, one doctor, one storekeeper and twenty-three convicts.<\/p>\n On 21 January 1827 the whole of Australia was finally claimed as British territory when Major Lockyer formally annexed the western portion of the continent in a ceremony on King George Sound.<\/p>\n In March 1831 the penal settlement was withdrawn, and the control of King George’s Sound was transferred from New South Wales to the Swan River Colony. Captain James Stirling decreed that the settlement would be named “Albany” from 1 January 1832.<\/p>\n The first significant European settlements were established on the Swan River<\/a> by James Stirling<\/a> in 1829. The colonists first sighted land on 1 June, an official Proclamation was made on 18 June and the foundation of the colony took place on 12 August. As Lieutenant Governor, Stirling had sole authority to draft laws and decide day-to-day affairs.<\/p>\n By 1859, all the other Australian colonies had their own parliaments and colonists in Western Australia began pushing for the right to govern themselves. The British Colonial Office opposed this because of the slow rate of growth and the presence by then of convicts. Petitions asking for some of the positions in the Legislative Council to be filled by popularly elected colonists were presented to London in 1865 and 1869. In 1870 this was granted, although the Governor could still veto the Council’s decisions.<\/p>\n Major towns of the colony developed slowly into the port city of Fremantle<\/a> and the main settlement, 20 miles up river, at Perth.<\/p>\n Much of the land around the Swan River Colony was unsuitable for agriculture and it was inevitable that the colony would have to expand beyond the Swan River area after the most fertile locations were quickly settled.<\/p>\n Sheep farming<\/a> was the most successful early agricultural activity, and the basis of all expansion until the 1850s.<\/p>\n While Western Australia was initially a “free settlement”, economic problems for settler capitalists led them to seek the transportation of British convicts. WA became a penal colony<\/a> in 1850.<\/p>\n By 1868, over 9,000 convicts had been transported to Western Australia on 43 convict ship voyages.<\/p>\n Wool<\/a> production, usually on large stations<\/a>, was also the basis of expansion further east and northward.<\/p>\n The first permanent settlements in the North West<\/a> (later divided into the Pilbara<\/a> and Kimberley regions) took place in the mid-1860s, initially at the Harding River<\/a>, De Grey River<\/a> and Roebourne<\/a> (gazetted in 1867). Pearling also came to dominate the North West, initially in Nickol Bay, with a fleet at Tien Tsin Harbor (later renamed Cossack<\/a>). In the North West, unlike southern WA, the labor force was dominated by Indigenous Australians, often under harsh forms of unfree labor<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 1870, some members of the Legislative Council were elected for the first time, although only male settlers with significant property<\/a> could vote and the Governor could still veto the Council’s decisions.<\/p>\n Ernest Giles<\/a> twice traversed the Gibson Desert<\/a> between 1872 and 1876.<\/p>\n During the 1870s, the Murchison<\/a> and Gascoyne<\/a> regions were also settled by Europeans.<\/p>\n Until the 1880s the economy of the state was based largely on wool and wheat. A major change in the colony’s fortunes occurred in 1885 when gold was discovered and prospectors by the tens of thousands swarmed across the land in a desperate attempt to discover new goldfields.<\/p>\n In 1887 a new constitution, including proposals for responsible government, was drafted and sent to London by Governor Broome<\/a> for approval. It was argued that due to the increasing wealth being generated by gold rushes, Western Australia should become a self-governing colony<\/a>. An Act granting self-government was passed by the British Parliament<\/a> in 1890, giving the Colony independence from the UK in matters other than foreign policy, defense and “native affairs”.<\/p>\n In 1891 the rush to the Murchison goldfields began when Tom Cue<\/a> discovered gold at the town<\/a> which now bears his name. In the years that followed dozens of gold towns \u2013 Day Dawn, Nannine, Peak Hill, Garden Gully, Dead Finish, Pinnicles, Austin Island and Austin Mainland \u2013 flourished only to be abandoned when the seams were exhausted and the gold fever moved on.<\/p>\n The influx of miners from the eastern colonies and from overseas increased the presence of trade unions<\/a> in Western Australia. The Trades and Labor Council<\/a>, Perth was established in 1891 and Perth Trades Hall<\/a> opened (1912). The first edition of the Westralian Worker appeared on 7 September 1900 and was followed shortly afterwards by the opening of the Kalgoorlie Trades Hall, the first such hall in Western Australia. A Trades Hall was opened in Fremantle in 1904.<\/p>\n Discoveries at Coolgardie<\/a> (1892) and Paddy Hannan’s<\/a> discovery at Kalgoorlie<\/a> (1893) sparked true gold fever<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gold inspired a new wave of exploration, including David Carnegi<\/a>e who, in 1896, led an epic expedition that traveled through the deserts north of Coolgardie, through the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts<\/a> to Halls Creek in the Kimberley, before returning to Coolgardie.<\/p>\n In the late 19th century there was talk of the gold-rich region around Kalgoorlie seceding from Western Australia, as a colony\/state called “Auralia”. This campaign coincided with the reluctance in Perth regarding Western Australia taking part in Australian federation.<\/p>\n On 1 January 1901, following a proclamation<\/a> by Queen Victoria<\/a>, Western Australia, along with the other five British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland<\/a>, South Australia, Tasmania<\/a> and Victoria<\/a>, formed the federation of the Commonwealth of Australia, of which they each became component states. However, Western Australia was rather reluctant to join the union, doing so only after a railway line<\/a> connecting the west coast to the east coast was offered.<\/p>\n The wealth generated from gold soon disappeared and by the early years of the 20th century the economy was once again dependent on wool and wheat. This dependency meant that a dramatic fall in wool and wheat prices in the late 1920s \u2013 early 1930s saw the state’s economy collapse.<\/p>\n It was not to recover until after World War II when the Federal Government’s postwar immigration policy saw a huge influx of migrants, nearly all of them from Europe, in the period 1947 to 1970.<\/p>\n In a referendum in 1933, 68% of voters favored secession. The Premier, Philip Collier, argued in London for secession but the British decided they could not grant it.<\/p>\n Western Australia occupies nearly one third of the Australian continent. Due to the size and the isolation of the state, considerable emphasis has been made of these features; it is the second largest administrative territory in the world, after Yakutia in Russia, and no other regional administrative jurisdiction in the world occupies such a high percentage of a continental land mass. It is also the only first level administrative subdivision to occupy the entire continental coastline in one cardinal direction<\/a>.<\/p>\n Its capital city, Perth, is also considered to be among the world’s most isolated, being closer to Jakarta in Indonesia, than to the Australian national capital in Canberra<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bulk of Western Australia consists of the extremely old Yilgarn craton<\/a> and Pilbara craton<\/a> which merged with the Deccan Plateau<\/a> of India<\/a>, Madagascar <\/a>and the Karoo<\/a> and Zimbabwe cratons<\/a> of Southern Africa<\/a>, in the Archean Eon<\/a> to form Ur<\/a>, one of the oldest super-continents on Earth (3 \u2013 3.2 billion years ago). In May 2017, evidence of the earliest known life<\/a> on land may have been found in 3.48-billion-year-old geyserite<\/a> and other related mineral deposits uncovered in the Pilbara craton.<\/p>\n Because the only mountain-building<\/a> since then has been of the Stirling Range<\/a> with the rifting from Antarctica<\/a>, the land is extremely eroded and ancient, with no part of the state above 4,085 feet at Mount Meharry<\/a> in the Hamersley Range<\/a> of the Pilbara region. Most of the state is a low plateau with an average elevation of about 1,200 feet, very low relief, and no surface runoff<\/a>. This descends relatively sharply to the coastal plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment.<\/p>\n The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile and frequently laterised<\/a>. Even soils derived from granitic<\/a> bedrock<\/a> contain an order of magnitude less available phosphorus<\/a> and only half as much nitrogen<\/a> as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sand-plains or ironstone<\/a> are even less fertile, nearly devoid of soluble phosphate and deficient in zinc<\/a>, copper<\/a>, molybdenum<\/a> and sometimes potassium<\/a> and calcium<\/a>.<\/p>\n The infertility of most of the soils has required heavy application by farmers of fertilizers. These have resulted in damage to invertebrate and bacterial populations. The grazing and use of hoofed mammals and, later, heavy machinery through the years have resulted in compaction<\/a> of soils and great damage to the fragile soils.<\/p>\n Large-scale land clearing for agriculture has damaged habitats for native flora and fauna. As a result, the South West region<\/a> of the state has a higher concentration of rare, threatened or endangered flora and fauna than many areas of Australia, making it one of the world’s biodiversity “hot spots”. Large areas of the state’s wheat-belt region have problems with dry-land salinity<\/a> and the loss of fresh water.<\/p>\n Western Australia’s economy is largely driven by extraction and processing of a diverse range of mineral and petroleum commodities. The structure of the economy is closely linked to these natural resources, providing a comparative advantage in resource extraction and processing. As a consequence, Western Australia contributes an estimated 58% of Australia’s Mineral and Energy Exports, potentially earning up to 4.64% of Australia’s total GDP.<\/p>\n Finance, insurance and property services and construction have grown steadily and have increased their share of economic output.<\/p>\n Recent growth in global demand for minerals and petroleum, especially in China<\/a> (iron-ore) and Japan<\/a> (for LNG), has ensured economic growth above the national average.<\/p>\n Western Australia’s overseas exports accounted for 46% of the nation’s total. The state’s major export commodities include iron-ore<\/a>, alumina<\/a>, nickel<\/a>, gold<\/a>, ammonia<\/a>, wheat, wool, crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Western Australia is a major extractor of bauxite<\/a>, which is also processed into alumina at four refineries providing more than 20% of total world production. It is the world’s third-largest iron-ore producer (15% of the world’s total) and extracts 75% of Australia’s 240 tonnes of gold. Diamonds are extracted at Argyle diamond mine<\/a> in far north of the Kimberley region. Coal mined at Collie<\/a> is the main fuel for baseload electricity generation in the state’s south-west.<\/p>\n Agricultural production in WA is a major contributor to the state and national economy. Although tending to be highly seasonal, 2006\u201307 wheat production in WA was nearly 10 million tonnes, accounting for almost half the nation’s total. and providing $1.7 billion in export income.<\/p>\n Other significant farm output includes barley<\/a>, peas, wool, lamb and beef. There is a high level of overseas demand for live animals from WA, driven mainly by southeast Asia’s feedlots and Middle Eastern countries, where cultural and religious traditions and a lack of storage and refrigeration facilities favor live animals over imports of processed meat. About half of Australia’s live cattle exports come from Western Australia.<\/p>\n Resource sector growth in recent years has resulted in significant labor and skills shortages, leading to recent efforts by the state government to encourage interstate and overseas immigration. Recent growth has also contributed to significant rises in average property values in 2006, although values plateaued in 2007. Perth property prices are still the second highest in Australia behind Sydney, and high rental prices continue to be a problem.<\/p>\n Located south of Perth, the heavy industrial area of Kwinana<\/a> has the nation’s largest oil refinery<\/a> with a capacity of 146,000 barrels of oil per day, producing most of the state’s petrol and diesel. Kwinana also hosts alumina and nickel processing plants, port facilities for grain and other bulk exports, and support industries for mining and petroleum such as heavy and light engineering, and metal fabrication. Shipbuilding and associated support industries are found at nearby Henderson, just north of Kwinana. Significant secondary industries include cement and building product manufacturing, flour milling, food processing, animal feed production, automotive body building and printing.<\/p>\n In recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with significant numbers of visitors to the state coming from the UK<\/a> and Ireland<\/a> (28%), other European countries (14%) Singapore<\/a> (16%), Japan (10%) and Malaysia<\/a> (8%). Revenue from tourism is a strong economic driver in many of the smaller population centers outside of Perth, especially in coastal locations.<\/p>\n Western Australia has a significant fishing industry. Products for local consumption and export include western rock lobsters<\/a>, prawns<\/a>, crabs, shark and tuna, as well as pearl fishing in the Kimberley region of the state. Processing is conducted along the west coast. Whaling was a key marine industry but ceased at Albany in 1978.<\/p>\n Western Australia has a well developed systems of major roads and highways that connect all major population centers.<\/p>\n Transwa<\/a> controls public transport services outside of Perth, including passenger services from Perth to Kalgoorlie, Northam<\/a> and Bunbury<\/a>. These trains are named the Prospector<\/a>, AvonLink<\/a>, and Australind<\/a>.<\/p>\n Great Southern Rail<\/a> operates the Indian Pacific<\/a> from Perth to Adelaide<\/a> and Sydney<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perth metropolitan public transport, including trains, buses and ferries, are provided by Transperth<\/a>, with links to rural areas provided by Transwa. Perth provides zero-fare train trips for SmartRider (travel fare card) holders around the city center (the “Free Transit Zone”), as well as four high-frequency (every 8\u201315 minutes) Central Area Transit (CAT)<\/a> bus routes (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green), which, alongside trips on regular Transperth buses in the city center, are free to all users.<\/p>\n There are five main rail lines, 70 stations and 15 bus stations in the metropolitan area.<\/p>\n An extensive bus network services the greater Perth metro area. Many bus routes act as feeder routes to the main rail lines.<\/p>\n Perth is served by Perth Airport<\/a> in the city’s east for regional, domestic and international flights and Jandakot Airport<\/a> in the city’s southern suburbs for general aviation and charter flights.<\/p>\n Western Australia also has dozens of smaller regional airports<\/a>, many of which feature regularly scheduled flights offered by regional branches of the nation’s major airlines. Other airports are strictly for private planes and\/or corporate aircraft in mining locations.<\/p>\n The current state flag of Western Australia was officially adopted by the government of Western Australia in 1953.<\/p>\n The flag is based on the defaced British Blue Ensign<\/a> with the state badge located in the fly.<\/p>\n The badge is a gold disc with a native black swan<\/a>, the swan is facing towards the hoist. The black swan has long been a symbol of Western Australia.<\/p>\n The original colony was called the Swan River Colony at the location which is now Perth.<\/p>\n The first flag of Western Australia was adopted in 1870 and is almost identical to the current flag of Western Australia. The only difference is that the swan was facing the opposite direction towards the fly rather than towards the hoist.<\/p>\n![\"Population](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Population-Distribution-in-Western-Australia-196x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
Aboriginal Settlement:<\/h3>\n
![\"Ngaanyatjarra](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Ngaanyatjarra-Kids-300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Early Visits by Europeans:<\/h3>\n
![\"1659](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/1659-Map-of-Western-Australia-300x228.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Colonial Era:<\/h3>\n
![\"Edmund](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Edmund-Lockyer-214x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The Swan River Colony:<\/h3>\n
![\"Swan](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Swan-River-Map-228x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Expansion 1829\u20131850:<\/h3>\n
Convict Era:<\/h3>\n
Expansion 1861\u20131885:<\/h3>\n
![\"Western](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Western-Australia-Population-Growth-253x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Gold Discoveries, 1885\u20131900:<\/h3>\n
![\"Gold](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Gold-Mining-in-Western-Australia.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Secessionists](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Secessionists-Meeting.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>State of Australia:<\/h3>\n
![\"William](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/William-Forrest-239x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Development in the Early 20th Century:<\/h3>\n
![\"Centenary](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Centenary-Celebrations-in-Perth-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"Perth\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Perth-300x145.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Western](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Western-Australia-From-Space-233x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"West](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/West-Australian-Export-Commodities-300x242.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transport:<\/h2>\n
Road:<\/h3>\n
![\"Western](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Western-Australia-Transportation-Map-209x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Rail:<\/h3>\n
![\"Transwa](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Transwa-Train-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Public Transit:<\/h3>\n
![\"Transperth](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Transperth-Train-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Air:<\/h3>\n
![\"Perth](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Perth-International-Airport-300x169.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Flag of Western Australia:<\/h2>\n
![\"Flag](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Flag-of-Western-Australia.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Black](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Black-Swans-300x263.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Flag](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/07\/Flag-of-Western-Australia-1870-1953-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>