The diverse Mid West region covers almost 470,000 square kilometres of central Western Australia. It borders the Gascoyne to the Northwest, the Pilbara to the North, the Goldfields region to the East and Southeast, the Wheatbelt to the South and the Indian Ocean to the West.
Cities
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- 1 Dongara & Port Denison - an old coastal town known for its heritage buildings and rock lobsters
- 2 Geraldton - a popular kitesurfing, windsurfing, fishing, sailing and surfing spot in the region
- Kalbarri - a small town at the mouth of the Murchison River near the orange gorges of Kalbarri National Park
- Hutt River Principality - Australia's own "micro-nation". This wheat farm claims to be an independent Principality, with its own Princes, constitution, stamps, coins, diplomatic security force and throne. See under Geraldton.
Other destinations
- Meekatharra - a gold rush town now with little fortune
- 1 Kalbarri National Park
- 2 Houtman Abrolhos are a group of 122 uninhabited islands off the coast - boat access is usually from Geraldton
Understand
This region is a good day's drive from Perth so it makes a good first night's stopover on a road trip north - anywhere along the strip from Dongara to Geraldton. After that, fuel, food and accommodation become sparse on the road up towards Carnarvon.
Get in
By air from Perth to Geraldton. By road from Perth either by Brand Highway 1 or Coastal Highway 60, which join near Dongara. From the north, via Brand Highway. There are buses along these highways (see individual cities for detail), but with your own car will be much quicker.
Get around
You'll need a car. If you didn't drive from Perth, hire one from Geraldton downtown. They can also bring a car to the airport if pre-booked.
See
If you've a few hours to spare to take in one major sight as you pass through, take the turn-off for Kalbarri National Park.
If you've only an hour or two, look in on Geraldton; Kalbarri needs longer.
Stay safe
This is a low-risk region, the main things to need care are road use and water activities.
All the standard road safety advice applies here: watch your speed, try to avoid driving at night, overtaking is best kept for designated overtaking lanes, remember Australia has a near-zero alcohol limit for drivers, and avoid dirt roads in bad weather.
Water safety: it's seldom sharks, it's sometimes jellyfish or big waves, but the biggest risks to you and your family come from boat traffic. Check for designated swimming areas.