81-496: Goldfields Highway is a generally northwest–southeast highway in central Western Australia which links the Great Northern Highway at Meekatharra with Coolgardie-Esperance Highway south of Kalgoorlie . The highway is approximately 797 kilometres (495 mi) in length, and is designated as Alternate National Route 94 from Kalgoorlie to Coolgardie–Esperance Highway . A large 180-kilometre (110 mi) section of
162-683: A capacity of 23,200 cubic metres per day (146,000 barrels per day) until its closure in 2021, 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 (e.g. Austal ) 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. Western Australia has
243-527: A comparative advantage in resource extraction and processing. As a consequence: In 2019 Western Australia's overseas exports accounted for 46% of the nation's total. The state's major export commodities included iron-ore, petroleum, gold, alumina , nickel, wheat, copper, lithium, chemicals and mineral sands. Western Australia is the world's largest iron-ore producer (34% of the world's total), and extracts 66% (6.9% of world production) of Australia's 306 tonnes (9.8 million troy ounces) of gold in 2022. It
324-466: A consequence: Western Australia's overseas merchandising exports accounted for 46% of the nation's total. The state's major export commodities include iron-ore , alumina , crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) , nickel , gold , ammonia , wheat, wool, and live sheep and cattle. Western Australia has become known as the engine room of the Australian economy. In global terms, Western Australia
405-411: A disruptive impact on economic development. Wartime conditions ensured high prices for agricultural products, but also created inflationary pressures and manpower shortages, while the completion of the transcontinental rail link in 1917 highlighted growing integration into the national economy and a decline in dependence on Britain . In 1919 the state government sought to resume economic growth through
486-454: A further 1,196 species currently recognised but unpublished. They occur within 1,543 genera from 211 families ; there are also 1,276 naturalised alien or invasive plant species, more commonly known as weeds. In the southwest region are some of the largest numbers of plant species for its area in the world. Western Australia's ecoregions include the sandstone gorges of the Kimberley on
567-403: A lack of storage and refrigeration facilities favour live animals over imports of processed meat. About half of Australia's live cattle exports come from Western Australia. Resource sector growth in recent years has resulted in significant labour and skills shortages, leading to recent efforts by the state government to encourage interstate and overseas immigration. According to the 2006 census,
648-712: A major centre for associated services. Outside of mining, primary industry is the other significant contributor to the state's economy, including agriculture in the Wheatbelt and temperate southern coastal regions, pastoralism in marginal grassland areas, forestry in the south-west and fishing (including pearling and, historically, whaling ). Western Australia has a geological history dating back to 4.4 billion years ago when Hadean zircons were formed. The earliest direct known life on land, known as stromatolites , started to be created by microbes at around 3.48 billion years ago. The first human inhabitants of Australia arrived from
729-511: A result, the South West region 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 wheatbelt region have problems with dryland salinity and the loss of fresh water. The southwest coastal area has a Mediterranean climate . It was originally heavily forested, including large stands of karri , one of
810-545: A scientific paper, General view of the botany of the vicinity of Swan River . It discusses the vegetation of the Swan River Colony . Europeans began to settle permanently in 1826 when Albany was claimed by Britain to forestall French claims to the western third of the continent. Perth was founded as the Swan River Colony in 1829 by British and Irish settlers, though the outpost languished. Its officials eventually requested convict labour to augment its population. By
891-623: A significant fishing industry. Products for local consumption and export include western rock lobsters , prawns, 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. Western Australia has the world's biggest plantations of both Indian sandalwood (northern WA) and Australian sandalwood (semi-arid regions), which are used to produce sandalwood oil and incense . The WA sandalwood industry provides about 40% of
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#1732917615138972-1019: A significant fishing industry. Products for local consumption and export include Western Rock Lobsters , prawns, crabs, shark and tuna. Processing is conducted along the west coast. Whaling ceased at Albany in 1978. South of Perth is the heavy industrial area of Kwinana . Located here is the nation's largest oil refinery which produces petrol and diesel for local consumption, an iron plant, alumina and nickel processing, port facilities for grain exports, and support industries for mining and petroleum such as heavy and light engineering, and metal fabrication. Shipbuilding (e.g. Austal and Civmec ) and associated support industries are found at nearby Henderson , just south of Fremantle. Significant secondary industries include cement and building product manufacturing, flour milling, food processing, animal feed production, fertilizer production, automotive body building, brewing and printing. In recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with significant numbers of visitors to
1053-471: A trade surplus of A$ 112.95 billion. This is in contrast to the national trade deficit of A$ 70.5 billion. 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 the abundance of natural resources found in the State, providing a comparative advantage in resource extraction and processing. As
1134-598: A whole). 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. A lot of this has to do with the mining industry being so strong in WA. Agricultural production in WA is a major contributor to the state and national economy. Although tending to be highly seasonal, 2006-07 wheat production in WA
1215-483: Is 1,862 km (1,157 mi). There are 20,781 km (12,913 mi) of coastline, including 7,892 km (4,904 mi) of island coastline. The total land area occupied by the state is 2.5 million km (970 thousand sq mi). The bulk of Western Australia consists of the extremely old Yilgarn craton and Pilbara craton which merged with the Deccan Plateau of India, Madagascar and
1296-625: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia . It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia’s largest state, with a land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi), and
1377-402: Is a major world producer of bauxite, which is processed into alumina at four refineries providing 11% of total world production. Until 2020 diamonds were extracted from the world's largest diamond mine in the far north Kimberley region. Coal mined at Collie is the main fuel for baseload electricity generation in the state's south-west. Agricultural production in WA is a major contributor to
1458-428: Is a significant producer of a wide range of resource commodities. Australia is the world's largest producer of both bauxite and alumina, with half of national production coming from Western Australia. Alcoa's Huntly mine provides the feedstock for its three refineries at Wagerup, Pinjarra and Kwinana. Worsley Alumina transports bauxite from its Boddington mine to its refinery at Worsley via a 51 km conveyor belt. It
1539-411: Is a state economy dominated by its resources and services sector and largely driven by the export of iron-ore , gold , liquefied natural gas and agricultural commodities such as wheat . Covering an area of 2.5 million km , the state is Australia's largest, accounting for almost one-third of the continent. Western Australia is the nation's fourth most populous state, with 2.6 million inhabitants (11% of
1620-505: Is also the second-largest subdivision of any country on Earth, surpassed only by the Sakha Republic in eastern Russia, and formerly Northwest Territories in Canada, before the creation of Nunavut. It is also the largest proper subnational entity, being a state rather than a territory or an autonomous region. Western Australia has a diverse range of climates, including tropical conditions in
1701-461: Is attributed by historians as an important factor driving the state's population and economic growth. Following a campaign led by Forrest, electors of the colony of Western Australia voted in favour of federation with the five other Australian colonies, resulting in Western Australia officially becoming a state on 1 January 1901. Western Australia is bounded to the east by longitude 129°E,
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#17329176151381782-567: Is currently tilted 10 degrees away from the South Pole towards Western Australia, allowing for aurora australis displays as far north as Geraldton . Western Australia is home to around 630 species of birds (depending on the taxonomy used). Of these around 15 are endemic to the state. The best areas for birds are the southwestern corner of the state and the area around Broome and the Kimberley. The Flora of Western Australia comprises 10,162 published native vascular plant species, along with
1863-497: Is now known as Cape Inscription, Dirk Hartog Island . For the rest of the 17th century, other Dutch and British navigators encountered the coast of what Abel Tasman named New Holland in 1644, usually unintentionally as demonstrated by the many shipwrecks along the coast of ships that deviated from the Brouwer Route (because of poor navigation and storms). By the late 18th century, British and French sailors had begun to explore
1944-535: Is produced by the North West Shelf Venture near Karratha. Resource sector growth in recent years has resulted in significant labour and skills shortages, leading to recent efforts by the state government to encourage interstate and overseas immigration. According to the Feb 2012 statistical data, the average full-time adult weekly income was A$ 1,617.90 in Western Australia (compared to A$ 1,406.80 in Australia as
2025-400: Is the northern tropical regions. The Kimberley has an extremely hot monsoonal climate with average annual rainfall ranging from 500 to 1,500 millimetres (20–60 in), but there is a very long almost rainless season from April to November. Eighty-five percent of the state's runoff occurs in the Kimberley, but because it occurs in violent floods and because of the insurmountable poverty of
2106-425: 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 were extracted at Argyle diamond mine in far north of the Kimberley region before it ceased operations in 2020. Coal mined at Collie is the main fuel for baseload electricity generation in the state's south-west. Australia is the world's fifth largest exporter of LNG, most of which
2187-624: The Group Settlement Scheme of the 1920s, which encouraged farmers to settle the southwest—increased awareness of Australia's western third as a destination for colonists. Led by immigrants from the British Isles, Western Australia's population developed at a faster rate during the twentieth century than it had previously. After World War II , both the eastern states and Western Australia received large numbers of Italians , Croatians and Macedonians . Despite this, Britain has contributed
2268-572: The Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe cratons of Southern Africa, in the Archean Eon to form Ur , one of the oldest supercontinents on Earth (3 – 3.2 billion years ago). In May 2017, evidence of the earliest known life on land may have been found in 3.48-billion-year-old geyserite and other related mineral deposits (often found around hot springs and geysers ) uncovered in the Pilbara craton. Because
2349-478: The Kimberley , deserts in the interior (including the Great Sandy Desert , Little Sandy Desert , Gibson Desert , and Great Victoria Desert ) and a Mediterranean climate on the south-west and southern coastal areas. As of 2021, the state has 2.91 million inhabitants—11 percent of the national total. Over 90 percent of the state's population live in the south-west corner and around 80 percent live in
2430-415: The Swan River Colony in 1829 with the intention of establishing the colony with an agricultural and pastoral base. The poor quality land—particularly in the region in close proximity of the coast—and an inadequate labour supply and infrastructure hindered the expansion of the economy. The Swan River colony was not intended to be a penal colony but, in 1848, the introduction of convicts from Britain
2511-484: The tallest trees in the world. This agricultural region is one of the nine most bio-diverse terrestrial habitats, with a higher proportion of endemic species than most other equivalent regions. Thanks to the offshore Leeuwin Current , the area is one of the top six regions for marine biodiversity and contains the most southerly coral reefs in the world. Average annual rainfall varies from 300 millimetres (12 in) at
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2592-460: The 17th century, with Dirk Hartog 's 1616 expedition the first Europeans to make landfall. The British claimed Western Australia in 1827 and established the Swan River Colony with Perth as its capital in 1829. The Western Australian gold rushes of the late 19th century resulted in a significant population influx. The colony was granted responsible government in 1890, the last of the Australian colonies to become self-governing, and federated with
2673-556: The 1890s around Kalgoorlie . In 1887, a new constitution was drafted, providing for the right of self-governance of European Australians, and in 1890, the act granting self-government to the colony was passed by the British Parliament . John Forrest became the first Premier of Western Australia . In 1896, after discoveries of gold at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie , the Western Australian Parliament authorised
2754-515: The 1960s a metropolitan freeway system was constructed to link South Perth and Fremantle with the rapidly growing northern suburbs of Perth. Suburban shopping centres were built in Floreat , Morley , Forrestfield and Midland. A new container port facility was built in North Fremantle , Perth Airport was re-built and progressively the tram - trolley bus network was closed down. In contrast to
2835-540: The 1990s China emerged as a major market for WA goods and as a potential investor. State and federal government of major public works continued despite some evidence of local maladministration during the " WA Inc " years of the late 1980s. Thus the early years of the 21st century saw the completion of the Ord River Project in the north-west and the rapid expansion of the Perth metropolitan rail and freeway networks. In 2003,
2916-433: The 2016 census, 75.2% of inhabitants spoke only English at home, with the next most common languages being Mandarin (1.9%), Italian (1.2%), Vietnamese (0.8%), Cantonese (0.8%) and Tagalog (0.6%). According to the 2021 census, Christianity is the major religious affiliation in WA, followed by 41.1% of its population. In 1971, Christianity was followed by 85.5% of the population and it has been declining since, while
2997-543: The Australian Grants Commission removing its designation of WA as a "claimant" state in 1971. By the early 21st century WA was no longer regarded as a " Cinderella State " within the Australian Commonwealth, but the centre of the mining and pastoral industries, and the hub of the export boom. During the immediate post-war period WA greatly benefited from the rapid expansion of federal involvement in
3078-552: The Labor government of Philip Collier accepted the Premier's Plan and agricultural prices began to rise that the economy recovered. Even so, unemployment in WA did not fall below 10% until the outbreak of war in 1939. World War II had a much more dramatic impact on the economy than the previous war. It immediately stimulated industry and agriculture effectively ending the Depression. After
3159-572: The Western Australian coast. The Baudin expedition of 1800–03 included the coast of Western Australia and resulted in the Freycinet Map of 1811 , the first published map featuring the full outline of Australia. The name New Holland remained in popular and semi-official use until at least the mid-1850s; that is, it was in use for about 206 years in comparison to the name Australia which to date has been in use for about 195 years. The origins of
3240-511: The air transport facilities in Perth were expanded to cope with wartime needs. To balance these developments the attacks of the Imperial Japanese Forces on the north of Western Australia caused much of the existing economic infrastructure of towns like Wyndham , Derby and Port Hedland to be destroyed. The post-war period saw sustained growth in the Western Australia economy. Successful economic development ultimately culminated in
3321-763: The coast around the Margaret River wine-growing area. Going east along the Southern Ocean coast is the Goldfields-Esperance region, including the Esperance mallee and the Coolgardie woodlands inland around town of Coolgardie . Deserts occupy the interior, including the Great Sandy-Tanami desert , Gibson Desert , Great Victoria Desert , and Nullarbor Plain . In 1831 Scottish botanist Robert Brown produced
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3402-659: The coast of Western Australia. On 7 March 1831 it was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony, and named Albany in 1832. In 1829 the Swan River Colony was established on the Swan River by Captain James Stirling . By 1832, the British settler population of the colony had reached around 1,500, and the official name of the colony was changed to Western Australia on 6 February that year. The two separate townsites of
3483-718: The coastal plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment (as with the Darling Range/ Darling Scarp near Perth). The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile and frequently laterised . Even soils derived from granitic bedrock contain an order of magnitude less available phosphorus and only half as much nitrogen as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sandplains or ironstone are even less fertile, nearly devoid of soluble phosphate and deficient in zinc , copper, molybdenum and sometimes potassium and calcium . The infertility of most of
3564-425: The colony developed slowly into the port city of Fremantle and the state's capital, Perth . York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia, situated 97 kilometres (60 mi) east of Perth and settled on 16 September 1831. York was the staging point for early explorers who discovered the rich gold reserves of Kalgoorlie. Population growth was very slow until significant discoveries of gold were made in
3645-541: The economic development goals of successive Liberal governments, the Labor administrations of Albert Hawke , John Tonkin and Brian Burke focused more on the development of education and social services infrastructure. In particular the Hawke government commenced a mass expansion of the state high school system, while the Tonkin government funded the opening of a second state university in 1973–74. The development of regional centres
3726-418: The economy. The establishment of Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), the nationalisation of Qantas , and setting up of a national shipping line ensured that transport links with the other states were greatly strengthened. The launching of a mass migration program in 1946 under the slogan of " populate or perish " eased manpower shortages, and boosted the WA population. The federal housing agreement of 1947 allowed
3807-569: The edge of the Wheatbelt region to 1,400 millimetres (55 in) in the wettest areas near Northcliffe , but from November to March, evaporation exceeds rainfall, and it is generally very dry. Plants are adapted to this as well as the extreme poverty of all soils. The central two-thirds of the state is arid and sparsely inhabited. The only significant economic activity is mining. Annual rainfall averages less than 300 millimetres (8–10 in), most of which occurs in sporadic torrential falls related to cyclone events in summer. An exception to this
3888-434: The federal ban on the export of iron-ore in 1960 further boosted the economy. Rapidly increasing industrial and mining production fueled the rise of suburbanisation and consumerism in Perth and regional centres in the 1960s and 1970s. The Liberal governments of David Brand and Charles Court encouraged these developments. Foreign investment and the increase in the tax base was also used to modernise existing infrastructure. In
3969-599: The generally shallow soils, the only development has taken place along the Ord River . Snow is rare in the state and typically occurs only in the Stirling Range near Albany , as it is the only mountain range far enough south and sufficiently elevated. More rarely, snow can fall on the nearby Porongurup Range . Snow outside these areas is a major event; it usually occurs in hilly areas of southwestern Australia. The most widespread low-level snow occurred on 26 June 1956 when snow
4050-462: The greatest number of immigrants to this day. Western Australia—particularly Perth—has the highest proportion of British-born of any state: 10.3% in 2011, compared to a national average of 5.1%. This group is heavily concentrated in certain parts, where they account for a quarter of the population. Perth's metropolitan area (including Mandurah ) had an estimated population of 2,043,138 in June 2017 (79% of
4131-476: The highway, from Meekatharra to Wiluna, is not a sealed road as of 2016. A project to upgrade Goldfields Highway by sealing this portion, over a three-year period, was scheduled to start in the 2017/18 financial year with $ 60 million of funding through Royalties for Regions . As of 2020, a small 5-kilometre-long (3 mi) section is being sealed. [REDACTED] Australian Roads portal This Western Australian road or road transport-related article
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#17329176151384212-528: The international sandalwood oil market. In recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with significant numbers of visitors to the state coming from the UK and Ireland (28%), other European countries (14%) Singapore (16%), Japan (10%) and Malaysia (8%). Revenue from tourism is a strong economic driver in many of the smaller population centres outside of Perth, especially in coastal locations. Economy of Western Australia The Western Australian economy
4293-463: The introduction of manpower controls and conscription a severe manpower shortage developed that would continue into the 1950s. During the war the Labor governments of John Willcock and Frank Wise actively promoted industrial growth in the industrial areas of Midland and Welshpool , and was effective in mobilising the population to support the war effort. In addition port facilities in Fremantle and
4374-553: The introduction of soldier-settlement in the south-west region. However, initial enthusiasm waned in the face of concerns about the feasibility of the proposed program, while Labour unrest raised concerns about the ability of the state government to manage this program. Undeterred the Nationalist government of James Mitchell pressed ahead. Indeed, Mitchell's enthusiasm was such that his critics soon dubbed him "Moo-Cow" Mitchell. Unfortunately soldier-settlement soon ran into problems, cost
4455-563: The list of, and imposes particular handling requirements for, declared weeds here. Despite also being a crop, this includes Opuntia ficus-indica . Western Australia has major wine producing regions in the South West located in Margaret River , the Great Southern and the Swan Valley . Several wineries produce wine for local consumption and international export. Western Australia has
4536-431: The median individual income was A$ 500 per week in Western Australia (compared to A$ 466 in Australia as a whole). The median family income was A$ 1246 per week (compared to A$ 1171 for Australia). Recent growth has also contributed to significant rises in average property values in 2006, although values plateaued in 2007. Located south of Perth, the heavy industrial area of Kwinana had the nation's largest oil refinery with
4617-426: The meridian 129 degrees east of Greenwich, which defines the border with South Australia and the Northern Territory , and bounded by the Indian Ocean to the west and north. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) designates the body of water south of the continent as part of the Indian Ocean; in Australia it is officially gazetted as the Southern Ocean . The total length of the state's eastern border
4698-639: The national average - for the year ending June 2011 there were 735,900 international visitors, a growth of 5.3% for WA compared to a growth of 3.4% nationally. They spent in total A$ 1.94 billion, up 9.4% from the previous year. against a national average growth rate of 4.3%. In addition, nights stayed by international visitors was up 5.6% (+3.8% nationally), with a 22% increase in international business visitors (121,400 people). The largest spike in international visitors came from Indonesia (+26.4%), USA (+23.0%), New Zealand (+19.9%) and Malaysia (+15.5%). The biggest decreases in visitor numbers to Western Australia by country
4779-498: The national population). In 2011, Western Australia provided 46% of Australia's merchandising exports. In 2018-19, Western Australia's gross state product was A$ 260.6 billion (17.5% of Australia's GDP ), making it the nation's most productive state, and one of the most wealthy places on earth with a GDP per capita of A$ 135,479 (compared with the national average of A$ 74,605). In 2018-19, Western Australia exported A$ 147.1 billion worth of goods and imported A$ 34.1 billion, creating
4860-505: The north "over 50,000 years ago and possibly as much as 70,000 years ago". Over thousands of years they eventually spread across the whole landmass. These Indigenous Australians were long established throughout Western Australia by the time European explorers began to arrive in the early 17th century. The first Europeans to visit Western Australia were those of the Dutch Dirk Hartog expedition, who on 25 October 1616 landed at what
4941-521: The northern coast, and below that the drier Victoria Plains tropical savanna inland, and the semi-desert Pilbara shrublands , Carnarvon xeric shrublands , and Western Australian mulga shrublands to the southwest. Southwards along the coast are the Southwest Australia savanna and the Swan Coastal Plain around Perth, with the jarrah-karri forest and shrublands on the southwest corner of
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#17329176151385022-570: The only mountain-building since then has been of the Stirling Range with the rifting from Antarctica , the land is extremely eroded and ancient, with no part of the state above 1,249 metres (4,098 ft) AHD (at Mount Meharry in the Hamersley Range of the Pilbara region). Most of the state is a low plateau with an average elevation of about 400 metres (1,200 ft), very low relief, and no surface runoff . This descends relatively sharply to
5103-402: The other colonies in 1901. Western Australia's mining sector is a key driver of the state economy . The late 20th century saw the development of the state's significant iron ore mining industry – the world's largest – as well as primarily offshore petroleum and natural gas resources . Gold mining retains a significant presence and many other mineral commodities are mined, with Perth being
5184-443: The percentage of people who identified as having no religious affiliation has increased from 8.7% in 1971 to 42.9% in 2021. A small minority of the population are Muslims (2.5%), Buddhists (2.2%) and Hindus (2.0%). 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
5265-468: The present state began with the establishment by Lockyer of a convict-supported settlement from New South Wales at King George III Sound . The settlement was formally annexed on 21 January 1827 by Lockyer when he commanded the Union Jack be raised and a feu de joie fired by the troops. The settlement was founded in response to British concerns about the possibility of a French colony being established on
5346-538: The raising of a loan to construct a pipeline to transport 23 megalitres (5 million imperial gallons) of water per day to the burgeoning population on the goldfields. The pipeline, known as the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme , was completed in 1903. C. Y. O'Connor , Western Australia's first engineer-in-chief, designed and oversaw the construction of the pipeline. It carries water 530 km (330 mi) from Perth to Kalgoorlie , and
5427-415: The reliance on imports. The new labour pool was utilised in new Public Works. The colony began attaining a greater level of financial independence. The discovery of gold in this period also increased the population. Migration from the eastern states, where a post gold rush economic slump existed, and from overseas increased sharply. While much of the revenue generated was retained by the British crown, some
5508-401: The soils has required heavy application by farmers of fertilisers. 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 of soils and great damage to the fragile soils. Large-scale land clearing for agriculture has damaged habitats for native flora and fauna. As
5589-555: The state and national economy. In the period 2010–2019 wheat production in WA has averaged nearly 10 million tonnes (22 billion pounds), valued at $ 2.816 billion in 2019, accounting for half the nation's total and providing $ 2–3 billion in export income. Other significant farm output includes wool, beef, lamb, barley, canola, lupins, oats and pulses. 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 Islamic dietary laws and
5670-558: The state capital Perth , leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated. The Trans-Australian Railway and the Eyre Highway traverse the Nullarbor Plain in the state's south-east, providing the principal connection between Western Australia and the population centres in the eastern states . Western Australia's Indigenous peoples have been present for tens of thousands of years. Dutch explorers visited Western Australia from
5751-420: The state coming from the UK (27.8%), other European countries (13.6%) Singapore (16.5%), Japan (10.1%) and Malaysia (8.3%). Tourists from China increased 50% between 2011 and 2012, from 22,000 to 33,000. Revenue from tourism is a strong economic driver in many of the smaller population centres outside of Perth, especially in coastal locations. Total international visitors to WA is currently increasing above
5832-418: The state government to proceed with a program of public housing construction and expansion which saw the Perth metropolitan area double in size between 1945 and 1960. Finally the success of the government of Ross McLarty in attracting foreign investment culminated in the signing of an agreement with BP to establish an oil refinery at the new industrial area of Kwinana (south of Fremantle). The lifting of
5913-522: The state over £5 million, and led to the defeat of the Mitchell government at the polls in 1924. Given the economic importance of agriculture and the debts incurred in the 1920s it was not surprising that the Great Depression had a major impact on WA. Falling prices for agricultural goods hit farming areas hard leading to a further fall in demand, rising unemployment and much hardship. It was only after
5994-451: The state). Other significant population centres include Bunbury (73,989), Geraldton (37,961), Kalgoorlie-Boulder (30,420), Albany (33,998), Karratha (16,446), Broome (14,501) and Port Hedland (14,285). At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were: 3.1% of the population, or 75,978 people, identified as Indigenous Australians ( Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders ) in 2016. At
6075-537: The time transportation ceased in 1868, convicts outnumbered free settlers 9,700 to 7,300. In the 1890s, interstate immigration, resulting from a mining boom in the Goldfields region , resulted in a sharp population increase. Western Australia did not receive significant flows of immigrants from Britain, Ireland or elsewhere in the British Empire until the early 20th century. At that time, its local projects—such as
6156-419: Was Korea (-25.7%), South Africa (-21.1%), Netherlands (-17,9%) and Canada (-14%). . Overall Western Australia had an estimated 7,000,000 overnight visitors to the State for the year ending December 2012, with 5,160,000 coming from intrastate, 1,112,000 from interstate, and 760,800 from overseas, making Western Australia's tourism industry worth approximately A$ 6 billion in total. The British Government founded
6237-490: Was also encouraged as government funding was directed towards the upgrading of the port of Cockburn , the Stirling Naval base and the mining communities of Newman and Meekatharra . Much of the economic development in the 1960s and 1970s was sponsored by Japanese investors, especially in the iron-ore sector, while American and British investment remained centred in the pastoral, agricultural and construction sectors. From
6318-400: Was directed toward creating infrastructure in the state. New towns, Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie , were established at the goldfields and the remote northern town of Roebourne and its port Cossack were boosted by the associated economic boom. The city of Perth and the port of Fremantle, Western Australia were also invigorated by the new economy. The First World War (1914–1918) had
6399-596: Was nearly 10 million tonnes, accounting for almost half the nation's total. and providing $ 1.7 billion in export income. Other significant farm output includes barley, peas, wool, lamb and beef. There is a high level of overseas demand for imports of live animals from WA, driven mainly by South East Asia's feedlots and Middle Eastern countries, where cultural and religious traditions and a lack of storage and refrigeration facilities favour live animals over imports of processed meat. Approximately 50% of Australia's live cattle exports come from Western Australia. The state maintains
6480-636: Was reported in the Perth Hills , as far north as Wongan Hills and as far east as Salmon Gums . However, even in the Stirling Range, snowfalls rarely exceed 5 cm (2 in) and rarely settle for more than one day. The highest observed temperature of 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) was recorded in Onslow on 13 January 2022. The lowest temperature recorded was −7.2 °C (19.0 °F) at Eyre Bird Observatory on 17 August 2008. The south geomagnetic pole
6561-458: Was sought to provide much needed labour and income from the British government. These were to be males, so an immigration program was also funded to redress gender imbalance. Prior to this, population and the economy had stagnated. By 1870 the European population had tripled and was reaching 20 000, around half of these were convicts. This allowed the establishment of smaller industries and reduced
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