Practical Information for visiting Western Australia

Fly between regions. Perth to Broome is 2,200 km; the drive takes days and there is very little in between. Perth to Exmouth is 1,250 km. Domestic flights are the only practical way to combine the state's regions in one trip.

A car is essential locally. The southwest is a straightforward drive from Perth; the north needs planning, and the Gibb River Road needs a 4WD and is closed in the wet.

Perth has trains, buses and free CAT buses through the centre and Fremantle, plus a rail line to the airport.

Distances between fuel stops reach 200-300 km on the northern highways. Carry water, tell someone your route, and never leave a broken-down vehicle.

Rottnest is reached by ferry from Perth or Fremantle; no private cars are allowed on the island, and bicycles are the way around it.

Coverage is good in Perth, the southwest and the larger regional towns.

It disappears across the interior, much of the Kimberley and long stretches of the northern highways — assume none between towns.

A satellite messenger is a genuine safety item for any inland or Kimberley travel. Free Wi-Fi is standard in accommodation and cafés.

English is universal. Perth has large Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese, Afrikaans and Malay-speaking communities, and a notably large British-born population.

Noongar is the language of the southwest and is being revived, appearing in dual naming — Boorloo for Perth, Walyalup for Fremantle. The Kimberley and Pilbara hold dozens of distinct languages, several still spoken as first languages.

Local usage worth knowing: the Fremantle Doctor is the afternoon sea breeze, Freo is Fremantle, FIFO is fly-in fly-out mining work, and over east means the rest of Australia, usually with a slight edge.

Western Australia is safe. The hazards are distance and environment.

Remote driving is the serious risk. Breaking down between towns in summer is life-threatening. Carry far more water than you expect to need, tell someone your route and expected arrival, and stay with the vehicle — it is shade and it is what searchers look for.

Crocodiles inhabit Kimberley waterways and the northern coast. Obey signage, and never swim where you have not been told it is safe.

The ocean. Rip currents affect the surf beaches, and this coast has a higher rate of shark incidents than most of Australia — swim at patrolled beaches and heed closures.

Extreme heat inland, cyclones in the north during the wet, and bushfire in the southwest from December to April.

No vaccinations are required and tap water is safe in towns. Do not assume bore water inland is drinkable.

Heat and dehydration are the dominant risks, and the distances make them more dangerous here than elsewhere.

UV is extreme and Perth has among the highest ambient UV of any Australian capital.

Melioidosis occurs in the tropical north in the wet season, picked up through cuts in mud — cover broken skin. Mosquito-borne Ross River virus is present in the north and the southwest wetlands.

Hospitals are in Perth and the regional centres. The Royal Flying Doctor Service — which began serving country exactly like this — covers the rest, and evacuation is expensive without insurance.

Tipping is not expected. Wages are legally set and service is included.

Permits are required for much Aboriginal land in the Kimberley and Pilbara. Apply in advance through the relevant land council.

Do not touch or feed quokkas on Rottnest; it is an offence and it harms them. The same applies to all protected wildlife.

Alcohol restrictions apply in several northern communities and are enforced with vehicle searches. Drink-driving limits are low with random testing, and unsealed-road driving generally voids standard hire-car insurance.

000 reaches police, fire and ambulance; 112 also works from mobiles, though much of the state has no signal for either.

Major hospitals are in Perth, with regional hospitals at Bunbury, Albany, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Port Hedland and Broome. The Royal Flying Doctor Service covers everything else.

Carry a satellite messenger or EPIRB for inland and Kimberley travel, and register remote trips with police or the parks service.

Ambulance is not free for visitors and remote retrieval is expensive. Cyclone warnings in the north come through the Bureau of Meteorology; Kimberley and Pilbara towns take them seriously.