One Week in Western Australia

Pick one of 10 villas at Injidup Spa Retreat to be your Aussie beach pad. Each features a jarrah-wood deck and private pool as well as a kitchen stocked with organic Busselton eggs and a bottle of Lamont’s Quartet white wine. Draw back the foldaway doors come sunset. From $697. 61/(0) 8-9750-1300. This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

The Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere and it reaches out over the protected waters of Geographe Bay to the tune of 1.8 kilometres. Heritage-listed and well loved by residents and visitors alike, it’s more than a jetty. The structure itself also houses a train, interpretive center, shops and the underwater observatory which is a stunning feat of engineering that allows visitors to get closer to the ocean’s inhabitants than I’ve ever seen anywhere else without actually being in a submersible or diving. On a gloriously sunny day, the ocean around Busselton Jetty seems clearer than drinking water and schools of fish can be seen in an around all the timber pilons weaving in and out of the grasses which grow on parts of the sandy bottom. Whether swimming from shore or from any one of the access staircases that line the jetty, it’s difficult to actually avoid getting one’s feet or whole body wet. Busselton is a lovely seaside town but the jetty is a surprising draw. On first glance, it’s like any in the world but take a closer look and you’ll quickly understand why area residents are so proud of it!

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is, of course, world famous, but there’s some impressive snorkeling and diving on the west coast of the country, too. Not far from Exmouth, Ningaloo Marine Park was named a World Heritage Site in 2011. The protected area of 2,435 square kilometers (940 square miles) is home to an impressive array of marine life, from recently discovered sponges to sea turtles and manta rays. Gentle whale sharks and humpback whales inhabit the waters, as do dugongs, a cousin of manatees. If you want to stay dry while admiring the reef and its residents, glass-bottom boats at Turquoise Bay let you gaze at some of the 500 or so fish species and hundreds of coral varieties found here.

One of Australia‘s most famous beaches, Cottesloe is a popular place for locals to go jogging, play beach cricket and bask beside the Indian Ocean. The landmark Cottesloe Beach Hotel across the street features the Beach Club, Cott & Co. Fish Bar and the Verandah Bar, all designed for alfresco drinks, bites and good times overlooking the sea.