Go West

Often considered isolated from the rest of Australia, Western Australia makes it all part of the appeal.

Western Australia has a promise as big as the state itself: if conference delegates can’t find what they want, it doesn’t exist. Taking up almost one third of Australia and covering a massive 2.5 million kilometres, the state encompasses just about every type of environment – from the rugged, deserted expanses of the far north baked under an uncompromising tropical sun, to the cool temperatures of the southern region, with an uninterrupted view to Antarctica itself.

Most delegates, however, will be happy with Perth, a charming and compact capital city that has made the most of a maritime aspect. The Swan River, an aquatic backyard for many Perth residents, winds through the city and is often crowded with yachts, pleasure craft and ferries. Take a boat cruise from the edge of the CBD with its towering high rises, through the riverside suburbs of the rich and famous to Fremantle, established in 1829 to service the port and its allied industries. In recent years, it has been sensitively restored to maintain its nautical appeal.

>> Conference & meeting venues in Western Australia

From the time Captain James Stirling led a small group of free settlers up the Swan River to a site just near Kings Park and proclaimed the colony of Western Australia, development was initially quite slow. By 1891, the population had barely reached 8,000, but the discovery of gold in the desert near Kalgoorlie around the same time spurred a population explosion as massive as the economic impact the mineral had on Western Australia.

Recent history
Another period of economic prosperity occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, when vast deposits of iron ore were discovered in Pilbarra, and commercial oil and natural gas production began off the north-west coast.

Today, Perth is a modern, supremely attractive city that has much to attract the conference market. Hotels and conference centres offer the best in facilities and services, prices are considerably cheaper than Australia’s eastern states, and a close proximity to Asia means international delegates don’t have to travel as far.

Overall, there’s a sense of community in Perth. It’s a capital city with a lot of character, it’s not too big and not too small, and it thrives on its isolation by providing everything its residents could need.



Tasting the best
In recent years, Western Australia has gained a sterling reputation for its wines and fresh produce. The wine-growing districts are easily accessed from Perth for day trips, pre and post touring or spouse programs. The Swan district north of Perth has a number of the better-known large-scale wineries, as well as boutique wineries. The first vines were planted there in 1829, so the region predates Victoria and South Australia.

The Margaret River region, south of Perth, has become a true boutique tourism product, with upscale accommodation, meetings facilities for smaller groups, and award-winning restaurants alongside smaller, wildly celebrated wineries. In character as well as appeal, Margaret River is a counterpart of the Hunter Valley in NSW and the Napa Valley in California. The chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon varieties have long been a staple of the district.

Farther south are the towns of Busselton, Albany and Esperance, all important regional meetings destinations in their own right. To the east of Perth and far into the desert is Kalgoorlie, which provides something of a frontier atmosphere for meetings and conferences. In the far north of the state is Broome, which despite the long distances from other cities, has also become an upmarket boutique tourism destination in recent times.

Considering its vast area, Western Australia has a lot to offer organisers. Whether it’s a rock ‘n’ roll night at the old Fremantle Gaol, an elegant cocktail function in the open air at Kings Park overlooking the CBD, a day of corporate leisure on Rottnest Island off the coast, helicopter transfers to a specially arranged golf tournament outside the city, or a sailing regatta aboard America’s Cup vessels on the Swan River, a conference in Western Australia will be hard to beat.