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Albany: the historic town of Albany is superbly situated on a deep, protected inlet comprising three arms - King George III Sound, Princess Royal Harbour and Oyster Harbour. The coast is very beautiful with many lookouts commanding views of rocky crevasses, cliff faces, blowholes and a giant granite natural bridge.
Whales are often sighted in Princess Royal Harbour in season - Australia's last operational whaling station is now a whaling museum. Albany is a great base for exploration of the surrounding areas, with many scenic drives to places like the Sirling and Porongurup Ranges and the wineries and karri forests of the Mt Barker area.
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Stirling Range: The jagged peaks of the Stirling Range have become somewhat of a mecca for bushwalkers and rock climbers in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The various peaks have walking paths of differing degrees of difficulty, so there is a mountain track to suit just about everyone.
The mountains of the range stretch for 65 kilometres from east to west; all peaks offer excellent views and walkers can discover flowering plants at any time of year, though they are at their most prolic in Spring (August to November). Located some 40km north of Albany, The Stirling Range and the neighbouring Porongurups are both part of the Stirling Range National Park.
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Esperance: When travelling from east to west via the South Coast, Esperance is the first port of call. The ocean here is crystal clear, the waters are a deep aqua colour; the coast is lined with stunning pink granite outcrops and offshore there are a myriad islands. Seals, dolphins and whales (in season) abound. Esperance is quite isolated, but is geared towards tourism and has both the services and scenery to justify the effort of getting there.
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Cape Le Grand: A short drive from Esperance, any trip to Esperance should include Cape Le Grand National Park on the itenerary. The park is popular for fishing, off-roading and hiking. Features of the park include incredible coastal scenery - a largely granite shoreline with crystal-clear turquoise water and white sandy beaches - surrounded by majestic granite peaks within expanses of heath. Beaches within the Park include those at Lucky Bay, Rossiter Bay, Hellfire Bay, Le Grand Beach, and Thistle Cove. Lucky Bay is one of the most stunning and unique bays in Australia. The bay stretches for over five kilometres, offering a magnificent stretch of beach and sparkling clear blue water. The area is home to pygmy possums, bandicoots and grey kangaroos that like to laze on the beach and graze on seaweed.
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Valley of the Giants: Nornalup and Walpole are both resort villages on or close to the ocean, that serve as the gateway to the Valley of the Giants forest region of the Great Southern. Within the forests is a Tree Top Walk in one of three Discovery sites within the Walpole Wilderness Area. Walpole-Nornalup National Park is the only place where the red tingle tree (Eucalyptus Jacksonii) is found. This buttressed, rough barked tree can live over 400 years and grows up to 75 metres in height, and with a girth of up to 26 metres
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Denmark: Situated on the Denmark River and Wilsons Inlet, Denmark is a small but popular holiday resort town known for its ecellent swimming, fishing and boating. It is also at the centre of the Great Southern Gourmet Food and Wine Trail. Locally produced treats include wines, mead, toffees, cheese, maron (freshwater lobster) native bush products, sauces and relishes.
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