For history, heritage and high adventure, head to the Gold Rush country of the 1890s.

You can stroll along the snow-white beaches of Esperance coast and relive the wild gold rush days in Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields of Western Australia’s Golden Outback. Wander through fields of wildflowers and enjoy warm country hospitality of farm stays in the Wheatbelt. Or experience real Australian outback life on the cattle stations and homesteads of the Gascoyne-Murchison region.

Western Australia produces 75% of the country’s gold and has approximately two-thirds of Australia’s gold resources. In Kalgoorlie, the site of one of Australia’s biggest gold rushes, you can visit the biggest open-pit gold mine in Australia and Australia’s only Mining Hall of Fame.

Kalgoorlie remains Western Australia’s largest goldfields town and is famed for its fascinating gold rush history, fabulous old buildings and old gold miners’ ghost towns. Here you can take a step back in time and pan for gold, take a tour of the Super Pit Mine and mix with the colourful characters at the many pubs, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants that line vibrant Hannan Street.

While you’re in the Golden Outback, check out the Inside Australia Sculptures. World-famous sculptor Antony Gormley’s created life size figures contemplating the salt flats of Lake Ballard. It is Australia’s largest world-class sculpture exhibit, showcasing 51 statues and covering an area of 10 square kilometres (3.8 square miles). Visitors can walk amongst the statues, which represent residents from the nearby town of Menzies.

Wildflowers flourish here too. During the wildflower season, the region is covered in an artist’s palette of colour.

Don't forget to visit Wave Rock - is a two-billion-year-old granite cliff, standing 15 metres (49 feet) high, 110 metres (361 feet) long and shaped remarkably like a huge wave that is hundreds of kilometres inland. You can stand on Wave Rock and surf one of Australia’s biggest waves!

If you are a golfer, the Nullarbor Links is a must. Play a few holes at the world’s longest golf course spanning the 1,365 kilometres (848 miles) Eyre Highway from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

Head south to Esperance and to Lucky Bay - Australia’s whitest beach and a place so relaxed even the kangaroos sun bake on the beach.  It is rated one of Australia’s best beaches for its pure white sand, clear turquoise water and perfect swimming conditions.

The authentic way to see the real outback is by four wheel drive. And if you want to meet some locals as well as wildlife, make sure you stay at a pub, farm or station along the way.

For more information, visit http://www.australiasgoldenoutback.com/en/Pages/Home.aspx

All images copyright Tourism Western Australia.