Lonely Planet Western Australia (Paperback)

by Susie Ashworth (Author), Rebecca Turner (Author), Simone Egger (Author) "Visitors to the immense and sparsely populated western state of Australia are seduced by its dramatic inland landscapes and spectacular coastline dotted with mild, remote..." (more)
Key Phrases: karri trees, outback travel, campers kitchen, Margaret River, Western Australia, Great Northern Hwy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
For sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…' --Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2003
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Picture this: you're soaking up the sunshine on a secluded beach, watching the sun set over a spectacular desert scape, sipping Western Australian wine on the banks of Perth's Swan River. It's the perfect getaway. With this detailed regional guide in hand set your sights on the very best that Australia's big and beautiful backyard has to offer.

• TICKLE YOUR TASTEBUDS - authoritative tips on tippling the best wine in the world and insider nous on the perfect edible accompaniment to each bottle • HIT THE ROAD - get off the beaten track, and right back on it, with detailed and user-friendly maps and suggested itineraries covering the whole state • REST EASY - from a swag under the stars to a luxury layabout, all the creature comforts are covered • MEET THE LOCALS - rub noses with rock wallabies, swim with dolphins, keep a polite distance from the crocodiles

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 4 edition (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740594592
• ISBN-13: 978-1740594592
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #771,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars immense desolation, February 19, 2005

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As an expatriate Sandgroper, this narrative was quite entrancing. The authors have clearly spent much time traipsing through the vast areas of Western Australia. Arguably, they have seen more of it than many of its locals, who tend to be congegated in the Perth metropolitan area. Thus, somewhat ironically, a ready audience for this book might be people in Perth that wish to get out and see more of Australia's largest state.

Overseas visitors should be cautioned about the book. Even though it does give the size of WA, the sheer immensity and dearth of people may still be surprising. Twice the size of Alaska, and with scarcely 2 million people. Well over half of which are in Perth. The book strives to convey the feeling of desolation once you leave Perth, and you should do well to keep that in mind.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Room for Improvement, January 8, 2008

By	M. Natraj (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Perth & Western Australia (Regional Guide) (Paperback)

In general, Western Australia still seems to be off the usual tourist path for most outside visitors to Australia, so there wasn't much selection when it came to finding an appropriate guidebook. For the most part, guides seemed to be too broad (covering all of Australia), or too specific (focusing just on Perth). Despite being an absolutely enormous place on its own, few choices seemed to address the state of WA.

We picked this book up out of desperation, but for the most part, it did a decent enough job. In typical Lonely Planet style, there were lots of budget options for food/accommodation and plenty of details on tours and logistics. Most of the information appeared to be accurate, and a few tips proved quite helpful.

My biggest qualm with book is that its layout centers around towns, and in such vast and spread-out areas, a town-by-town approach isn't the most useful. Many of the smaller towns have few attractions or amenities, and nearly all of the must-see destinations (national parks, wineries, caves, capes, coasts, etc) lie in between these small towns.

Finally, despite the extensive use of flowery adjectives, the descriptions of individual sights often remain vague. For some of the national parks especially, the description seems to be just a list of key points copied from a park map or guide, sometimes with no description whatsoever.

In the end, it did prove to be a useful aid to our tour of the southwest and south coast of WA, but we definitely needed to augment it with some of the literature and information from the local tourism agencies. It was certainly better than nothing, but hopefully further research will lead to some improvements in later editions.

One possible alternative is West Coast Australia (Footprint West Coast Australia), which seems to have better descriptions of some of the southwest parks but covers only the western edge of the state.

2.0 out of 5 stars Not upto Scratch, April 11, 2009

By	Roshan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perth & Western Australia (Regional Guide) (Paperback)

I am a 'foreigner' who has spent a lot of time in Perth and Western Australia. Initially I had a copy of rough guide Australia, but thought it was not detailed enough on Western Australia (purely because of quantity not quality).

This book is simply not upto scratch. My final straw using this book was going to a restaurant in Northam, recommended by this book, which had been shut for several years! If Rough Guide does not cover something, it is because there is no need for it to be covered!

My advice would be to purchase Rough Guide Australia. It covers everything in the depth it needs to be covered.