April heralds the start of the Noongar season of Djeran in Western Australia, which brings cooler nights and dewy mornings, and vibrant red flowers like Red Flowering Gum and Summer Flame around Perth/Boorloo. This was the time the indigenous Noongar people began preparing their homes for the cooler months to come. It is also the right time for nature fans to start exploring the unique fauna and flora of Western Australia.
Swimming with the world’s biggest fish in Ningaloo
The biggest fish in the world has once again been spotted at Western Australia’s World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park / Nyinggulu, heralding the start of the swimming with whale sharks season. Almost 40,000 visitors travelled to Exmouth and Coral Bay last year to swim with whale sharks, that migrate to the shores of WA between February and July each year to feed on plankton and krill.
In 2024, tours ran through to late July in Exmouth, and late June in Coral Bay, offering visitors the opportunity to have a face-to-fin encounter with the friendly giants – which are up to 11 metres long. Ningaloo is one of the only places on Earth where visitors can experience swimming with three big marine wonders in the one location – manta rays, humpback whales and whale sharks – offering incredible wildlife encounters year-round.
Walking amongst giants: Western Australia takes out Eucalypt of the Year Award
Western Australia’s towering eucalypts have been crowned Australia’s best. The ‘Wondrous Forest of the Walpole Wilderness’ was named Eucalypt of The Year on National Eucalypt Day. This year, travellers were invited to vote for their favourite ‘holiday amongst the gumtrees’.
The Walpole forest is famous for its giant Tingle and Karri trees, which can be admired up close at the region’s renowned Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. In second place, the Great Western Woodlands is home to around 30 per cent of the nation’s eucalypt species. Spanning an area twice the size of Tasmania, it’s the world’s largest intact temperate woodlands. (NAN/TWA 03-04-25)
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