Travel Permits and Passes
Please read this section carefully, particularly if you are travelling to WA from outside Australia, or if you wish to visit Aboriginal Communities and National Parks.
Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.
This site is the Governmental site for Visas into Australia. Whether you are a student, or a long term traveller, this is the site for you. Simply go to www.immi.gov.au to find out more.
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The following site would be good for the Aussie traveller as it has a lot of information for the avid traveller: www.smartraveller.gov.au.
Travelling within WA
If you're travelling independently, you may need special permits to pass through or visit Aboriginal land or to camp in conservation areas or National Parks.
Significant portions of the north and central areas of WA are Aboriginal land. Generally, the land has either a Government-administered reserve status or is held under freehold title, vested in an Aboriginal trust and managed by a council or corporation. In either case, the laws of trespass' apply just as with any other private land; but the fines attached can be somewhat larger.
The Aboriginal Affairs Department (AAD) is responsible for all Aboriginal land trusts. For permission to visit Aboriginal freehold land you must apply directly to the owners. For detailed information please contact the Permits Officer 08-9235 8000, fax 9235 8093, website www.dia.wa.gov.au or PO Box 7770, Cloisters Square, WA 6850.
Visiting our wonderful National Parks and Reserves
Australia has more than 500 national parks, which are protected wilderness areas of environmental or natural importance.
Public access is encouraged, but safety and conservation regulations must be observed. The codes of behaviour may vary slightly but essentially all plants and animals are protected and you're asked to do nothing to damage or alter the natural environment.
Among other things, this means driving only on established tracks, camping only in designated areas, disposing of rubbish properly, and no fires. Some outback parks and reserves are so isolated, rugged, and harsh that they aren't recommended unless you're an experienced bushwalker, or 4WD motorist.
However, others are among Australia's major attractions. Some of the most beautiful have been included on the World Heritage Register - a UNESCO list of natural or cultural places of world significance that would present an irreplaceable loss to the planet if they were altered.
Karijini National Park offers some of the Australian arid zone's most dramatic landscapes; which support a surprising variety of plant species.The Kimberley region's Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park is best-known for its sandstone 'bee-hive' formations and deep narrow gorges.
For a place with no trees, hills, or rivers, try the Nullarbor National Park and adjoining regional reserve on the Nullarbor Plain. Nullarbor is bad Latin for 'no tree', and that's no exaggeration. The plain seems endlessly flat and bare. There's a mind-blowing sense of space and isolation, some interesting caves and cliffs. The scenes from the cliffs overlooking the ocean, around the Great Australian Bight, are magnificent!
Permits for Western Australia's National Parks
To visit any of the beautiful National Parks that Western Australia has to offer, you must purchase a National Park Permit from the local DEC (formerly CALM) Office. Passes are available from DriveWA office, 206 Adelaide Terrace, Perth or any offices of the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), NatureBase Bookshop, and more than 40 local tourist centres throughout the State. They are also available at entry points to parks, or rangers within the parks.
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