Aboriginal occupation of Western Australia dates back more than 40,000 years, while Makassan (Indonesian) fishermen were probably occasional visitors to the north-west coastline. Dirk Hartog was the earliest recorded European landing in 1616. Other explorers visited the are over the next two centuries but were rather uninterested with what they found. it was not until colonies had been established on the eastern coast, that they made any attempt fro settlement on the western coast, known as New Holland.

There had already been a few abandoned attempts at settlement but it wasn't until 1829 that a successful colony was set up near the mouth of the Swan River and formally claimed by Britain. The colony grew slowly due to the shortage of labour. This forced the colonists to seek convict labourers. Prisoners were sent from the east to the west in 1850 for a period of eighteen years.

Gold was discovered in the south-central regions of Western Australia, near Kalgoolie. This led to a god-rush whereby unsuccessful people who had come to Australia in search for gold in the east travelled to the west for another try at luck. It also spurred development of the towns, especially near where gold was found (Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie).

Western Australia became a state in 1890.

[AUSTRALIA] - [NSW] - [NT] - [QLD] - [SA] - [TAS] - [VIC] - [WA]