Introduction

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Western Australia is a state of Australia occupying the western third of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent and with a total land area of 2,529,875 km² (976,790.2 sq mi), it is the largest of Australia's states and territories. It is bordered to the east by South Australia and the Northern Territory, to the west by the Indian Ocean and to the south by the Southern Ocean. With 2 million people, the state comprises around 10 percent of the Australian population and ranks fourth in population among the states and territories. The majority of its people reside in the capital city Perth, with most of the remainder settled in the South West region.

The state has been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for around 40,000 years. The first European to visit Western Australia was a Dutch explorer, Dirk Hartog who on 26 October 1616 landed at (what is now known as) Cape Inscription, Dirk Hartog Island. In 1829, the Swan River Colony was established on the Swan River by Captain James Stirling. The colony eventually became a state of Australia on 1 January 1901.

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The Canning Dam and reservoir provide a major fresh water resource for the city of Perth, Western Australia. The dam is situated on the Darling Scarp and is an impoundment of the Canning River. It is noted for its innovative structural and hydraulic design that was considered to be at the forefront of concrete gravity dam design at the time of construction. The Canning Dam was Perth's primary water supply up until the 1960s when other sources of fresh water were tapped. Currently the dam supplies approximately 20 percent of Perth's fresh water. Inflow into the Canning Reservoir is estimated to be 22 gigalitres (780,000,000 cu ft) and has a storage capacity of 90,352 megalitres (3,190.8×10^⁶ cu ft).

Since its completion in 1940, the Canning Dam has contributed to a wide range of environmental and ecological problems in surrounding regions, problems include more common algal blooms, habitat loss and sedimentation. Despite these issues, Canning Dam and the adjacent parks and forests provide a variety of recreational activities for the public such as bushwalking, historic walks and picnic facilities.

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Photo credit: Gobeirne
The Busselton Jetty located in Busselton is at 1,841 metres is the longest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere. The jetty is one of the major tourism sites in the South West region.

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Did you know...

• ...that when the 1987 America's Cup was raced off Fremantle, Western Australia it was the first time for 132 years that the regatta had not been hosted by the New York Yacht Club?
• ...that the original Victoria Dam, constructed in 1891, was the first dam in Western Australia, and it stood for almost 100 years before being replaced with the current dam?
• ...that Anglican bishop Kay Goldsworthy was consecrated as the first woman bishop of any Australian church on 22 May 2008?

Categories

Related WikiProjects

Western Australia	Australia
Perth	Maritime History
Literature	Banksia

Things you can do

Here are some tasks you can do to help with WikiProject Western Australia:

Vital articles:	100 Most Influential Western Australians is a possible starting point
Requested articles:	Margaret Wylie • John Thomson (Australian businessman) • Tourism in Western Australia (see: Tourism in Sydney, Tourism in Melbourne, Tourism in Brisbane) • Clarence, Western Australia  • Bevan Lawrence • Martyn Webb • State Theatre Centre of Western Australia •
Seeking sources:	William Harris (Australian civil rights leader) • Michael Kailis
Expansion needed:	Busselton, Western Australia • David Parker • Economy of Western Australia • May Gibbs • Bill Hassell • May Holman • Barry MacKinnon • Ross McLarty • New Norcia, Western Australia • Pilbara historical timeline • Whadjuk • List of WA waterfalls • tourism sections needed in Perth, Western Australia and Western Australia • Thomas Hughes (Australian politician) - needs expansion from cultural sources
Requested images:	Requested photographs in Western Australia • Requested photographs in Perth
Article cleanup:	See Cleanup listing (related changes)
Assessment:	See Unassessed WA articles and Unknown-importance WA articles