AUSTRALIA, West, one of the original states in the Commonwealth of Australia. It includes that portion of Australia west of long. 129° E., and is bounded, east by South Aus tralia, and northwest and south by the Indian Ocean. It lies between the parallels of 13° 30' and 35° 8' S.; greatest length, 1,450 miles north to south; greatest breadth, 850 miles; area, 975,920 square miles. The coast-line measures about 3,000 miles, and except on the south is indented by numerous bays, creeks and estua ries. The coast is fringed by many islands, but none of any importance. The principal inlets are Cambridge Gulf, Admiralty Gulf, York Sound, Collier Bay, King Sound, Roebuck Bay, Exmouth Gulf, Shark Bay, Geographe Bay and King George Sound, the last the most important as having Albany on its shore, the port of call for the European mail steamers. The chief rivers are the Ord and Fitzroy on the north, De Grey, Ashburton, Fortescue, Gas coign, Murchison, Greenough, Swan and Black wood on the west. The Swan River is im portant as Perth, the capital, is situated on its banks. Some of the rivers within the tropics are large and navigable, but few of the others run all the year, and fewer still are navigable even for boats to any great distance. The interior was till recent years not well known, but at present there is little territory which has not been explored. The country is chiefly an alternation of ridges and hollows, sandy, without grass, and clothed with bushes and scrubby timber, without the trace of a water-course. The really settled and occupied portion of the state forms only a mere fraction of its whole area. The population is mostly collected in the southwest corner, where the first settlements were made, and around the recently discovered gold reefs. Scattered settle ments stud the coast at various points. On the west coast are extensive banks covered with the pearl oyster, which give employment to a fleet of boats. The Kimberley district in the north is a region of great promise; it com prises 20,000,000 acres of well-watered land mtersected by the Fitzroy River and other large streams, and is said to be admirably adapted for pastoral purposes, besides having a large area suitable for the cultivation of sugar, coffee and rice. The greater part of the sea board, except along the Australian bight, is separated from the interior by a low range of hills running parallel to it, and covered with forests. The fertile land exists in patches, and some of it is of a very rich character. The principal crops are wheat, barley, hay and potatoes; the vine is also successfully culti vated, and excellent wine is made in the colony. The area under cultivation comprises about 1,072,000 acres, of which wheat occupies 612,104 acres, hay 344,032 acres, oats 77,488 acres and fruit 18,194 acres. An available area of 1,000
square miles is covered with jarrah forests. The jarrah is a species of eucalyptus (E. marginata) ; its timber is in great request for railway sleepers, for purposes, and especially for marine constructions, having the valuable property of resisting the attacks of the white ant on land and the ship worm at sea. Considerable areas in the southwest are covered with karri (E. diversicolor). There are also numerous forests of sandalwood trees, the timber of which is exported in large quantities, chiefly to China for incense purposes. Flowers and fruits from all quarters of the globe grow luxuriantly. Among the fruits successfully cul tivated are apples, pears, oranges, peaches, plums, apricots, figs, almonds, bananas, olives, etc. English vegetables may be profitably cul tivated at almost all seasons. Bees thrive and produce abundant stores of honey.
The mineral resources of the state are not yet fully known. Gold has been discovered in large quantities, and West Australia is now the chief gold-producing state of Australia, the Coolgardie gold fields being among the most productive. Its gold production to 1908 amounted to 20,011,698 fine ounces, valued at £85,004,290. In 1908 it was 1,647,912 fine ounces and valued at £6,999,885. But in 1913 its total product of minerals was only f5,760,207, from which it is obvious that the production of gold has declined. Lead and copper exists abun dantly, and several mines are in operation. Iron ore might be raised in almost inexhaustible quantities, and tin also exists. The gold dis coveries have formed an epoch in the history of the state, and trade and population have re cently increased very rapidly. Besides gold the exports include wool, jarrah and karri timber, sandalwood, pearls, pearl shells, tin ore, skins, etc. The revenue has grown enormously. In 1881 it was £206,205; in 1891, f497,670; and in 1912 it was f3,966,673, the expenditures being £4,101,082. The public debt in 1912 was £23,364,790. There were, in 1914, about 2,967 miles of railway open. The principal towns are Perth, the capital, with a population in 1911 of 106,792. Freemantle is the port of entry. The population of the whole state in 1914 was 323,952. In 1912 there were 536 schools, 1,189 teachers and 38,184 pupils. The first part of the state settled was the southwest corner, long known as the Swan River Settlement, estab lished in 1829. From 1850 to 1868 it was a place for the transportation of convicts. In 1890 the state received a system of responsible govern ment similar to that prevailing in the other colonies of Australia. See AUSTRALIA POLITICAL HISTORY.