Collie

Head inland from Bunbury and the farmland gives way to jarrah forest and the river town of Collie — a coal-mining town that has reinvented itself as one of WA's most interesting outdoor and arts destinations.

Water everywhere

The Collie River valley is the town's playground. Wellington Dam holds back one of the South West's biggest reservoirs, with swimming, kayaking and forest picnic areas below the wall — and in season, marroning is a local tradition. Nearby, the startlingly turquoise Black Diamond Lake, a flooded former mine pit fringed by white sand, has become one of the most photographed swimming holes in the state.

Murals and art

Collie's mural trail has turned the town's walls into a public gallery, headlined by the enormous mural painted across the curved face of Wellington Dam itself — thousands of square metres of artwork visible from the lookout. The Collie Art Gallery adds a serious regional collection and touring exhibitions.

Trail town

Walkers and mountain bikers know Collie as a hub on two of Australia's great long-distance trails: the Bibbulmun Track on foot and the Munda Biddi Trail by bike both pass through, and a network of shorter forest and river loops suits a casual afternoon.