Perth is the world's most isolated city, and is interestingly closer to Jakarta than to Sydney. British colonists came to Perth in 1829 and convicts arrived in 1850 to start building out the colony. Gold brought prospectors in the 1890s, bringing together Victorian architecture.
A visit to Western Australia should not be only confined to the cities. While Perth is a good base for exploring nearby regions, it should only be one stop along an exciting journey around the state.