The Great Southern is unmatched in Western Australia for the scale, diversity, and accessibility of its natural attractions.

The Great Southern encompasses eleven local government areas with a range of communities from large towns to rural villages, serviced by infrastructure for transport, telecommunications and utilities. The region covers 39,007 square kilometres on the south coast of Western Australia, bordering 250km of the Southern Ocean and extending 200km inland.

Land types range from mallee scrub in the north-east, to karri forests in the south-west of the region. Two ancient ranges of hills, the Stirling Range and the Porongurup Range, rise in the central Great Southern flanking the Kalgan River valley. The Stirling Range includes Bluff Knoll, at 1095m the highest peak in the southern half of Western Australia.

The Great Southern has been home to a significant population of Noongar people for tens of thousands of years, with the Great Southern borders now encompassing the ancestral lands of the Menang, Kaneang and Goreng Noongar peoples, and parts of the Wudjari and Wilman land. The Great Southern falls within the Wagyl Kaip and Southern Noongar portion of the Southern Native Title settlements.

Great Southern Statistics

64,430

POPULATION

39,007

SQ. KM LAND AREA

5.1 Billion

GROSS REGIONAL PRODUCT

26,889

EMPLOYMENT

707,000

ANNUAL AVERAGE VISITORS

1.92 Billion

AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHING (ECONOMIC OUTPUT)

1.39 Billion

MANUFACTURING (ECONOMIC OUTPUT)

1.27 Billion

CONSTRUCTION (ECONOMIC OUTPUT)

Great Southern Snapshot

We produce a range or resources providing information about the Great Southern region. Check out our snapshot resources, or for live current regional data, visit REMPLAN.

More resources are accessible via our Knowledge Hub.

Albany City Albany City
Castle Rock, Porongurup National Park Castle Rock, Porongurup National Park

Visit our Knowledge Hub to see reports, corporate documents, and research about the Great Southern region.