Western Australia

Beyond Perth, Western Australia's main regional centres are Bunbury (population around 82,600, the state's largest regional city, about 175km south of Perth), Geraldton (around 41,500, coastal, built on agriculture, fishing and mining services), and Kalgoorlie-Boulder (around 30,700, a remote inland mining town roughly 600km east of Perth).

WA is by far Australia's largest state by land area, with population heavily concentrated in Perth and the southwest corner -- climate and lifestyle genuinely diverge from the temperate southwest to the arid interior and the tropical Kimberley in the far north. Moving to a remote regional centre like Kalgoorlie, Port Hedland or Karratha is a materially different proposition to moving to Bunbury or Geraldton, both in distance and in day-to-day services.

Rental bonds are handled by the Bond Administrator, under the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) -- bonds must be lodged within 14 days of receipt, a longer window than NSW's 10 working days.