Volunteers help to save 50 to 100 whales stranded at Toby Inlet near Dunsborough. (ABC News: Anthony Pancia)
Some of Western Australia's biggest news stories this year included tales of immense courage, aspiration and also tragedy.
WARNING: This story discusses incidents of self-harm and contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died.
From courtroom dramas to the natural beauty of aurora australis, ABC photographers were on hand to capture all the shots.Â
Here are some of the photographs that illustrated our stories this year.
Whale stranding
Vets attempt to save a baby pilot whale stranded at a Toby Inlet. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
In April, community members and Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions staff banded together in their attempts to save roughly 160 pilot whales at Toby Inlet near Dunsborough.
While more than 31 of them died, many eventually made their way offshore.
Southern lights
The aurora australis captured in Margaret River on May 11, 2024. (ABC News: Anthony Pancia)
Looking to the skies, the first extreme geomagnetic storm in 20 years led to nature’s very own Skyworks display as the aurora australis dazzled crowds all over the world.
In Margaret River, reporter Anthony Pancia waited for the perfect moment to capture these glorious hues.
Freak tornado
Residents returning home were confronted with significant wreckage. (ABC South West WA: Alex Govan)
In May, a tornado wreaked havoc in Bunbury, damaging more than 200 homes and destroying nine.
The weather event left residents in suburban streets like this one with a lot of cleaning up to do, and also tore the roof of Bunbury Regional Prison.
Calls for change
Ariel Bombara speaks at a domestic violence rally in Perth. (ABC News: Grace Burmas)
Tragedy struck in suburban Perth in May when gunman Mark Bombara shot dead 59-year-old Jennifer Petelczyc and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl at their Floreat home while he was looking for his ex-partner.
In an interview days after the killings, Bombara's daughter Ariel Bombara spoke of how she was "ignored" and "repeatedly failed" by police about her concerns about her father.
She called for massive systemic change, and months later addressed a rally against domestic violence in Perth, denouncing the heavy burden women carry for men's violence and asking one question to those who doubted her: "Do you believe me now?"
A mother's quest
Marilyn Rulyancich had her daughter taken from her during the forced adoption era. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
In the same year that the WA government responded to a landmark inquiry into forced adoptions in the state, mother Marilyn Rulyancich told the story of her search to find her daughter.
Her baby was snatched from her during Australia's forced adoption era, from 1939 until the 1980s, and her efforts to connect with her daughter even included sneaking into her wedding under the guise of a photographer's assistant.
Property limbo
Jennie Lee, Barbara Gagliardini, James Sprague, Michaela Wahlert, Steven Gagliardini and Emily Greenway, who all bought properties at a development in Tapping, were fed up with delays. (ABC Radio Perth: Alicia Hanson )
Embattled home builder Nicheliving left many customers unhappy this year, coming under fire for leaving more than 200 homes unfinished.
Among the disgruntled property buyers was a group of people who purchased house-and-land packages who were stuck in limbo as they experienced delays that exceeded what was set out in their contracts.Â
IT doomsday
A blue screen on computer screens in the ABC Perth newsroom during a global IT outage. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
On a Friday afternoon in July, broadcast presenters were without any teleprompters and airports were sent into chaos as some 8.5 million computer screens experienced the "Blue Screen of Death" during the CrowdStrike outage.
The IT meltdown was deemed unprecedented by some experts and the company later revealed its root cause came down to a mistake first-year programming students were taught to avoid — one single undetected sensor.
High-profile trial
Linda Reynolds speaks to reporters after the conclusion of her defamation trial against Brittany Higgins. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
A high-profile legal battle took place this year in the WA Supreme Court when former defence minister Linda Reyolds launched defamation proceedings against her former staffer and alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins over social media posts.
The five-week trial included emotional testimony from Ms Reynolds and evidence from former prime minister Scott Morrison.
It also included Ms Reynolds's lawyer describing Ms Higgins as needing a villain for the "fairytale" story of a political cover-up and Ms Higgins's lawyer suggesting Senator Reynolds was the architect of her own demise.
Justice Paul Tottle has retired to consider his verdict.
Ship wrecked
The severely damaged training ship Leeuwin moored in Fremantle Harbour. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor)
In September, Fremantle's Victoria Quay was the site of a dramatic collision when the STS Leeuwin was struck by a container ship, injuring two night watch crew members.
Following weeks of significant repairs, the vessel took to the seas again in October.
Cleveland Dodd inquest
Nadene Dodd in Perth's Supreme Court Gardens. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Following the death of 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd in 2023, Western Australia's first recorded death in juvenile detention, his family has been striving for significant change in the youth justice system.
This year, several rounds of hearings were held as part of the coronial inquest into the teenager's death, which included evidence from his mother Nadene Dodd.
In his preliminary recommendations, Coroner Philip Urquhart indicated he may call for Unit 18, the juvenile facility within the maximum-security adult prison where Cleveland self-harmed, to be closed "as a matter of urgency".
Political aspirations
Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has emerged as a contender for the state seat of Churchlands. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
As the WA Liberal Party moves closer to the 2025 state election, Perth Lord Mayor and Churchlands candidate Basil Zempilas has emerged as a key player in politics.
Earlier in the year, it was a stoush with the housing minister over the future of a women's shelter which put his name in the headlines, and towards the end of 2024 it was a leaked secret poll.
The poll was later revealed to have been commissioned by his mayoral campaign manager, who Mr Zempilas has distanced himself from.
It triggered a Liberal party room vote on whether there should be a separate parliamentary leader and campaign leader, but it was voted down.Â
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