Winter in Western Australia (WA) marks the start of wildflower season, when desert plains become showy, rolling seas of vibrant kangaroo paws, boronias and everlastings.
WA is known as one the most extensive and long-lasting wildflower displays in the world –boasting more than 12,000 varieties of bloom and blossom, with a season lasting from June until the summer months.
According to the experts, you won’t see better than this – and the locals agree too. Glenda Blyth from the Geraldton Visitor Information Centre is in charge of the local region’s ‘Wildflower Report’ – a how-to guide of up to date information for tourists to find the best blooms of the south Coral Coast.
Glenda says widespread rain across almost all of WA this year has led to one of the most spectacular wildflower seasons she’s seen. Though it’s all but over in Geraldton (contrary to the name everlasting… all beautiful things fade with time)…
“We are sort of coming toward the end of our season here, we’ve got the bush flowers that are still happening and because we’ve had such good rainfall this year, the bush flowers are really coming into their own at the moment, but the things like the everlastings and the orchids, they were at their peak about a month ago, and now they’ve had their time,” she says.
“But the season just gradually moves south. We basically tend to recommend people go south… and that’s usually in their natural progress as they come down through the Kimberley and the Pilbara.”
While the flowers were an “absolute cracker season”, it seems the tourists were weren’t far behind. Glenda says word of mouth through the travelling fraternity in outback WA spread almost as fast as the flowers bloomed.
“It was just so full on… it was just unbelievably full on. The bush telegraph was very strong, so we just had a phenomenal amount of people there looking and checking for the flowers,” she says.
“But it even went further than that because we were getting phone calls from over east as well; so the word had got further than just the people travelling here in WA. I know myself, I took a few phone calls of people who were coming from the eastern states to look at them and that was obviously in response to the fact that they somewhere and somehow has heard that we were having an extra, extra good season.”
Those travelling from the east can cover more than 3,000km to reach the boarders of WA – so does the stunning, desert spectacle live up to its world class reputation?
“I think it does more than meet their expectations, particularly when they’ve come into town at the right time, and the flowers are just everywhere. When you’re coming from the north, down to Geraldton, people tell us there were flowers from the Pilbara, all the way down to Geraldton, just flowers lining both sides of the road all the way; it has been just that incredible,” Glenda says.
“And I was fortunate enough to be able to out all around the Murchison area myself this year and actually see them first hand out in the outback – they were stunning!”
Tourism WA's top picks for wild flower spotting include:
PILBARA TRAIL:
Over half a million square kilometres of mangroves, off shore islands, deep gorges, mountain ranges, desert sand dunes and river pools ensure the Pilbara’s flora is as diverse as the landscape.
From July to September wildflowers of all colours, sizes and shapes, like the unmistakable Sturt’s desert pea, fluffy mulla mulla, the tall majestic Ashburton pea or any number of the 65 species of Acacia (wattle) can be seen throughout the region.
CAPE RANGE TRAIL:
The breathtaking landscape of Cape Range is a compelling backdrop for the bright, colourful and fascinating plant life which proliferates in the region. For a semi-arid area with a calcium rich soil, the North West Cape nurtures an unusually large variety of flora and more than 630 species have been recorded here to date.
Fringed by the wonders of the Ningaloo Reef on the west and protected by the Exmouth Gulf on the east, Cape Range is a true nature lover’s paradise.
NORTHERN EXPLORER TRAIL:
Travel the Indian Ocean Drive towards the white sands and crystal waters of Geraldton up past the breathtakingly high coastal cliffs of Kalbarri, to where the sleek and magical dolphins of Monkey Mia swim peacefully in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
EVERLASTINGS TRAIL:
Experience the Indian Ocean Drive that meanders up the coast from Perth to Cervantes, Jurien Bay and Leeman.
The Everlastings Trail makes its way through areas ablaze with colour, often stretching lazily as far as the horizon. For many, this is the wildflower viewing they’ve always imagined.
GRANITE LOOP TRAIL:
Experience the striking beauty of massive granite outcrops rising impressively from the Australia’s Golden Outback landscape. An abundance of natural vegetation is waiting to be discovered around these unique rock formations where wandoo, salmon gum, dense honey-myrtle and tea tree thickets give way to flowering granite Kunzea, with their gnarled shapes.
ESPERANCE TRAIL:
Esperance and its surrounding areas will provide the visitor with a myriad of outdoor experiences that go way beyond the region’s striking wildflower displays. This is where you can also observe sea eagles, whales, dolphins and seals in their natural habitat. The nearby Cape Le Grand National Park will also present nature lovers with an unforgettable opportunity to experience some of our most pristine coastal environments.
In the Fitzgerald River National Park, nearly 20 per cent of the state’s plant species can be found and it is popular for bird and whale watching.
*Images courtesy of Tourism WA.
More information on Western Australian wildflowers can be found HERE.
