Wildflowers tour of Western Australia

Make your own way to our hotel in Perth. Late afternoon we meet for a welcome briefing where our Program Leader will introduce all members of the group followed by a welcome dinner.

We start our tour from Perth city, travelling north west towards Geraldton along the coast on the Perth to Exmouth highway to arrive at the Nambung National Park to view the Pinnacles Desert. We continue on to Cervantes where we stop to visit Lake Thetis. It is estimated that this body of water became isolated from the sea approximately 4800 years ago when sea levels dropped and coastal dunes formed to create the lake. The lake is one of only a few places in the world with living marine stromatolites, or ‘living fossils’. Stromatolites are one of the longest living forms of life on this planet. They can be traced back 3.5 billion years to the early Archaean eon. Modern stromatolites were first discovered in Shark Bay, Australia in 1956 and throughout western Australia in both marine and non-marine environments. From this primitive yet evolutionary life form visit we travel onto Lesueur National Park to discover a remarkable diversity of vegetation and landscapes. Lesueur is one of the most significant reserves for flora conservation in Western Australia, with over 900 plant species, 122 native bird species, many of which rely on the flora for their survival, and 52 reptile species. We will walk through key areas of the park to identify and examine the wildflowers. Our stop for the night is in the popular wheatbelt town of Moora, on the banks of the Moore River.

Nambung national park and The Pinnacles Desert contains thousands of limestone pillars. The pillars are the weathered and eroded fragments of limestone beds composed of deposited marine organisms such as coral and molluscs. Some of the tallest pinnacles reach heights of up to 3.5m above the yellow sand base. The different types of formations include ones which are much taller than they are wide and resemble columns—suggesting the name of Pinnacles

Lesueur National Park covers 26,987 hectares and is recognised for its outstanding conservation, landscape and recreational importance. It is home to over 900 plant species – 10 percent of Western Australia’s known flora – including acacias, hibbertias, leschenaultias, melaleucas, gastrolobiums. There are many different orchids, such as pink enamel, purple enamel, cowslip, blue lady, white spider and donkey orchids. In spring several varieties of kangaroo paw are predominant.

There are a variety of vegetation types in the park. The exceptionally diverse low heath, called Kwongan by Aborginal people, covers a large portion of the park. Creek lines and low areas have woodlands of wandoo, redgum and banksia.

Landforms in the park vary from salt lakes and remnant coastal dunes in the north-west through to laterite ridges in the east. The flat-topped laterite mesas of Mount Lesueur and Mount Michaud are features of the park.

Birds and reptiles are abundant in the park. Carnaby’s cockatoo is among the 122 species of native bird found in the park. There are 52 reptile species. The park is particularly rich is geckoes and legless lizards. As with plants and birds, many of the reptiles in the park found here are at the southern or northern limits of their range.

Group Dinner this evening.

Today we will follow part of two historically and botanically designated routes, heading first north on the Midlands Route to Three Springs and cross east to Perenjori and then south to Wubin and Dalwillinu that marks the end (or start) of the Wildflower Way. Wildflowers flourish in every conceivable type of terrain, hospitable or inhospitable, we’ll stop along the way as needed to inspect and observe the variety of flowers in the local towns and on the side of the road. Perenjori area offers vistas of pink, yellow and white everlastings. Buntine granite rocks with scenic views.

We’ll pause in the wheatbelt town of Wubin for a break and lunch (own arrangements) before continuing the short distance south to Dalwillinu which marks our turnoff point on the Wildflower Way as we travel southeast to Merredin where we stay overnight.

Merredin was a key railway junction for the pastoralists. It was also an important pump station on the Golden Pipeline, a water pipeline with a colourful history, running between Mundaring Weir in Perth and Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The project was commissioned in 1896 and completed in 1903, and today remains the longest steel freshwater pipeline in the world. In 1968 part of the pipeline was damaged by WA’s most significant earthquake, in Meckering, where the faultline is still visible. Today, the agricultural land around Merredin produces 40% of Western Australia‘s wheat quota.

Group evening meal this evening.

* The correct spelling of the generic name, Lechenaultia, is open to some argument. It was named after Leschenault de la Tour, a botanist who visited Australia in 1802-3. However, when botanist Robert Brown first published the name in 1810 he spelled it Lechenaultia, and the spelling without the ‘s’ is considered valid by Australian taxonomists.

Leaving Merredin we start by visting the nearby Totadgin Conservation Park to examine its “inselberg”, see which varieties of wildflowers are in flower here, and spot some of the myriad native birds and then we head east on the Golden Highway, keeping a close eye on the roadside where we should see plenty of the renowned everlastings.

The journey to Kalgoorlie-Boulder journey takes us through the dry red landscapes associated with outback Western Australia, past so-called trees of Spanish leather, gimlet gums or Eucalyptus salubrus. It was in 1989 that the Kalgoorlie and Boulder names became officially merged. The name Kalgoorlie is derived from the Wangai word Karlkurla or Kulgooluh, meaning “place of the silky pears”, but originally the site was called Hannan’s Find, after Patrick Hannan filed a goldmining Reward Claim in 1893.

Before Kalgoorlie we will pause in Southern Cross and Coolgardie. The first town is the centre for the Yilgarn Shire (Yilgarn is the Aboriginal word for white stone or quartz) and is indeed named for the celestial Southern Cross, which guided prospectors Tom Riseley and Mick Toomey to their providential gold discovery in 1888. Their debt to the night skies is also acknowledged in all the street names of the town which evoke various stars and constellations. Southern Cross is the last town on the eastern edge of the wheatbelt and the first town on the Eastern Goldfields. It was also, for a time, the end of the railway line, and in the late 1880s was considered the mother town of Coolgardie and the grandmother of Kalgoorlie. Yilgarn gives its name to the Yilgarn Craton, which constitutes the bulk of the WA landmass. A craton is an old and stable part of the Earth’s two topmost layers, and the first large cratonic landmasses formed during the Archaeon eon. The country around Southern Cross boasts some of the oldest granite rock formations in the world. A little further along the Highway is the Karalee reservoir. In the 1880s and 90s steam trains needed water, and the two huge granite outcrops at Karalee were used as part of an ingenious method of harvesting low annual rainfall to fill a substantial reservoir. We then traverse the Goldfields Woodlands National Park, a stop on the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail, and enjoy the wildflower displays of the kwongan sandplain heaths. The park lies within the Great Western Woodlands, which is the largest remaining area of intact Mediterranean climate woodland left on Earth. Some of these trees are propagated and studied at the Kalgoorlie Arboretum. The park also has remnants of the historic Kalgoorlie woodlines, narrow gauge railway lines built for the gold rush.

Coolgardie was once the third largest town in WA, and at its peak 700 mining companies based in the town were registered with the London Stock Exchange. Coolgardie also held the main Muslim community in the colony due to the numbers of Afghan cameleers who transported food and water to the goldfields. By the early 1920s it had become a ghost town, but in 1995 the world’s second largest existing gold nugget was found in a Coolgardie creek bed: a whopping 25.5 kg. It is currently on display at the Perth Mint.

Group Dinner this evening.

Today as we visit historic sites and mines, and delve into the Australian goldrush legacy, we will understand why Kalgoorlie still feels like a frontier town of the “wild west”. Goldmining is still a major industry, and today employs about one quarter of Kalgoorlie’s workforce. Since 1893 the area of Kalgoorlie- Boulder has produced over 50 million ounces of gold, one of only 4 districts in the world to have reached such a milestone. The area around the original find by Paddy Hannan has been called the Golden Mile, and the world’s richest square mile of earth. We will explore how some of these riches were spent in the town, and how its reputation for lawlessness almost led to Kalgoorlie becoming part of a new state called Auralia. Present-day gold mining continues at the Fimiston Super Pit, Australia’s largest open-cut gold mine at 3.6 km long, 1.6 km wide and over 600 metres deep, which was created in 1989 by consolidating all the original underground mines. Over 1000 men and women are employed to operate the mine 24/7. The daily blast is an impressive experience, and on the last two International Women’s Days the blast was coloured pink.

We leave Kalgoorlie to head south to the spectacular coastal region of Esperance. Halfway between the two supremely contrasting environments lies Norseman, a town surrounded by salt lakes. In the Eocene period, around 40 million years ago, the climate was wetter and rivers flowed eastward from Kalgoorlie across the Nullarbor to the sea. The vast salt lakes are what remain of the ancient river systems, and they return to life in heavy rains. These great white expanses are also deemed worthy of mining, primarily to produce sulphate of potash fertiliser from the potassium-rich salts, but even to extract gold and other minerals by means of specialised drilling technology. Norseman is the administrative centre for the Shire of Dundas, which covers an area bigger than Tasmania. Equally importantly Norseman is the gateway to the Nullarbor Plain, and the first WA town for travellers journeying from South Australia. The town is named after a horse whose owner was indeed a Norseman from the Shetland Islands. A proud statue memorialises the horse’s “discovery” of the first gold nugget in the area. Recognition is also given to another indispensable goldfields beast of burden: the camel, and we will note the extra wide streets which allowed camel trains to turn. While mining technology has been transformed – the Norseman Gold Mine is Australia’s longest continuously running gold mining operation – much of Norseman’s architecture remains unchanged. The Nullarbor is the largest limestone karst landscape on Earth, and also offers the longest golf course in the world, the first hole being in Ceduna, SA, and the 18th hole 1365 km away in Kalgoorlie – holes 14 and 15 are in Norseman. Wildflowers continue to bloom around us, and nearby Beacon Hill offers a panoramic view of the country. Further south we pass through the little town of Salmon Gums, these particular eucalypts being a prominent landmark in the settlement’s early days. Along with two acacia species the Eucalyptus salmonophloia is credited with allowing the development of the goldfields because its durable timber was used to make railway sleepers and mining shaft supports. The Salmon Gum’s high density was viewed as the second strongest in Australia, and is still appreciated by craftsmen, and used in musical instruments. The Coolgardie-Esperance highway passes the town of Scaddan, called originally Thirty Mile for its distance from Esperance, but then named more interestingly after the 1911-1916 premier of WA, John “Happy Jack” Scaddan. His reforming government invested greatly in developing the wheatbelt and constructing railways, looking after lowly paid workers, and setting up state owned enterprises.

Group Dinner this evening.

In Esperance there is always a succession of flowers blooming for enthusiasts to discover during the wildflower season; the peak period of this season is September and October when the finest varieties typically are in bloom. This peak coincides with the annual Esperance Wildflower Festival, which this year will run from 22-26 September with the theme, “Flowers & Feathers: Friends or Foes?”.

We will revel in unique floral beauties at Helms Arboretum, on the Dempster Head walking trail along the Great Ocean Drive, and at Cape Le Grand National Park. The Arboretum has an enormous area of WA’s native shrubs and wildflowers, as well as a collection of pines from various countries, and we may be able to spot up to ten different varieties of orchid.

Cape le Grand National Park is known for its pristine coastline, and boasts Australia’s whitest beach, Lucky Bay, which is set against a beautiful seascape of 110 islands of the Recherche Archipelago. Just 50km east of Esperance, the park offers a wildflower trail that will take us through bursts of colour. Wildflower species readily seen in the National Park include the banksia, kangaroo paws, grevilleas, and the stunning orange flowers of the WA Christmas Tree (Nuytsia floribunda).

Esperance is also known for two other natural elements: wind and wave. In 1987 Salmon Beach hosted Australia’s first commercial wind farm, and today 20% of Esperance’s electricity is supplied by local turbines. The Esperance wave, known in the mega-surfing community as Cyclops, is indeed a monster: said to be the world’s heaviest wave with massive amounts of water folding and precipitating above a sharp coral reef.

We continue on the Esperance Wildflower Trail as it travels through some of WA’s most spectacular rural and coastal scenery, and spend time in the untouched Fitzgerald River National Park on our way to Albany. The Fitzgerald River National Park is recognised as one of the most botanically significant parks in Australia, with nearly 20% of Western Australia’s flora species found here. Many of the plants are endemic and, as yet, not all are documented. There are flowers in evidence all year round, however Spring is the best time to view around 1,800 of the region’s flowering plants, like the winsome Qualup Bell. This whole region as well the National park is teeming with some of the finest wildflowers, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.

Albany is the oldest colonial settlement in WA, founded on 26 December 1826, as a military outpost of New South Wales as part of a plan to forestall French ambitions in the region. The town has a role in the ANZAC legend, being the last port of call for troopships departing Australia in the First World War, and we will visit the National ANZAC Centre before we leave Albany.

Group Dinner this evening.

From Albany we explore the different WA wildflower habitats around Mt Barker and in the Stirling Ranges National Park. The south west corner of WA has been internationally recognised as a ‘biodiversity hotspot’ – one of only 34 worldwide and 2 in Australia – for its extensive collection of wildflower species. The Stirling Range National Park is at the heart of this wildflower hotspot, and is recognised as one of the most important wildflower areas in the world, containing over 1500 species – 87 of which are not found anywhere else in the world. Particular highlights include banksia, dryandras, Queen of Sheba orchids, and Darwinia Collina, better known as ‘Mountain Bell’, which is endemic only to a few small areas in the Stirling Ranges National Park, and thus is considered an endangered species by the Australian Government. The National Park encloses the only mountain range within southern WA. Rugged peaks here reach more than 1000 metres above sea level, and the park features sharp cliff faces, long gullies, and magnificent views. It is the only place in WA where snow occasionally falls. The Stirling Range is also noted for its unusual cloud formations – the Aboriginal name for the area, Koi Kyenunu-ruff, translates as ‘mist rolling around the mountains’. We will take a walk up Bluff Knoll, which at 1098m is the highest and most spectacular peak in WA’s South West. During wildflower season the Park is a remarkable botanical reserve: grass trees, pea flowers, lechenaultias, blue smoke bush, scarlet banksia and many orchid varieties are just a few of the plant species to be found in this area.

We also visit Porongurup National Park and do a Granite Skywalk to enjoy stunning, panoramic views of the coastline, the Stirling Ranges, and surrounding farmland and vineyards. Porongurup is renowned for its acacia and hovea, as well as native fauna, including grey kangaroos.

The town of Mt Barker, the centre of the Shire of Plantagenet, likewise has a splendid view of the mountain ranges and sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.

This morning we will visit the National ANZAC Centre. It was from Albany on the 1st November 1914, that the first group of ANZAC troops on their way to the battlefields of the First World War departed Australia. The Centre offers visitors an immersive experience by following the personal stories of 32 Anzac-related characters, from soldiers to nurses, many of whom departed from the Port of Albany. Their lives can be followed from pre-war life and recruitment through conflict in Gallipoli, the Middle East and on the Western Front, to post-war life. From the ANZAC Centre we can look over to the Torndirrup Peninsula, which shelters Albany from the Great Southern Ocean. The south side of the Peninsula features massive, ancient granite outcroppings which have been worn away by the ocean since the land broke off from Antarctica when Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana.

We then head west into the Walpole-Nornalup National Park to marvel at its Valley of the Giants. These giants are ancient Red Tingle trees (Eucalyptus jacksonii) – trees which occur nowhere else in the world and whose origins also trace 65 million years back to Gondwana. On the ground below these arboreal giants live Gondwanan arthropods and funghi. Above in the forest canopy is a wonderful tree top walk which will give us truly a bird’s eye view of this unique remnant of natural history.

Pemberton is known for the tall Karri trees (Eucalyptus diversicolor) of Gloucester National Park, including the Gloucester Tree, which has a fire lookout platform in its upper branches. In the old growth Karri forests around Pemberton, over 30 different orchid species can be found, as well as several species of wattle, clematis and vines. Pemberton is also recognised as one of the premier cool-climate wine regions in Australia, and hosts many wineries in the region. The town itself is considered so well-preserved from its saw milling settlement days that it was chosen as the setting for the 2016 Australian film adaptation of Jasper Jones.

Group Dinner this evening.

Today we continue exploring the wildflowers around Pemberton such as Greater Beedelup & Warren NP where we can view delicate Lobelias and Scaevolas line the waterways as well as Spider, Helmet and Midge Orchids. In Donnelly River area there’s a great display of a wide variety of Peas and Bearded Heaths, Banksias, Adenanthos, and others. Heading south towards Windy Harbour we stop at Mt. Chudalup, where in late September the area blooms with beautiful displays of Verticordia, Melaleuca and Bearded Heaths. Mossy swards become a carpet of Pink Petticoats, everlastings and after a fire, Pink Bunny Orchids.

The Southern Forest region is famous for it’s biodiversity with more than 2500 species of plants including over 100 terrestrial orchid species.

The peak for wildflower season in Pemberton is mid-September to late October with Northcliffe and Windy Harbour presenting a longer season from mid-September through to November but flowering plants can be found all year round.

From Pemberton we travel across national park and state forest to spend a night in the Margaret River region. On our way we detour to stop at Cape Leeuwin which is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian continent, and considered to be the point where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. It was a Dutch vessel called the Leeuwin (“Lioness”) that charted some of the nearby coastline in 1622. This point is marked by Australia’s tallest lighthouse, built in 1895 and still an indispensable beacon.

Margaret River is famous for its wines and there will be time to learn about wines of Margaret River region as we visit a vineyard or two : sampling will be pure pleasure with a chauffeur standing by! The Margaret River itself rises in the Whicher Range – Margaret Whicher was the cousin of John Bussell, founder of Busselton – and merges with Warperup Creek which flows around the town, pools at the Barrett Street Weir, and eventually meets the ocean at Prevelly.

Group Dinner this evening.

For our final day of wildflowers, we travel from Margaret River we travel along the coast north towards Perth city and stop several times along the way to seek out and observe wildflower species of the Margaret River region and beyond.

Our first stop is at Ambergate Reserve, located a few kilometeres out of Busselton. The Ambergate reserve contains at least 326 species of natives. A four-kilometre walk trail provides access through all parts of the reserve where you’ll see orchids such as Blue lady, rare Verticordia featherflowers, and shrubs with the unforgettable name of Snottygobble. Another rare and endangered species is the Southern Brown Bandicoot or Quenda., where we view the the longest timber piled jetty in the southern hemisphere.

We continue via a brief stop to view the 1.8km jetty at Busselton, the longest timber piled jetty in the southern hemisphere.

We travel via the scenic route t0 the 2000 hectare Ludlow Tuart Forest National Park, the largest remaining area of pure tuart forest in the world. The tuart, Eucalyptus gomphocephala (“club-shaped head”), is one of the six forest giants of Southwest Australia, and some specimens in the park are over 10 m in girth. It grows only on the coastal limestone of the Swan coastal plain. Here the orchid features prominently in the wildflower species list in the park including the Cape spider orchid, Synapheas and Dryandras.

When we arrive in Perth, if time permits we will visit the Kings Park bushland and Botanic Garden in the afternoon. It showcases 1,700 unique native species and a dazzling display of wildflowers in spring celebrated with the annual Kings Park Festival in September. Two thirds of Kings Park are protected as managed bushland and provides an important haven for visitors and native biodiversity. There are a series of walking tracks and designated pedestrian/cycle paths through the Kings Park bushland that allow visitors the chance to appreciate Kings Park’s unique flora, fauna and fungi.

In the evening we will come together for a farewell dinner.

Tour concludes after breakfast.