Professional photographers and road-trip enthusiasts Charlotte and James Maddock give Australian Traveller their top tips for experiencing WA’s wildflower season at its best.
Every spring, Western Australia erupts with colour, fragrance and, of course, adventure. Wildflowers bloom in the thousands and a good old-fashioned road trip beckons. We’re no stranger to a road trip, having explored all corners of our great state by road over the last decade – from crossing the never-ending Nullarbor in the south to traversing the iconic Gibb River Road in the north. But wildflowers offer something different, something unique: unexpected joy in the most unsuspecting of places.
We’ve always found ‘the journey is the destination’ to be somewhat of a cliché – quietly wondering where these people are travelling to if it’s not the ultimate highlight of the trip. But a wildflower road trip opened our eyes, and not just figuratively. Everywhere you look is like a painting, and we constantly fight the urge to pull over time and time again. Our trusty kombi is the perfect companion – slow, steady and always up for an adventure.
Where should people start?
The ideal starting place is WA’s aptly coined ‘Wildflower Country’ – designated as the nine local government areas from Moora to Mullewa. The whole region is bursting with thousands of species of wildflowers, including the iconic and resilient wreath flower. Coalseam Conservation Park is also a must-see; the whole area covered with carpets of flowers and designated walking trails to take you up close and personal.
From here, we ditch the bitumen and embrace the adventure, following unassuming dirt roads into the heart of Western Australia’s outback. North of Pindar lies the most exquisite display of wreath flowers you will find anywhere in the world. They sit, totally unassuming, crowding the roadside far from civilisation.
It becomes a ritual to stop at each country town, and not just for their bakeries. The wildflower enthusiasts in the visitor centres know all the best spots and gleam with pride when giving you a mud map, photocopied and annotated with nothing but love. This information is essential for those hunting the more elusive wildflowers, such as the donkey orchids or spider orchids.
Where can people stay?
Personally, we are drawn further east to WA’s Wheatbelt where the crowds get smaller, the distances longer and granite outcrops scatter the landscape. The water runoff from dramatic rock formations causes wildflowers to grow in abundance and provides the perfect backdrop for photos. The local shires here also allow free camping, so we can snap away at dusk and dawn. Our favourite spots are Eaglestone Rock in Nungarin, Datjoin Rock in Beacon and Elachbutting Rock in the Shire of Westonia.
Evenings at these campsites are the highlight of our road trip, as we capture the wildflowers among the setting sun before lighting a campfire for the evening. Is there a better feeling than sharing stories by the fire in the middle of the outback with just the sounds of the bush and billions of stars twinkling above? We don’t think so.
Our road trip mantra has always been to leave no trace, but it’s even more vital in wildflower season. We watch our every step, sticking to existing paths and taking only photos (lots and lots of them). It’s on us – all of us – to leave this colourful painting exactly as nature intended it.
Top tips from the experts:
- The season typically starts late July in the Gascoyne region, with the blooms moving southwards through the Wheatbelt in late August/early September, and then through to the South West in late September/early October.
- The visitor centres (there’s usually one in every town) have the best handle on what’s blooming and where the hotspots are. They often compile and release weekly reports on their websites.
- Embrace the power of social media. Thousands of enthusiasts share their experiences and photos to dedicated wildflower Facebook groups. These posts can provide live reports on bloom activity.
- Be careful when pulling over to the side of the road, especially on highways.
- Pack antihistamines, which are useful on windy days.
- Please tread carefully, follow existing paths and do not pick the wildflowers.
For more WA road-trip adventures, follow @cjmaddock on Instagram
