We had a wonderful time in Exmouth and were sad that our time there was
over. But we still had a few days of holiday left and looked forward to
wildflower hunting!
From Exmouth we travelled to Geraldton, the longest travel day of the
trip with 8.5 hours of driving. The amount of flowers in the fields and on the
side of the road had doubled in the 10 days since our journey north had
started, it was quite amazing and showed promise for our wildflower exploring the
next day. The next day we travelled inland from Geraldton in search of
wildflowers!
Wildflowers in Kalbarri National Park
The search started in Mullewa at the waterfalls along the northern loop.
Although there were flowers, it wasn’t the fields of colour we were hoping to
see. But it was a sunny day and we were happy to be outside. From the
waterfalls we made our way to Pindar Road in search of the wreath flower. The
wreath flower is a rare wildflower unique to a tiny patch of sandplain 150 km
by 400 km in Western Australia and they flourish in this small stretch of
graded red sand in Pindar Road. Growing low on the red soil, the fleshy
branches radiate out from the centre with flowers blossoming on the edges so
when viewed from above the plant has the appearance of a wreath. I was
surprised that the narrow leaves are velvety soft to the touch since most of
the native plants here that look soft and pliable are actually stiff and spikey.
We were also amazed at how fine and detailed the individual flowers are. The
colours vary from white to a soft yellow to a deep pink on the same plant and
even the same flower. They are truly special and we were glad we had the
opportunity to see them.
The waterfalls on the Mullewa Northern Loop
The beautiful different rare and super special wreath flower
From Pindar Road we continued on to Coalseam Conservation Park, so named
for the discovery of coal by the Gregory brothers in 1846 and the first site of
coal mining in WA. The deposits proved to be narrow and of poor quality leading
to the site being abandoned with only a few shafts dug. The area is of
geological interest for where the Irwin River has cut through the local rock
exposing an interesting cross-section of sedimentary layers including
siltstone, sandstone and coal representing millions of years of the earth’s
history and one of the few places coal can be seen at the earth’s surface. The area
is also interesting for the number of marine fossils embedded in the riverbank.
In spring the area is known for its display of wildflowers, especially carpets
of pink and white everlasting daisies and yellow pom pom heads. We enjoyed a
lovely afternoon in the park searching for mine shafts and flowers. It was
still early in the season so the variety of flowers was limited and there was
only one area with a field covered in flowers but it was still worth the drive
and day out.
Yellow pom poms
An orchid
Wildflowers in Coalseam Conservation Park
The Irwin River at Coalseam Conservation Park
At last! Fields of colour.
We spent the night in a lovely cosy cabin on the sea cliffs in Dongara before
starting the last leg of the journey home to Perth. We chose the coastal route
and enjoyed the scenery and small coastal towns such as Jurien Bay, Green Head
and Lancelin passing by. The final stop of the holiday was the Pinnacles in
Nambung National Park. We had stopped off once before but it’s always worth seeing
the mysterious and eerie sandstone pillars rising out of the yellow desert. When
we got home our wonderful neighbours Shirley and Gary surprised us with a
cooler bag full of goodies to get us through the first night and morning back.
Thank you so much guys!! That was so thoughtful and kind of you and very much
appreciated.
Sunset in Dongara
The Pinnacles in Nambung National Park
Saturday was spent doing boring but necessary post-holiday admin such as
unpacking, laundry and washing the car (3 hours! Thank you Pookey xxx). At least
it was sunny and reasonably warm. Sunday was a much more fun but also much more
rainy day. We met up with our new Swiss friends Nadine and Luca for some sightseeing
around Perth. The day started with breakfast at one of our favourite Perth cafés,
Gordon Street Garage, followed by a stop at City Beach and Cottesloe Beach. Unfortunately
beach time was cut short by the wind and rain. After the beach we headed to
Fremantle and had a fun afternoon browsing the markets, roundhouse and Glen
Cowan’s marine photography studio. The last and possibly best stop of the day
was a late lunch at Little Creatures, our favourite WA craft brewery. Thank you
for spending your last days in Perth with us! It was so wonderful to meet you. We
miss you guys already and look forward to the day we see you again.
Justin, Bron, Nadine and Luca at City Beach on a rainy windy day
And then it was officially the end of the holiday.
Justin was back at work on Monday while Bron tackled the mountain of
home admin. Luca and Nadine came over for a last dinner on Monday night and
Bron dropped them at the airport on Tuesday morning (Why did you guys have to
leave?!? Come back!!). And then it really was back into normal routine.
All in all it was a really great holiday and we can highly recommend
northern WA as a holiday destination!
Until next time xxx
Tree in blossom at Nature's Window in Kalbarri National Park
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