Western Australia wildflowers: where to see the spring bloom

Western Australia wildflowers bloom from winter in the far north to spring in the far south, so the best place to go depends on the month. In September, most visitors head for Perth and the Kings Park festival. Others drive north or south in search of whole paddocks of colour.

This guide explains how the season moves, how many plants are involved, what Kings Park offers, and how to plan a trip that is safe for you and kind to the flowers.

Sources for this section: Department of Conservation and Land Management, LANDSCOPE magazine, Autumn 2006; Government of Western Australia, media statement, 16 September 1999.

When the season starts and moves south

The flowering season does not start everywhere at once. It begins in the warm north and travels south as the weather cools and the rain falls.

In the Pilbara, the state's northwest, the park agency says wildflowers peak between June and August in Millstream Chichester National Park. One of the showy plants there is the Sturt pea, a bright red flower with a dark centre. Further south, spring takes over. Kings Park in Perth holds its wildflower festival in September. The coastal heath east of Esperance, in Cape Arid National Park, is also known for spring flowers.

Rain matters as much as the calendar. The state's park magazine says the annual wildflowers in the Kennedy Range, inland from Carnarvon, put on their best show after good winter rain. A dry winter can mean a thin season, and a wet one can mean a big one.

Sources for this section: Department of Conservation and Land Management, LANDSCOPE magazine, Autumn 2006 and Winter 2006; Department of Environment and Conservation, LANDSCOPE magazine, Winter 2007; Government of Western Australia, media statement, 22 September 2005.

How many plants are involved

Western Australia has an enormous number of wild plants. A 1999 state government statement put the total at about 12,000 species. A 2000 catalogue, The Western Australian Flora: A Descriptive Catalogue, lists 11,922 ferns and flowering plants. That count includes weeds as well as native plants.

Most of the variety is in the south-west corner. The 1999 statement gave about 8,000 species for that region, and about 6,000 of them grow nowhere else in the world. The minister who launched the catalogue said more than half of Australia's flora is found in Western Australia, and that about 80 per cent of the state's flora is in the south-west. She also said about one fifth of the state's plants are rare, threatened or of uncertain conservation status.

The catalogue also lists the flowering months, flower colour and range of each plant. It was published by the department's Western Australian Herbarium, the Wildflower Society of Western Australia and the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority. If you want to know what flowers when, it is the book to look for.

Sources for this section: Government of Western Australia, media statements of 16 September 1999 and 5 October 2000.

Kings Park in Perth

Kings Park and Botanic Garden is the easiest place to start, because it sits in the middle of Perth. A 1999 state statement said the park is home to 450 species of wildflowers. On 1 September that year, kangaroo paws, pink everlastings and donkey orchids were already out.

The park's wildflower festival is held every September. Past festivals have shown more than 700 wildflower species in a single display, and they have also offered:

• guided walks led by volunteer Kings Park guides;
• talks and demonstrations from garden experts, scientists and artists;
• native animals shown by wildlife groups;
• art and craft displays;
• plant sales run by the Friends of Kings Park.

The festival has been popular for years. About 45,000 people came in 1998, according to the state government. Dates and programs change each year, so check with the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority before you go.

Sources for this section: Government of Western Australia, media statements of 1 September 1999, 16 September 1999, 6 October 2000 and 22 September 2005.

Wildflower country beyond the city

If you have a few days, go beyond Perth. Here are three places the state park agency has written about, in the order the season reaches them.

1. Millstream Chichester, Pilbara: the best time is June to August. It is a long way from Perth, so most people fly to the region or plan a long trip.
2. Kennedy Range, Gascoyne: the park has more than 400 native plant species, and at least 80 of them are annual wildflowers. LANDSCOPE says road access from Carnarvon has improved, but it is still a remote park.
3. Cape Arid, south coast: a quiet park east of Esperance, with coastal heath that flowers in spring. LANDSCOPE describes it as one of the least known national parks in the state because it is so far from the big towns.

Sources for this section: Department of Conservation and Land Management, LANDSCOPE magazine, Autumn 2006 and Winter 2006; Department of Environment and Conservation, LANDSCOPE magazine, Winter 2007.

How to plan a wildflower road trip

This is general travel advice, not an official checklist. Use it with the latest road and park information.

• Ask before you go. Call a park office or visitor centre in the region and ask what is flowering now. Blooms shift from week to week and year to year.
• Match the month to the place. Go north in winter and south in spring. September suits Perth and the south-west.
• Carry water, fuel and a spare tyre. Distances are long and towns can be far apart. Tell someone your route.
• Check road conditions. Rain that helps the flowers can also close unsealed roads.
• Stay on the tracks. Walking off the path crushes seedlings and spreads disease between plants.
• Leave the flowers where they are. Take photos instead. Many species are rare and a few are protected.

General travel advice from the editorial team; the one fifth of rare, threatened or uncertain plants comes from Government of Western Australia, media statement, 5 October 2000.

Sources

1. Government of Western Australia, Perth residents encouraged to walk among the wildflowers at Kings Park, 1 September 1999: wa.gov.au
2. Government of Western Australia, Launch of the 36th annual Kings Park Wildflower Festival, 16 September 1999: wa.gov.au
3. Government of Western Australia, Minister launches new guide to WA's flora, 5 October 2000: wa.gov.au
4. Government of Western Australia, Premier opens Kings Park Wildflower Festival, 6 October 2000: wa.gov.au
5. Government of Western Australia, Wildflower Festival features the colours of Western Australia, 22 September 2005: wa.gov.au
6. LANDSCOPE magazine, Volume 21 Number 3, Autumn 2006 (Millstream Chichester National Park): library.dbca.wa.gov.au
7. LANDSCOPE magazine, Volume 21 Number 4, Winter 2006 (Cape Arid National Park): library.dbca.wa.gov.au
8. LANDSCOPE magazine, Volume 22 Number 4, Winter 2007 (Kennedy Range National Park): library.dbca.wa.gov.au