We have had a hard time deciding where to go this year. I will always go to Europe but my husband wasn't interested. He finally got an idea this week that he found exciting - Perth! There are 5 mediterranean flora areas in the world. We have already visited 4 of the different regions, southern Europe, California, Chile and South Africa. Southwestern Australia is the fifth.

We are looking at going at the end of September - mid October and we are hoping to catch some of the wildflower bloom. We noticed there are several flower shows scheduled around that time. It is also a spring school break so we will need to get planning.

We are looking for tips on travel in this region especially for viewing wildflowers. We found a great brochure on wildflowers from the Western Australia tourism site. We also like hiking/bushwalking/trekking, wine tasting and nature travel.

Now to get planning.

We lived in Perth for a year in 1998 and loved the trips we did to see the wildflowers. We drove north along the Great Northern Highway stopping to examine the more delicate orchids and small flowers along the roadway. We returned along the coast road, through Cevantes. We visited the Pinnacles and saw emus and kangaroos on the way.

New Norcia is a town on the Northern Highway and worth a visit for the history of the monks and the monastic community. We stayed a night there and it was quite a spiritual visit for me - a non catholic.

Another trip we had was out from Kalgoorlie where there were fields of everlasting daisies. This would be too far out of your way and you could see the same thing closer to Perth.

Kings Park also has a wonderful display - right in the heart of Perth.

We didn't get to see the wildflowers south of Perth but I love the area of Margeret River, Pemberton, Denmark and Albany. Combining wildflower sightseeing, walking, winetasting and eating would make for a great holiday.
The Bibbulum Track ( www.bibbulumtrack.org.au ) can be a gentle stroll or an 8 week adventure. It sounds as though it parts of it would suit you.

You will have a great time.

{ making link live }

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pauline,

Thanks Fletch. This helps a lot. I really appreciate the information about the destinations and drives. It will help us focus on the different routes.

Would you happen to remember what month of the year you did the drives on the Great Northern Highway and to Kalgoorlie? We have been focusing on the area south of Perth because we are planning on going towards the end of September and we think that is the area that will be in bloom at that time. But maybe those areas (north and east) are still in bloom in September also.

We saw the wildflowers in September, and October.
I have just spoken to a friend in Perth and they are not sure what will happen this year as it has been so dry. June and July are usually wet months but so far the mornings have been cold with lovely sunny days.
You will enjoy the south west and there may be wildflowers as it is usually a little wetter than the Perth area.
Kings Park may be able to help their display if they are allowed to water.

Marta, I have a friend who lived in Perth for a few years (she's in Singapore now). Let me know if you'd like to get in touch with her.

Thanks Fletch. This is helpful. We've chased wildflower displays in both the Arizona desert and South Africa so we totally understand the unpredictability and timing of the blooms. I did also hear this morning that Australia is in the middle of a drought this year so we will just have to see how it goes.

Kim - Thanks also. Gee, I'm surprised at how many people on the board do have a connection with someone in Perth.

In case you didn't see my other post, I live near Perth and the regions you are intending to visit.

You won't be disappointed with the wildflowers, they have never been know to let tourist and visitors down.

Elly

Welcome back Elly. I've seen your other posts. I appreciate the information about Perth that you posted in the other threads.

quote:

Originally posted by Elly:
However for the best wildflowers, the mid west will be particularly beautiful. They should be very prolific because we had quite a few cyclones (Hurricanes?) in our far north this pas summer and the rains generated from these germinate the seeds that remain dormant otherwise.

This is great news. We thought there was a drought in WA and our chance for viewing wildflowers was going to be poor.

Here is our itinerary
25/9 - 29/9 Perth
29/9 - Jurien Bay
30/9 - 1/10 Kalbarri
2/10 - Dalwallinu or area
3/10 - Narrogin or area
4/10 - 6/10 - Albany
7/10 - 9/10 - Margaret River
10/10 Perth (leaving midnight for Sydney)

Are we visiting the 'mid-west'?

For more information on what we have booked so far, check out my blog.

We have a full day to go from Margaret River to Perth on October 10th. We are taking the 'red-eye' at midnight to Sydney. We may be able to meet sometime this day or one of the other days we are in the region either Perth or Margaret River.

I'll probably have more questions so I'm glad you are back.

Hi Marta,

The section from Jurien to Kalbarri is part of the mid west. The mid west has the most prolific wildflowers after cyclone season.

You are also very centrally located within our city, but on a smaller section of the Swan River. No one really appreciates how BIG our river really is and how many tributaries lead off from it, so although smaller it is still a large river.

You are almost directly opposite (riverwise) our one and only Casino (Burswood) which has a public golf course (if interested)and nearby is Gloucester Park, home of harness racing in WA.

I presume that you will be driving for most of the time,however, your location in Perth is accessible to FREE public transport. It is called the CAT bus and please use it to get to Kings Park Botanical Gardens for a flower show you will always remember. Kings Park overlooks the city and river and the views both day and night are stunning. You can ride a bike along the cycle paths or just walk. Parking within the park is at a premium, therefore the suggestion of the CAT bus.

Your itinerary looks great. Please stop off at the Pinnacles (Cervantes) on your way to Jurien Bay. This section of coastline was settled primarily by cray fishermen (lobsters)

Kalbarri has many wonderful attractions, the river leads into the ocean, fishing is great. The area south of Red Bluff has many ocean gorges and inland to the north are the land gorges. Great walking and hiking as these are National Parks.

To get to Kalbarri, you must drive through Geraldton, which in my opinion is nothing special. However, if you haven't seen the wildflowers you wanted to see by now, a small detour inland to Mullewa or Morawa will guarantee them. There are many different kinds of flowers to be seen and maybe you are after some special types?

Dalwallinu and Narrogin are drought areas at present and they may be your only disappointment. These towns are inland and VERY cold at night even in our spring.

Albany is south of Narrogin and won't disappoint you at all. Hopefully you will drive to Margaret River via the coastal roads and visit Walpole and the tree top walk suspended high above the tall Karri trees. Also visit the Valley of the Giants, another great drive close by there. Go through Pemberton (more tall trees, forests and trout.)

From Margaret River, go to Augusta for a day trip and visit the Cape Leuwin light house where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. I can also give you a list of the best wineries (free tasting), some preservative free and 2 boutique breweries are also in this region (fancy chocolate beer?)

I hope that I have given you some inspiration and hints you may not already know. I would still love to show you around, but will leave it up to you.

Cheers,

When you leave for Sydney, remember that New South Wales is 2 hours ahead in time and you will arrive 7am even though the flight is only 5 hours long.

Yes, this is definitely inspirational. Thank you. I'll probably have many more questions as we make our plans.

We won't have a car in Perth and we are planning on using CAT to get around on the days we are in Perth. Do you have any suggestions on places to see in the Perth area if you don't have a car? Fremantle and Swan River areas are both on our list but I'm not certain if it is possible to get there without a car. I've just started looking into day tours that might be available for areas such as the Swan River.

We have been using Wildflower Society of WA website to help plan our trip. The regional tourist websites such as this one for Golden Outback region have been a great help. We do hope to make it to Mullewa, Morawa and also Eneabba. If we don't see these regions on the drive to Kalbarri, we may take a day trip from Kalbarri to those areas. We are definitely stopping at the Pinnacles. We almost stayed in Cervantes but it was booked already. Also, do you know of any websites that have updates on the status of the wildflower blooms?

Dalwallinu and Narrogin are the two areas most in question. We need to get from Kalbarri to Albany and we don't really want to go back the same way we came. The accommodation options seem slim in the region. We also want to give us some time to stop and check out the flowers.

Do you have a good weather site that will give year to date rainfall totals? We track rainfall to help predict where the wildflowers will bloom.

Yes, I would love to have your recommendations for wineries and breweries in the Margaret River. Feel free to email it to me. My email is in my profile.

And yes, I am starting to get very excited. I think WA is going to be great.

One of the sites I use most is sensis.com.au

It is a google for Australia only.

Fremantle is very easy to get to, by bus, train or ferry. Fremantle is our port city and unlike other ports, is very beautiful. Fremantle also has a CAT bus service, which runs every 10 minutes or so.

Rottnest Island is also worth a day visit. Little marsupials called Quokkas are native to this island. It is a bicycle only island, or service vehicles eg. bus.

You can catch a ferry from Perth or Fremantle, but considering you are staying in Perth, I would take it from there and travel the Swan River through the harbour of Fremantle and out into the ocean to Rottnest.

There are also many different types river trips along our Swan River which go into our winery districts. These are also popular with tourists and wine lovers.

South of Perth (and possibly on your way back from Margaret River) we have a coastal town of Mandurah which is also very beautiful. This town (or city status because of population) is renowned for its dolphin population. There are many cruises along the estuary to see these and other attractions.

I have looked at the websites you've given me, and boy, you have done your home work well.

Will look into the weather rainfall and blooms and get back to you on that.

Cheers,

If you can, go to see the giant trees of the karri forest near Pemberton as Elly has suggested. The karri trees are the third tallest in the world. You can climb the Gloucester tree and a couple of others, I think. the Gloucester tree is over 60 metres tall and has 300 rungs (I got to about rung 50 before a severe attack of vertigo assailed me!)

Am I right, Elly, in remembering a petrified forest near the Valley of the Giants?

Yes, the Petrified Forest is in the Valley of the Giants near Walpole. Unfortunately, it is diminishing over time due to natural erosion, but parts are still worth seeing.

The giant tingle trees are a great sight. Many years ago (before Greenies and rightly so) you could park your car in them for a great photo shoot.

Anyone climbing the Gloucester tree, in my opinion, has a death wish. Too high and very little support for those rungs. I'll just stay on the ground, thank you very much. But good luck to those that do climb it, even a little way up.

We definitely plan to make a stop in the Karri forest and Valley of the Giants on our drive from Albany to Margaret River. The tree walk is on our list. I've also been reading a journal of a hiker who did the Bibbulmum trail back in the mid-90's. I don't think we'll do any of that trail but I'm learning a lot about the forest.

I've also gotten some good flower tips from a person who found my blog. In the SE area, they has mentioned Bluff Knoll in the Stirlings which we planned on hiking, the banksia farm in Mt. Barker, and several areas around Albany and Walpole.

I'm getting so excited.

quote:

Originally posted by fletch:
... The Bibbulum Track ( www.bibbulumtrack.org.au ) can be a gentle stroll or an 8 week adventure.

I made that link live in your post, but the site is not there - and I can't find it in Google.

Here it is - Bibbulmun Track.

Sorry for the spelling. I had an extra "u" in the name.
You have lots of great advice from everyone. I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

You will walk parts of the Bibbulmun without realising it.

Just by taking short nature walks through the forest in Pemberton, the tracks taken are part of the Bibbulmun. You will see the signs as you cross roads and tracks.

Walpole has another section as do many of the towns you will go through.

The Stirling Ranges and Porongorups are beautiful. In fact, the Stirlings and Bluff Knoll are the only known places in WA where it may actually snow in winter. Rare, true, but people flock to the region just to see the snow if it has been reported. Remember for true West Aussies, snow has rarely ever been seen in real life.

Elly