One of the greatest flower shows on Earth has begun in Western Australia (WA) – with carpets of wildflowers now in bloom across the State's mid-north west regions.

Thanks to the highest winter rainfall in three decades, this season's wildflower show is expected to be one of the best on record.

Home to more than 12,000 species of wildflowers, with more than 60 per cent of these found nowhere else in the world, WA is bursting into a dazzling display of colour from coast to forest and city to outback.

Wildflower enthusiast Glenda Blythe, who compiles a regional wildflower report for the Geraldton Visitor Centre in the Coral Coast region, said that now is the right time to explore the State and witness the dazzling display of everlasting carpets.

“For everlastings, Coalseam Conservation Park is always a favourite. Nearly all the roadsides in the Mid West region also have lots of everlastings, offering colourful displays driving between the towns.”

To assist wildflowers enthusiasts on their self-guided scenic drives, the WA Visitor Centre will soon launch a Wildflower Tracker App. Available on Apple and Android devices, the app is designed to help connect visitors with the latest blooms. It will display locations on an interactive map, photos of the flowers and dates spotted. The app also gives users the opportunity to contribute photos and flower recordings from their own travels.

A number of WA wildflower scenic drives and walking trails are on offer for visitors, in addition to a number of specialist wildflower tours available through a range of different operators such as Wildflower and Safari Tours, Luxury Outback Tours, ADAMS Pinnacle Tours, Casey Australia Tours, D'Guy Charters, Aussie Redback Tours, Edgewalkers, Midwest Adventure Tours, Margaret River Exposed, Salt & Bush Eco Tours and GoGo Active Tours. 

Other operators offering wildflower experiences as part of the tour offering include Segway Tours WA, Margaret River Discovery Co, The Hike Collective, Inspiration Outdoors, Walk into Luxury and Cape to Cape Explorer Tours, as well as the station and farm stays in WA's Coral Coast and Golden Outback regions.

Visitors can also time their trip with one of the many wildflower events that are happening across the State, including the Nannup Flower and Garden Festival (August 14 to September 5), Outback Bloom (August 26 to 29), Kings Park Festival (September 1 to 30), Chittering Spring Fest (September 1 to 19), Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show (September 13 to 25), Esperance Wildflower Festival (September), and Bloom Festival (September 18 to October 17).

WA's six-month flowering season begins in the north in June on the vast outback plains of the Pilbara, Gascoyne-Murchison, Goldfields and Coral Coast - where vibrant blooms contrast with pindan earth, rugged canyons and turquoise sea. By September, it will move south and reach Perth's botanical gardens, nature reserves and national parks, finishing with a flurry in October and November throughout the forests and coastal heaths of the South West and Fitzgerald Coast.

ENDS

Media contacts:
TIANA ANDERSON, A/Public Relations Manager, Tourism Western Australia
P: 08 9262 1773 M: 0448 283 570        E: tiana.anderson@westernaustralia.com

TAMMA KIRKBY, A/Public Relations Manager, Tourism Western Australia
P: 08 9262 1658 M: 0460 321 247        E: tamma.kirkby@westernaustralia.com

Annual WA Wildflowers Hotspots

In the North West, the Pilbara's Karijini National Park always impresses with an abundance of wildflowers. Here, the land explodes into colour with yellow-flowering Cassias and Wattles, northern bluebells and purple Mulla-Mullas during the cooler months, but after heavy rains many plants bloom bountifully.

The stunning Cape Range National Park in Exmouth is another popular destination that puts on a colourful flora show each season. Look out for Grevilleas, Kurrajongs and Verticordias.

The UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area sees WA's longest wildflower season with over 700 species of flowering plants from May to October, of which more than 150 are of special scientific interest and several are unique to the area.

Kalbarri National Park is home to over 1,100 species of wildflowers, many of which are endemic to the region including the Kalbarri Spider Orchid.

Coalseam Conservation Park, located between sandplain and arid country, is renowned for its brilliant wildflowers that bloom annually during the season. It is also one of the top spots to witness the carpets of colourful Everlastings. Other species commonly seen here include Banksias, Hakeas and Grevilleas.

Inland from Geraldton, the towns of Pindar and Mullewa are renowned for stunning wildflowers, including the rare and beautiful Wreath Leschenaultia, which are currently in bloom along the gravel roadsides.

Along the Coral Coast and across the mid-west must-see spots include Lesueur National Park, which is home to over 900 plant species equating to 10 per cent of WA's known flora population, making it a paradise for wildflower enthusiasts.

Heading east is the Goldfield's Woodlands National Park, which provides impressive views of the kwongon sandplain heaths, a biodiversity hotspot. In the Wheatbelt, open woodland, granite outcrops, sand plain country and extensive salt lake systems give rise to a great variety of wildflower species. The Wildflower Friendly Town of Merredin is home to over 980 species alone, including 47 species of orchids.

In Perth, swathes of nature reserves and national parks offer an assortment of colourful blooms, such as Kings Park and Botanic Garden where visitors can peruse over 3,000 of the State's native species in the heart of the city. In the Perth Hills and Peel region, a range of bush tracks and walking trails can be explored, each boasting spectacular displays of wildflowers. Just over an hour's drive northeast of Perth, the Wildflower Friendly Town of Toodyay offers a range of walk trails through conservation and nature reserves that are abundant with wildflowers.

Travelling into the South West region, there are more than 8,000 flower species that bloom during the peak season. The 130-km Cape to Cape Track in the Margaret River region, from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste, showcases varieties such as Vanilla Orchids, Wisteria, Clematis, Coastal Pimelea and Fan Flowers. The Stirling Range National Park, home to WA's highest peak – Bluff Knoll, also offers a rich diversity of over 1,500 species of unique and colourful wildflowers that spring to life.

Another magnificent location to note on the south coast in the Golden Outback region is Fitzgerald River National Park, near Albany. Home to almost 20 per cent of WA's plant species, it's one of Australia's largest and most botanically significant national parks. Within the same region, Cape Le Grand National Park, near Esperance, also offers a diverse assortment of wildflowers.

For more information:
WA Wildflower Guide - westernaustralia.com/wawildflowers

Interactive Wildflower Tracker - wavisitorcentre.com.au/wildflowers