Thanks to incredible winter rains across Western Australia this year, Australia’s Coral Coast is on the brink of one of the best wildflower seasons on record.
Wildflowers started blooming in early July and from now to early October, Australia’s Coral Coast will continue to burst into colour as the season spans the region, delivering carpets of everlastings and unique species of wildflowers across outback plains and rugged landscapes. The region is of significant scientific interest when it comes to wildflowers. There are several biodiversity hotspots including Coalseam Conservation Park, Lesueur National Park, the Eneabba sandplain and Kalbarri National Park. Within these sites, several species are rare and endemic.
In the south of the region, Lesueur National Park, roughly 2.5 hours’ drive north of Perth, is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot and home to approximately 10% of Western Australia’s known flora. The Eneabba sandplain is also a world-renowned biodiversity hotspot, supporting native vegetation known as ‘kwongan’ (the Aboriginal word for low, hard scrub and heathland) and renowned for its incredible diversity of endemic wildflowers. Further inland, in the heart of Wildflower Country, Coalseam Conservation Park is most notably known for its colourful carpets of everlasting flowers whilst Pindar and Mullewa are renowned for the rare Wreath Leschenaultia flower that blooms along the side of gravel roads.
Heading further north, the Kalbarri region is home to over 1,100 species of wildflowers. The inland gorges and coastal cliff sites of the Kalbarri National Park showcase an incredible array of species, including the endemic Kalbarri Spider Orchid. The UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area sees Western Australia’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. The Ningaloo region to the north of the Coral Coast, encompassing the area from Carnarvon to Exmouth and the Cape Range National Park, has some of the most unusual looking wildflowers with the Green Bird Flower, along with popular species like Sturt’s Desert Pea and Mulla Mulla.
The wildflowers of the Coral Coast can be experienced on a self-drive holiday, with excellent locations and species from under 2 hours’ drive north of Perth. Throughout the region there are several tourism operators delivering a variety of guided wildflower tours, offering expertise on local wildflowers.
Australia’s Coral Coast’s CEO, David O’Malley, advises that the region’s wildflower season is expected to be in full bloom by mid-August. “There are predictions it will be a bumper season, possibly the best on record. Due to international borders remaining closed, Western Australians are on the road in record numbers discovering the region, so our advice is to plan ahead no matter when you’re travelling by pre-booking your accommodation and tours, and checking road and weather conditions”.
For more information on the wildflower season, including current sightings, wildflower hotspots and suggested itineraries, visit www.australiascoralcoast.com/wildflowers.
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