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Donkey OrchidWildflower walk in MullewaSuggested Wildflower ItinerariesThe Everlasting TrailDuration: 3 days minimumHighlights: Kangaroo Paw varieties at BadgingarraNational Park, a myriad of orchids at Lesueur National Park,Mullewa’s wreath fl ower, fi elds of colourful everlastings atCoalseam Conservation Park.Base yourself: In and around Cervantes, Jurien Bay,Dongara–Denison and Geraldton-Greenough.Day 1:Depart Perth and head north along the new IndianOcean Drive and turn off to the Nambung National Parkand the Pinnacles. Here Tuart woodlands fi ll the valleysbetween vast areas of heath, acacia and myrtle, banksiasand casuarinas. Head east from Cervantes towardsBrand Highway and wander through the two-kilometreBadgingarra Nature Trail, promising to show off some of theseason’s best wildfl ower displays including smoke bush,purple star fl ower, yellow buttercups, banksias, black,red and green kangaroo paws, one-sided bottlebrush,melaleucas and feather fl owers in a rainbow of colours.Further north is Coomallo Nature Reserve, home to morethan 200 wildfl ower species and just a short drive fromCoorow, renowned for spectacular displays of dryandra.Day 2:Just east of Green Head is the Lesueur National Park.Lesueur is widely renowned for its incredible fl oral diversity,featuring more than 800 species, many of which are notfound anywhere else in the world. The National Parkrepresents approximately ten per cent of the State’s knownfl ora. Cockleshell Gully Road provides great views of theLesueur National Park and is best suited to four-wheeldrives. Alternatively, you can view many of the speciesalong the highway between Eneabba and Dongara, inparticular many varieties of banksias including the propellerbanksias, meganta starfl ower, smoke bush, verticordias,hakeas, gravilleas and leschenaultias.Day 3:Head inland to Mullewa and explore the eight surroundingEverlasting Cultural Trails, rich with blooming fl ora andhistory. On the Wildfl ower Walk, everlastings carpetthe ground with pink, white and yellow fl owers. Mullewaand nearby towns Mingenew, Three Springs andCarnamah also offer spectacular displays of the wreathfl ower, considered the only place in the world to viewthem. Nearby, the wildfl ower hotspot of the CoalseamConservation Park is often carpeted in stunning white, pinkand yellow everlastings as far as the eye can see duringwildfl ower season. Enjoy the picturesque rural drive backto Perth along the Great Northern Highway.The North West TrailDuration: 5 days minimumHighlights: The beautifully diverse Kalbarri NationalPark, Shark Bay daisies in and around colourful FrancoisNational Park and the Kennedy Range National Park.Base yourself: In and around Kalbarri, Shark Bay andCarnarvon.Day 1:Head north towards Geraldton, past Dongara/Denison andthe historically rich Central Greenough Historic Settlement.Colourful wildfl owers of many varieties can be seen onroadside areas along this drive. Take the detour just northof Geraldton into the Chapman Valley where wildfl owersabound on the road side and gourmet delights will enticeyou to stay a while in the region and explore. Travel alongthe coast to Kalbarri.Day 2:Drive to the nearby Kalbarri National Park, home tobreathtaking coastal cliffs and deep river gorges thatcontrast with endless sand plains. The National Park hasroughly 800 species of native fl ora, many of which areendemic species, including the Kalbarri spider orchid. Backnear Kalbarri, take a stroll around the Kalbarri Wildfl owerCentre where a 1.8-kilometre walk trail has interpretivesignage about the native fl ora.Day 3Head north to Shark Bay, home to the friendly dophins ofMonkey Mia. Visit Francois Peron National Park, where thecontrasting colours of the scenery range from deep redsto ocean blues and are as vivid as the wildfl owers. Thosetravelling north of the Peron Homestad will require a fourwheel drive vehicle. Alternatively, join a tour of the NationalPark from Denham or Monkey Mia. The Shark Bay Daisy,wattles, Dampiera and purple peas are commonly foundin this area.Day 4:The drive to Carnarvon will reward you with outstandingwildfl ower displays of parakeelya, purple vetch, northernbluebells and seasonal everlastings. Consider headingeast to the Kennedy Range National Park. Along the driveyou’ll fi nd roadside displays of wildfl owers. The KennedyRange National Park is home to more than 80 species ofannual wildfl owers. Only accessible by four wheel drive.Days 5:From Kennedy Range National Park head further east toMount Augustus, the world’s largest rock. Alternativelyhead south via colourful displays of everlastings aroundMullewa, before passing through Australia’s only monastictown, New Norcia on your way back to Perth.Cape Range TrailDuration: 3 days minimumHighlights: The grandiose Cape Range National Park, itsunique brilliant red sturt desert pea and Australia’s largestfringing reef, the Ningaloo Marine Park.Base yourself: In and around Carnarvon and theNingaloo Reef region including Coral Bay, Exmouth andnearby station stays.Day 1:North of Carnarvon at Minilya, the riverbanks offer theshade of river gums and coolibahs. On the sand dunesyou’ll fi nd grevilleas, hakeas and banksias while wattlescap the ridges. The 11-kilometre side trip to Coral Bay iswell worth the trip to witness the unspoilt, natural beautyof the pristine Ningaloo Marine Park. Here the reef startsjust metres from the shore, making it accessible for allages. The fl at plains area between Minilya and LyndonRiver are good for spotting the the Minilya lily. Off BurkettRoad, station stays and tours make a great overnight stop.The autumn rains generally produce abundant colourfulmasses of wildfl owers in the area’s fertile red soil.Day 2:Continue your journey north toward Exmouth where thecoastal plain of the Exmouth Gulf is a predominately wattleshrubland interspersed with occasional stands of malleenear dry creek beds. Bright red yulbah fl owers are visiblein summer while in winter there’s the golden hue of springwattles, often infused with purple mulla mulla. You’ll fi ndparticularly scenic wildfl ower viewing areas within the CapeRange National Park. Displays are generally best at ManduMandu Gorge, Shothole Canyon, Charles Knife Canyonand Yardie Creek Gorge. Head to the Milyering VisitorCentre for more wildfl ower information or take a scenic rivercruise on Yardie Creek.Day 3:The Cape Range National Park covers 50,581 hectaresof stunning limestone ranges, deep rugged canyons and50 kilometres of pristine beach. It harbours more than100 species of land birds, native marsupials and around630 species of fl owering plants. Look out for the brilliantred sturt desert pea, which fl owers in late winter. The redcentred sturt desert pea is one of 12 endemic speciesthat grow in the park. Other fl owering plants include thepretty purple mulla mullas, wattles, everlastings, nativefushias, fanfl owers, Minilya lily, a shrubland of CapeRange kurrajongs and dampier. Adjacent to the land is theNingaloo Reef. Over 500 species of fi sh and 250 species ofcoral inhabit the Marine Park just off the coast, with someareas of reef just metres from the shore.australiascoralcoast.com | Page 13