A sea of colour

English poets are famous for celebrating bluebells and daffodils. I’m not knocking those pretty flowers but, had they visited Western Australia, those poets could have penned many more verses about pink boronias, brilliant orange banksias and the paperbark blossoms that erupt in vivid magenta.

Many of Western Australia’s blossoms have names fanciful poetic names – featherflowers, sundews, pixie mops, mountain bells, milkmaids and honeypots. The Queen of Sheba flaunts itself in neon purple and scarlet. But what makes the state’s wildflower season truly outstanding is the sheer number of blooms that transform the landscape into a kaleidoscope of colour.

There are few other places on Earth where wildflowers are so all-pervasive, varied and sumptuous. Some 12,000 species blossom during the season, which falls in late winter or early spring. The first wildflowers appear in the state’s north as early as July and may not end in the south until late November. Around Perth, August and September offer the most spectacular displays. Springtime rainfall and sunshine do however affect the timing.

You can drive anywhere in the state during the season and enjoy wildflowers, but a dozen designated routes highlight the best sights.

One of the top routes is the Everlastings Trail north from Perth on the Brand Highway. Spend time in Nambung National Park – best known for The Pinnacles rock formations – which comes alive with wattles and banksias. Lesueur National Park a little further north features more than 900 floral species, many unique to the region.

The trail then turns inland to Mullewa, renowned for its profusion of delicate spider orchids and wreath flowers, which grow in distinctive circles of pink and yellow. Coneflowers look like exploding fireworks.

To the south, Coalseam Conservation Park unfolds carpets of everlastings in white, yellow and pink. The return inland route to Perth is one of the best wildflower drives in the state, and passes through Dalwallinu, where a street parade and festival in September celebrates spectacular wattles. 

Further north beyond Geraldton, on the other hand, Kalbarri National Park erupts in August with orange and gold banksias and kangaroo paws, which contrast startlingly with its red-rock landscapes. Blood-red eucalypts are in full bloom. The Kalbarri Wildflower Centre has a 1.8-kilometre trail with interpretive signage on the wildflowers.

Pompoms, everlastings and northern bluebells spread along the roadside all the way to Carnarvon and beyond on the North West Coastal Highway. Around Exmouth, startling red yulbah flowers and purple mulla-mulla take over.

If you make it all the way to the Pilbara, you’ll be rewarded with abundant Robinson’s desert rose and yellow native hibiscus. The wildflowers here aren’t as expansive, but they grow well along roadsides, brining colour to arid landscapes.

Alternatively, drive east from Perth instead towards Kalgoorlie on the Goldfields Trail that winds through the state’s wheat belt. Bushwalks in nature reserves along the way, such as Sandford Rocks and Merredin, take you among granite outcrops, salt lakes and stands of salmon gums.

Wattles, orange grevillea, everlastings and bright purple firebush bloom. You’ll also see the famous outback Sturt’s desert pea, the floral emblem of South Australia, with its deep red, bean-like blossoms.

In southern WA, the best displays mightn’t appear until October. Drive southeast from Perth and you’ll quickly be in wildflower country, but where best to go is hard to choose, because even small reserves such as those at Corrigin, Kulin, Quairading or Harrismith have incredible diversity.

Just north of Albany, the Stirling Range is however particularly special. It supports 1500 species of wildflower, dozens of varieties unknown elsewhere, and forty-odd types of orchids. Jagged peaks are a magnificent contrast, on a grand scale, to the wildflowers’ miniature beauty. Very accessible walking trails made exploring easy, with late October the peak moment for flowers.

One of Western Australia’s richest collections of flora lies between Quaalup and Hopetoun on the southeast coast. The Esperance Trail is another designated wildflower route that takes you along some of its highlights. Most of the year, it’s whales and birds that are the big attraction of Fitzgerald River National Park: see if you can spot little green ground parrots and electric-bright blue wrens. 

Wildflowers upstage everything else in springtime. The whole stretch of coastline between Albany and Esperance is one of the Western Australia's richest floral regions. Coastal walking trails are ablaze with banksia, royal hakea, orchids and lilies, coupled with glorious scenery.

Even swamp bottlebrushes, which mightn’t sound like the most attractive plants, burst into flowers that resemble dainty ballet dancers in vivid pink tutus. And despite being protected by vicious spines, standbacks are beautiful in delicate cream.

Those who find themselves only in Perth won’t miss out, since vast Kings Park erupts in a fantastic display of September wildflowers. Throughout the month, a festival celebrates the occasion with gardening and art workshops, guided walks and cultural events. An indigenous tour that explores Aboriginal use of native flora for medicine and food provides an alternative way to think about the plants.

On the eastern edge of the city, the Perth Hills (or Darling Range) has guided wildflower walks, or you can just wander walking and cycling tracks yourself. Just 25 minutes northeast of the city, Whiteman Park Reserve also has bushland trails. In both, hakeas, grevilleas and wattles are all in flower under towering marri and jarrah trees. Soak up the spectacle and rejoice.