The wildflower season in Outback Australia is shaping up to be one of the most spectacular in decades … and it’s drawing grey nomads in huge numbers.
“There has been significant rain from autumn through the winter,” said WA’s Mount Magnet Visitors Centre information officer Karen Morrissey. “We are probably having what would be one of the better seasons in about 20 years.”
And Tourism WA was quick to acknowledge that it was the self-drive and caravan and camping segment that were the most anxious to enjoy the state’s more than 12,000 species of wildflowers.
“You can enjoy their glorious blooms for six months of the year,” Tourism WA CEO, Gwyn Dolphin, told the ABC. “The season begins in June in the north and sweeps down the state to finishing on the south coast in November.”
One of the areas really capitalising is WA’s Golden Outback region, which incorporates the Wheatbelt and the Goldfields. Even before the wildflowers were at their blooming best, the area had been enjoying a welcome tourism resurgence.
Latest visitor figures show that in the year to March, 926,600 people visited the area, an 11.5% increase on the previous year. And it includes an amazing 59.1% in interstate visitors – mainly grey nomads – which rose from 88,000 to 137,000 people.
Golden Outback chief executive Jac Eerbeek said the area had a lot going for it besides the wildflowers. “Wheatbelt towns in themselves are attractive, usually they provide a slice of pioneering history, wide main streets bounded by veranda-covered footpaths sheltering you from the sun,” he said. “This is still the place you will still find olden-day newsagents, chemists, delicatessens and the old-fashioned butcher.”
But it’s the flowers that are the main attraction at the moment … and not just in the west. Grey nomads heading up Birdsville and beyond have been treated to some stunning desert blooms. Up in Innamincka, senior ranger Erik Dahl told the Australian newspaper that sustained rain over many days in May and June had created the perfect conditions for a varied and abundant wildflower carpet. He said the tapestry had begun with yellow daisies and fleshy ground cells and has expanded with yellow poached egg daisies, purple swansonia, Stuart’s desert pea, grasses and red saltbush flowers.
The Flinders Ranges in South Australia are also blooming with beautiful wild flowers as well.
We can now fully understand why Caravan Parks prohibit dogs, as in the last 3 months travelling we have come across several dog owners NOT doing the right thing. We take great care in making sure we keep our dog on the lead & use dogs bags to pick up droppings at all times. Quite often these doggy bags are supplied by Councils. Two main incidents, one in Port Headland where my Husband had to ask a dog owner to take her dog from our site & please tie it up. She had previously retrieved it from our site three times. The other was at Burra Showground, a dog actually entered our caravan upon my return from our vehicle I found it eating our dog food.( as the door was open for leaving the site), When I removed it from our van it then jumped up onto the front seat of our 4wd. After removing it from there we approached the owner & his reply was “I did not know where it was”. Thoughtless people like this prevent us from being able to enjoy Caravan Parks in many places. The Caretaker had previously spoken to this dog owner about keeping his dog under control.
We have been roaming around the wheat-belt & granite belt in WA for the past few weeks and will gradually meander south over the next couple of months. The everlastings have been gorgeous and we are doing a lot of orchid hunting. It has been cold and often wet, but it is the best time of year to tour this area with all the beautiful flowers and flowering bushes.
The centre of Aussie down the Stuart Highway is also colouring up as well. Sturt desert pea blooming everywhere.