Wildflowers of WA.

Dazzling colour.

Not wrong!!!

We had expected to see more wildflowers before we arrived in Mt.Magnet. We have seen a small lilac coloured shrub and a light pink shrub, plus the vibrant purple Mulla Mulla all the way from Karratha, but little else. A visit to the Mt. Magnet Visitor Centre solved the mystery for us. The incredibly helpful lady informed us that this year, the rains had 

Great contrasts.

Vivid.

not extended as far north as usual, as a consequence, the wild flowers were at their best some 100 kilometres and more to the south. This was not the way we were travelling, so we took a decision to stay one extra day at Mt. Magnet, and do a day trip to see the flowers. It is a decision we are so glad we made. We headed down the Great Northern Hwy, passing

As far as you can see.

Miles of daisies.

the small mining town with the great name of Paynes Find, and then continued on to find the Wannara Mining Road the lady had told us about. This was a total of 220 kms, one way. She told us we should start seeing wildflowers in large quantities just before Paynes Find, and she was spot on. Sections of the highway looked like they had been snowed

Wow!

Perfect wreath.

on, with white daisies, stretching as far as we could see. Other sections had beautiful yellow and mauve daisies. We stopped regularly, just to walk among the fields of flowers. Once we turned onto the Wannara Mining Road, we entered a whole new world of colour. Here we saw for the first time, the flower known as the Wreath Flower, for obvious

Where to look next?

Double Wow!

reasons. We had never heard of this flower. What a beautiful thing it is. In this same area, were shrubs of brilliant purples and pinks, and the most startling buttercup yellow. We found lovely wattles and a soft leafed silvery shrub, that just shimmered in the sunshine, and had an amazing white flower. The mine road trains rumbled by us, hooting their horns.

And large.

Small.

What a contrast! All that machinery among the most beautiful wildflowers. There wasn't a soul in sight, as we stop started our way along the next 15 kilometres of the road. From the crest of a hill, we could see a vast area of cream colour. We headed down a dirt track, and came across huge fields of paper daisies, stretching as far as the eye could see. A small purple flowered ground cover, gave a

Shimmering colour.

Beautiful wreaths.

wonderful contrast to the cream. We wandered among the wildflowers for quite a while, taking in the fragrant air and the sound of bees and other insects buzzing through the flowers. We backtracked along the mining road, the return journey punctuated with dozens of stops, as it gave us a different perspective, seeing countless things we missed the

Stunning!

White pom poms.

first time. We stopped and had our picnic lunch that Carolyn had packed. She had cooked a yummy pineapple tea cake as well, which went down really well with our cup of tea. A picnic amidst the wildflowers, a priceless experience! Our return trip along the highway back to Mt. Magnet saw us making many more stops, as something new and beautiful caught

Xmas Tree??

Nature's garden.

our eye. Driving home, we got to talking about the day, and laughed at the thought of all those TV garden shows we'd watched, telling us how to prepare the soil and keep the plants well watered. Here we were, in a desert of red sand and gravel, witnessing Mother Nature put on a show Don Burke could only dream of!!! Back at camp, we enjoyed our glass of wine at Happy Hour, remembering a special day full of vivid colours and wonderful memories. Our thanks to the lovely lady at the Visitor Centre. Her information had been so accurate it amazed us. After so much red earth and mining, this was a breath taking and wonderful change.