Winter has finally arrived in the Golden Outback and the Gascoyne Murchison area of Western Australia is internationally renowned for dazzling wildflower hotspots where you’ll find iconic species like the 'carpets' of everlastings, scarlet red sturt desert pea setting the undergrowth ablaze and the royal purple mulla mulla carpeting the roadside.
Find out more on how the 2019 season is progressing and be sure to check out our regular wildflower updates here, from mid-late July 2019.
Wildflowers in the Murchison
2019 Season
Frances Jones from Wooleen Station reports:
☔️ The rains have finally arrived in the Gascoyne and Murchison! ☔️
Areas around the Shires of Murchison, Gascoyne and Yalgoo copped good falls over the weekend of 22/23 June, with the front moving east-wards towards Meekatharra, Mount Magnet, Sandstone and Cue.
Wooleen Station received 46.8mls during this period (with more to come), and early indications are pointing to a great 2019 wildflower season in the Murchison and Gascoyne, so stay tuned. Last updated 25 June 2019.
Wildflowers in the Wheatbelt
2019 Season
Robyn McCarthy from Central Wheatbelt Visitor Centre in Merredin reports:
The arrival of winter has brought some good opening rains in areas over the eastern Wheatbelt with falls from 30-50mm. More follow-up rains will ensure a very promising wildflower season again this year.
Winter orchids in some parts of the Central Wheatbelt have already been reported growing, before the rains, perhaps they knew something! So if you are a native orchid buff the time is now to get the car ready for a weekend of orchid spotting out in the Wheatbelt.
- Near Toodyay – Wongamine Reserve, off Goomalling Rd are reports in the last week of spider orchids, Caladenia drummondii, Crinkled leaf Bunny orchid & Green-veined Shell orchid (Pterostylis scabra). Also at Julimar Conservation Park.
- There are unconfirmed reports there may also be orchids at Dawn Atwell Nature Reserve, off Julimar Rd.
The spring wildflowers will depend on follow-up rains to germinate and grow, so stay tuned for updates on our 2019 season as it develops.
For more info on the key Orchid areas contact the Central Wheatbelt Visitor Centre visitor@merredin.wa.gov.au or (08) 9041 1666.
Last updated 25 June 2019.