On this day of our tour we realised why it was called "Western Wildflower Wonderland Tour". We left Kalbarri and headed north towards Shark Bay and Monkey Mia in Western Australia.
The road travelled through scrubby, desert like country.
Every now and then the driver pulled over for us to walk through the scrubland and discover a multitude of flowers. There was the occasional small tree but when you looked closely at the undergrowth it was a mass of different coloured and shaped wildflowers. Just a few are below.
There were too many to include all of them here.
After driving for miles through flat desert like country we suddenly came upon a gorge at Hawks Head where the Murchison River hidden from view winds its way through the gorge to the sea.
It was like a blip in the flat countryside.
At the lookout I noticed this tree with interesting red flowers. As I walked closer I saw that the flowers sprouted straight out of the branches without a stem. They were strange but beautiful. I have no idea what they are called. I was so involved with the wonder of them that I nearly missed the bus boarding deadline.
On the way to Shark Bay the driver pulled over again, where the ground was covered for as far as you could see with these pretty purple flowers interspersed with many other varieties too.
It truly was a wildflower wonderland.
Next stop The world heritage Shark Bay.
A truly amazing country. So glad you didn't miss the bus. Blimey you could have got lost and never been seen again in such a vast area! Great photos.
ReplyDeleteLovely blooms and so many varied colors and shapes. Wonderful photos! I love how you said some of the flowers are hidden in the undergrowth and you found them... the tiny treasures.
ReplyDeletesome of those gorgeous photos would make wonderful profile pics Diane. just lovely. Fran
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful flowers, I like the purple ones with you on it. It looks a bit like our heathland.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing variety of flowers there are.
ReplyDeleteI love all your beautiful flowers, Diane. You have a knack of finding the unusual like the flowers growing out of the tree. Glad you didn't miss the bus! Have a great day. Jo
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing place. I love all those flowers and that tree is beautiful. acres of flowers, spectacular views of a gorgeous gorge. you did great with your post title, like that too. I would love to visit this place.
ReplyDeleteThe road on your first picture looks quiet long and boring, but the destination and the flowers how beautiful !
ReplyDeleteJust amazing images Diane. I feel so shamed that you've seen more of this state than I, who's been here the better part of 25 yrs!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteKay
The landscape is starkly beautiful, but the wildflowers are gorgeous. I think I would be so busy taking pictures that I might miss the bus as well.
ReplyDeleteWooo---that looks so much like the desert, Diane... It reminded me some of some of the areas we saw on our western trip this past June. You don't think there are wildflowers when looking at the entire area... BUT--there are lots of wildflowers blooming in those areas..
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are fabulous... Thanks for sharing...
Hugs,
Betsy
This is during your summer, right? Is it really hot there?
ReplyDeleteHow I would have loved to have taken this tour---I am just gobsmacked by the variety and color of all the wild flowers. I'm glad that you were there, with your camera in hand, to share them all with us.
ReplyDeleteLittle Apple:
ReplyDeleteI took this tour last September when it was Spring it is summer now and probably quite hot there now.I am back home in Brisbane now where we have had very warm days except for the past week when we are having a cool snap.(Nice for walking)
absolutely gorgeous shots of some gorgeous flowers.
ReplyDeletelove the detail.
what a great view!
Wow - WA certainly knows how to maintain their highways. Maybe we should get their road gangs over here on the East Coast.
ReplyDeleteLove your expedition into the wilderness Diane - looking at the wildflowers!!!! I notice you are not armed???? I don't think a camera will frighten a "Joe Blake" too much and they do have them also in WA - the "dangerous" types!!!
Great photography as usual, however, be armed next time you wander off!!!!
Cheers
Colin (HB)
Diane, lovely photos from your wildflower tour. The flowers and the shots of the river are beautiful. My favorite is the shot of the you with the purple/pink flowers on the ground. What a pretty shot. Great post and I enjoyed all the photos.
ReplyDeleteI love all those flowers and the red ones are stunning. Your photos gave me a wonderful overview of the area too. Thanks Diane
ReplyDeleteDiane, you do have such amazing adventures. Gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteColin: The roads are great in WA maintained well for the mining companies and probably paid for by their taxes. All the towns and cities are in development mode it is a very modern, rich, vibrant state. It's export revenue is the largest of all the states in Oz.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a case of the desert being full of life - so many colorful flowers. I really like the red ones growing out of the limb - would love to see that.
ReplyDeleteI also like the pink glossy ones in the last shot.
Careful Diane - don't miss the bus!
With a title like that I knew I would be hooked on today's post .. I am so envious.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful landscape, gorgeous flowers...
ReplyDeleteNice to come here!
Thank You!
BShell
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou asked "what happened to Hiker's tail". Well, she didn't have one when I adopted her. I looked up online to see why they bob some dogs tails and found that the sometimes do this to Cattle Dogs because they are out in the bush and their tails pick up stickers. Whoever bobbed her tail took ALL of it. She does not even have a stub.
Kay
I love this, my friend from Singapore specially goes to Western Oz to see wild flowers.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly are a gorgeous display of wildflowers Diane.
ReplyDeleteI have heard through the years how absolutely spectacular the wild-flowers are. From your photos it is obvious why they have such a reputation and why people from all over head there during the Spring. I think maybe the flatness of the landscape might put me off a bit. The Kimberleys were not at all flat and I could cope with that. Looking forward to Shark Bay and the knobbley bit of the coastline.
ReplyDeleteYour photography is gorgeous and congratulations on the upcoming grandbaby! Wanted to thank you for dropping in and leaving a comment.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous flowers, Diane! I hope the land is preserved and stays undeveloped so they will never be disturbed. Such natural beauty is a treasure.
ReplyDeleteNice! those flowers sprouting out of the branch is unusual.
ReplyDeleteThe trees were pretty but when you got close up...the flowers were beautiful
ReplyDelete