Northern Explorer Wildflower Trail

On this northern-bound wildflower adventure, over 13 days and 4,614 kilometres, a wonderland of Heritage-listed national parks, rugged coastline and ancient rocks awaits the intrepid traveller. Rise with the sun in Perth and track north along the Indian Ocean Drive to Kalbarri. Must-see pitstops include Dongara, Australia’s rock lobster capital; historic Greenough, with its National Trust-listed buildings; and the seaside town of Port Gregory, with the surreal, candy-pink expanses of nearby Hutt Lagoon. Gift yourself a full day to explore Kalbarri National Park, an astonishing natural realm. Between June and September these ancient river canyons and cliffs are ablaze with more than a thousand different wildflower species. Next, spend a few days in World Heritage-listed Shark Bay. Shoreline dolphin encounters are Monkey Mia’s calling card, while the ochre-red cliffs, vivid blue seas and white sands of Francois Peron National Park are a safe haven for endangered flora and fauna. Avenues of wildflowers welcome you to the fresh-fruit and seafood hub of Carnarvon, then it’s on to another World Heritage headliner – Ningaloo Reef, a technicolour aquatic wonderland. Time to venture inland: sleep over in river-town Gascoyne Junction, then stand humbled before the world’s largest monolith, the 1,105 metre high Mount Augustus. Views from the summit are truly unforgettable. Remote Meekatharra offers a chromatic floral fiesta, as does the mesmerising drive to goldrush-era Paynes Find and the kaleidoscopic surrounds of Wheatbelt town Wubin. Continue your blooming odyssey among the orchids of Mingenew, and on the Everlasting Cultural Trails around Mullewa, with its striking Spanish-style architecture. Before looping back to Perth, steer north into the vast tranquility of Wooleen Station, a National Trust-listed working cattle station as big as a small country, lit with blankets of spring wildflowers and a dazzling, gem-filled night sky.