The fascinating, ultra-diverse northern mallee shrublands and heaths of western Australia contain one of the richest arrays of Mediterranean-climate flora in the world, markedly different from that found in similar climate areas. Dominated by bristly-stamened shrubs, dense cone-shaped banksias, orange-flowered toxic peas and scrambling carnivorous sundews these heaths also harbour extraordinary orchids and the unique Wreath Flower, whose circular form is ringed by cream-and-rose flowers. Further south are extensive forests of eucalyptus or Wandoo, home to many more orchid species. The Stirling Range National Park is one of the few areas with any altitude in the state and a biological hotspot containing one of the richest floras including the delightful pink bells of various Darwinia species. Immense Tingle Trees can still be found in the Valley of the Giants in the far south, an area also famed for its' scenic coastlines. Our return journey north takes us through more flowery heaths and orchid-rich wandoo, passing the elegance of Wave Rock and finishing with deliciously fragrant sun orchids.
This is one of a series of tours to the worlds’ five Mediterranean climate areas, which as well as the Mediterranean basin and southern Australia include California, central Chile and the Cape region of South Africa. Independently each has solved the same climate issues and developed a tremendous diversity of truly unique flora. Many of the flowers can be seen in our new book Flora of the Mediterranean. We will be offering the chance to experience this areas over the next few seasons.
We arrive in Perth on Saturday 7 September and overnight in the city close to its famous botanic garden. Overnight Perth.
The morning will be spent exploring the well-established botanic garden, which contains a wide variety of native plants to whet our appetites for the coming days. There are many more orchids at Wireless Hill with Caladenia arenicola growing with C. longicauda, as well as superb stands of Anigozanthus manglesii alongside its smaller, fiery-coloured cousin A. humilis and various colour variants. We’ll look out for the delightful Dancing Spider Orchid Caladenia discoidea with its fringed lip and stands of Lyperanthus serratus. Scattered across the area is the native cycad Macrozamia fraseri. Overnight Perth.
Badgingara is one of the richest botanical areas within an already rich botanical area. The delightful Phoebe Reserve is a superb example with our first native orchids such as Cowslip, Lemon-scented Sun and Blushing Spider Orchid, alongside scrambling Drosera, drifts of pink everlasting flowers Rhodanthe manglesii, pastel blue shades of Orthrosanthus laxus and a rich variety of native shrubs, among which emerge the electric blue of Lechenaultia biloba and the stunning shining Purple Enamel Orchid. Various Isopogon, Dryandra and the first of many confusing orange and yellow Daviesia, Mirbelia and Gastrolobium that colour a habitat peppered with the architectural forms of the Grass Tree Xanthorrhoea preisii. Tufts of Conostylis setigerum, creamy wands of Stackhousia monogyna and the reddish-yellow cat’s-paw Anigozanthus humilis complete the picture. Roadside stops have the stunning Eucalyptus rhodanthe and if we’re lucky the last flowers of the remarkable Northern Queen of Sheba orchid. Overnight Dongara.
Our second stunning reserve reveals a whole new set of flowers. The roadsides and trails of Mount Leuseur are the richest in the region and include the remarkable Anigozanthus manglesii, dense yellow Banksia attenuata, the orange spikes of Sphaerolobium drummondii and pale pink Lasiopetalum molle. We’ll take a walk through the rocky bush to see soft blue Conospermum nervosum, pink-and-purple belled Thomasia grandiflora, sweet-scented Hakea neurophylla, Purple Enamel Orchids, lacey Verticordia huegelii and also ascending the modest peak for commanding views of the surrounding landscape. The character of the heath frequently changes offering up new species at every turn. Overnight Dongara.
Today we’ll drive around the areas to north and east of Eneabba, encountering some roadside drifts of Waitzia suaveolens and moist flats dominated by pretty Drosera menziesii. The charismatic Wreath Flower Lechenaultia macrantha is in peak flower now and is our main target but exactly where the best displays are differs from year to year so we’ll look at different areas to get the best. Alongside them are bushes of deep pink Pityroda terminalis, drifts of Lawrencella davenportii and scrambling plants of Thyrsanotus patersonii festooned with delicately-fringed lilac flowers. The striking shrub Grevillea leucopteris has arching branches with heavy spikes of creamy flowers and there are one or two orchid rich sites to visit too. If the season has seen enough rain expect some big drifts of everlasting daisies such as Cephalipterum drummondii in the stark landscapes of Coalseam. Overnight Dongara.
We will look at other interesting areas of heath today as we make our way south and flowery roadsides will provide botanical interest throughout the day. The character of the landscape changes from shrub-rich Mallee to Wandoo woodlands, where we will find many orchids over the coming days. Overnight York.
Today and tomorrow will be spent travelling to various woodland sites to sample the outrageous array of unique orchids found in SW Australia. Nearby woodlands to York harbour many orchids and other plants including the peculiar upturned green flowers of Fringed Mantis Orchid Caladenia falcata growing with abundant wands of Stackhousia monogyna and clumps of soft blue Orthrosanthus laxus. The climbing stems of fringe lily are common as we search for blue china orchids Cyanicula gemmata, blood spider orchid, a the plentiful elegant stems of Caladenia longicauda. Photogenic Eucalyptus wandoo woods contain some fine trees and another nature reserve has many beautifully coloured Caladenia flava, amidst masses of scrambling Drosera macrantha. Other areas have the large orange-flowered Drosera leucoblasta. Overnight York.
Hidden among the woods are more fascinating good orchids including Diuris porrifolius and both Caladenia longiclavata and the superb insect mimic C. barbarosa aka the Dragon Orchid) Caladenia falcata and flava are also common and expect to see Pterostylis recurva, Caladenia denticulata and Thelymitra antennifera and impressive stands of Caladenia longicauda growing with three species of Diuris (donkey orchids). The confusion of spider orchids continues and we’ll finish with the handsome pink Caladenia chapmannii before driving on past the rugged spine of the pleasant coast and Albany. Overnight Albany.
The Stirling Range is one of the few places in Western Australia with any real altitude and we’ll take a walk up towards Bluff Knoll (though not all the way). The route is flower-lined with abundant bushes of Eucalyptus staeri, white Hakea ambigua, orange spikes of Spaerolobium medium, Xanthosia rotundifolia and prostrate Banksia petiolaris with rusty flower spikes and saw-edged leaves. In the leaf litter of the woods are delicate green Snail Orchids Pterostylis nana and along the trail there was also the golden flowered Banksia formosa and pink Stylidium scandens. But the prize of the morning will be for the delightful pink bells of Darwinia lejostyla growing alongside the bottlebrushes of Beaufortia decussata. There are superb views across the landscape framed by silver-topped Kingia australis. Further exploration of the rich kwongan will bring a confusing succession of woody plants in this ultra-diverse location with Petrophile longifolia, Gompholobium scabrum, Andersonia echinocephala, Banksia grandis, Gastrolobium bilobum, the handsome pea Chorizema glycinifolium and Banksia gardneri. Overnight Albany.
Weeping branches of Eucalyptus caesia can be a buzz with Purple-crowned Lorikeets and various honeyeaters feasting on the nectar. Exploring the heath there are the brownish flowering cones of Banksia gardneri, brightly coloured Gompholobium polymorphum, purple Hovea pungens and the Zebra Orchid Caladenia cairnsiana. The latter hybridised with C. denticulata to produce the sourly named Prisoner Orchid C. x ericksoniae! Proteaceae are plentiful and varied with the Isopogon formosa, Banksia armata and Hakea prostrata and further afield we will find the lovely Isopogon latifolius and fine flowering bushes of Banksia formosa with their showy golden flowerheads. Superb stands of Banksia coccinea are decorated with bright red barrels of flower, whilst Gompholobium scabrum is weighed down with big pink pea flowers. Architectural Kingia australis grow with a mixture of flowering shrubs such as white Sphenotoma dracophylloides and Mirbelia spinosa. At nearby Mount Barker we’ll spend time among orchid-rich wandoo woods and very flowery heaths with spreading mats of intense scarlet Lechenaultia formosa, scrambling orange Kennedia coccinea, pink Pimelea rosea growing with the stunning purple stars of Calectasia grandiflora, peculiar purple and blue shrublets of Andersonia caerulea, Anigozanthus bicolor, Leaping Spider Orchid and Rattlebeaks. Overnight Albany.
Rivalling the Stirling Range in terms of diversity (but not scenery) is Fitzgerald River. There will be many stops as we make our way to this richness, and the western fringes of Fitzgerald River NP with the amazing multi-coloured Hakea victoria, purplish stars of Calectasia grandiflora, the elegant bells of Pimelea physodes, bushes of waxy Chamelaucium pauciflora, neat tufts of bright yellow Conostylis vaginatum, the gorgeous discs of Actinodium and Banksia attentuata decorated with yellow cones with ground hugging Petrophile longifolia beneath and much much more. Overnight Albany.
The morning will be spent exploring the Banksia-rich heath around Albany and searching for colonies of the extraordinary carnivorous Albany Pitcher Plant Cephalotus folicularis, whose small reddish pitchers line damp banks and marshes. Moving on we visit an altogether different habitat and enjoy the immense trees of the Valley of Giants where an elevated walkway gives us an excellent insight into the vast canopies. There will be a late afternoon coastal visit to see amazing little hammer and flying duck orchids too before returning to Albany.
Begin our return north we enter the Wheatbelt and new areas of diverse Kwongan heath, beginning with a superb orchid and sundew sight near Cranbrook. The it is on to Tarin Rock and fine patches of Drosera barbigera and gems such as Lechenaultia tubiflora, Adenanthos obovatus, Petrophile prostrata, the extraordinary Lance-leaved Tinsel Flower Cyanostegia lanceolata, Woolly Coneflower Isopogon villosus, the blue drumsticks of Dampiera wellsiana and pretty Pose Fringe Lily Thysanotus triandrus, as well as some more outstanding orchids with Granite Bee Orchid, Twisted Sun Orchid, Red Thread Spider and most notably Granite Sun Orchid, Thelymitra petrophila, species confined to granite rock sheets. Indeed the over the next few days we hope to find a number of these slightly later flowering showy species. The impressive shrub Grevillea excelsior is common with long spikes of golden-orange flowers. Overnight Hyden.
Florally rich heaths line the road to the east of Hyden and we spent the day in these areas. Sky-blue Dampiera wellsiana colours the roadside and we will stop many times for colourful shrubs such as Acacia lasiocalyx, Calothamnus quadrifidus, Hakea multilineata and Conospermum brownii as well as the fragrant orchid; Thelymitra macrophylla. The dwarf grass tree Xanthorrhoea nana grows nearby in shorter heath with a mosaic of yellow Verticordia chrysanthella and purple Calthrix leschenaultii. In the afternoon we will visit the famed granite dome at wave Rock and look for granite donkey orchid and other interesting flora that grows in this unusual habitat. Overnight Hyden.
We'll visit another granite dome on our way east, where clown orchids grow in the woods and granite sun orchid on the rocks. A local nature reserve has some fine shrubs including the lovely Isopogon divergens. And then it is onto the outskirts of Perth where we spend time in a reserve filled with abundant Anigozanthos manglesii, frothy silvery Conospermum, Caladenia discoidea and with luck a few tall, fragrant Thelymitra macrophylla - scented sun orchid. Overnight Perth Airport.
Visiting more areas in the ultra-diverse northern heaths including Kalbarri where the many wonderful Verticordia will have started flowering. Expect many new plants.
Day 16 To Dongara
Days 17-18 Kalbarri NP
Day 19 To Dongara via local reserves
Day 20 To Perth via local reserves
Day 21 Flights (27 September)
Per person (twin share) : 6300 Euros
Deposit 900 Euros
Single supplement: 950 Euros
Extension cost (twin share): 2250 Euros
Single supplement: 450 Euros
• 15 nights of accommodation
• All food
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• Alcoholic and soft drinks
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Minimum number: 3
Maximum number: 12
For more information on our tours
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