Sabrina Hahn: Where to see WA’s best wildflowers at Bloom Festival, Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show

Spring is the time to head out into the country, giving veneration to the outstanding flora that covers Western Australia from Esperance to Broome and all points inland. There are many options available, with many towns offering information centres that guide visitors to wildflower or diversity hotspots. Each district has its own flora that is endemic to its soil type and climate. Every year will be different and influenced by weather, fire, pollinators, insects, birds, and other animals that assist with genetic diversity and distribution within species. The late rains experienced this year after an unseasonably warm winter and brutal summer will definitely have an effect on all flora across the State. It will be interesting to discover the adaptability of local plants in coping with a changing climate. The South West of WA has some outstanding wildflower shows to whet the appetite. The theme for the Esperance Wildflower Festival this year is Granite: A Treasury of Plants and Culture. It runs from September 17-21 and features Professors Tim Flannery and Stephen Hopper as guest speakers. The Bloom Festival is on from September 21-October 20, spanning the entire Great Southern region from Kojonup, out to Pingrup, down to Bremer Bay on the coast, across to the Porongurup, Ongerup and Frankland River, Katanning, the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Parks and everything in between. The Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show is in its 42nd year from September 9-21, and if you want to see one of the largest collections of wildflower species in that region, the display in Ravensthorpe is a must. The Fitzgerald River National Park and Fitzgerald Range are part of the UNESCO biosphere, home to almost 25 per cent of Western Australia’s flora species. There are many guided tours by rangers and professionals throughout the show, including four-wheel-drive tag along tours where you get to follow the rangers along unbeaten tracks in your own vehicle. There are so many workshops and guest speakers in this year’s show, including a trapdoor spider specialist, but bookings are essential. The extraordinary culinary experience Feast in the Fitz with Fervor is on again on the Friday and Saturday night. It’s a magical night under the stars at Sue and Colin Leighton’s farm where you really feel the magnificence of nature. Rural WA people knows how to welcome people into their district and show them country hospitality at its best. There is so much to discover and revere in the bush, inspiring us to protect what we have left. Tip The Wildflower Society has great information on its website to help people decide which area they would like to explore to see this year’s wildflowers in their glory. See wildflowersocietywa.org.au/enjoy/wildflower-displays-in-rural-wa. Three Jobs to Do 1. The veggie patch can be filled to the edges with seedlings. Protect them with little yoghurt pots to ward off caterpillars. 2. Alstroemerias will be starting to flower. Give them a liquid fertiliser to encourage strong growth. Plant in a shady spot. 3. Start chilli plants in pots and keep them in a sunny warm spot to plant out into the garden in four weeks time when the weather heats up.