Wildflowers of Western Australia Photography Workshop

We depart the hotel at 7am to begin our 12 day Wildflowers Photo tour.

The wildflower collection in Western Australia is the largest on Earth. With more than 12,000 species, over 60% of which are found nowhere else on earth.

Our first stop is the town of Moora, followed by Badgingarra NP, renowned for its incredibly diverse bushland.

Our destination this afternoon is the town of Cervantes, the gateway to the Pinnacles Desert and Nambung NP. We then continue 17kms south to Nambung NP, made up of 17,000 hectares of coastal heathland. The Pinnacles are amazing natural limestone structures, formed approximately 25,000 to 30,000 years ago. We’ll stay in the park to photograph the sunset.

Overnight accommodation- Motel room with en-suite in Cervantes (2 night stay)

Our first stop today is Lesueur National Park, which is home to over 900 plant species – 10 per cent of Western Australia’s known flora. Lesueur National Park is a biodiversity hotspot and ranks as one of the most important reserves for flora conservation in WA.

The park is also home to a wide variety of fauna including 122 species of birds, 15 species of native mammals, 52 species of reptile and a variety of insects including 29 species of the colourful jewel beetle.

Next, we’ll take the Carnamah-Eneabba Wildflower Drive, known for its spectacular wildflower displays.

Our final stop today is Coorow, where we’ll hunt for wreath flowers.

Overnight accommodation- Motel room with en-suite in Cervantes

Today we travel to the town of Mingenew, where we can take the Mingenew Wildflower Walk, located south west of the Mingenew Recreation Centre. This is an ideal place to experience many varieties of wildflowers.

Next is the rugged reserve of Depot Hill, a short 12km drive northwest of Mingenew via the Allanooka Springs Rd.

We reach Geraldton and you have the rest of the afternoon at your leisure.

Overnight accommodation- Ocean Centre Hotel, Geraldton- hotel room with en-suite. Located right next to the beach.

We depart Geraldton and drive east to the town of Mullewa, one of the few places in the world that the wreath flower grows. Here we can take the Wildflower Walk, a picturesque 2,820 metre circuit through bush land renowned for its stunning wildflower displays.

Continuing south, we arrive in Morawa, known as the Heart of the Wildflowers and one of the most prolific areas for native flowering plants, including the unique and distinctive Wreath Flower.

Our destination today is Dalwallinu and en-route we stop in Perenjori and a couple of other spots if there’s time.

Overnight accommodation- room with en-suite – The Old Convent Dalwallinu

**please note that single rooms here have king single beds only and the price reflects this**

We spend today in the Wongan Hills region, in the Wheatbelt district. Gathercole Nature Reserve is located just outside of Wongan Hills and offers a short five minute scenic walk to view some fascinating sculpture. Views across the farmland and into the distance are available along the walk. The 2.5km Christmas Rock Walk is on the outskirts of Town.

A little further afield, Mount Matilda is the highest point of the Wongan Hills Nature Reserve, at 434m. The area is extremely diverse with more than 1400 species of flowering plants and 24 species are unique to the Wongan Hills. Here there will be a possibility of photographing Mallee fowl and their nests.

Our accommodation this evening is in historic York, the first inland European settlement in WA and situated in the Avon Valley.

Overnight accommodation- Terrace motel room with en-suite –The York Palace Hotel and Terraces

This morning we drive down to the township of Narrogin, where we will head to the nearby Foxes Lair to explore. Foxes Lair has landscapes, plants, and birds from both regions. There are over 240 species of flowering plants here.

This afternoon we’ll visit Dryandra Woodland, north of Narrogin, where there are lot's of wildlife species to photograph, including the rare Numbat. We have some time to explore before our private evening experience at Barna Mia, a predator-proof animal sanctuary, situated within the Dryandra Woodland. With the guide using special torches, you can see threatened native animals such as bilby, woylie, mala, quenda and boodie.

Overnight accommodation- motel room with en-suite at the Narrogin Motel

Today we drive to the Stirling Ranges National Park.The mountain ranges of Stirling Range National Park rise to more than 1000m above sea level, featuring stark cliff faces, sheltered gullies, magnificent views and a rich diversity of unique and colourful wildflowers.

After lunch, we depart for our afternoon of exploring with the retreat's resident flower expert, who will show us the best orchid and wildflower hotspots and to discover well camouflaged blooms hidden under bushes.

Overnight accommodation at the Stirling Range Retreat, nestled against the majestic Stirling Ranges National Park.

This morning we take the spectacular 115 kilometre mountain drive, filled with enthralling views and stops along the way, then head for the small coastal town of Bremer Bay.

Many rare species are found only in and around Bremer Bay. The Fitzgerald River National Park boasts an abundance of over 1800 unique species of flora and over 200 types of fauna. Orchids are also a big highlight of the area with many different species recorded and they can be seen walking around the townsite from the footpaths and walk trails.

Overnight accommodation- Bremer Bay Resort - motel room with en-suite

This morning we drive out to a nearby bushcamp for a special tour of the property with their resident botanist. This is an eco tour in a sensitive area, bordering Fitzgerald River National Park, so the group will be split into 2 for the day. One group will head off for a 3 hour tour with the botanist while the 2nd group has time to explore the wildflowers around the camp area. And then the groups swap over. These are small group private tours for just our tour group and there’s plenty of time to learn about and photograph the wildflowers.

After the tours finish, we drive to Albany for our overnight accommodation.

Overnight accommodation- Dog Rock Motel in Albany- motel room with en-suite

We head further west today, driving to Denmark and onto the tree-cloaked Walpole-Nornalup National Park, home to tingle forests, which occur nowhere else in the world. Here we take The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, featuring a stunning walkway positioned 40 metres above the ground amid the dizzying heights of the tingle forest canopy.

Our next stop is inland, to Pemberton and the Gloucester National Park, home of the Gloucester Tree. The Southern Forests region is known for it's biodiversity with more than 2500 species of plants including over 100 terrestrial orchid species.

At Gloucester National Park we hope to see karri wildflowers Cutleaf Hibbertia, Tassel Bush, Native Wisteria, Coral Vine and White Clematis.

Overnight accommodation- Manjimup, motel room with en-suite (2 night stay)

Orchid lovers should be happy today as we travel to D’Entrecasteaux National Park. Consolidated limestone cliffs overlaid with sand at Pt D'entrecasteaux provide a perfect habitat for coastal heath wildflowers and orchids.

At Point D’Entrecasteaux there’s an easy cliff-top walk and there’s plenty of other offshoot trails if you’re more adventurous and haven’t had enough of the stunning coastal blooms.

We have the whole morning to explore here and then this afternoon, we’ll take a private cruise on the Donnelly River. We will transverse a diverse eco system that is only accessible by boat. From the lush Jarrah and Karri forests, through the Paperbark and wetlands, to the limestone cliffs and majestic Southern Ocean. On the way we will cruise past the unique holiday huts nestled amongst the towering Marri trees and coastal dunes. This cruise will be tailored to suit our group’s photography interests and includes an on-shore stop en-route, for drinks and a gourmet BBQ.

Overnight accommodation- Manjimup, motel room with en-suite