Thrill Of The Wildflower Chase

Sooner or later, every Australian should immerse themselves in the splendour of Western Australia’s wildflower season. Amanda Kendle ventures out into the wide pink, yellow, white and blue yonder.

- Amanda Kendle

‘Pull over! I see pink ones!”

My friend Dianne and I are on a long weekend road trip through Western Australia’s Golden Outback, and it’s August, the early days of the wildflower season. What began as a pleasant way to escape the city for a few days has become an obsessive hunt: searching for wildflowers now seems as serious as spotting game on an African safari, and as much fun, too.

The pursuit of ticks on our wildflower bucket list – multi-coloured everlastings, various orchids, unusual wattles, the rare but spectacular wreath flowers – has my eyes obsessively darting along both road edges as we drive, and I yell when I see a flower patch that needs closer examination. The contrast of colourful flowers with the striking red dirt and, luckily for us, a mostly blue sky, is so photogenic we both feel like award-winning photographers.