the Western Wildflower Farm run by Rhonda and Arthur Tonkin. Here we get to see Western
Australia's floral emblem, the kangaroo paw. This common kangaroo paw is found all over
a large part of the state and is always a favourite with visitors to the West. The sandy
soil here at the Wildflower Farm is also ideal for the dicket cat's paw. That looks a bit
like the kangaroo paw, but a much smaller plant. The native hibiscus also grows in this
area. Farming Australia's native wildflowers is becoming a viable alternative to the wildflower
farm to regular farming. Margie has a passion for flowers and eagerly helps Arthur collect
a bunch of Hukurania banksia. It's against the law to pick wildflowers, but here it's
OK. The Tonkins have special permits to grow and harvest the flowers. Back at the processing
area we meet Rhonda Tonkin. Rhonda, what happens to the banksia now? They'll be bought
in here and dried and then we'll be exporting them to Italy. We're looking for one million
stems to go there and a lot of the banksia goes into Europe and it's sought after and
a very special flower for bouquet work there. A lot of basket work and things for special
birthdays, banksia is regarded very highly. And where do all these banksias come from?
They come off our sand plain areas of our farm. We try and plant about 8,000 a year
and I also buy off people in the region who pick them in the native areas. People in the
region who pick them are licensed and they send a return in each month to say how many
they pick and they pick them on crown land and bring them here. The export of dried flowers
is a really good business and excellent for Australia to have our product going overseas
and sought after as it is. Inside the showroom we find a dazzling array of dried flowers.
Up above we see hundreds of bunches of overlastings hung from the ceiling drying out naturally
and ready for sale. Everlastings are a favourite with tourists and when properly dried will
last for years. Rhonda also has a variety of dried flower arrangements to suit all tates.
In 1977 Rhonda started this wildflower business as a hobby and now it's a great success.
These amazing flower pictures are one example of how creative you can be with dried flowers.
They're just stunning. And remember if you want some wildflowers pick them here from
Rhonda's collection, not from the bush. Wildflowers are a huge draw card for tourists
to Western Australia. In the months of July to November you'll find flower enthusiasts
travelling what's known as the Wildflower Way which passes through the wildflower town
of Mullowa, not far north of the Western Wildflower Farm.
Western Australia is known as a wildflower state and for good reason. As we're driving
north we just see beds of wildflowers everywhere. In fact beside the road it looks as if they've
been planted out like a garden. A walk through the surrounding countryside reveals millions
of flowers carpeting the entire landscape. It's almost impossible to believe they just
grow like this each year creating a rainbow of colours in all directions.
As far as you can see you can see these tiny pink paper daisies. The wildflowers of the
West have intrigued visitors for hundreds of years. Early navigators and explorers took
seeds and specimens back to Europe before Australia was settled.
ah
With picture-Pascard scenes everywhere, it's a challenge to find an elusive flower.
This unusual flat plant here is known as a wreath plant, or Stockman's Wreath.
It's not found in very many parts of Western Australia, just around the townships of Mullawa
and Pinder.
It's quite rare, in fact.
This is just a small little daisy that's growing out the middle of it that's not part of the
plant.
The wreath plant is one of Western Australia's most striking wireflowers, and it is a bit
difficult to find.
It grows best in disturbed areas, such as this old gravel pit.
It certainly is a very memorable flower.
Other wildflowers seem to prefer disturbed soil or gravel patches include the Wiry Melaleuca
and a range of other colourful flowers.
Heading north, the North West Coastal Highway takes us through a primrose landscape, and
what a colourful drive it turns out to be.
Western Australia's wildflowers come in all shapes and colours, but the most amazing
sight you can imagine is a specular billions of paper daisies covering thousands of hectares.
It's a dazzling sight and something that will stay in your memory forever.
Some tracks in the area are completely covered in yellow paper daisies.
The waves bring us over some goldfish – a rare type.
If you tire of seeing the yellow everlastings, they won't be long before the landscape turns
white.
Here millions of white everlastings look for all the world like fields of cotton balls
swaying in the breeze.
Back on the road north, the white everlastings look like snow beside the highway.
Calbary National Park is one of the state's biggest draw cards.
Mixed with truly spectacular scenery is a hidden world of wildflowers.
The view from the Z Bend lookout is absolutely fantastic and at the moment there's a lot
of water running down there, apparently the most have had for a long, long time.
It's a view not to be missed.
It's estimated to have taken a couple of million years for the wind and waters of the Murchison
River to carve this deep canyon in the colourful sandstone.
It's possible to take a walk around a large bend in the Murchison River known as the Loop.
It's well worth the effort.
This overhanging ledge cave is part of the way around the Loop and it's an excellent
example of tumble-gooder sandstone.
You can see the banded colours running through it.
The colours in the large sandstone overhanging rival the wildflowers for their breathtaking
splendour.
Apart from wonderful views, there's also a large variety of wildflowers to be found
in this rocky landscape.
The bright colour of the pink poker makes it a very visible flower, as does the bright
yellow of the Everlastings that carpet the sandy river banks at the bottom of the Murchison
Gorge.
It's a bit like having a picnic in a country garden as we sit amongst a sea of blooms.
High up on the sandstone ridge overlooking the Loop is the most famous and most photographed
natural feature in the Calabrian National Park, nature's window.
The rocky landscape is home to a variety of reptiles such as this beautifully patterned
monitor lizard.
And hidden in the rocky crevices and under bushes we find the more delicate flowers such
as these orchids.
Further north we come to the World Heritage Shark Bay area.
The stunning Xypdork cliffs take our breath away as we fly along the 170 metre high wave
sculptured limestone wall that stretches without a break for almost 200 kilometres.
Shark Bay's only town is Denham and it's a good place to make your base when exploring
the Shark Bay area.
A short distance away at Monkey Mire we find the famous friendly dolphins.
Early morning is the best time to see the dolphins.
Rangers give visitors the opportunity to hand feed these amazing animals.
The Run Peninsula National Park juts north into the centre of Shark Bay.
Its predominantly red sandy plains support desert varieties of wildflowers such as the
striking Sturt's desert pea.
The brown heart variety is here as well as the more common black heart.
The brilliant red sand of the Perron Peninsula runs right down to the pale blue sea of Shark
Bay giving rise to the area's popular name of the Outback Coast, a stunning sight and
a photographer's dream.
And here the red sand is dotted with colourful wildflowers.
The succulent pig face grows in these desert conditions and is salt resistant.
It's time to leave the coast and head inland to the Gascoigne region and once again we're
driving through a landscape of colours.
After rain this red sand and rocky country comes alive with a variety of wildflowers
that are dazzling to the eye and we never get tired of the spectacle.
Sometimes it's hard to believe that the flowers have not been carefully planted to produce
a flower garden.
Just when we thought we'd seen all the amazing carpets of colours we find ourselves driving
through a landscape of purple and white.
In
the north east of Western Australia we find the Bungle Bungle Range in the Purnolulu National
Park.
The distinctive beehive formations attract thousands of tourists each year.
To see the Bungle Bungles up close you have to walk and there are a number of marked walking
tracks that follow dry creek beds which have minimal impact on the delicate plant life
of the area.
Pink Mullumulla live in the dry regions of the interior of Australia.
These fluffy papery flowers are also known as featherhead.
Deep in the gorges of the Bungle Bungle lives the prehistoric Livestonia palms.
Out on the dry creek beds we see Sturt's Desert Rose.
This flower is the floral emblem of the Northern Territory.
The bright prickly Gravillia hangs in the trees like a Chinese lantern.
And the honey Gravillia is golden in colour and a favourite with Aboriginal people.
The Aboriginals used to use this as a bush food.
It tastes like honey.
Very sweet.
It's been suggested the Bungle Bungles could attract as many visitors in the future as
Australia's most famous landmark, Uluru, and I can believe that.
Now heading south to the great southern region of Western Australia, the wild Southern Ocean
has sculptured the granite coast into breathtaking formations.
The natural bridge at Albany is probably the most famous in the area.
The southern area is also famous for its tall trees, picturesque villages and a thriving
timber industry.
Most people come here to experience the peaceful forest areas in the tall tree country.
We're in the Kare Forest and the locals call this the Kingdom of the Kare.
In fact they have another saying down this way.
They say it rains nine months of the year.
The other three months of the year the drips fall down from the tree.
But today we're quite lucky.
It has been raining but the sun's out now.
And if it didn't rain of course we wouldn't have these magnificent Kare trees.
They need a lot of rain to make them grow this big.
Spectacular country.
At the feet of these forest giants we can find small delicate flowers like the native
wisteria and the white clematis, a vine that carpets a low scrub in the area.
Heading east on the south coast highway we stop to photograph another vine.
This time it's a red coral vine and it's all along this section of the highway.
Also here is the Leschanalta beloba, a related species of the wreath plant.
Western Australia is often referred to as the wildflower state and most people think
of the northern areas as wildflower country.
As you can see the southern coast also has an abundance of amazing wildflowers and the
Fitzgerald National Park has some rather eye catching varieties.
The southern wildflowers have catchy names like purple starflower, four winged mallee
and lambs tails.
We just stopped the car to have a look at this tree here that looks like it had flowers
on it.
In fact they're the nuts of the tree and they look like they've been spray painted white
but in fact this is their natural colour.
It's quite amazing.
The bell fruit of mallee is one of Western Australia's distinctive and favourite mallees.
Their caps split off in the spring to reveal thick buttery coloured stamen which eventually
burst into beautiful yellow flowers.
Now here is something completely different.
The park is well renowned for this amazing and very unusual variegated leaf plant.
This spectacular plant that we've been looking at is known as Hakey Victoria or Royal Hakey.
Very very sharp prickles on it just like a piece of holly, very very stiff.
Down near the beautiful coastline at Lucky Bay we find some great examples of Albany
Banksia on the roadside.
We're going to end our look at Western Australia's magnificent wildflowers here with the scarlet
red colours of the Albany Banksias and the sunset over the southern ocean.
Thanks for watching.