Wildflower Tour of Western Australia with Heidi Martin

DAY 1 Wednesday 22 September, 2021 Perth
We depart early morning on our flight to Perth. On arrival we will be met by our private coach for a guided panoramic tour of the sights of Perth, including the Governor's Residence, Parliament House and Perth University. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner to meet the tour members and get to know Heidi and your Tour Manager.

DAY 2 Thursday 23 September, 2021 Geraldton
Today we travel north to Geraldton, our base for three nights. On the way we'll visit Nambung National Park, home of the Pinnacles, with thousands of limestone pillars rising up metres high. These peculiar geological formations were formed by calcified limestone thousands of years ago. From Cervantes we drive through Lesueur National Park with over 2000 species of flowering plants. It is the most wildflower-rich belt in the mid-west and offers flora as spectacular as it is varied. We'll be on the lookout for smoke bush, black kangaroo paw, scarlet feather flower, Scholtzia, cowslip orchids, banksias, blue and red leschenaultia and many more. This evening, those wishing to dine with the group can meet Heidi and the Tour Manager in the lobby.

DAY 3 Friday 24 September, 2021 Geraldton
We will travel to Mullewa, famous for its spectacular wildflowers including the colourful wreath flower (Leschenaultia macrantha), which grows only in this area. Carpets of everlastings are also a feature of the area along with orange bush pomegranate, bright pink native foxgloves, blue dampiera, fringe lilies, and many species of orchids, grevilleas, wattles and banksias. We will take a walk around the area. We will also travel across the Coalstream Range, the site of Western Australia's first coal mine. It comes alive with everlasting wildflowers after good winter rains. Seams of coal and ancient marine fossils are exposed where the Irwin River has cut through the layers of rock.

DAY 4 Saturday 25 September, 2021 Geraldton
Today we take a day trip to the pretty fishing village of Kalbarri, travelling through the Kalbarri National Park, which boasts some 800 species of wildflowers. This area displays red river gorges and vast coastal sea cliffs. The Murchison River has cut a magnificent red and white gorge for eighty kilometres to the Indian Ocean, including the Z Bend, The Loop and Nature's Window. At the Red Bluff Lookout, layers of sandstone form dramatic 100m-high cliffs, which loom over the crashing Indian Ocean.

DAY 5 Sunday 26 September, 2021 Perth
We travel south to Perth today, stopping to visit New Norcia, which was established as a mission over 150 years ago to assist Aboriginal people. Today it is a charming town and Benedictine community, reflecting the influence of early Spanish monks. We will have a tour of the monastery and church, and see the olive grove, established in the 1850s, still producing their famous olive oil. Continuing on to Perth, we travel through Yanchep National Park, where many varieties of wildflowers flourish. We will stay in Perth for three nights. Heidi and the Tour Manager will meet those wishing to dine with the group in the lobby.

DAY 6 Monday 27 September, 2021 Perth
We travel to King's Park, where we are able to admire the spectacular views over the city and the Swan River. Kings Park showcases an outstanding collection of Western Australian flora. Nearly two-thirds is natural bushland, with the balance superbly cultivated gardens and parkland. We will continue with a visit to Zanthorrea Nursery in Maida Vale. This nursery is often regarded as the best native plant nursery in Perth. It employs very knowledgeable staff. The afternoon is free for individual exploration.

DAY 7 Tuesday 28 September, 2021 Perth
This morning we travel to visit Araluen Botanic Park. Developed as a bush camp by J J Simons in 1929. It has been restored and developed as a gorgeous natural bush botanic park since 1990. It also incorporates 14 hectares of developed gardens with thousands of stunning tulips. We continue with a visit to Krannynook, established on an old orchard in 1997. Gill has developed a backdrop of shrubs and deciduous trees with herbaceous borders, rock ponds and creeks. She loves unusual plants and is always looking for treasures to enhance her garden. We enjoy a Devonshire Tea in this beautiful garden.

DAY 8 Wednesday 29 September, 2021 Albany
Our journey today is to Albany on the shore of the Southern Ocean. We'll travel the Albany Highway, stopping along the way to examine wildflowers, en route to Stirling Range National Park, where we will enjoy stunning scenery and magnificent views. The Park is a remarkable botanical reserve noted for its distinctive rugged beauty and wildflowers. Grass trees, pea flowers, leschenaultias, blue smoke bush, scarlet banksia and many orchid varieties are just a few of the wildflowers to be found in this area. We continue to visit the farm garden of Cathy Wright. Cathy organised and created the Rose Maze which is our next visit and her garden is excellent. We continue to the Rose Maze with time to enjoy the roses, have some lunch or buy locally produced handcrafts. The maze uses more than 100 species of Australianbred roses and weaves together the stories of three women to illustrate the hardship of rural life in the early 20th century. In Albany, those wishing to dine together can meet with Heidi and the tour manager in the lobby.

DAY 9 Thursday 30 September, 2021 Albany
This morning we will have a tour of historic Albany, the site of the first European settlement in Western Australia, with magnificent views of King George Sound. We'll also view the impressive granite formations of The Gap and Natural Bridge in Torndirrup National Park. In the afternoon we'll visit The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill, which was once the home of WA's first Government Resident in Albany. We will wander through the beautifully furnished 1836 cottage to gain a real insight into the way of life in early colonial times. The cottage was one of the earliest buildings in the state and site of the first cultivated farm. A highlight to your visit is a walk through the properties stunning gardens, which contain some of the original fruit trees.

DAY 10 Friday 1 October, 2021 Pemberton
At Bow Bridge we'll visit the garden of Tree Elle Retreat, where we'll enjoy morning tea hosted by the owner. Privately owned, it has different garden rooms in a formal style, including a vegetable potager. Then we will travel through the Valley of the Giants, where karri and jarrah trees tower majestically over the countryside and red tingle trees can have a base circumference of 16m. We'll take the tree-top walk through the canopy of the trees, 40m above the forest floor. Around the area we hope to see orchids, kangaroo paws, bottlebrush, flowering gums, dryandras and cone flowers. We will see the enormous Gloucester Tree towering 72m above the ground. Used as a fire lookout tree, it has a cabin built 58m up the tree, accessed by 153 spikes that spiral the trunk. We continue to our hotel in Pemberton. Heidi and the Tour Manager will meet those wishing to dine together.

DAY 11 Saturday 2 October, 2021 Margaret River
Today we travel to Augusta and then Cape Leeuwin, where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. We then visit Boranup Forest with its views of the prettiest karri forest in Western Australia. On the journey we'll be on the lookout for wildflowers such as orchids, wild clematis, brilliant red coral vine, the karri hazel and wattle, before arriving at Margaret River, where we will stay for two nights.

DAY 12 Sunday 3 October, 2021 Margaret River
This morning Heidi will show us around the beautifully designed Secret Garden. This is a very special, privately owned garden that is meticulously kept. In spring it features wisteria, clematis, iris and crab-apples. Our special Travelrite International Farewell Lunch will be at Cullen Wines. The restaurant enjoys a stellar reputation and much of the food comes from the biodynamic vegetable gardens at Cullen Estate. After lunch you may wish to stroll through the garden and follow the fascinating biodynamic process that is employed throughout the winery and the gardens at Cullen.

DAY 13 Monday 4 October, 2021 Home
Heading back to Perth, we first stop at Busselton to see the largest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere, then continue to Bunbury, Western Australia's second largest city. If we're lucky we will get a glimpse of the dolphins along the coastline. On arrival at Perth airport we'll catch our return flights home.