A tiny outback town with a population of just 350 people is bracing for a massive influx of visitors as an incredibly rare phenomenon on the side of an outback road is just days away. Every year, thousands of caravanners and tourists flock to Mullewa, a small WA town 450 kilometres north of Perth, to witness the world-renowned wreath flowers — also known as lechenaultia macrantha.
The remarkable species is only seen in a few places in the entire world. It’s the star attraction of Western Australia’s wildflower season, which sees the landscape transform every August and September with vivid colours from everlasting flowers and shrubs.
Due to a dry summer and late winter rain, the iconic circular flowers are emerging later than usual. But Natalie Hillier, manager of the town’s visitor centre, told Yahoo News it’s already been a “brilliant year” for the wildflowers and predicts the wreath flowers will enter full bloom any day now.
Hillier said those who wish to see them need to start planning now. “They’re starting to bloom,” she said, adding that “a couple of hot days” will see them pop into vivid hues of pink. Those who wait much longer risk missing out.
Wreath flowers spotted on the side of the road during the 2024 season. Source: Mullewa Visitor’s Centre
The wreath flowers are showing signs they will bloom in days. Source: Mullewa Visitor’s Centre
What’s so interesting about wreath flowers?
The circular shape of wreath flowers makes them one of the most unique flowers on the planet.
The species grows well in “disturbed clear spaces” like road verges, gravel pits or areas recently burned, Natalie explained, making the dusty gravel roads of Mullewa perfect conditions for the largest colony in the world.
While a handful of wreath flowers do appear in neighbouring towns including Tardun and Canna, the largest display of the species in the world occurs on a very specific patch of red dirt on the side of Beringarra-Pindar Road.
Their mysterious growth patterns mean that botanists haven’t found a way to propogate them, meaning the only way to see them is in the wild. No one really understands why they grow or where they grow.
Every year, their colours vary from pure white to pink, orange and red.
There are more than 12,000 species of flora that emerge, with 60 per cent seen only seen in WA. Source: Mullewa Visitor’s Centre
Tourists warned to ‘plan your trip’ to see wreath flowers now
Every year, it’s believed more than 12,000 species of flora emerge across WA, with 60 per cent not found anywhere else and thousands of tourists from across the country and the world flock to the region to catch a glimpse of the dazzling sight.
But tourists are warned to be prepared before they visit to avoid disappointment.
The 2021 Census recorded the permanent population of Mullewa as just 356 people, meaning that those who want to visit should expect fewer amenities than those of a larger town. In Mullewa there is a pub, a hotel, a caravan park and a service station, but no supermarket.
“It doesn’t take long for those to fill up,” she said of the accommodation, adding the caravan park has been accommodating visits in its overflow for the past two weeks.
When so many visitors flood the region, she admitted, “it does get hectic”, but the best way for tourists to enjoy their trip is to simply plan for it.
“If you want to see the wildflowers, you need to be making sure that’s happening in the next couple of weeks,” she advised.
The best way to know exactly where to see the wreath flowers, and other incredible species that call the region home, is to “go to the visitor centre”.
Those who venture out to see the wildflowers in person are urged not to pick or trample them. For more information or for help planning your trip, click here.
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