Walking with Wildflowers - Fitzgerald Biosphere
Walking with Wildflowers - Fitzgerald Biosphere
Walking with Wildflowers is a 5-day walking adventure through the UNESCO-listed Fitzgerald Biosphere in Australia’s southwest. This is an immersive experience that walks you deep into the habitats of plant species that have evolved over millions of years, isolated in this remote wilderness.
There is no more intimate way to experience the natural beauty of wildflowers than to walk right beside them, in their natural habitats.
If you come for the wildflowers, you will be blown away by the vibrant colours, the different shapes and sizes, and the remarkable evolutionary adaptations of the thousands of plant species found in the UNESCO-listed Fitzgerald Biosphere - one of the most florally biodiverse places on the Earth.
If you come for the walks, you will be no less amazed by the spectacle, spaciousness, and pristine beauty of this remote part of Western Australia, as you walk through dramatic coastal landscapes, through Eucalyptus woodlands, to a backdrop of quartzite ranges and limestone cliffs... you'll feel your mind grow lighter, your spirit expand and the deep satisfaction of a good day's walk in nature.
You’ll be amazed at how rich and diverse the wildflowers are, how vibrant their colours and how remarkable their evolutionary adaptation!
Let yourself be inspired by their beauty as well as their resilience, strength, and determination.
Let the Edgewalkers team make this one of the most memorable, inspiring, and unique walking tours you've ever experienced.
This tour includes…
Pick up/drop off Perth
Four nights of twin-share accommodation at Wavecrest Village and Bremer Bay Resort
All meals & snacks
Coffee, tea & water throughout
Entry to the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show (when applicable)
Five guided walks in the Fitzgerald River National Park, including the Mamang Trail, the Hakea Trail, East Mt Barren, Tozer’s Bushcamp & Ravensthorpe Range
Specialised & wilderness first aid-trained guide.
All transfers to walks
Whale watching (not guaranteed)
Quiss Road West Fitzgerald River National Park
ABOUT THE FITZGERALD BIOSPHERE
Western Australia well deserves to be known as the wildflower state, supporting more than 12,500 plant species (8,952 endemic to the state).
The southwest botanical province is particularly extraordinary in its biodiversity and one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots where at least 1500 plant species that grow there have lost more than 70% of their natural habitats.
The Fitzgerald Biosphere, which includes the Fitzgerald River National Park, Ravensthorpe and Jerramungup, is a major component of the southwest’s unique biodiversity. It is also one of only four Biosphere Reserves in Australia and one of Australia’s most important biodiversity assets.
More than 2,000 floral species are found there, over 70% of them endemic.
That is, they grow nowhere else in the world.
Why here?
In brief, when the supercontinent Gondwana started to separate 180,000 million years ago into what is now South America, Antarctica, Australia, Africa, India, and Arabia, Australia’s southwest broke up from India and evolved in isolation – tens of millions of years of isolation.
In addition to that, WA’s southwest (also known as the Kwongan) was further isolated and its species protected from major extinctions caused by climatic changes such as glaciers, allowing for 'localised evolution’.
This specialised walking tour of the Fitzgerald Biosphere is for anyone who wants a fully immersive experience in the unique flora of the region.
As well as attending the world-renown Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show and all its exhibits, we will do daily walks throughout the Fitzgerald Biosphere including the Fitzgerald River National Park & the Ravensthorpe Range, to experience the spectacular wildflowers in their natural environment.
Walk the Mamang Trail - this coastal & inland track owes its name ('mamang' is the word for 'whale' in Noongar language) to the migratory & birthing humpback and southern right whales that can be seen from its coastal sections during this season. (12 km)
Watch other marine and bird species feed along this coast alongside the whales
Walk the Hakea Trail - this spectacular coastal track extends from Cave Point in the east to Quoin Head in the west winding its way through diverse patches of the Australian bush. (13 km)
Climb East Mt Barren - 500 mt. above sea level, this section of the quartzite range offers spectacular views of the eastern part of the park as is alive with flowers in spring.
Walk through the Ravensthorpe Range - experience the diversity of the flora - definitely for wildflower lovers. (10 km)
Attend the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show (only in Sept) - for over 40 years the extensive display of named wildflowers has grown to attract increasing numbers of visitors from around Australia and the world.
Stay in the best accommodation in town, with warm showers, and all the comforts you need to explore hard during the day and rest well in the evening.
Banksia baxteri - shining.