It doesn’t snow in Yalgoo, except in wildflower season

It doesn’t snow in Yalgoo, except in wildflower season. As far as the eye can see, there is pure white snow, pink snow and even yellow snow as carpets of wildflowers transform the landscape. You have to remind yourself that you are in the outback of Australia. Surely this can’t be! Every glance as you drive is a postcard, every bend a new breathtaking vista. After the 50th photograph you now look for colour combinations. You think, I want pink with blue or yellow and red with purple thrown in and what about all those colours. And you look at the harsh terrain and wonder how it can support such a diversity of plants and colour. It’s amazing what a little water can do. After last year’s spectacular show with record rains, some suggested this year couldn’t be as good but it is on another scale, particularly in the Mid West, with last year’s blooms giving birth to an even larger spray of flowers helped, of course, by another record year of rain. Our outback safari went as far north as Mt Magnet and Cue and westwards to Mullewa and south to Morawa. Every road was a wildflower bonanza, particularly the road between Mt Magnet and Morawa, starting from 20km west of Mt Magnet, the gravel road from Yalgoo north to Cue via Walga Rock, and the Morawa - Yalgoo Road. The varieties were endless and intriguing the way that one type might dominate one area then be replaced by another only to reappear a few kilometres down the road. Next you would find a mass of different types and colours. Away from the bitumen we found the gravel roads in excellent condition and very well signposted with plenty of warnings of flood-ways and cattle grids. The best time in this area is August to October and we found the local visitor bureaus a mine of information of the best areas. But the reality is the entire Mid West area that spans hundreds of kilometres is stunning. WILDFLOWER UPDATE Wongan Hills is reporting lots of orchids in bloom. Christmas Rock, Mt O’Brien and Railway Dam have a lot, including spider orchids. There are also orchids near the gnamma at Flat Rocks, Cadoux. There are everlastings at Railway Barracks. Mellenbye Station has hundreds of wreath flowers and carpets of everlastings, thanks to recent rain. Wooleen Station is blooming still due to the recent rain and has everlastings, wattle, mulla mulla and boronia. Dalwallinu has fringed lilies, trigger plants, blue fairy orchids, wattle, cowslip orchids, kunzias, pink everlastings, lemon scented sun and wreath flowers. Morawa’s Koonalooka Dam Reserve is blooming, with everlastings, spider orchid and goodenia. Pintharuka West Nature Reserve has spider orchids, donkey orchids, fringed lilies, melaleucas and more. Quairading town centre is blooming with granny bonnets and curry flower. Wheatbelt Way has numerous varieties blooming, throughout Dowerin, Koorda, Beacon, Westonia, Nungarin, Wyalkatchem, Bencubbin, Mukinbudin and Trayning. + Information from Australia’s Golden Outback.