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Chasing Wildflowers
  • Awesomes
August 2024

Chasing Wildflowers

A 10-day adventure by Awesomes Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 18, 2024
    AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler

    False start

    August 18, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    We woke up this morning eager with anticipation to leave on our trip. We packed the car, packed the Esky last. Called the campsite in Eneaba to check the ground for setting up our tent, and the owner said it was wet, miserable and no trees to hide our tent from the wind and she was expecting more pending rain.
    We unpacked the Esky, but left everything else in the car and decided to leave tomorrow early so we could sleep in warmth and comfort in our own home.
    We still went for our traditional breakfast with Kai though and she sweetly bought us breakfast.
    All is not lost as we are having a lobster dinner later at a fine chinese restaurant as they are having a lobster special.
    An exciting start to our Chase.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler

    Eneaba First Stop

    August 19, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We set off bright an early today and got breakfast enroute to Brand Highway. We drove through heavy rains, both quietly hoping that it would clear as we headed north. Orchid and wildflower hunting began in the rain at corner of Fynes and Mogumber Road in Red Gully. We then stopped at Badgingarra to find more orchids, and the rain abated.
    Finally arrived at Eneaba at 3 30pm to promising blue skies peeping through the clouds.
    Didn't take long to set up the tent, had an early dinner and now just enjoying the peace and quiet. Dinner was early as we did not have lunch, and though breakfast was huge, it happened at 8.30am.
    First 5 photos are the orchids we found and the rest are wildflowers.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler

    Lake Indoon and Three Springs

    August 20, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We had a quick breakfast at Eneaba then drove to Lake Indoon to look for orchids. We were rewarded with some spectacular orchids but Queen of Sheba, the holy grail of native orchid, is still eluding us.
    Got to Three Springs where the lovely lady at the Visitors Centre set us up with mud maps of where to find orchids in 3 different locations around town. As Grace was starving, we had to first set up tent and prepare lunch. We made enough pasta for lunch and dinner, and started a very rewarding orchid hunt with full tummies. We first got the the wrong cemetery, Three Springs Cemetery. Very fortunate for us that accomodation was being organised there as we got directions from a cemetery worker to Arrino Cemetery where we saw Red Spider Orchids and Snail Orchids. We then went to Dookanooka Reserve where we saw a coffle of Donkey(orchids), White Spider Orchids and huge displays of Cowslips. To top of the day, we arrived back to find someone had left mandarins on our camp table. We met a couple (man from Perth, lady from Thailand) who told us that a local handed a bag of mandarins to a camper who distributed it around the campground. As we were away, she left some on the table for us. We met another couple from Queensland with a beautiful large caravan. They told us that they are not mechanical minded nor handy, and have travelled all around with their caravan without any issues except for once when the fridge stopped working 3 days from home. They just went back home, fixed it and started their trip the next week.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler

    Mingenew and Tenindewa

    August 21, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We decamped from Three Springs and headed to Mingenew for breakfast pies. The pie shop has changed hands and now run by Vietnamese. Pies weren't as good as I remembered but they were ok. Whilst we were having our pies, a lady walked in and recognised us from somewhere and it turned out that we were on the same tour to Kutna Hora in Prague. They were Pauline and Tim from Geraldton.
    From the pie shop, we went to the Mingenew monument and found an ant and a spider orchid. Then we went to Depot Hill and found a 'herd' of Cowslip orchids, Blue Beard and a Spider orchid.
    We are now set up in Tenindewa in amongst a carpet of Everlastings. On the way back to the car, a lovely young man asked if we enjoyed the walk and the wildflowers. Ruby had a little chat with him and found out that the group he was with are the traditional land owners and were at Depot Hill doing some maintenance. She thanked them for sharing their beautiful land with us.
    Mullewa was rather deserted when we arrived for late lunch. We thought it'd be buzzing as the Outback Bloom Wildflower Festival starts tomorrow. We shared a generous and delicious serve of fish and chips at Railway Hotel.
    At our free camp in Tenindawa Pioneer Well, we chose a spot rather close to the main road as the tracks are still rather boggy from last weekend's rains. Also, we did not want to drive through more boggy or submerged tracks to get in and out of our camp as we are expecting some rain in the next few days and we are here for 4 nights. We found a lovely campsite amongst everlastings, and a group of spider orchids.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler
    Watsias are finally openTent tied to the car as winds are phenomenal

    Mullewa

    August 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    We woke up to our tent swaying in the wind. We had not pegged the guy ropes as the winds weren't supposed to start till Saturday, so at 6am I got out to do that and saw the most spectacular colourful sunrise. Ruby's Scottish dad would say, "Red skies in the morning, fisherman's warning."
    After a simple breakfast and packing our light snack, we headed to Mullewa for the Outback Bloom Festival.
    We joined a wildflower guided walk at Mullewa Hill. The walks we attended in 2021 were led by guides from Kings Park, Perth. This year it was led by staff from Geraldton Visitors Centre. There is a significant difference in the knowledge of the guides. We were very disappointed as we were looking forward to learning more from these walks. We ate our quick snack at the lookout before going to the bush tucker talk. The indigenous lady explained that as the rains were late, the bush tucker plants had not yet yielded any specimens for her to bring to the talk. However she had photos to show us the various plants and explained their uses. Most plants in the bush have nutritional or medicinal value if one knows when to harvest, which part of the plant to harvest and how to prepare. She said that though late, this year's wildflowers around Mullewa, and bushtucker yield deep in the Murchison, was the best she had seen since she was young, and she's now an old lady.
    The fishermen were warned, and so were we. It has been drizzling off and on and the wind has been blustery. Wind gusts of over 50km/h was forecasted. We returned to camp at about at 2.15pm to check our campsite. The tent was flapping like a wannabe flag, but all was otherwise well.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler
    National Austin RallyKorajena Chapel

    Geraldton

    August 23, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    We are taking a break from wild flower hunting and decided to do a day trip to Geraldton.
    Geraldton is an hour's drive from our campsite. We visited to the Geraldton Regional Museum first. A very interesting short film showcased the wreck HMAS Sydney and the Komararan. Also an exhibition of the Batavia, and 2 other Dutch shipwrecks Vergulde and Zuytdorp, in the 17th and 18th century.
    Regional Geraldton Art Gallery featured
    Bruno Boone exhibition of his cat art and another exhibit of fabric embroidery art was featured there.
    We then visited Monsignor Hawes' Cathedral that was renovated beautifully with a museum attached.
    After camping food, lunch at Salt Dish was delicious with very good service. Yummy truffle risotto and Nori chicken with Kimchi salad.
    After lunch we did a drive to the HMAS Sydney Memorial and the foreshore before heading back to the campsite.
    The drive was so beautiful back to the campsite with a full rainbow accompanying our journey.
    We stopped by at the Kojarena Chapel on the way back to the campsite, built in 1934 with mass celebrated for the first time in 1935, designed by Monsignor Hawes.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler
    Nativity by Monsignor HawesThe four crest depicting the PassionGargoyle with face of Bishop Ryan, the Bishop who stopped work on Geraldton CathedralBaptismal crypt7 sacrements reliefPriest houseOne of the boggy tracks just beyond our tent.

    Monsignor John Cyril Hawes

    August 24, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We had a really rushed and early start this morning as the call of nature was urgent and crucial and we needed to get to town which was 15mins away from our tent. When we got to the toilets at 7.09am, it was locked eventhough it was meant to be open at 7am. The urgency became a crisis by this stage. We raced by car to the caravan park and snuck in to use their lavatory only to find that the locked door needed a combination of which we did not have. Fortunately when we ran to the other door, someone had left the door ajar.
    Crisis averted.
    We were about to set up our camp stove to cook breakfast and make coffee to restart our morning with less stress when the skies opened and wind drove the rain into the shelter at the park. There was a marquee set up for the festival and I thought to take our things to set up in there only to find that all chairs and tables were put away for the night before and not set up yet. The lady in the canteen spotted me checking out the marquee and asked if she could help. She so kindly offered us hot water for our coffees and told us that the only breakfast place was the servo (petrol station) and that we were not to go there.
    We settled for muesli with yoghurt eaten in the car.
    There was a break in the rain, so we got out of the car and made soft boiled eggs in our jet boil set up in the boot of our car. The eggs turned out hard boiled but that went well with avocado and bread, all in a bowl. True camping breakfast.
    As we were too early for the talk we tried to drive up to the waterfall but the track was so boggy we didn't get to it. We later heard from the town folk that someone had been stranded there.

    We attended a very comprehensive Monsignor Hawes talk followed by a walk to Our Lady of Carmel and a tour of the church and the priest house.
    Monsignor Hawes was a very clever, talented and spiritual man. He was Anglican and graduated as an architect in the 1920s. In his early years, he designed churches in the UK and Bahamas. He even designed a beach house at Portsea where 3 brothers wanted sea views so he made it such that each brother had to take turns having the 3rd floor as that was the only one with seaviews.
    Monsignor Hawes became Catholic few years later and went to Rome to be ordained where he met the Bishop Kelly of Geraldton. Kelly asked Fr Hawes to return to Geraldton with him to design and build a cathedral.
    Unfortunately due to the premature death of Bishop Kelly, the new Bishop did not countinue funding the half built cathedral and sent Monsignor Hawes away to Mullewa as he did not like the design and would not allow the completion of the Cathedral.
    Monsignor Hawes took up the building of a new church in Mullewa instead whilst doing priestly duties through the diocese, travelling 100s of km on horseback to say mass in the neighbouring towns. He funded and built most of the church singlehandedly and completed the church in 7 years. Our Lady of Carmel celebrates her 100th anniversary this year.
    Besides an architect, builder of churches and priest, he was also a keen horse breeder and horse racer, winning the Geraldton Cup and the Yalgoo Cup horse races.
    Monsignor Hawes decided to move to the Bahamas in 1940s to live in a Hermitage till his death and gave precise instructions on how he was to be buried in the precise direction even the down to the minute detail of his underpants.
    Our tour of the church was given by the Kevin ( who Ruby calls Stanley) and Pat ( who Ruby calls Pamela) whom we opportunely met at the Mullewa Sports Club dinner the night before and again with Father Robert O'Brien.
    Father O'Brien is very open minded priest and told me that he will hear my confession and give me holy communion if I attended mass tomorrow. That's very special as I have not received communion since 1990s and no priest is willing to give me communion since then.
    Our little tent amongst the everlastings is now surrounded by three large caravans. We think they are not venturing further in due to the boggy track conditions. We had to locate a bush clearing away from eyes of caravans and occupants for our small nature calls.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler
    Snail orchid spotted from a moving car by Ruby
    Clown orchidAnt orchidBlue Fairy orchidBlue Beard orchidDonkey orchidCowslip orchid

    Tardun, Canna and Morowa

    August 25, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Had a 2 day break from chasing wildflowers but today we were back hunting.
    We decamped after I attended mass where Fr O'Brien heard my confession and gave me communion. He was a very casual priest walking the length and breadth of the church whilst he said the mass. The only time he was at the altar was when he was preparing for communion. He even came down the aisle of the church and shook everyone's hands during the "peace be with you". It was a very moving moment to have a priest willing to give me communion again after nearly 40 years.
    We headed back to Mullewa to use the public conveniences enroute to Tardun. As we had been in Mullewa for 4 whole days, we had become quite a regular face and the locals treated us like locals. Helen was the lady who manned the entry into the floral display allowed us in for free as we had paid on the first day. Another lady June came and chatted with us whilst we had morning tea .
    Ruby was the super orchid spotter at Tardun. She saw tiny snail orchids from our moving car. I was driving slowly but for her to spot such small orchids which are green and will camouflaged was incredible.
    Then at Canna we found quite a variety near the general store and in the Canna campgrounds. Fellow orchid hunters there were generous with sharing locations, and we swapped notes.
    We are now in an accommodation in Morowa. The accommodation is an old fibro, dated building with cupboard doors hung crooked, cracked walls and dated bathrooms, but for our first shower in 4 days, a proper bed, toilets and doing our first load of washing, we are glad to be here. As the weather is a mild low 20⁰C, flies and mosquitoes have started. It is so nice to be indoors and away from them. They were so bad in Tenindawa we took to having dinner in the car.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler
    Inside the small hermitageKookanooka DamFlight of red tail black cockatoos

    Kookanooka, Morowa

    August 26, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    We went to the visitors centre in Morowa this morning and the lady recommended we visit the Morowa Museum, Church of the Holy Cross built by Monsignor Hawes with a tiny Hermitage used as the priest house.
    The museum was very interesting and unexpectedly huge. There were 4 main sections to the museum. The museum was an old police station with gaol cells. You began the museum visit at the station building housing army and military themed paraphernalia and the cells were converted into a wedding themed exhibition room and a sitting room like a lounge. The cells were luxuriously lined with Jarrah from floor to ceiling which provided great insulation to the vastly varying temperature through the year.
    Another huge shed housed windmills for pumps. Apparently the largest in the southern hemisphere. Following from the windmills are 2 big sheds of farming and household antiquities. We were intrigued that horse carriages had to have licence plates too. Last but not least a warehouse of old tractors. With a very informative guide called Peter to explain some of the tools and exhibits, the visit took nearly 2 hours.
    Back to chasing wildflowers. We were told that there were pretty wildflowers at Kookanooka Springs. I relied too much on the GPS, instead of following the map from the visitors centre, I navigated to Kookanooka Dam instead. This meant a long detour to the springs and causing much anxiety as I was now travelling on gravel roads not knowing if it might be boggy.
    Thankfully we got the the Kookanooka Springs safely and were rewarded with quite a few varieties of wildflowers and orchids.
    We headed back to the accommodation for a late lunch and then a short 4km walk in the nature reserve at the outskirts of Morowa. Beautiful carpet of Everlastings in pinks yellows and whites, but only one sighting of what looked like a bunny orchid.    Read more

  • AwesomesChasing WildflowersTraveler

    Perenjori, Latham and Home

    August 27, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Our final orchid hunt is in the Perenjori area and to check out any other places as we head south for home.
    Perenjori is a small town 30 mins south of Morowa. There is another church built by Monsignor Hawes called St Joseph's Church. We had to collect the key from the Visitors Information and return the key after the visit. Unlike the other churches we've seen of his creation, this one is fully rendered in a modernistic style. Monsignor Hawes was apparently getting quite grumpy and disagreeable when building this church. I thought that it showed in the workmanship.
    We had the best orchid hunt today in Camel Soak, Orchid Ridge both about 30km from Perenjori and further south in a town called Latham.
    Camel Soak is a place where camels use to rehydrate and where there is a rock formation. The orchids and wildflowers were prolific there.
    Orchid Ridge is about 10km from Camel Soak on someone's private property that have allowed visitors.

    We saw a total 21 different species of orchid, wreath flowers, stylidium, fringe lily and other wildflowers that I haven't the names for.
    It was a very satisfying orchid hunting day and to top the day off, we saw an echidna sauntering across the road on the Perenjori Rothstay Road. It was camera shy and decided to hide it's face in a bush leaving the rest of it's body exposed. Someone ought to teach echidnas to hide better.

    Another amazing find was to have Merlo coffee in a coffee shop in Perenjori.

    Because we spent too much time at Camel Soak and Orchid Ridge, we weren't able to get to Dalwalinu. We'll save that for another time.    Read more

  • Trip end
    August 27, 2024
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