Wongan Hills long weekend

A long-standing member of our bushwalking group, a lovely Japanese lady called Katsu, left us some money in her will. We didn’t really know what to spend it on, since walking costs nothing. Eventually, one idea surfaced: to go away for a long weekend and have one night’s accommodation paid for from the legacy. This was useful, since a booking in Wongan Hills in the wildflower season had to be done well in advance and the cost of the first night paid as a deposit. This is the weekend and about 20 people are expected.

Since I was there a year ago, I knew the ropes. On the way, the route passes the Rika Erickson Reserve. Rika was a well-known Western Australian naturalist. Much of her work is now in the State Library, so I’ll go and have a look when I get back to Perth. They sell prints of her botanical drawings. Her interest in wildflowers began when she was a country schoolteacher in remote village schools.

This is an example of her work:

On the way to Wongan Hills, a must-do halfway stop is at the Bindoon Bakehouse, where they do a roaring trade to all the grey nomads passing by:

We stopped for lunch later at the Rika Erickson Reserve:

Val’s car in a shady spot.


Spider orchid.

Blue Leschenaultia.


Cowslip orchids.


Lake Ninian, a final stop on the way.