Southwest Australia - Fitzgerald River Park

In September of 2017 while touring Southwest Australia, we set out for Fitzgerald River National Park ( 815,160 acres)  a UNESCO Biosphere site.

Me next to a large Hakea victoria

Unfortunately, the bridge across the mouth of the estuary had been severely damaged by a storm surge earlier that winter and it was closed to traffic. Luckily, a local we met at breakfast told us that you could still cross the bridge on foot and access the park. So, Scott and I set out on our own with the entire park to ourselves. The road into the park climbs a steep quartz mountain that rises abruptly out of the ocean and contains 1800 species of plants. The minor difference in the soils and climate, accounts for 62 species of plant found nowhere else but inside the park and another 48 are rarely found elsewhere. As we crossed the cracked bridge and headed up the hill we almost immediately encountered the first of  these, Hakea victoria, the Royal Hakea. It has an upright structure up to about 9 feet tall with large thick, kale-like looking leaves around a central woody stem. Due to the growing conditions in the park, the leaves at the top are often white and cream changing to more of tangerine color lower on the plant. This plant can be grown elsewhere, but rarely does it show the bright coloration of plants in the park.

Damaged Roadway from winter storm surge up the mouth of the Fitzgerald River

Fitzgerald River and the South Australian Sea

Scott at the park entrance

Hakea victoria and granite outcrop

Hakea victoria

Hakea victoria

Hakea victoria

Hakea victoria

Hakea victoria

As we continued our walk we soon encountered Pimelea physodes, commonly known as Qualup bell. It is the most spectacular member of the genus due to its large, pendant bell-shaped pink and soft yellow flower heads.

Pimelea physodes, commonly known as Qualup bell

Pimelea physodes,

As we approached the summit of the road, we noticed the dark clouds blowing in off of the ocean.  We had nowhere to take cover and were soon in the middle of heavy downpour.  My pockets filled with water and iPhone which I was using for taking photos quit working.  As quickly as the storm blew in it was all over and we returned to bright sunlight.  As we headed down the hill I shook my photo and tried to dry it out.  Before we reached the bottom of the hill I had it working again.

Quartz hillside overlooking the white sand beach and aquamarine waters of the South Australian Sea

The quartz is one of the reason for some of the unusual plants that have evolved here

We had planned to spend the next day in the more western part of Fitzgerald River Park almost a full day's drive away. However, the road was closed either due to flooding or an outbreak of the plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomic, dieback disease. About 40% of the plants native to Western Australia are susceptible to the disease. All trails we visited in Western Australia had brushes at their entrances for removing dust from your footwear. Several parks require that your car has been recently washed including the tires. They believe that more frequent visits from tourists driving from eastern Australia has facilitated the spread of the disease to new areas. Many of us know the Phytophthora in our own gardens that causes otherwise healthy plants to suddenly wilt and die. Many of our California native plants are killed by infections that occur after a watering in summer with warm soil. In southwestern Australia, the disease has devastated entire areas of native plants.

More wildflowers in and near Fitzgerald River Park

Banksia Seed heads

Banksa

Banksia

Banksia seed head

One of the many species of pea bushes

Isopogon formosus commonly known as the Rose Coneflower is part of the family Proteaceae

Drosera, commonly known as the sundews, a carnivorous plant. They lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surfaces

Banskias

Isopogon

Eucalyptus flowers and seeds

Eucalyptus seed capsules

Another pea bush

Beaufortia orbifolia, Ravensthorpe Bottlebrush

Banksia coccinea

As we continued our drive west, we saw still more and previously unviewed wildflowers. Since the beginning of the trip we were amazed at the variety and number of Banksias in Australia. They varied from large stands of small tree shaped ones to very low growing species that send up almost foot-long brush-like flowers on underground runners away from the central bush. However, we knew that the one we had been wanting to see was in the area around Bremer Bay. And sure enough, there growing in the ditches alongside the road to Bremer Bay was the Banksia coccinea, the scarlet Banksia. As the name suggests the flowers are scarlet. However, they are also white and it looks as though thick red and white yarn had been crocheted together in cornrows to create the conical flower. It must be one of the most beautiful flowers in Australia. Growing nearby were several other species of banksia, which if not for being overshadowed by their showier cousin would have been stop-worthy in themselves.

Banksia coccinea