WESTERN AUSTRALIA WILDFLOWERS
11 – 25 SEPTEMBER 2019
ITINERARY
Let Australian plant lover Colin Barlow introduce you to the diverse natural wonders of southern Western Australia. Meet milkmaids, honeypots, green kangaroo paws and mountain bells in the wild, and catch the extravaganza of the Kings Park Wildflower Festival.
DAY 1
Wednesday 11 September 2019
Home – Perth (D)
Meet your Ross Tours representative at Sydney Airport for the flight to Perth. On arrival into Perth we are transferred to the Duxton Hotel for our 2 night stay, located right in the centre of town. Meet your fellow travellers at our Welcome Dinner tonight.
Accommodation: Duxton Hotel, Perth
DAY 2
Thursday 12 September 2019
Guilderton (B/L)
The sand plain country of Guilderton is loved for its unique flora. Watch out for the largest eucalyptus flower, one you won’t see anywhere else on earth. Picnic lunch overlooking the rugged Western Australian coastline amongst Geraldton Wax. Evening at leisure.
Accommodation: Duxton Hotel, Perth
DAY 3
Friday 13 September 2019
Perth to Albany (B/L/D)
Head south to the historic port town of Albany, gateway to the unique flora of the WA south coast. Visit the Historic Whaling Station decommissioned in 1978, it was the last to operate in Australia. Located on the picturesque southern coast of King George Sound. Enjoy a walk around the Regional Wildflower Garden with rare and endangered plants that showcases the unique biodiversity of this region. It’s a botanic hotspot with over 100,000 indigenous plants to see here.
Accommodation: Best Western, Albany
DAY 4
Saturday 14 September 2019
Valley of the Giants (B/L)
Travel west along the coast. BBQ breakfast on the road this morning. Visit Walpole-Nornalup National Park and D’Entrecasteaux National Park conservation area of wild, pristine beauty with white beaches, rugged coastal cliffs and towering karri forests. Visit the Valley of the Giants treetop walk to explore the canopy of the ancient Tingle Forest.
Accommodation: Best Western, Albany
DAY 5
Sunday 15 September 2019
Northcliffe (B/L)
Travel south today into Torndirrup National Park where three connected peninsulas, Torndirrup, Vancouver and Flinders, embrace and protect Albany’s Princess Royal Harbour. This western side of King George Sound consists of cliffs, gullies, blowholes, beaches and promontories. We’ll see impressive rock formations including the Gap, Natural Bridge and blowholes all shaped from the local granite.
Limestone cliffs, granite headlands and white sandy beaches bear the full force of the powerful Southern Ocean.
Wildflowers here in this wind-pruned coastal heathlands put on a colourful display in spring. We will see banksia heath, peppermint woodland and hopefully a mixed forest of Karri and Swamp Yate.
Accommodation: Best Western, Albany
DAY 6
Monday 16 September 2019
Stirling Ranges(B/L)
Explore the beautiful and diverse Stirling Ranges and Poronguurup NP regions today, some of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. There are more than 1500 species of plants in the Stirling Ranges alone. Watch out for some of the 148 bird species, including electric blue fairy wrens, brilliant parrots and soaring majestic wedge-tailed eagles. Lunch included.
Accommodation: Best Western, Albany
DAY 7
Tuesday 17 September 2019
Albany to Hopetoun(B/L/D)
Travel east today and see a floral highlight at the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show. For the last 37 years, this show has become one of the biggest & best in WA! The festival showcases local wildflowers. Over 500 botanically identified specimens are on display. Check into our Hopetoun Motel for 3 nights. Lunch and dinner included today
Accommodation: Hopetoun Motel, Hopetoun
DAY 8
Wednesday 18 September 2019
Fitzgerald River National Park (B/L)
Discover wildflowers today in the Fitzgerald River National Park, another biodiverse hot spot featuring more than 1,800 species of plants, 75 of these are found nowhere else on earth. We are hoping to spot Qualup Bells, Possum banksias, regelias, the bell-fruited mallee, Scarlet Banksia and the ‘jug’ flowers of Albany Woolly Bush. We’ll find a perfect picnic spot in the shade to enjoy lunch.
Accommodation: Hopetoun Motel, Hopetoun
DAY 9
Thursday 19 September 2019
Jerdercuttup (B/L)
We’re off to explore the triangle between Hopetoun, Jerdacuttup and Ravensthorpe, recognised as one of the most botanically significant areas in Australia. Lunch included today.
Accommodation: Hopetoun Motel, Hopetoun
DAY 10
Friday 20 September 2019
Hopetoun to Esperance (B/L/D)
Take the cross-country road through wetlands and mallee country to Esperance so we’ll see water birds and iconic wildflowers including red kangaroo paw and pretty lemon flowers of the grey cottoneheads, Conostylis. Check into our motel overlooking Esperance Bay for 2 nights with dinner included this evening.
Accommodation: Best Western, Esperance
DAY 11
Saturday 21 September 2019
Cape Arid National Park (B/L)
We’re travelling east today to Cape Arid National Park. Bring binoculars and telephoto lens as bird watching is on the agenda: Cape Barren geese, Western Ground Parrots and Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos. Whale watching too. Picnic amongst a wealth of flora here; banksias, ground orchids, flowering melaleucas and the nude grevillea!
Accommodation: Best Western, Esperance
Day 12
Sunday 22 September 2019
Esperance to Hyden (B/L/D)
It’s a pretty road inland from Esperance through Salmon Gum country to Hyden. Visit Wave Rock 2,700 million years old and 15 metres high. A huge grey and red coloured granite rock, in the formation of a giant wave about to break. Lunch and dinner included.
Accommodation: Wave Rock Motel, Hyden
DAY 13
Monday 23 September 2019
Hyden to Perth (B/L)
Travel back to Perth through the famous ‘Wheatbelt’ country, on the look out for the Proteaceae family; hakeas, dryandras, banksias, grevilleas and if we’re lucky carpets of everlasting daisies. Check into the Duxton Hotel, Perth for 2 nights. Evening at leisure.
Accommodation: Duxton Hotel, Perth
DAY 14
Tuesday 24 September 2019
Kings Park (B/D)
It’s festival time in Perth’s famous Kings Park, a most fitting way to end our botanic journey. The 400-hectare Botanic Garden boasts more than 1,700 native species. At the 56th Kings Park Festival there will be show stopping floral displays. Farewell Dinner at the Duxton tonight.
Accommodation: Duxton Hotel, Perth
DAY 15
Wednesday 25 September 2019
Perth – Home (B)
After breakfast, transfer to Perth Airport for flights home.
HOW TO BOOK
To secure your booking and make your deposit, please complete our online booking form.
You will be contacted by a Ross Tours Travel Manager to confirm your details and preferred method of payment.
CANCELLATIONS
Cancellations received 180-120 days prior to departure will incur loss of deposit.
Cancellations received between 119-60 days prior to departure will incur a 50% cancellation fee.
Cancellations received between 59-30 days prior to departure will incur a 75% cancellation fee plus any non-recoverable costs incurred.
Cancellations received within 30 days prior to departure will incur 100% cancellation fee.
Cancellations must be sent in writing.
Cancellation fee is based upon the total amounts paid including tours, airfares and all other travel arrangements.
All prices in Australian Dollars. Prices based on minimum 15 passengers. Price is based on departure from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. Price from NZ and other Australian ports available on application. Ask us about other sightseeing and travel arrangements including pre and post tour accommodation, transfers, stopovers and other tours.
Please refer to the Ross Garden Tours standard terms and conditions
TOUR INCLUSIONS
TOUR ESCORTED BY
COLIN BARLOW
- Air-conditioned 4WD motorcoach throughout tour
- Best available accommodation for 14 nights with
- Breakfast daily, 11 lunches and 6 dinners
- Entrance fees to all attaractions including, Albany Historic Whaling Station, Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre & Wave Rock
TOUR PRICE
Twin Share per person land only $6,895
Twin Share per person including air $7,395
Single Supplement $1,250Book and pay in full by 10/5/19 to receive the Early Bird Discount of $200.00 per person off the final instalment.
DISCOUNTS
Previous Traveller Discount $100.00
Garden Clinic Member Discount $50.00Watch Colin talk about the tour
download this itinerary as a PDF
print this itineraryOTHER TOURS
Chelsea Flower Show & the Gardens of England
Come with us to an England up to its knees in spring blossom, carpets of bluebells and meadows of wildflowers. Our England tour includes the beautiful Cornish Coast, Oxford, Cotswolds, Bath and London.
It’s a mix of heavenly gardens with Opening Day at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Japan Spring Gardens
Japan celebrates Golden Week with festivals of azalea, peony and wisteria. Our floral adventure begins in the mountains of Nikko; travels four islands in the archipelago,
Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Naoshima; visiting cities of Tokyo, Matsue, Okayama & Takamatsu.
Gardens of Monaro
The spectacular Monaro High Country at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains is home to some of Australia’s most stunning private gardens, situated on historic merino sheep and cattle stations. The Monaro Plain is beautiful in its isolation, far horizons and swaying grasslands. The sight of the velvet dark blue sky immediately after sunset is spell-binding.
Jindabyne is our base for this six-day short break. The brilliant colours of autumn are sublime at this altitude.
Portugal and the Madeira Flower Festival
Citrus scented streets, Art Nouveau buildings, mosaic pavements, blue/white ceramic tiles (azulejos) decorated walls, arcades, columns and water tanks, marble towns of the Alentejo; all go to make this spring journey through Portugal
and Madeira one to remember. Highlight is Madeira’s famous Flower Festival.
Japan at Cherry Blossom Time
Follow the cherry blossom trail as it blooms across Kyoto, Kanazawa, Nikko and Tokyo on a 14 day tour that takes you inside Japan’s great gardens. Experience a fascinating mix of ancient Zen serenity and modernity that makes Japan
such an exciting cultural destination.
Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show
Stimulate your senses with a dose of botanical inspiration admiring new trends, world-class show gardens and an exhibition hall full of cut flowers. It’s the southern hemisphere’s biggest garden festival. We’ll sample a few of
Melbourne’s flowery and operatic treats on a four-day break.