With September approaching, Western Australia is set to get a lot more colourful with the arrival of the wildflower season. Whether you’re in the CBD, in the Great Southern or through the Wheatbelt, flowers are blooming and fruiting throughout the transitional season, Djilba.
Over 12,000 species are on show, with 60% being found only in Western Australia – for that reason alone, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in planning a trip to sightsee wildflowers at their peak. These festivals mean you’ll have the opportunity to be able to see a range of diverse blooms that are local to their regions, with the help of expert talks, organised shows and guided walks to know your way around one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
Outback Bloom – Mullewa’s Wildflower Festival
August 27 – 30
Over four days, Mullewa Town Hall transforms with a display of hundreds of identified and labelled species, showcasing the unique flowers of the Mullewa area (just over an hour from Geraldton), rich in wildflower species due to its location spanning multiple climate zones.
Hands-on workshops, expert talks and photography experiences comprise the program, but the star attraction, the Mullewa Wildflower Show, makes the festival an experience to remember. Locally collected specimens are displayed in their hundreds, alongside an immersive bushland diorama that brings Mullewa’s unique biodiversity indoors.
Everlasting and wreath flowers are the must-sees, with two-hour wildflower guided tours on offer that highlight these species among the other native plants and environmental features that make Mullewa a wildflower country hotspot.
Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show
September 7 – 19
Considered one of the state’s biggest wildflower festivals, the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show gathers over 700 species of wildflowers from across the UNESCO-recognised Fitzgerald Biosphere.
Almost a quarter of WA’s native flora can be found in the region, some of which are yet to be documented. Visitors can expect guided walks, hotspot bus tours, community markets and workshops to take part in over the two-week program, with the highlight being a 4.5-hour guided walk through Fitzgerald River National Park and the viewing of the collected species at the Ravensthorpe Town Hall.
Bloom Festival
September 12 – October 11
Head down to the Great Southern and experience the stunning wildflowers of rural WA at Bloom Festival.
With a program of events that span from Kojonup, Pingrup, Bremer Bay, the Porongurups and Frankland River, plus major centres like Katanning, Denmark, Albany, the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Parks, visitors can set up in one town or region and experience not only stunning wildflower blooms and shows (the Albany Wildflower Show is one highlight) but a variety of arts, crafts, displays, workshops and food events. If you’ve got time, make a trip through the festival hotspots for the most comprehensive wildflower experience.
The best way to experience the Bloom Festival’s flora would be to head out on one of the guided walks, tours and hikes offered across the festival, or to one of the herbariums or open gardens – hike the Vancouver Peninsula in Albany and spot spider orchids and Albany woollybush, visit La Hacienda, a gorgeous two-and-a-half-acre arid garden in Kojonup, or take a wildflower and eucalypt discovery walk in Ongerup, where you’ll spot over 350 different species.
Everlasting Kings Park Festival
September 18 – October 4
This annual festival celebrates the diversity and beauty of WA’s wildflowers during their peak season, with more than 3,000 plant species on display.
Workshops, walks and talks, and family activities make up the program, like Plant Identification 101, the Wildflowers in Watercolour painting class, and, of course, guided wildflower walks to get to know the different species throughout the park.
This year, Moortabiny will close out the festival, using cutting-edge drone technology to blend storytelling and an original soundscape into a celebration of culture and connection inspired by the flora of Kings Park.
Djilba Wildflower Festival Esperance
September 19 – 23
Over 750 species of local flora are on display in one of WA’s best-kept wildflower hotspots secrets.
This festival is the only First Nations-led wildflower festival in Australia, hosted by the Wudjari people since 2024. The program celebrates culture, Country and Esperance’s unique biodiversity – with 2,500 distinct native species on record that grow within the Shire of Esperance and the rate of endemic species being 75% – 80%.
You’ll be sure to learn something new here, with free presentations on Esperance’s iconic sand, local documentary screenings that champion coastal restoration, and workshops on identifying plant species.
