Mingenew is the true heart and soul of the Wildflower Country. Located close to Coalseam Conservation Park, the town abounds with natural scenery and even more importantly the locals are lovely!
Mingenew is blessed with a naturally beautiful landscape and in wildflower season, Mingenew Hill and its views are breathtaking. You will find yourself surrounded by spectacular breakaway country, with fantastic flat-top ridges, and the landscape is covered in a blanket of canola, set against a sky of impossible blue and rich red rock. The area makes for a perfect picnic.
Mingenew is also a short drive to other key nature reserves and flower trails as well as a short 30 minute drive from the seaside towns of Dongara-Port Denison.
Here's a few recommendations on how to experience the heart of wildflower country in Mingenew and surrounds:
Mingenew Hill Walk
Just 1km (short walk) up the iconic Mingenew Hill, you will find spectacular sweeping views of the expansive countryside and discover it is well worth the journey. This stunning formation will amaze visitors with its incredible endless views across Mingenew’s beautiful breakaway country. From all vantage points, it’s a lot like overlooking a quilt of beautiful yellows and greens, with the hill itself abundant with a swathe of wildflower species. this is also a great location to enjoy the sunset.
It is a short 12km drive northwest of Mingenew to the magnificent rugged reserve of Depot Hill. This is a great spot to park up and go for a wander, enjoy a picnic on the tranquil banks of the river beneath the leafy gums or you may like to walk the bush track up to the historic WW2 Army Rifle Range.
Allow a minimum of 30 minutes for this nature walk and take your wildflower booklets to identify the many species you will see along the way. These are likely to include orchids, everlastings, cats paw, thriptomene, dampiera and many more. Look out for a variety of Donkey Orchids, Snail Orchids and Spider Orchids. Either side of this meandering pathway offers unparalleled access and viewing of a rich, rare and colourful assortment of wildflower species. Grab a lunch from the Mingenew Bakery, take a blanket and a camera and discover one of Western Australia’s true wildflower hotspots. Depot Hill is accessible via the Allanooka Springs Rd (sealed & signposted) from Geraldton to Mingenew.
Approximately 30 minutes drive from Mingenew is Coalseam Conservation Park, best known for its annual display of wildflowers and blankets of everlastings, due to the park’s diverse habitat range and location between sandplain and arid country.
The park is rich in history and geology. It is the site of the first mined coal deposit in Western Australia, and exposed bands of coal seams can still be seen, along with the siltstones, claystones and sandstones that stripe the cliff faces and reveal 250 million years of geological history. Due to its rugged topography Coalseam Conservation Park has remained uncleared and is now a pocket of wilderness in the surrounding open farmland.
Carpets of some of the most unique wildflowers in Australia cover most of the parks vast area, which is intersected by an ancient river where you can literally take a walk and find fossils dating way back in time. Access is via unsealed Coalseam Road, and is accessible to all vehicles.
