Mignenew

Mingenew is the true heart and soul of Wildflower Country, located nearby to Coalseam Conservation Park and rich with natural scenery.

Mingenew is blessed with a naturally beautiful landscape and, during wildflower season, offers breathtaking views from Mingenew Hill. Find yourself surrounded by spectacular breakaway country, with fantastic flat-top ridges, and landscape covered with blankets of canola set against impossibly blue skies and rich red rocks.

Wildflowers and Nature

Located a short drive north of Mingenew, Coalseam Conservation Park is arguably Western Australia's holy grail for wildflower lovers. Many different species transform the park into a carpet of colour from late winter and throughout spring, showcasing the State's high floral diversity. Magnificent views are offered from the Irwin Lookout, and marine fossils can be found embedded in the banks of the Irwin River below. Coalseam Conservation Park provides a wealth of insight int the rich geological history of the region year-round. Note: please keep to marked trails to preserve the wildflowers. The 3.2km Plateau Loop Trail starts at the Park's Miners Picnic Area and takes you through carpets of pink, white and yellow everlasting flowers, which spread out either side of the trail as it takes you across the Irwin River. Follow the trail through a rare Eucalypt woodland to the plateau ridge, where you can enjoy sweeping valley views. Visitors can camp among the flowers by pitching a tent at the popular Miner's Campsite within Coalseam Conservation Park - but be prepared for crowds on weekends and during wildflower season. A limit of a three-night stay is imposed from July to October. Overflow camping is available for tents at Breakaway, also located within Coalseam Conservation Park, while other RV-friendly sites close to Mingenew include Enanty Barn and Yandanooka Hall.

Depot Hill Reserve is also located a short distance north of Mingenew, and is another of Western Australia's true wildflower hotspots. Grab lunch from the Mingenew Bakery, pack a picnic blanket and camera, and head off to explore the Reserve. Depot Hill is a great vantage spot to view the sunset, and offers stunning views across Mingenew's breakaway country while overlooking carpets of blooming wildflowers below. Depot Hill Reserve was used as a practice firing range during both World Wars.

Located in town, Mingenew Nature Reserve is the ideal place for holidays makers to have a rest and view the stunning landscape from high above, for as far as the eye can see, from the top of Mingenew Hill. Wander or drive over the railway line on the Mingenew-Mullewa Road to the Reserve, which is great for wildflower viewing, picnicking and photography. At the base of the Hill is Drovers Rest - a great spot to take a break and discover Mingenew's rich droving heritage.

To the south of Mingenew is the tiny town of Yandanooka, which often becomes blanketed in carpets of yellow everlastings during wildflower season. The word 'Yandanooka' is of Aboriginal origin and is thought to mean 'plenty of hilly country in sight'. RV friendly camp sites are available at Yandanooka Hall. Yandanooka is also a good location from which to enjoy stargazing, with stunning clear night skies.

Stargazing

Mingenew is a dedicated Astrotourism town, committed to preserving its dark night skies to enable incredible stargazing opportunities. The town has low levels of light pollution, and stunning clear skies create perfect stargazing conditions.

Yandanooka Hall is an official observing site, where visitors are welcome to bring telescopes and binoculars, and the Mingenew WA Space Centre is a dedicated Astrophotography Hotspot. The Space Centre is located 24km north east of Mingenew and features numerous satelitte tracking dishes. Operators at the station use high-powered green laser beams to pinpont satellites in Earth's orbit, creating an intriguing sight. Access to the station itself is not permitted, however there is an information bay at the entrance where visitors can park to learn more about the station and set up for some incredible astrophotography shots. Sapce Centre Tours do occassionally run but are highly popular and often sell out - keep an eye on the Shire of Mingenew's website for future tour opportunities.

History, Culture and Heritage

The word Mingenew derives from the Aboriginal words of 'Mininoo', meaning "place of many waters" or 'Minyanoo, meaning "place to many ants".

Mingenew's Littlewell Reserve, just outside of the town, is an historical site where Aboriginal farm workers and their families live from the 1930s - 1970s. A visit to the reserve features first-hand accounts of life on the Reserve

The Mingenew Historical Walk is a self-guided walk throughout Mingenew, sharing its rich history and the characters and events that shaped the town.