Wildflower abundance
We were packing the car at 8 am and on the road soon after, pausing to fill up on the way out of town. The road went north out of Albany until we reached the junction and turned east toward Jerramungup.
Not far along we passed through an area where the low trees were recovering from fire. Beyond that the countryside was flat and mostly open farmland with the Porongurup ranges receding from view to the left and Mount Manypeaks ahead and to the right. We passed areas of what we took to be plantation blue gums grown for wood chips and saw some areas that had been harvested.
As we went further from the coast the plantations disappeared. The roadside was fringed by low scrub with areas of cultivation or grazing beyond. Off to the left we could see the peaks of the Stirling Range.
At Jerramungup we paused for coffee and chocolate caramel slice. The slice was rich and the coffee was tasty. It was welcomed after two hours on the road.
Majella drove on toward Ravensthorpe through country similar to what we had been seeing over the past hour except that there were more rolling hills. The low roadside vegetation was sprinkled with flowering shrubs in purple, orange, and yellow. That continued until, as we approached Ravensthorpe, we passed through an extensive area that had been burned more recently.
My cousin who lives in Esperance, Roslyn, had given Majella a booklet about the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show which was running from 11 to 23 September. Volunteer local people with necessary permits gather samples from the local area and mount a display of around 700 different species. The specimens are arranged on shelves and grouped by botanical classification with each named and sometimes other information. We spent an hour or so marvelling at the variety of blooms, some similar to each other and others apparently unique.
Majella had asked a woman at the show about local places where we might see wildflowers in the wild and about where we might eat. She had suggestions for both and, given the time, we went first for lunch. That was in a community space where a small group of women were preparing and serving food as a fundraiser. We had the lunch deal – soup (pea and ham or GF pumpkin for Lynne), scone (with homemade jam and cream), and tea or coffee.
After lunch Majella drove a little way back to the west and then north and east, past the Galaxy Lithium mine, to the Archer Drive lookout. We looked out over the mine to the countryside and mountains beyond and then more closely at the wildflowers in the nearby bush. We recognised some that we had seen in the show.
Reaching our second wildflower viewing area took us a little way south from Ravensthorpe and then east on Elverdton Road to rejoin the south coast highway. Along the way we took a short side trip up Ethel Daw Road to another lookout. Again the roadside was lined with wildflowers in multiple colours. Most notable was a mallee we had seen at the show. It has large yellow flowers and thick leaves and is highly localised to that area.
Once we had rejoined the highway it was a straight run of about 2 hours to Esperance. The countryside was similar to what we had driven through this morning with roadside vegetation and cultivation beyond. Not far out of Ravensthorpe we passed the nickel mining area. Beyond that we saw farms until we reached the outskirts of Esperance where there were some industrial buildings as we entered the town.
We found our way to the Esperance Bay Holiday Park where Lynne had booked our accommodation for two nights. We are in separate units which are set up comfortably with all the necessities.
Majella had messaged my cousin, Roslyn, earlier in the day and she planned to come to us to catch up. Soon after we arrived Majella messaged her and Roslyn appeared at our door not long after. She had brought crackers, dip, chocolate, eggs from her own hens, a photo of Mum and Dad’s wedding from her mother’s album, a photographic book of Esperance, and two Yes badges which we promptly pinned to our clothing. We talked about family, past and present, for a long time. Soon after Roslyn arrived Majella went to fetch Lynne and John who joined us for a short time.
After Roslyn had gone home Majella and I drove off to find a supermarket and replenish our breakfast provisions. Once we had done that all four of us went to the nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner. We all enjoyed our meals and, as we were finishing, our hostess, Katy, asked about the Yes badges that Majella and I were wearing.
She was unclear about what the referendum was about but had evidently heard some of the scaremongering about farmers losing their land and other misinformation. We were able to explain what was happening and she agreed about the value of listening to those affected before making laws. She said she will be voting Yes and encouraging her extended family to do likewise. That seemed a successful end to another enjoyable day of travel.
