Wildflower Town Mullewa
Thursday 25nd August, 2016
Petra learned at the visitor center that Mullewa, which is located 100 km east of Geraldton, is a worthwhile destination for wildflower enthusiasts. OK, we go there. The landscape gets wider, the fields bigger and all in all it looses charm. It is not completely flat, it still has some structure and a railway track is acompanying us. Judging from the bulk waggons it is probably again a mine railway.
Mullewa itself is a small rural town. And it is the first day of the Wildflower Show which is held in the small town hall. But first we eat lunch in the nice park beside it. It is, not unusual for Australia, usefully fitted with a playground and a pick-nick table. And of course we visit the show. The room is split in two aisles. On the left side there is a kind of condensed bush with different plants and bushes arranged. Right there are small vases with individual flowers with their names noted. But I feel like these plants are somehow not on the right place. Good luck there is a marked wildflower hike. It starts next to the sports grounds where they were already installing the fun rides for the presumably more important show which will take place at the weekend: the Mullewa Agricultural Show. The trail starts with halfway dense bush on rocky ground. There are not that many, but many different flowers. After there is the everlasting paradise: below sparse bush there is a carpet of these white and light yellow balls, some more dark yellow similar to the straw flowers I know from home, and sometimes a few of the purple ones. It is simply a dream. Only the kids do not agree with that. For Jann the walk is too long and Kiara losses her comforter. There follows a hard deprivation as the replacement is burried somewhere deep in the luggage.
We continue driving, Kiara is screams. After a quarter of an hour Petra gives up and wants to dig out a comforter, but Kiara falls asleep before I am able to stop. We pass Mingenew (84 km) and go back to the coast to Dongara (54 km). The distances between the localities are no more what they have been. At 16:33 Petra wants to ask for accomodation at the tourist information, but is three minutes too late. But there is a free room in the first motel we find.
