Incredibly rare sight on side of remote Aussie road wows tourists: 'Amazing'
The mysterious wreath flowers that emerge in rural WA every year are 'only found in a few spots in the whole world'.
A 100-metre stretch of red dirt on the side of a dusty rural road has become one of Australia’s most unusual and popular tourist destinations. While it looks like your typical outback scene, close to 10,000 travellers come from all over the world every year just to get a glimpse of the “incredibly rare” sight.
During August and September, the iconic wreath flowers — otherwise known as lechenaultia macrantha — come alive in the “very specific” spot on Beringarra-Pindar Road in the heart of Western Australia’s wildflower country, local Helen Ansell told Yahoo News on Friday.
The well-known artist who owns a gallery in the nearby town of Mullewa, which sits roughly 450kms north of Perth, had never heard of the species until she moved to the area seven years ago.
“They like growing in the real gravel, sparse bit so to see these really pink, white fluffy flowers on this red flat dirt is really quite amazing,” she said.
In the years since, the mum said she has enjoyed learning about the “very mysterious” wreath flower from those who have lived there for decades and visiting botanists.
“I guess I got to find out about them through a number of sources, going out and visiting them each year,” Ansell, who often features them in her artwork, said. “Also each year, [I] find out new information about them because they’re new and different every year as well.”
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Wreath flowers only found in a 'few spots around the world'
Ansell explained that wreath flowers, which are “only found growing in a few spots in the whole world”, are perennials so they lay dormant underground — with their blooms heavily dependent on the amount of summer rain received.
The wildflowers, whose colours can vary annually from pure white to pink, and orange and red, are rumoured to have tap roots that reach deep underground.
“So if we have lots of rain over the summer, the flowers can be big and fully flowering and growing as early as May,” the artist said.
Although there were concerns about a lack of precipitation this year, a late influx of rainfall has prompted the species to emerge, yet they are slightly smaller than usual.
Mysterious wildflowers love to grow in disturbed soil
According to the Mullewa Visitors Centre, “nobody really understands why wreath flowers grow where they grow”. Interestingly, botanists also have yet to discover how to propagate them, Ansell said.
“We haven’t figured out how to grow them so we don’t have them in King’s Park. We don’t have them in nurseries. You have to travel here to be able to see them.”
What is well-known about the circular flower is that it loves “disturbed soil”, especially on the side of roads where dirt is often graded.
“Obviously, in the wild, that doesn’t really happen naturally, so it’s kind of amazing [that] they’ve really adapted to this man made environment, and they love to thrive in it,” she added.
Wreath flowers suddenly appear on side of rural road
While wreath flowers can also be found in farming country around Tardun and Canna, they are mainly spotted along the 100-metre stretch of Beringarra-Pindar Road — but they weren’t always there and only appeared in the last decade.
“They used to be in a gravel spot, which is another 10 kilometres away. The story goes that some of that gravel was used to fix up the side of the road, and without meaning to, they must have moved some of the plants or some of the seeds and they absolutely loved it," Ansell told Yahoo News.
“In a good year we can get thousands of wreath flowers growing in that one spot.”
Learn more about WA’s wildflower country.
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