Flora and Fauna

 Wildflowers - July to October

The most popular seasons for visitors coming to Kalgoorlie-Boulder are Autumn (March-May) and Spring (September to November) but all seasons offer something special.
Guided tours of wildflower areas are available - see information in the Tours section. Contact the Kalgoorlie Goldfields Visitor Centre for wildflower conditions and tour availability.
Maps and wildflower books are available from the Kalgoorlie Goldfields Visitor Centre. Other guides such as the CALM newspaper, The Goldfields - a Land of Surprises (cost $1) are available through the Visitor Centre.

First time visitors to the Western Australian Goldfields often find themselves astounded at the diversity and beauty of the regions flora and fauna. After all, isnt it meant to be an area lucky to get more than 200mm of rain a year?

In recent times biogeographers have divided Australias land mass into 80 distinctive biogeographic regions. Two of these regions converge in the Eastern Goldfields - the Coolgardie and the Murchison regions.

The Coolgardie region is characterised by eucalypt woodland, while acacia (or mulga) woodlands dominate the Murchison. The transitional zone between the two regions is cut north-south by the Goldfields Highway between Broad Arrow and Menzies. South of Broad Arrow the landscape is essentially eucalypt and features the beautiful Gimlet with its shining red/orange trunks, while north of Menzies is acacia country, equally fascinating but very different. The Goongarrie region in the middle is something of a biological hot spot, being an interface between the two regions which features, flora and fauna that are a blend of both.

The remarkable fact is that todays woodlands around Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie are actually regrowth - generally less than 100 years old in most areas due to clear felling for fuel between 1900 and 1965. In the pioneer decades huge quantities of wood was needed for firing boilers that powered the mines, generated electricity, pumped water, condensed salt water into fresh water and for lining the many shafts and tunnels burrowed into the landscape. This was apart from building materials and domestic cooking and heating. By 1904 500,000 tonnes of wood was being felled annually and well over 400km of woodlines had been established by 1920 with most feeding into Kalgoorlie-Boulders Golden Mile.

The tranquil forests comprising more than a hundred species of eucalyptus including marble-coloured salmon gums, bronze-barked gimlets, and a variety of blackbutts provide a unique and fascinating vista contrasting against the rich, red earth and the blue skies. Nowhere else are there so many different tall trees in such an arid environment. In contrast, low lying acacia woodlands, river gums, mallees, grasses and spinifex dominate the regions north and Nullarbor Plain breakaway country. Good winter rains see the forests and shrubs burst into colour in spring when you can enjoy striking arrays of native flowers, bright orange grevillea, Sturts desert pea, purple mulla mulla, yellow cassia, flowering eucalypts and mallees and breathtaking displays of wildflowers including pink, yellow and white everlastings, and dainty paper daisies. The region is also one of few in Western Australia where you can find the distinctive aromatic sandalwood tree. The industry was actually established long before the goldrush and today is a valuable export

The Goldfields boasts 12 existing and proposed nature reserves with a combined area of eight million hectares. An incredibly high number of bird species flourish here as well as the threatened bilby or rabbit-eared bandicoot, chuditch, as well as mallee fowl, scarlet chested parrot, sandhill dunnart and mulgara. The inhabitants of the area include ornate lizards, emus, echidnas, carpet pythons, honey-eaters, yellow-throated miners, rainbow bee-eaters and budgerigars.

Make your own way or take advantage of a guided tour to:
Rowles Lagoon Conservation Park
Victoria Rock, Cave Hill and Burra Rock Nature Reserves
Niagara Dam
The Kalgoorlie Arboretum

Accommodation is available.

STATION STAYS
Contact: Conservation Reserves, Goldfields CALM Office, Kalgoorlie Post Office Public Building, Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie WA 6430 Telephone: (08) 9021 2677 Website: www.calm.wa.gov.au