Wheatbelt & Goldfields Wildflower Trail

From the Great Eastern Highway, make the 35-minute drive to Westonia and take the sealed Boodarockin Road to Sandford Rocks Nature Reserve.

Among the granite outcrops, tranquil pools and bushland you’ll find striking silver Mallee and may even spot a rare bird or two from the secluded Bird Hide.

Return to Westonia and head for Southern Cross, just another 45-minutes to the east. Stop to pick up lunch and guides to the walk trails and wildflowers of Yilgarn and the Great Western Woodlands.

From Southern Cross, you’ll reach Boorabbin National Park in just 45 minutes. Make a beeline for Boorabbin Rock at the park’s eastern end where the poison plant, firebush and Goldfields York gums surround the original dams, aqua-ducts and pump station of the Goldfields Pipeline.

If you’re travelling by 4WD, take a detour on the way to Coolgardie to visit Caenyia Rock. Here, you’ll notice a dramatic change from eucalypt to heathland filled with grasstrees and swordfish Banksia.

Continue east to Coolgardie and along the last 40-kilometres to Kalgoorlie, look out for the rich variety of eucalypts. There are 15 different species in this area alone, from gimlet to pretty pink salmon gums.

Exploring the main streets of Kalgoorlie, Australia’s largest outback town, you’ll get a grand introduction to the town’s gold rush architecture, as well as a good choice of cuisines, drinks and entertainment.

Heading north on the Goldfields Highway, following the Golden Quest Discovery Trail, you’ll enter striking salt lake and spinifex country coloured with the large bright-orange blooms of the tree Grevillea Juncifolia between November and December.

A short detour by 4WD to Goongarrie Siding and Commet Vale will reward you with a closer view of this unique landscape then continue on to the historic gold mining town of Menzies.

Take the unsealed road heading north-west from Menzies to Lake Ballard, where 51 sculptures by the artist Antony Gormley create one of the largest and most striking outdoor galleries on Earth.

Stock up on water, fuel and picnic supplies and head north from Menzies (on the sealed and unsealed road) to the living ghost town of Kookynie.

Look out for flowering mulga trees and perennial shrubs, and take a couple of detours along the way. Follow the 2WD route to heritage listed Niagara Dam for a closer look at the local flora, including everlastings, purple and green mulla mulla, sennas, eromophilla and hop bush.

Continue north to Leonora on the unsealed road, or return to the Goldfields Highway to reach Leonora, where you can lunch at the legendary State Hotel or head out to Malcolm Dam with a picnic and enjoy the birdlife.

Take the unsealed road from Leonora to the historic gold rush precinct of Gwalia, where historic Hoover House and the Gwalia Historical Museum offer you a window to an era when former American President, Herbert Hoover, managed the local mine.