When your senses need a little lift and your soul needs filling, there’s no better place to head from late July to September, than Coalseam Conservation Park in the midwest for some floral beauty, and history too. It’s one of the best places to see wildflowers in WA.
Don’t take your dog along because pets aren’t welcome, but do take walking shoes, a sunhat and sunscreen. You can spend as little or as long as you like in the park and there are no day entrance fees.
Camping and caravanning is capped at 3 nights, and for a day trip I’d leave between 2 and 4 hours to discover the park and walk a couple of trails (longer if you’re taking a picnic lunch to enjoy whilst there. There’s a great bakery in nearby Mingenew if you want to stock up on picnic goodies.)
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What to Do and See
The park is large, 754 hectares to be precise, but you don’t need to see all of it to get a feel for its immensity. It’s renowned for its incredible spring wildflower displays, and considered amongst the most spectacular wildflower spots in the northern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Carpets of everlastings pepper the park, and you’re likely to see swathes of pink, blue and yellow.
But don’t just visit for the wildflowers. The park is one of only a few places where coal can be seen on the earth’s surface, and if you walk to the Johnson Shaft Viewing Platform along the Miners Walk Trail (700m return) you can see the remaining, disused Johnson mine shaft and observe the black coal bands in the creek banks.
Other walks and trails will take you through York gum woodland on the Plateau Loop Trail, and to lookout points such as the Irwin Lookout where from the plateau ridge you’ll be spoiled with breathtaking views of the valley, the Irwin River and the cliff face on the other side.
Drive to Riverbend where you’ll find a recreation area with picnic sites and information boards. It’s a stunning spot where the river has carved a cliff face into the Victoria Plateau. The jagged surface of rock, on the cliffs opposite, displays a cross-section of sedimentary layers, showing millions of years of the earth’s history. My geologist husband pointed out siltstone, sandstone and coal layers in the park.
History and Geology
“Formation of Coalseam Conservation Park’s landscapes began when Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana when huge glaciers covered the land and crushed underlying rocks to create the sediments forming much of the rock you see in the park today.” Parks and Wildlife
The park holds strong significance for the Aboriginal Yamatji people. Plants and animals found in the park are used for food and medicinal purposes.
In 1846 European history intruded when the Gregory brothers discovered Western Australia’s first coal in seams along the Irwin River. The area was first declared as a reserve for mining purposes but the coal was of poor quality and deposited in narrow seams making mining difficult.
The park’s rugged terrain made it unsuitable for the pastoralists and farmers who followed with their sheep and wheat into the surrounding area, and the area’s natural heritage values were recognised in 1978 before becoming a Conservation Park in 1994.
How to Get There
Coalseam is 115km east of Geraldton, 30km north-east of Mingenew and 60km south of Mullewa. There are unpowered sites for caravans, and campsites available, and you need to book online – parkstay.dbca.wa.go.au.
There’s a fabulous visitor guide pamphlet that’s choc-a-bloc with information available from the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Parks and Wildlife Service. Contact dbca.wa.gov.au
Late July to September are the best months for wildflowers in WA.
