Kings Park generally hosts one of the most dynamic festivals in celebration of Spring and the unveiling of Mother Nature’s palette of color. In the event you missed the festival, you can still see this master piece, however from experience I recommend that you invest at least a day for this event.
I have spent most of September travelling to remote areas to see wildflowers in the more dryer areas of Western Australia. However, recently my husband decided to surprise me with a visit to Kings Park.
Although there was plenty parking, we found that we were not the only one’s to visit the park on this particular day, so we chose a 30 minute parking spot. We soon revised this decision after spending 30 minutes in the Kings Park Botanical Bookstore talking to some staff about names of some wildflowers I was unable to track. Of course, this resulted in moving the car, which my husband patiently did while I was left to photograph some of the blooms.
Before me was a smorgasbord board of wildflowers which left me suddenly confused with the decision on where to start first. Thankful, my husband had the day prepared, and he had packed all my camera gear to make sure I would capture every moment.
While deciding where to start first, my husband appeared to offer to take my backpack of books. He suggested I take me time, while he was going to sit under a tree and enjoy a cup of coffee (or two).
With time no longer an issue, I began with capturing the moment in color. I had to be extremely focused because I became aware of some wildflowers I was really eager to see, such as the Green Kangaroo Paw and the Black Kangaroo Paw. I soon found out, that there was more to the Kangaroo Paw family than I had read, and with every step a new member unveiled itself to me! I was in wildflower heaven.
I had barely circled the first flower display that was situated in front of the Botanical Bookstore when I noticed that I had been there for over an hour. As I made my way round, my husband texted me a quick message: “Wildflower Guide at Work”.
(Angiozanthos viridus)
I was chatting to other wildflower enthusiasts and we were discussing scientific names and display. I smiled a little realizing that he had been watching me photo almost every flower. I looked around to see if I could see him, and he texted “By the coffee shop”. Suddenly, it was the perfect romantic day. My “007” watching my little adventure!
I made my way across the lawn to the next wildflower display. Finally I was able to put a name to one of the flowers I spotted in Les Murdie Falls. It was the ‘Thomasia Purpurea’. This little shrub hosts a vast amount of little purple flowers with a black stigma.
Kings Park is about 4 square kilometers in size. I had barely covered 200 square meters, and the day was nearing an end. Seeing the entire park would probably take at least a month at this rate.
The day ended with a last tour through a display of flowers in different regions of Western Australia. I was impressed with the detail that the staff went through in ensuring a true Western Australia Display of Wildflower color. Everything from the soil type to the exact wildflower match to that region was carefully calculated. If you were struck with lack of time and a tight budget, you could just wander over to Kings Park to see what wildflowers would look like in other regions!
Apart from wildflowers, there is a range of things to do and see in Kings Park. With an abundance of cafes, picnic spots and a million dollar view, a day at Kings Park can be any day you wish it to be. Ultimately this day proved to be one of the most romantic days in my life with my personal 007 and an adventure among wildflowers!
