Dryandra - Woodland Wonderland, Western Australia

DRYANDRA WOODLAND, CENTRAL WHEATBELT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Blinking in the afternoon sunlight the doe gazed at me with big soft brown eyes, her large ears turned in my direction. Her distended belly and a protruding foot and tail showed she was carrying a precious cargo. She reached down and touched the foot. It kicked, twisted and disappeared followed by the tail. The lump jostled with itself and then a head popped out of its furry hole and two ears twitched. Some of the mob had already bounded a short distance away, and not wanting to disturb their afternoon feeding, we continued across the clearing and down the walk trail through the wandoo trees.

The doe was a Western Grey Kangaroo and it is early October and we are in the Dryandra Woodland, two hours south of Perth, and 22 kilometres north west of Narrogin in Western Australia’s central wheatbelt. Rich in bird and animal life and wildflowers, Dryandra is one of the largest remaining woodland areas in the wheatbelt.

It is springtime and we have travelled to Dryandra from our home in Bunbury for a weekend of camping, bushwalking, and for me to photograph wildflowers. It is a perfect weekend location, an easy drive from home. Leaving Bunbury early on Saturday we reach Dryandra within two hours and have already set up camp by mid morning at the Congelin campsite near the Congelin Railway Dam on the western side of Dryandra.

Western Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) has established seven walk trails throughout Dryandra suitable for all levels of fitness and ranging in length from one to 13 kilometres and a 27 kilometre trail for horse riders. The trails focus on different aspects of the area and feature the diversity of vegetation and wildlife. The Ochre Trail describes Nyoongar culture in the Dryandra area and features an ochre pit used by Aboriginal people for decoration.

Dryandra’s woodlands of white-barked wandoo, powderbark, brown mallet and thickets of rock sheoak are a prime habitat for birds and native animals. Springtime is the best time to visit when the woodlands erupt in a profusion of wildflowers including the prolific Poison Bush (Gastrolobium) and the Golden Dryandra (Dryandra nobilis).

To read this entire article, see "Go Camping Australia" magazine, Winter 2007