Wildflower Wanderer

Perth is a pretty easy place to start a trip. Meet your Travel Director, then head out with a Local Guide to get your bearings in the Western Australian capital. A walk through Kings Park is first up, where spring blooms like cowslip orchids and kangaroo paws show off what WA does best. Hard to believe this huge inner-city park is home to the Western Australian Botanic Garden and more than 3,000 species of native flora. Keep an eye out for birdlife too, with more than 70 species calling this place home.

Tonight, meet your fellow travellers over dinner and get the floral journey underway. (D) Stay: Crowne Plaza Perth

Today is all about the road north, with plenty of big-sky scenery as you make your way towards Kalbarri. Settle in and watch the landscape shift as Perth fades behind you and regional WA starts to take over. Along the way, stop at a local distillery for a look behind the scenes at how its distinctive spirits are made. Wander between the barrels, hear a bit about the process and enjoy a tasting while you're there. Not a bad way to break up the drive. By the time you reach Kalbarri, you'll be well and truly in wildflower country, with the coast not far off either. (B/L/D) Stay: Kalbarri Edge Resort

Kalbarri does drama very well. Over millions of years, the Murchison River carved through the landscape, leaving behind deep gorges, striped sandstone and coastal cliffs that really know how to make an impression. To take it all in, step out onto the Kalbarri Skywalk, which juts 25 m (82 ft) beyond the gorge rim and hangs 100 m (328 ft) above the river below. Not exactly subtle.

Here, an Indigenous guide will welcome you to Country on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and share stories of the land, local bushfoods and traditional medicine plants. It's the kind of place that looks spectacular, but the real depth comes from understanding what you're standing on. (B)

Today is full of stops that each bring something completely different. First, step back to 1853 at Lynton Station, a former convict depot and homestead where historic limestone buildings tell stories of an earlier chapter in WA's history. Then the mood shifts again at Hutt Lagoon, one of those places that makes you do a double take. Depending on the conditions, this vast lake can glow pink, lilac or even red, thanks to its high salinity. It's a proper natural show-off.

Later, arrive in Geraldton and visit the HMAS Sydney Memorial, a moving tribute to the crew lost when the ship sank off the West Australian coast. (B) Stay: Ocean Centre Hotel

Today is one for the wildflower lovers, and this part of WA really knows how to deliver. Join a Local Guide to explore the Midwest's remarkable landscapes, home to more than 12,000 wildflower species, many found nowhere else on Earth. You'll hear the stories behind the blooms, from their names to their surprising edible and medicinal uses, which adds a whole extra layer to all that colour.

There's also time to visit Helen Ansell Art Gallery, where native flora and fauna come to life in vivid paintings, and the town of Mullewa, which really comes into its own during wildflower season. Camera at the ready today. (B)

Today's scenery feels like something from another planet. Stop at Nambung National Park to explore the Pinnacles, a surreal landscape of limestone spires rising out of shifting yellow sand. It's strange, striking and very easy to stare at for longer than expected. These formations were created millions of years ago, when broken-down seashells became sand and were gradually shaped by wind and water into the pillars you see today. Nature had time on its side here. After taking it all in, continue back to Perth.

Tonight, join your Travel Director and fellow wildflower enthusiasts for dinner and swap favourite moments from the past few days. (B/D) Stay: Crowne Plaza Perth

From bright spring blooms to dramatic coastal landscapes, this flower-filled journey wraps up after breakfast today. It's time to say goodbye to your fellow travellers and Travel Director, and head home with a camera full of colour and a few new favourites from the road. (B)