Wongan Hills and a new Wongan Hills Flora Guide

For most wildflower enthusiasts, Wongan Hills is well known as a Wheatbelt town located about a two and a half hour drive northeast of Perth, in the Shire of Wongan-Ballidu. Known for some time as a wildflower haven, the first comprehensive report on the flora was a 1977 handbook by the Western Australian Naturalists’ Club, The Natural History of the Wongan Hills. In 2006 the Wongan-Ballidu Bushcare Group brought out a book on the threatened, poorly known and other flora of the Wongan-Ballidu Shire, all up covering 51 species. It’s now believed the shire harbours over 1200 plant species, with a high number of threatened and priority flora.

WA Wildflower Society and Naturalists’ Club stalwart Jolanda Keeble saw this area as a perfect opportunity to survey for another flora book, given the decades that had elapsed between the first handbook. She decided to focus on a 10 km area around the town and cover seven DBCA-managed nature reserves, plus an additional four reserves managed by the shire. After carrying out monthly surveys for two years, Jolanda is now in the writing stage of her book.

This coming Tuesday evening, 10 September, at The Palms Community Centre, (corner of Nicholson Road and Rokeby Road), Subiaco, Jolanda Keeble is our guest presenter at the monthly General Meeting of the Perth Branch of the Wildflower Society. Doors open at 7.45 pm for an 8 pm start, with a $3 donation giving you entry into the night’s door prize. All are welcome to attend.