The rain cleared and the wind finally stopped howling allowing my departure from Borden. I was concerned that the route would be steep and winding, as it turned out it was almost flat-going all the way. Moingup Springs is a small National Park provided camping area on the edge of the Stirling Ranges that was cheap at $5.50 per night for seniors. I was lucky to secure a spot since all sites were taken up by early afternoon. Unfortunately, this was to be my only experience of the area because the road network further into the NP were unsealed and so after the recent wet unsuitable for the Coaster. No matter, the two days spent exploring the surrounding bush was rewarding enough to satisfy. A bit of research revealed that the springs were important in the 1860s when settlers began to establish farms along the northern edge of the Stirling Range. Moingup Spring became an important water source for sheep and horses being driven through the range, a trip of 3 to 4 days. The sheep had to be kept moving and contained in temporary yards overnight to stop them eating poisonous pea plants that are still to be found in the area.
At first glance the sparsely wooded bush that surrounded the camp did not appear to offer much. I changed that view when I ventured a bit deeper, finding many flowering plants that I had not seen previously. I have been amazed at the diversity of the wild flowering plants of WA. They are different in each region with some to be found only along a short distance of roadside or in a specific area before being suddenly replaced by a completely different group of species. There are many other regions of the state that I did not visit where this trend would be expected so that there must be thousands of different types. If anything convinces me to return to WA in the future one reason will be to seek out and marvel again at this brilliant and colourful diversity.
(Click on a photo to enlarge)
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