Corrigin

 

The attractive and thriving small town of Corrigin is the center for a prosperous wheat and sheep farming district which is noted for its wildflowers.

Corrigin Craft Center features art and crafts by local people, and also houses the town’s Tourist Information Center.  The Pioneer Museum displays carefully restored farm machinery considered to be the finest in the region.

Nearby is the unusual miniature steam railway built by peioneer farmer Albert Sibley and available for rides. 

More modern machines take pride of place in Corrigin each October for the Tractor Pull, a relatively new sport in which tractors, trucks and specially modified machines compete to haul a sled along a 100 meter track.

Corrigin is 230km from Perth on the Brookton Highway or via York and Quairading.

Photo courtesy:  doginaute.corrigin

 

 

Moora

 

Moora lies on the banks of the Moore River in an area particularly noted for its wildflowers.  In spring, particularly, a spectacular multi-colored carpet of wildflowers embraces the surrounding countryside, punctuated by the dramatic yellow masses of wattle blossoms.

A number of detailed routes have been developed to allow visitors to see the most attractive areas, including the heathlands of the Watheroo National Park.  Jingemia Cave, within the national park, is noted for its geological formations and vegetation.

Allow time, in Moora to visit Yuat Aboriginal Crafts and see artifacts being made by the local group.

The 80km Moora District Heritage Trail, which commences at the original 100 Mile Peg on the Great Northern Highway (30km north of New Norcia), is an attractive drive taking in Moora and the historic farm homesteads and settlements in the surrounding country.

It includes the Berkshire Valley, 19km east of Moora, where the original homestead and farm buildings constructed from 1847 onwards have been lovingly restored and are open to the public.  The Old Flour Mill now houses the Berkshire Valley Folk Museum.

Photo courtesy:  wikimedia 

 

 

Cervantes / The Pinnacles

 

Cervantes is a thriving fishing and resort town.  The town’s name derives from an American whaling ship wrecked off the coast in 1844.  The coastal lands surrounding Cervantes features intense displays of wildflowers, particularly from August to October each year.

Just 29km south of Cervantes in the Nambung National Park, is one of Australia’s most striking natural features,- The Pinnacles.  A formation of limestone outer crops standing in a small sandy desert.  The Pinnacles create an eerie atmosphere.  Dutch sailors who spotted the columns from the sea prior to European settlement thought they were seeing the remains of an ancient city. Nambung National Park also features colorful displays of wildflowers and wattles.

Cervantes is 245km north of Perth via the Brand Highway (turn off at Bibby Road).  Half-day coach tours of The Pinnacles are available from Cervantes, and full-day tours depart from Perth.

Photo courtesy:  k43 pbase