We are on our return trip to WA after visiting QLD for the camel races at Boulia. We are towing our camper trailer with our new Isuzu and decided to camp overnight in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in Victoria.
We have a scout around before setting up camp on the 31/07/2025 but find nothing, so end up enjoying a wonderful night around a campfire, with a nearby school camp group keeping us entertained.
The next morning after packing away the camper we look at the display in the Visitors’ Centre before checking out a walk trail near the entrance to the park.
It is along this trail that we stumble across, firstly rosettes, then buds and finally fully open snail orchids.
I have decided they may well be the Dwarf greenhood (Pterostylis nana) as Atlas of Living Australia records them at our location.
The next time we successfully find orchids is on the 08/08/2025 at Newman Rocks in Fraser Range back in WA. The area is signposted as being a part of the Ngadju Indigenous Protected Area.
We have a quick scout around the low-lying granite outcrop and locate a few orchids.
Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa) and
?? greenhood (Pterostylis sp.).
Not much found so we move onto Norseman where we stay overnight at the Railway Hotel (The Railway Motel & Woodlands Guesthouse) in one of their offsite motel units.
We did get to eat breakfast in the Art Deco style hotel next morning before heading off on our last day of the trip.
We decide to venture along the Old Coach Road / Norseman Heritage Trail to try some new locations for possible orchids in flower.
Along this trail we get to check out historical locations, the Brockway Tree Reserve and old Dundas townsite.
Along the trail we also take the opportunity to search for orchids.
The following orchids were found:
Midget greenhood (Pterostylis mutica) and
Hairy-stemmed snail orchid (Pterostylis setulosa).
A rosette of a Rufa greenhood and leaves of Thelymitra sp. orchids were also found and pics taken.
Norseman Heritage Trail completed, so now we move southward towards home.
We decide on one more stop before making tracks for home. We check out McPherson’s Rocks at Bromus Dam.
Here we finally find orchids outside of the Pterostylis genus in flower.
The Yellow granite donkey orchid (Diuris hazeliae),
Sugar orchid (Ericksonella saccharata) and
Cowslip orchid (Caladenia flava subsp. flava)
break the Pterostylis genus monopoly of this trip.
Of course, more Pterostylis species are found as well:
Hairy-stemmed snail orchid and
Midget greenhood.
Not much to show for a 10000km trip however the majority of the trip was through the arid centre of Australia. Feature image shows the map of our 10000km trek.
Australia is such an amazing place.
