Your guide to the wildflowers of the Freycinet Peninsula
Freycinet National Park is a must in springtime, with huge varieties of pinks, purples, yellows and white flora.
Coastal heathlands are also flowering August-October, with Wattle (Acacia dealbata and Acacia melanoxylon) blooming during Spring. Summer is for purple Melaleuca and Tetratheca pilosa, yellow Hibbertia riparia and our much- loved rock orchids!
A guided walking tour can be a great way to explore and learn about the different types of wildflowers on the Freycinet Peninsula. If you have an interest in wildflowers or the sighting of a particular species, do get in touch! Our team of flora enthusiasts can provide advice on sightings and seasonality and are only too happy to put together an itinerary to match your interests!
The Freycinet Experience Team have put together a few of our Freycinet flora fun facts and highlights to inspire your next adventure.
Banksia
The banksia we spy on the Peninsula has a beautiful yellow colour and is easily recognised by its flower spikes and fruiting ‘cones’ and heads. Banksias are an important food source for all sorts of nectarivorous animals, as well as being heavy producers of nectar and are a favourite among nectar loving endemics such as the Yellow Wattlebird!
Melaleuca
Melaleuca flowers generally occur in groups, forming a head or spike resembling a brush - these contain up to 80 individual flowers! They range in size from small shrubs to trees up to 35 metres tall and are well known for their medicinal properties.
White Kunzea
Kunzea ambigua, commonly known as white kunzea, can grow up to 5 metres high and wide. It bears small white flowers in spring and attracts native insects (as well as many a walker due to its incredible scent!). Kunzea essential oil has been found to have beneficial anti-inflammatory properties and interestingly, native animals are often found sleeping under Kunzea plants where they seek relief from ticks or other parasites!
Wattles
Wattles are the largest genus of vascular plants in Australia. Acacia dealbata, known as the silver wattle, is a fast-growing evergreen tree growing up to 30 metres tall and spotted throughout the Peninsula. The flowers are produced in large clusters made up of numerous smaller globose bright yellow flowerheads of 13-42 individual flowers! These delicate delights are a welcome addition to our coastal Spring treks!
Orchids
Our Freycinet Experience Team love orchids! Lucky for us, there are at least 43 different species of orchid found in the Freycinet Peninsula! And, around one-third of Tasmania’s orchids are endemic. A popular favourite is the Caleana minor, also known as the small duck orchid, which has a single reddish-brown, grass-like leaf, and up to four yellowish flowers on a wiry stem.