PHOTOS: A DRIVE-BY GALLERY

The wattles, the crowning glory of native flowers, have already started putting on a show throughout the Desert Uplands. That is – all that sandy red country between Barcaldine, Tambo, Alpha and Torrens Creek.

There are nearly 1000 different species of wattle spread from top to bottom across Australia, and with so many species all competing for attention from pollinators (mainly insects), they take turns flowering at different times.

In 2022, during Winter months in the Desert Uplands, the ‘Pretty Wattles’ (Acacia acradenia and Acacia stipuligera) are lining the roadside with swathes of yellow blossoms. Each year it’s a little different how long and when our native flowers peak, but as with the rest of northern Australia, it always occurs before winter is over.

So if you call Western Queensland home, or if you live elsewhere, there’s no better time to venture out along the byways and immerse yourself in the spectacle of the winter flower season.