🌸Ode to Kalbarri Wildflowers🌸
“Now hands up if you’re not here!”
Kalbarri Wildflowers Tour 🌸
It is not every day that a tour ends with poetry.
But that is exactly what happened on our Kalbarri Wildflowers Tour - September 2025!
Our Tour Leader - Matt Walker, put pen to paper and captured the whole journey — from pelicans and pink lakes to wildflower carpets and laughter-filled moments.
It is a heartfelt, funny, and beautifully written reflection of a truly memorable Villa adventure and one we are pleased to share with you.
🚌🌿
It rained at the Gravity Centre, our plans went astray,
No flowers to wander, no bright bush display,
But we poked at a meteor, laughed at the fun,
A space-rock adventure—the trip had begun!
Through Pinnacles’ desert, all jagged and bare,
Like limestone swamp trees, all frozen mid-stare,
An alien landscape, both eerie and stark,
Like walking on Mars in the desolate dark.
In Cervantes we dined and the sweets made us roar,
Our dessert by the lottery—who could want more?
And breakfast next morning was sheer delight,
Though someone lost clothing—by day or by night?
Villa’s tea in Port Denison—bikkies stacked high,
Enough for an army, you just had to try!
We paused at the HMAS Sydney Memorial, still,
The dome of souls and the stele on Geraldton’s hill.
Then off to the foreshore through showers we parted,
Lunch turned to chatter and warm drinks started.
All aboard “now hands up if you’re not here!”
“Anyone missing?”— the tour leader’s cheer.
Onto Northampton of footy fame we coasted,
Lush green hills and valleys the land about boasted
At Hutt Lagoon’s shoreline the waters were pink,
Like strawberry milkshake you’d think twice to drink.
Kalbarri then called through the showers of rain,
Where warm, cosy lodgings brought comfort again.
We met Naughty Boy the pelican cheeky and sly,
Who hustled and performed with a gleam in his eye!
We cruised the Murchison steady and slow,
With sea-eagles wheeling and red cliffs aglow,
While Tracey served lunch and Grant told the lore,
Of river birds, fishes and sandstone and more.
The coastline rose rugged, the viewpoints were plenty,
dramatic cliffs stood a hundred metres and twenty.
On cliff trails we found flowers, bright gems of the scene,
And whales far offshore—though not always seen!
The morning revealed no cool air in sight—
A nut had gone missing, a bolt wasn’t tight!
Neil found the fault and Mike lent a hand,
Our heroes of travel, the best in the land.
The crown of the tour was the day in the park,
With retired Ranger Mike—what a bright spark!
His passion and knowledge were truly a light,
He knew the full story of every plant in sight.
Seventeen years for the Skywalk to stand,
A bridge to the sky, a dream of the land,
And flowers like carpets, a riot, a flame,
Too many to number, too many to name.
Now rolling to Perth with our memories sure,
Tired but happy, content and secure,
And if there’s a wonder you missed on the way,
Fear not, another adventure is not far away—
So don’t be disheartened, no need for temper,
Just join Villa Carlotta for another adventure!
Matt Walker
Villa Tour Leader
