Merredin

Make Merredin a must-stop on your wildflower and heritage tour, following the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail or the Pioneer's Pathway from Wheatbelt to Goldfields. Here, huge granite outcrops create a striking backdrop to beautiful wildflower blooms, and glimpses of the past can be found in pioneer heritage and WWII military sites. Not only does this wildflower-friendly town boast a plethora of wildflowers in nature reserves - keeps a close eye on its road verges as well. Three hours on the Great Eastern Highway will bring you to Merredin, the largest regional centre in the eastern Wheatbelt. You can also jump aboard the TransWA Prospector, Avon Link or Goldrush Coach Lines and join a town or wildflower tour on arrival. If you're on the trail to discover some of Western Australia's 12,000 plus flowering species that make up the largest collection on Earth, make a beeline for the delicate orchids of Tamma Parkland or the vast granite outcrops of Merredin Peak and Totadgin Conservation Park. The Merredin Peak Heritage Trail will also lead you through native bushland to the remains of a former army field hospital - one of many historic military installations dotted throughout the region as reminders of Merredin's role as the second line of defence. A good place to start your lesson in local WWI and WWII history is to head to the Military Museum. In the town, Cummins Theatre oozes yesteryear charm from every classic 1920s feature. Built from bricks salvaged from Coolgardie hotels and the original pressed metal ceiling from Coolgardie's Tivoli Theatre, it also houses one of the best collections of Australian theatre archives in the state. Today, this thriving business centre also boasts the longest grain storage facilities in the southern hemisphere, as well as a good selection of eating houses and accommodation options - making it the ideal base for exploring the eastern Wheatbelt.