When you arrive at Toolibin Lake it’s hard not to be underwhelmed. It’s a smallish fresh water lake fringed by scrubby trees and populated by voracious mosquitos. While I was there only two other vehicles pulled up, the first visitor walked over to the information board and then got straight back in his car and drove off. A couple got out of the second car and walked down to the waters edge and then they too got back in their car and headed off. Perhaps it was the mosquitoes or perhaps their expectations did not match the reality of the place. Don’t know. All I do know is that it’s a fantastic nature reserve with plenty of nature.

What makes Toolibin Lake so special? There used to be lots of lakes like this throughout the Wheatbelt, but agricultural land clearances have rendered them saline which has killed off the vegetation around them and destroyed the native animals habitats. Toolibin has miraculously managed to survive and has become an oasis for rare and threatened flora and fauna. If you want to see a Freckled Duck or a Red-tailed Phascogale  then Toolibin Lake Nature Reserves is one of your best bets for finding them. I wasn’t there for the wildlife, I was looking for the wild orchids that can be found in the surrounding woodland of flooded gum, acorn banksia and rock sheoak. What I found was nothing short of spectacular.  While species like Cowslip Orchids are ten a penny in the South West of Western Australia it was the quantity of them that was amazing. It was a magnificent sight. I was looking for two species – the Clown Orchid (Caladenia roei) and its cousin the Purple-veined Spider Orchid (Caladenia doutchiae) both of which I found pretty quickly.  The Clown Orchid I’d seen before at Wongan Hills, which is quite hike from where I live, but, the Purple-veined Spider Orchid was completely new to me and was the one I particularly wanted to photograph. I decided to photograph both as they can be a bit difficult to tell apart. As it was I passed up a Common Dragon Orchid as I thought it was a damaged Fringed Mantis Orchid. Note to self: next time photograph everything that you find.

Toolibin Lake is definitely a place I’ll be visiting again, although the next time I’ll forego the orchids and look for the Freckled Duck and the Red-tailed Phascogale. For anyone interested in visiting be aware that Toolibin Lake lies in a low rainfall area of the Wheatbelt and consequently it usually only holds water at certain times of year and some years it may not have any water at all. This year while the rains have been late they have been very heavy so everything was in top shape.