Lesueur National Park covers 26,987 hectares and is recognised for its outstanding conservation, landscape and recreational importance. It is home to over 900 plant species – 10 per cent of Western Australia’s known flora – including acacias, hibbertias, leschenaultias, melaleucas, gastrolobiums. There are many different orchids, such as pink enamel, purple enamel, cowslip, blue lady, white spider and donkey orchids. In spring several varieties of kangaroo paw are predominant.
There are a variety of vegetation types in the park. The exceptionally diverse low heath, called Kwongan by Aborginal people, covers a large portion of the park. Creek lines and low areas have woodlands of wandoo, redgum and banksia.
Landforms in the park vary from salt lakes and remnant coastal dunes in the north-west through to laterite ridges in the east. The flat-topped laterite mesas of Mount Lesueur and Mount Michaud are features of the park.
Birds and reptiles are abundant in the park. Carnaby’s cockatoo is among the 122 species of native bird found in the park. There are 52 reptile species. The park is particularly rich is geckoes and legless lizards. As with plants and birds, many of the reptiles in the park found here are at the southern or northern limits of their range.
Dieback
Lesueur is relatively free of the soil-borne plant pathogen dieback (Phytophthora spp.). To ensure it remains this way boot cleaning stations are provided on walk trails in the park. Please ensure you use them and stay on marked roads and trails. The vegetation and flora in the park is particularly susceptible to dieback.
Facilities and fees
There are no camping facilities or drinking water in the park. Enry fees apply.
There are camping facilities available in the some of the towns and areas surrounding the park.
Driving
Driving is a great way to see the diverse wildflowers of the park. Lesueur Scenic Drive trail traverses one of the most scenic parts of the park and takes you past Mount Lesueur and Cockleshell Gully. Regular lay-bys provide opportunities to park and enjoy the scenery or take photographs.
Bushwalking
There is a selection of walk trails in the park, varying in length from the 400-metre (return) Botanical Path to the four-kilometre (return) climb up Mount Lesueur.
Getting there
Lesueur National Park is 250 kilometres north of Perth along the Brand Highway. Entry is from Cockleshell Gully Road which, although unsealed, generally has a good surface and is usually suitable for two-wheel drive vehicles. Care must be taken after rain.
