Bush landscape transformed into 'once-in-a-lifetime' flower experience

feel good Winter rainfall turns bush landscapes into lush oases of flora Belinda Hansen lives on a remote 1922 homestead by the River Murray, on the border of New South Wales and Victoria. It is situated around 50 kilometres from Lake Victoria, surrounded by ancient red cliffs, gum trees and wildlife. According to Ms Hansen, this year's abundance of flora is reminiscent of sights she saw more than 50 years ago, in 1974, with the return of plants she has not seen in decades. "That was an amazing year for rain, plants and budgies — there were thousands of them," she said. "Normally plants are isolated, taking advantage of a patch of ground which is sheltered [or] containing more moisture than surrounding areas. "[But] with the consistent rainfall, plants are profuse, with some of the flowering plants growing up through a mat of ground cover." She described the landscape as "very unusual and wonderful" with a carpet of "varying shades of green" and "swathes of colour from some wildflowers". Poached egg daisies, common stork's bill, statice "sea lavender" and Olearia pimeleoides, also known as showy daisies, are some of the plants she has come across. Thanking the rain Ms Hansen said her area had received around 240 millimetres of rain this year, just shy of its average yearly total of around 250mm, and brought the countryside to life. But the burst in colour is not just in her corner of the country, with blooms being seen across regional Australia. South Australia's Riverland has experienced an outstanding level of rain this year, following three years of record-breaking drought. Falls have already exceeded the region's yearly average of between 200mm and 300mm by 150 per cent in some places, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Local plant expert and Berri Native Plants owner Andrew Walladge said it had transformed the arid landscape. "We've had exceptional rainfall events pretty much starting from March and have occurred right through," Mr Walladge said. "For somewhere that doesn't get a lot of rain this is really, really exciting, because we're seeing plants we haven't seen before." Even the weeds are pretty While native plants have experts and visitors excited, they are not the only plants bringing colour to the region. Invasive weeds are known to displace native plants and cause problems in the ecosystem, but they are also booming with the spring weather wherever they can find space. Murray River Trails operations manager and guide Sophie Hoffman said it is disappointing to see them, but they do add to the beauty of the landscape. "They are really pretty, and I think we can give them credit for that," she said. "We're only really seeing them in their boom period right now, and during the heat of the Australian summer they recede a little bit." Ms Hoffman said wildlife have also followed suit. "We're seeing small insects; we're seeing birds come out with the flowering event that we're seeing," she said. The Australasian Fire Authorities Council's seasonal outlook for the season said South Australia will have a drier-than-average spring. With the extra growth around the state, the added foliage is likely to add to the fuel load this fire season and has the potential to increase fire risk in many places this summer. But as far as plant enthusiasts are concerned, now is the time to get outside and see what might be blooming. "For a lot of people, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing our bushland so vibrant, so full and so incredibly exciting,"Mr Walladge said.