A day out in Kings Park for Outback supporters

The Outback is famous for wildflowers – glorious carpets of yellow, pink, white and purple that line the roadsides and light up the paddocks. They begin blooming in June in the north and sweep south through the state to finish on the south coast in November.

For people who live in Perth, some of these stunning colours emerge at Kings Park Botanical Gardens each year.

So it was perfect timing last weekend for two hundred Our Outback, Our Story supporters to gather at the Park for a BBQ.

Supporters and their family and friends battled the parking lot crowds or came by bus, bike or foot to find a spot in the sun near the Old Tea Pavilion, right next to a big bed of native Western Australian flowers.

We gathered to celebrate reaching 10,000 signatures on the Outback petition to Premier Colin Barnett, and also to meet one another, say thank you to the Outback volunteers and unveil our new banner.

Everyone I spoke to on the day felt that the Outback was important to people from all over the state, even those who live in Perth or in other parts of the southwest. Many had family links to the Outback or treasured memories of holidays in remote parts of the state.

Most of all, it's clear that people who know and love the Outback want to make sure that it will still be there, in all its diversity and beauty, for future generations.