We came to Ikara Head purely to experience the incredible Pink flannel flower bloom and then ended up loving the whole walk. We decided to carry on past the flowers to the end of the track and were blown away by a truly incredible lookout, and couldn’t believe there was no one else around! How views like this can fly under the radar still amazes me.
Whilst the Pink flannel flowers are a rare phenomenon, needing both fire, unusually high rainfall and heat to bloom, there are also white Flannel flowers along the trail too, which are more common. Regardless of the flowers, this easy trail is well worth doing at any time of year.
Here’s exactly what to expect on the trail.
The Ikara Head Track
The stats
Distance: 2.8km each way (5.6km total)
Elevation: 160m
Difficulty: Easy
Into the bush
The trail heads straight from Victoria Falls Road into the bush. It’s a narrow pathway between the trees and is both flat and smooth - fairly rare in the mountains!
The path had a sprinkling of wildflowers almost from the very beginning, but the Flannel flowers we had come for were a little bit further along the track.
It’s a peaceful walk and having spoken to locals, it’s one of those trails where you’d be shocked if you came across someone else (wildflower frenzy aside).
Having looked the track up online before we set off, I didn’t have high expectations. There was basically nothing written about it and what little I did find gave sparse detail and no real praise.
That made the whole experience all the more enjoyable as it felt like a proper hidden gem.
Arriving in a Pink flannel flower wonderland
After around 15 minutes we saw the first little Pink flannel flowers at the side of trail. Just a few minutes later there were some pretty rock formations, mountains in the distance and a huge sea of pink flowers.
We couldn’t believe the numbers, it was extraordinary! The whole area had been blanketed by them. There were also some pretty white Flannel flowers too, interspersed between the pink.
The scenery is also fantastic and It’s one of those rare walks in the mountains that is almost completely flat, yet still has amazing views.
The only short (two minute) uphill section comes around 1.8km into the walk. Other than that it really is a breeze.
Even though we were exceptionally lucky to see this area with the magical rare flannel flowers, we’d still recommend this walk at any time of year.
Onto Ikara Head Lookout
The walk continues past the flowers and rock formations and takes you on a narrow trail with mountain vistas on both sides of you.
It reminded me a little bit of Lockleys Pylon or the beginning of the Mount Banks Summit Track.
It’s one of those walks where you can fully relax and soak up your surroundings as you never get out of breath or have to worry about footing.
Whilst I like the challenge of climbing steep tracks, sometimes flat and easy is exactly what you need!
After just under 3km you’ll arrive at the end of the trail, and there’s no mistaking it. The track abruptly stops and you find yourself looking down a sheer drop into the valley below. It’s a dramatic end to the walk and a wonderful place to sit and while away the afternoon.
The view is staggering and you feel very close to the mountains, in a truly immersive way. It would make a sensational picnic spot, or somewhere to just sit and put the world to rights.
We couldn’t believe after years exploring the mountains that we’d never been to this spot before and we can thank the glorious Pink flannel flowers that we have now remmedied that!
We headed back towards the flowers in time for sunset, and if you get the chance, it’s a great time to be on the trail. The rocks and mountains are bathed in golden light and it adds that extra bit of wow factor to the walk.
Getting to Ikara Head
The Ikara Head Track is located in Mount Victoria, along the Victoria Falls Road. There’s no car park as such, but plenty of places to pull right off the road. The last 4km of the road are unsealed, but at time of writing it’s in good condition and easily passable in a 2WD.
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