Ro indulged me recently in a show about hometowns. I was allowed to talk about Narrogin in great detail and we only heard a little bit about Ro’s hometowns. So, I set out on a secret roadtrip to visit one of her hometowns and then turn it into a Hidden Treasures story.

What is it that drives us to drive?  What is it that makes us want to hit the road less travelled?  For me it might be that I’ve never been there before.  It might be because my daughter needs to log some hours on her L plates.  Or it might be because it’s come up in conversation and it’s sparked a curiosity to see it for yourself. So here is Three Springs.

Three Springs is north of Perth, north of Moora, north of Coorow and Carnamah and east of Eneabba.  It’s a good day trip.  Not for the faint hearted who struggle to get over the escarpment on a road trip.  It’s over three hours away and a bit longer if the L Plater doesn’t want to get above 80, which isn’t for the faint hearted either.

Here’s a few things you’ll see all year long, not just when the wildflowers make this one of the great destinations in Western Australia:

• Yarra Yarra Lake Conservation Park is a shimmering salt lake in summer but the Lakes Lookout has amazing views that is pink in summer and deep blue through the wet months and filled as far as the eye can see with birds!

• Dookanooka Nature Reserve is brilliant for wildflowers but even in summer is a great expanse of mallee against blue skies.

• The Historic Well is one of the original three springs that give the town its name.

• The Talc Mine started in 1948 and digs out 250,000 tonnes of talc a year. From white to dark green talc, this mine has a wonderful lookout that shows off the mine and the surrounding landscape.

• Take a look at the pink lakes on the Perenjori-Three Springs Road on the way to the talc mine.

• The dominant wheat silos in the middle of the town are emblematic of the reason for the towns existence, surrounded by wheat.

• The main street is broad and straight with most of the towns services lined up for you.

• Rossiter & Co Butchers is where Glen still makes his famous sausages.

• The Commercial Hotel is a big old pub on the main street.

One of our callers to the show, Simon, told us about his visits from the farm to the town as a kid growing up near Eneabba. He remarked that coming to Three Springs was like a metropolis and a great day out to play at the wheat silos and hang out at the shops in the main street.

Three Springs is a Hidden Treasure because it’s on the road less travelled if you want to explore the north on a roadtrip from Perth.  It’s also a great destination outside the wildflower season because it’s a town that’s small enough to discover quickly, surrounded by land that’s big enough to take your breath away.  Importantly, you can also imagine little Ro standing outside the butchers on the main street munching on her slice of polony.