RAIN ... Actually it's beautiful ... and the Karri trees are soaking it up and enjoying the cool wetness on their leaves. Problem is that it is a bit heavy for walking purposes as everything underfoot is wet and slippery. Nevertheless, we managed the lovely walk to the Beedelup NP Falls in light rain and saw a Western Rosella and some Fantails. The forest was alive with birdsong. There is a suspension bridge across the stream from which to view above and below the falls. It was misty. I climbed halfway to the platform up the Bi-Centennial tree but the rungs were slippery so after posing for a photo, I came down. Glenn hates heights so kept his feet solidly planted on Terra Firma.
On our drive through the Karri forest we came to a tree called the Elizabeth North Tree. It was named after an extremely well travelled woman who recorded plants from around the world in the 1800s. She donated her paintings and drawings to the Kew Gardens In England. One of them was a painting of this tree.
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We followed the Karri Drive through the Warren and Gloucester National Parks, tuning in to the radio for tourist commentary at various places. We wanted to camp in the forest but all the cleared campsites were tents only which left free camps under tall trees so we decided to go to the c'van park in Pemberton because of the strong winds. There was a lot of debris on the road as we drove, so thought it judicious not to camp under the gigantic Karri trees and risk a falling limb crushing us to death. It would really spoil our holiday!
We went to the famous Gloucester Tree, one of eight trees used as fire watch lookouts. They are amongst the tallest in the forest and smoke can be easily seen above the canopy and reported. Usually you can climb this tree (which we did 40 yrs ago) but it was closed because the rain made the steps slippery so we did a loop walk from there. We miss-read the signs and ended up going down, down, instead of up when we thought we should be going up. We continued along the track until we reached a road and then walked uphill which eventually took us back to the carpark. There are a number of tracks and the one we did was part of the Bibblemun Track which goes 950 kms from near Perth to Albany. The entire area is stunning and a hikers' delight!
We left Pemberton and drove to Windy Harbour where it was exceptionally windy!! There were a lot of holiday shacks with interesting names, seabirds and fishing boats anchored and riding the huge waves.
From there we drove to Pt. D'Entrecasteaux, still windy but wildly beautiful.
Pt. D'Entrecasteaux
The next night we spent in the Shannon NP between Pemberton and Walpole, which gets a really well deserved tick of approval in the Camp Six book, otherwise known as the camper's bible. It has cleared, flat sites well separated from each other, set in a Karri forest. Best of all are the showers heated by a modern version of the old chip heater and firewood supplied for cooking fires. The chip heater was the social hub of the campground where people chatted, fed wood into the fire box and discussed the joys of a hot shower and the next great camping spot.
We drove to Walpole and went to the information centre for maps and advice, and ended up staying there, ensconced in comfortable arm chairs, assisting the Australian cricket team dispose of the top order batsmen from Sth Africa. We were tired then from our exertions, so drove the scenic route around the Knoll and out to some of the beaches. The area is picturesque with tall forests opening to pastureland and beautiful coastline. The storm clouds continued to dump sheets of rain, chased by patches of warm sunshine, but it was cold. We were back into long pants and jackets which had to be unearthed from under the beds.
Next night we camped on the Knoll, overlooking Nanulup Inlet and had a pair of White-tailed Cockatoos for company..... And more rain....... Drip, drip, drip.... Across the bay there was a lot of festivity with good music but alas, the dreaded Kakaoke started. We were grateful we were at a distance but the sound still carried over the water. Thankfully they finished about 10pm.
We awoke to a bright sunny day and drove to The Valley Of The Giants. There is an amazing tree-top walk which is child and wheel-chair friendly and superbly constructed. It is 40 metres above ground at its highest point with views over the canopy to the hinterland. It is part of a forest experience which goes for 800mtrs through the old growth forest of Tingle trees at ground level as well. We took a guided tour and learnt how important fire is to these trees and how to differentiate between different trees and plants. It was an excellent day.
Tonight we are in a free camp at Cosy corner with the surf pounding onto the beach. Sounds a lot like home! We have company... maybe 20 vans and tents nestled in behind the dunes... A lot of surfers.
We stayed two nights, walked along the beautiful beach and met a couple from Adelaide we played scrabble with. They have been on the road for three years and love it. The pressure is now on to get to Pete's house in Cowra by 23rd Dec. for Christmas. We have 21 days....... And the Nullabor Links Course to play on the way. We'll have to pick up the pace!
At Albany we did a quick shop, refuelled and checked on the bush fires burning along the coast which were creating a lot of smoke. We didn't see much of the town before we moved on but intend to revisit this southern coastal area at another time. We overnighted along the road near Ravensthorpe and pushed on to Esperance the next day.
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