Pemberton, what a gem!
We arrived around lunchtime after a picturesque trip through beautiful forests and pasture land. After satisfying our appetite with a Woolworths 4 seed roll we boarded the Pemberton Tram which meanders through towering karris, marri forests, over trestle bridges and across rivers. This was a 1¾ hour trip and the first chance we had to stop and look at the scenery without worrying about where we were driving. Needless to say staying so still we soon found ourselves falling asleep in such peaceful surrounds. Stephen then climbed the Gloucester Tree, 61 metres, while I stayed on terra firma. Late in the afternoon we drove out to Big Brook Dam where we were amazed that some ‘youths’ were swimming in the freezing dam while we watched the sun go down with a drink in our hand.
Friday was a lovely morning and the ‘plan’ was to drive to Beedelup Falls then onto Yeagarup sand dunes for some 4x4 ing. We were surprised to find the falls in a beautiful national park with lots of walking trails. We spent the next couple of hours bushwalking and passed the Karri Valley Resort which was set on a lovely lake, a name to remember. By the time we left the NP it was lunchtime and we found ourselves at the Silkwood Winery enjoying a platter for two and a bottle of very nice Cab Sav. We spent the next 1½ hours as the only guests in the most beautiful setting before a number of people crashed our party. The food was delicious with garlic prawns, dolmades, smoked chicken pate, spring rolls, cheese, biscuits and fresh fruit. It was now obvious that we would not be going to the dunes today and would need at least another day to enjoy the area.
Saturday was hot, back up to 30 degrees, a designated beach day. First call was the Yeagarup sand dunes, a series of vast mobile sand dunes which are steadily moving inland swallowing up forest, lakes and woodlands. The tyres were let down to a very low 12 and we made our foray onto the sands. The first hill is a doozy and we had to have a second go before getting up as the driver was a little tentative and didn’t have enough momentum. Once over the top you are confronted with a huge oasis of sand. We followed the markers over the dunes and through the sandy woodlands for about 12kms that led us to Yeagarup beach which is on the Southern Ocean. The water was bubbling and there was no swimming in this water unless you had a death wish. We had great fun returning, this time with more confidence as we knew what was confronting us. We left just as the yahoos were arriving, complete with stubbies in each hand! On the way back we drove through the Warren NP and climbed the Bicentennial Tree, 75 metres high. Even I had a go this time. We stopped at an avocado farm and bought a box of 35 avocados for $5.00 and a Crownie! We have been giving them away to our NBFs along the way. Twenty percent of Australia’s avos come from this area. Our next stop was Windy Harbour via Northcliffe, an interesting holiday and fishing spot. What started as a fishing cabin village has developed into a holiday town but still with the fishing cabins, some more glam than others. The beach has a sheltered area which is safe for swimming but is surrounded again by the Southern Ocean, a truly wild stretch of water. A kip on the beach and a stop at the Warren Winery where we chatted to the owners for sometime then home for dinner. We sat and had a drink and shared nibbles with our neighbours, Merrill and Norm, and never quite got to the food part; let’s just call it a liquid dinner that night. Merrill and Norm still hadn’t appeared when we left the next morning. Some people just aren’t stayers.
We loved Pemberton, it is what Margaret River used to be like before it became far too commercialised. It is a quaint old town which has retained its character surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery. Michael Butler assures us that it is the home of Bunnings. Stephen was devastated that he was unable to take a tour of the timber yard as they close at 12 noon on Friday and don’t reopen until Monday morning. Not bad hours if you can get them!
Up early and packed up to move to Albany. This day we had lots of stops planned on the way. First stop, Walpole. The chap at the Visitor’s Centre was more than helpful and provided us with maps of the area and stops to make along the way. We drove around a loop which took us past the inlet that Walpole is built on. Next stop, the Valley of the Giants and the Tree Top Walk. A great way to enjoy the red and yellow tingle trees which make up this forest. A few more kilometres down the South Coast Highway and we came to the toffee shop – free samples – where we made a small purchase so that the owners wouldn’t feel bad!! The next port of call, Denmark, the home of the largest barometer in the world, woohoo. Here we experienced the joy of running up and down the 6 flights of stairs watching the water level in the barometer rise and fall on a 6 minute cycle. Some people just don’t know when to stop having fun!! (Stephen: water boils at the top of the barometer at a very low 19.1oC, interesting)?? Denmark is a lovely little seaside town and we probably should have stayed here in hindsight. We eventually reached Albany (not Allbany) around 5.00pm just as the rain started to fall. Albany is a big town and we tend not to like these too much anymore. A big day in the car but a lovely drive and well worth taking the time to stop and see things.
Monday morning we awoke early to a clear sky so took advantage of this and went for a walk along the very nice Middleton Beach and were rewarded with some whales playing off the point and some seashells for Maggie and Frances. Unfortunately the weather closed in and we spent the day on the computer updating photos and blogs although around lunchtime we did take a break and went for a drive to Frenchman Bay. Here we went to Princess Royal Harbour, King George Sound, Stony Hill lookout, the Blowholes which weren’t blowing water but made a huge sound that made me jump about 3 feet and think I was about to be blown off the rocks - much to Stephen’s amusement, the Natural Bridge and the Gap. All of these involved climbing up and down trails and while the sun was out, the wind was blowing a gale. We were treated to our first, then second snake sighting for the trip; however they kindly crawled off the path into the bushes to allow us to pass.
Tuesday morning we set off for the Stirling Ranges which we had been told not to miss. A fabulous but short (90 kms) drive along Chester Pass Road to the Stirling Ranges Retreat, a gen-u-ine nature reserve. The further we got away from the coast the higher the temperature got. An early lunch before climbing Bluff Knoll, a mere 1095 metre stroll up, up, up, up – are you getting the picture – up, up, up. At the halfway point I told Stephen to go ahead as there was no way I was going to make it. He went ahead and I decided to go a little further, then a little further, then a little further. Next thing I knew I was only 10 minutes from the top and no one was more surprised than Stephen when he walked around the corner on the way down and there I was. He walked back up to the top with me and I was very grateful that I had made the effort – my God, it was some effort – as the view from the top was spectacular. There was an ‘older’ chap at the top who took our photo and if Stephen had come down and told me that I hadn’t made it up there and some really old geeza had, I wouldn’t have been too happy. By the way, it was the old geeza’s third attempt at climbing the Bluff, the first 2 attempts failed but he has since stopped smoking. I think there is a message in that for all the puffers of the world. Coming down was no mean feat either. I could hardly believe how bloody steep it was and was amazed that I had actually made it to the top. We arrived back at the van very tired and hanging for a drink. A tour group were gathered around a blazing fire so we sat and chatted for a while before making dinner and hitting the sack.
A beautiful morning, just perfect for a ‘Wildflower Tour’!! Now that you have all picked yourselves up from the ground, I will proceed. The couple who run this retreat are very into their flora and fauna and we had been told their Wildflower Tour was not to be missed. Ayleen (yes Aileen, this is the correct spelling) took us in her little Hi Ace van and we ‘gutter crawled’ – a totally new experience for me although I’m not sure about Stephen – along the road stopping to spot wild orchids. They are obscure little plants but once shown where they are you quickly learn what to look for and believe it or not are soon spotting them for yourself. I could not believe the stuff coming out of Ayleen’s mouth, botanical and common names of every plant we saw. Tony, her husband, took over after morning tea and continued the lessons with the larger plants, symbiotic relationships (???) and some history of the area. Three hours later we were disappointed when the tour finished. Who would have thunk!!!
Back to the van for a quick bite of lunch then we moved to Hyden, the home of Wave Rock. The drive through the ‘food bowl’ of WA was very interesting, acres and acres of wheat, canola, oats, barley and any grain you can think of. The biggest problem we have is that farmers do not provide signage on their properties informing the passing public what crops they are producing. We must ring “Macca” next Sunday and suggest they install electronic boards along the fencing with this information. We arrived at Hyden around 4.30pm and by 6.00pm had completed all the walks around the rocks. Wave Rock was quite impressive but the million dollar question was: Was it worth driving 250 kms out of our way to see it??? The answer is yes, as Chris and Di Ridsdale have seen it and we couldn’t have them seeing something that we haven’t. We were treated to the sight of an Obscure Dragon while here (see photos) along with swarms of mosquitoes. Joy of joys! Back to the desolate caravan park, dinner and a very early night. The most redeeming feature of this place was that the temperature was around 27 degrees.
As we had not even unhooked the van we were away from Hyden around 8.00am the next morning. The drive from here to Ravensthorpe was again through the wheat crops yet this area has many salt lakes and has a serious salinity problem. We have heard a lot about Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun on the ABC on our trip. BHP Billiton were going to ramp up a nickel mine in the area so lots and lots of Government dollars in infrastructure was put into the area then they decided not to go ahead with the project. The city now has 200 new houses, new cafes and shops with no one to buy or run them, so the mining company and the government have given the Shire $10 million as compensation. We stopped for some morning tea at one of the cafes and the owner, a local, told me that 7 of the 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom houses in Hopetoun had been sold (apparently to local farmers for holiday houses: it’s near the beach) for $375,000 each, well below cost. Unfortunately it’s a bit far from home for us to pick up a bargain.
We continued on towards Esperance but were stopped in our tracks by a grass fire. With the road closed we took a gravel road detour, always a worry with the van, however the road was quite good and we only passed about 5 road trains going the other way; uggh, clouds of dust!! As we approached Esperance the temperature once more dipped to around 21 and the wind was hurricane force.
Why is it that as soon as we approach the beach the weather turns sour???
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/stephen.hede/PembertonAlbanyStirlingRangesHydenEsperance#
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