Albany, Warpole, Denmark

Our weekend was fairly quiet. We watched Australia the movie on Saturday followed by lunch back at Helen's and an evening of cards, laughs and a few drinks. Sunday was a catch up day which we badly needed. It was a hot day (for a change) so in the afternoon we headed off for Italian ice cream followed by a long walk along the beach. It was so nice to feel the ocean lapping between my toes and the Fremanlte doctor cooling us off. Back to Helen's for a quick shower and change before going out to dinner at Barbados with some of Helen's lovely friends. It has been great getting to know Helen's girls and her friends and to see how happy and settled she is here in the west.

Albany
On Monday morning Helen was back to work bright and early so John & I headed off to Albany for a night on our own - yay!!!! We finally left Bunbury around 7.45am and headed towards Albany some 4 hours drive away. Once again we drove the Harvest Highway to Manjimup where we turned off to Mt Barker. The country between Manjimup and Mt Barker is a mix of native forests. Mainly eucalyptus species interspersed with stunning candle banksia and grass trees amongst others and broken up by pockets of grazing land and pine and blue gum plantations with one or two orchards thrown in to complete the mix. the roads here are generally excellent and with an open speed limit of 110kmph it makes for easy driving. the country from Manjimup to Mt Barker is mostly hilly with gently rolling rises giving way to some beautiful scenery. Along the way we stopped at Lake Muir Observatory. Lake Muir is a study area for wetlands conservation and management particularly with regard to salinity control and management. We walked some 70 metres along a purpose built board walk to the elevated observation platform where you can look out over a vast expanse of water and swampland. immediately as we head east from Lake Muir the vegetation is mostly low saltbush country eventually giving way to the taller eucalypt forests and finally plantation timbers. As we pass vast areas of young bluegums it as if we are passing millions of little Aussie Xmas trees and the bluegums with their silver blue leaves and gum nuts need no further decoration. As we approach Mt Barker we once again enter wine country and the home of Goundary wines. all throughout the drive the landscape is dotted with remnant outcrops of the season's wildflowers in a wide variety of variety and colour and it is easy to imaging just how beautiful this country must be in the height of the wildflower season.

At Mt Barker we head into Albany and just outside of Albany we stop at the Sandlewood factory and I am in my element. I remind John just how much restraint I am exercising in this shop as it would be easy for me to spend hundreds of dollars here. Unfortunately we are restricted by time so have to forgo the massage and sound therapy treatments. I will have to save that for a future visit.

Our next stop is Whale World which offers a fascinating insight into the whaling industry in this area and the plight of the whales today. We spend around 3 hours soaking in the history and interactive displays and trying to imagine what sort of life the whalers and their families must have lead. Whaling was ceased in this area in 1978 so when Jo, Helen & I went through in 1979 the station was closed and town was still very much in mourning for a lost industry. Today Albany thrives on tourism particularly drawing on its stunning natural assets and its history.

We then explore the coastline and head for the blow holes, the Gap and Natural Bridge. The path to the blowholes is long and steep and as we meander down the hillside which is covered in spectacular native ground cover and low shrubs I drink in the beauty of the remnant wildflowers and imagine what a spectacular sight this must be when the flowers are in full bloom. The bright blues, purples, pinks, reds, oranges and yellows light up the landscape backdrop with its varying hues of green and blue-greys. The twisted and gnarled limbs of the shrubs which have been shaped by the weather over the years add greater character to the already stunning landscape. As we get closer to the coastline the shrubbery gives way to spectacular rocky outcrops some of which look as if an artist has come along with is brush and highlighted some of the rocks in a brilliant orange. Against the coastline the colours stand out adding character and uniqueness to the area. Exploring the Gap and natural Bridge areas brings back vivid memories of my time here in 1979 with Jo and Helen when we skipped over the rocky outcrops with the surefootedness and reckless abandon of mountain goats.

As we leave this area the grey clouds that have been menacing the day finally give way to a heavy mist that doesn't really interfere with our plans but drops the temperature even further. We detour now to the wind farm on the coast where massive wind turbines groan against the otherwise silent landscape working to generate much needed green power for the area. Leaving here Terry's trusty GPS system guides us to our accommodation for the night. A lovely one bedroom apartment with spa bath which we naturally make the most of. After a late lunch at the Whale Watch Centre we settle for dinner of wine, cheese, crackers, strawberries, cherries and chocolate and an early night.

After a leisurly breakfast we are off again and stop in at the Princess Royal fortress ewhich was a war post for Australia with large cannons and bunkers built in to the side of the hill. the history is interesting but we are conscious of the long drive ahead and our interest in the giant timber forests of the Warpole-Nordalup National Park.

Albany is a pretty little town nestled into the hillside of the southern coast of Australia overlooking a stunning natural harbour. The town is steeped in history with many of its buildings reflecting its early heritage. We would have liked more time in this area but will certainly have lots to do on a return visit in the hopefully not to distant future.

Denmark
We then took the toursit drive to Denmark through what appeared to be predominately dairy country. We stopped at the information centre and then headed out along Ocean Road looking for somewhere to have a coffee but with no luck. We then decided to try to find the fudge factory but after driving about 16km along Scottsdale Road we gave up and headed back to town, again conscious of the time. We finally stopped at the Denmark Tavern for coffee and delicious apple pie before continuing on to Warpole-Nordalup National Park via the scenic route to the valley of the giants. Here we drove through mixed grazing country and forests where the ghostly fingers of the old growth trees seem to be reaching up to the heavens in a plea for help.

The Valley of the Giants treetop walk is really amazing and offers a completly different perspective on forest life. The walk is some 600metres long ascending to a height of 40metres. The forest here is a mix of tingle, jara, karri, marri and other species with the tingle being the largest. Tingle trees can grow to a height of 90metres and a girth of 20metres. The tallest we saw was 75metres. They really are a spectacular tree and quite unique in that for such a large tree they have a very shallow root system. The walk through the forest provides an opportunity to put life into perspective and to soak up the wisdom of the ancient trees, some as old as 400 years. The tingle trees seem to be particularly prone to burles, probably as a result of their shallow root system, which gives them a unique characteristic as they develop unusual shapes and branch patterns.

From here we drive through the park to Circular Pool. The forest changes enroute to the pool with the magestic trees giving way to the lower shrub country before reverting back to the tall tree forests. Our drive continues over hilltop road through more forests. As we drive through this peaceful and magestic place we soak in the wisdom of the land and the forests and can't help but wonder what life must have been like for the first Australians and early European settlers. Reluctantly we head back to Bunbury as the day draws to a close.

Tonight is our last night in Bunbury and Helen cooks a lovely meal after which we reminisce over old photos and good port.