Walpole

We left Busselton rather later than usual.  Just could not get going.  We really enjoyed the drive through the karri and jarrah forests.  They are such amazingly beautiful towering trees.  It remind me of the Victorian bush and it gave me a little flutter, not far from home now.  It probable looks such a long way but in the scheme of things we feel closer than we have in absolute ages.  Crossing the border into South Australia again I imagine will make the heart pitch to the side.  Mind you it will not be enough to bring us home yet.

Marianne North Tree 

Our first stop was at a majestic old trees in the Warren National Park near Pemberton. Marianne North Tree and the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree we stopped at.  The first was a misshaped karri with a strange growth along its trunk. The second tree was one of the fire lookout trees in the area. The Diamond and Gloucester were the other two but we decide that as this was the one on the trail we were on that it would be the one to try and climb. My goodness when we reached the tree and saw the hundreds of step to the top it put fear straight into me. No way were we climbing that bugger.  65metres with a 130 pegs to climb.  It was just too unsafe.  How it still is deemed a safe attraction has me stumped.  Victorians would have shut it down years ago because of the lack of safety.  We allowed the kids to climb up and around to the first bend just to get the photo but that was it.  Austin was itching to get to the top, Kaleb and then Jordan not far behind.  As for their poor parents.  We wanted to rooted to the ground just like the tree.

Bicentennial Tree.  She is a little taller
than we expected.

Come on Mum, can't we go to the top!!!!

Stop looking up my dress Austin.
Now this was not suitable
attire for this climb.

I think this was high enough for Nigel!

The top of the tree has a huge landing
area which supposable has a great 360
degree view around the area.  Not
that any of us would know.

We had quick lunch again and then happened across Bren, Kate and the girls.  They were also driving through Pemberton as we ate lunch.  We thought that they would have been long gone in this area but funnily enough we were driving in the Margaret River region a few days earlier and Jordan pipes up in the back "That's Indigo's car.  Theirs her bike on top." Sure enough it was and we follow them until they noticed us. About 3km up the road.  Was stopped and chatted and caught up with each others news which was really nice.  Now we are back on the road again.  The kids are rapt.  We texted them and told them we were heading for Walpole as were they.  We meet at the caravan park and the kids had a great play with each other.  It was really nice to meet up again.  The kids love playing with them.

The Kookaburra that came to visit.

The next day we spent exploring the Walpole Wilderness. We drove around the Knoll Drive that began at our beachside caravan park.  (Coalmine Beach - looks the colour of coal) and around the Nornalup Inlet. Then we ventured onto another dirt track to find the giant tingle tree.  Wow it was amazing.  The hollow that you stand in can be used like a garage.  It was big enough to fit a land cruiser in.  It was a pretty impressive tree and it was very special to stand within it.

Coalmine Beach

From look out down to Nornalup Inlet

Pelicans at Coalmine Beach

Ta-da!!!

It just this big!

Our drive then continued a little further into the forest and visited Circular Pool.  Austin say matter of factly "We have already been there.  Why are we going again?"  Ah now that true in one sense as we had visited a Circular Pool way back up at Karijini National Park but it's obviously not the same one.  It was really different also.  This one looks like a cappuccino.  The water the colour of coffee and the froth created from the rushing water on the rocks.  It was such an unusual pool.  The saponin from the plants that break down in the water and is then washed down the river in large volumes and creates this awesome look.

Our afternoon was spent exploring the Valley of the Giants - Tree Top walk.  Huge suspension bridges nestled amongst the towering karri trees canopy.  Very high off the ground at 40metres with a whole lot of sway.  It was a really amazing walk through.  So good that we did it all again.  Jordan though was not at all happy.  She did not like the feeling of being up on those suspended walkways.  But she did it anyway.  Just for Mum. That's my girl.  The second part of the walk took us around a board walk at ground level which Jordan much preferred.  We really enjoyed wandering through this gorgeous area.  It is full of some very amazing trees which we felt special to be in amongst.

Do I have to let go!

It said that you don't look down.  Well I didn't just the camera!

At the highest point of the climb.

Grandma Tingle

Can you just stop taking our photos!!!!!

We called into Conspicuous Cliff beach on way back to the van.  It was an amazingly rugged beach with the Southern Ocean battering it shores.  It was wild and beautiful.  I did nearly lose all the kids thongs out to beach but luckily Nigel saved the day.

We felt like we were the only ones on the beach.

On our journey out of  Walpole the next morning we stopped off at Greens Pool and Elephant Rock.  Two hidden treasures at the William Bay National Park.  The kids and I had a lovely dip in the most tranquil green water that we had seen for ages.  It was just spectacular.  Western Australia has the most amazing of beaches.  This one in particular is now one of my favourites.  Elephant Rock was cool too with the amazing green water but many rocks shaped like elephants in the water.  It was pretty.

Just spectacular!

  Greens Pool from the lookout above.

Walking to Elephant Rock.

Ah an Elephant.  How cute.

Elephant Rock!

In to Demark for some lunch at their award winning bakery and we happened to run into Kate, Bren and the girls again.  Now it feels like we are stalking them which we are not of course but it's funny how we keep running into the same families on journey.

  

 Gorgeous wildflower we found on our journey around Walpole/Denmark

Albany here we come.