23-30 October
A long day driving through pretty countryside, with regular stops and short walks. We eventually found a decent camp site and pitched the tent.
Monday 25th
On thge way to Walpole, we stopped at a river estuary and watched 3 dophins working together to shoal the fish into catchable batches! Carole waded in the water to see them much closer- the pelicans decided that she had food for them so followed her everywhere!
Headed to the coast and found a little bay with great views. There were some chalets so we enquired about the price. We couldnt believe how cheap they were, so we decided to stay put for the day and relax.
What a great decision. our chalet overlooked the bay (an inlet to the sea) and we could watch dolphins moving in and out.
We walked along the unspoilt coast to the next bay and spent some time (completely alone) on a spectacular beach. On the way back we watched (and fed) Rays which were quite tame and came right up to the edge of the water.
We really did not want to move on, but there was more to see....
26th
We headed for the valley of the 'Tall Trees'. There was a suspended walkway at canopy level which seriously tested Pete's vertigo. This was a must, in order to get an appreciation of just how magnificent the 'Tingle' trees are. We also came accross a 'Quokka' which is a rare type of marsupial (like a small wallaby).
We then followed the coast south towards Albany. There was some very spectacular coastline here with small conservation parks and wildlife refuges.
We found another great camp site next to a river, with lots of birds and resident Kangaroos. During the night the weather turned cold and damp...
27th
We travelled north of Albany to visit a Banksia farm. We had a guided tour and lecture with one of the worlds experts. he was so enthusiastic and interesting that our love of plants was rekindled. We bought seeds and look forward to growing our own Banksias.
The garden/farm was so interesting, for its birdlife as much as anything else.
We then made our way to the Stirling Ranges hoping to camp or stay in a lodge. We were offered a lodge but it was a rediculous price so we explored a while and then travelled back to the Porongorup wildlife reserve, which we had travelled through earlier.
We found a camp site which also had a lodge available for a really good price. We had a bottle of wine with dinner and watched the telly for the first time in ages.
28th
As the lodge was so confortable we decided to stay for two nights. It was also caroles birthday and we were recommended a really unusual Thai restaurant (garage) nearby.
We spent the day exploring the Stirling Ranges which were famous for their wildlife and flowers.
We were not dissapointed, we took far too many pictures. We had a brilliant day driving on dirt roads with no-one else in sight.
In the late afternoon we walked the Porongorup hills, for great views and more wildlife.
In the evening we had a great meal.
29th
Today we headeded north towards Perth but we first wanted to stay a night at Dryandra which was about half way.
We drove through several 'outback' towns (avoiding the odd Kangaroo) and arrived with time to explore the unique forest which was home to some of the most endangered Australian wildlife.
We stayed at another cheap but spectacular lodge. In the evening we went into a part of the reserve where they were breeding and releasing Boodies, Quendas, Bilbies (marsupials) etc. We sat in the dark at food stations and watched as they emerged from their hiding places to eat.
On the way home through the forest we saw Kangaroos, echidna, Possoms and Frogmouths (type of owl)
Carole fed the Possoms on the veranda in the evening.
30th
We got up at about 5am and searched for the elusive 'Numbat' in the forest. After abou 4 hours we gave up and headed for Perth. We travelled on dirt roads so the journey was quite slow. we stopped for wildlife on the way
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