Tree Huggers Heaven

Southern Forests, WA

Nannup, Manjimup, Pemberton, Windy Harbour, Walpole, Denmark, Albany

February 6 to February 20, 2016

Trees, trees and more trees - giant jarrah, karri, marri and tingle. The forests have kept us very busy - walking and hugging, hiking and hugging, climbing and hugging. They are grand, tranquil,
awe-inspiring places. We loved them, we cuddled them.

Embracing a 300-year-old giant tingle tree near Walpole ... 

... and getting familiar with its knobbly bits. 

 This is a variety of karri tree with gorgeous buttress roots. 

In 1910, this beautiful 500-year-old King Jarrah was saved from the loggers in the nick of time. Gaz shares the love.

The karri tree is one of the tallest trees in the world, growing up to 90 metres. They were used in WA as fire lookout posts last century and are sometimes still used today if modern technology fails.  Incredibly, anyone is allowed to climb them ... if they dare.

Garry scaling the 75m Bicentennial Tree - a magnificent karri - near Pemberton.  

Going up .... 

That's the top lookout way, way up. It sways 1.5m each way when the wind is blowing.

My passion for national parks tested Garry's patience several times. One was a 10.5km hike into the Warren old growth forest, which would have been fine in normal conditions, but it was 40 degrees and a hard steep slog. Here are some early pics when it was all very pleasant.

I was too shattered to take photos towards the end so none of the difficult bits were recorded, which is a pity. I rallied when we made it to Big Brook Dam for a swim. Ahhhhhh ....

Beautiful fresh water swimming spot in the middle of the karri forest. 

Fonty's Pool at Manjimup is a fabulous caravan park based around this lovely fresh water swimming hole.  

This 300-year-old giant tingle tree has had its core burnt out by bush fires but survives due to it buttress roots.

 With a girth of 24 metres, it is the largest living girthed eucalypt known in the world.

The Southern Forests area is also renowned for its granite outcrops which were created by the heating and reworking of the earth's crust after Antartica and Australia collided to form Gondwana 1.1 billion years ago. I love the idea of two continents colliding.
The monoliths/batholiths are just beautiful and afford the most expansive views.

Scaling Mt Chudalup (187m) north of Windy Harbour.  

Vibrant vegetation thrives in the rich material caught in its pockets.

A rock with a view.  

Looking back at Mt Chudalup.

The second monolith was Mt Frankland (411m) near Walpole, a place of incredible serenity. 

Love the bush in this region. So diverse and colourful.

Just 6100km to the South Pole from this point. 

A hazy day but still a fabulous vista. Mt Frankland is still used as a fire lookout.

A lookout on the way up. I had to do a quick scamper to catch this selfie. We are so impressed with the national park infrastructure in WA. Solid, sustainable and well engineered. 

Back to base and where's Wally? Why is he lurking in the bushes? Bad boy. 

The third granite range was Porongurup,  north of Albany. This is Castle Rock, almost 600m above sea level. 

Again the infrastructure was amazing. A team of abseilers aided by a helicopter built this Granite Skywalk.  

The final 65 metres is a scramble up rocks using metal handles and then a steel ladder. I don't have a good head for heights but grit my teeth and made it to the top. Smiling bravely ...

... but this is how I was really feeling. Hee hee.

Garry going down ... 

... and then it was my turn. Yikes.

Balancing Rock. 

Garry trying to topple it. He failed.

We stopped for lunch at the Tree in the Rock picnic ground and received a lovely surprise.

This is the heroic karri tree growing on top of a mound of granite.

Mama skink was nearby trying to soak up some rays. Look closely at the crack above her.

 A baby skink pops his head out.

Three babies peer out from their rocky shelter. So special.

Throughout the Southern Forests we've been camping at farms, in national parks and various camp grounds. Windy Harbour on the Southern Ocean was a special spot made up of a smattering of colourful fishing shacks. There are no shops, no cafes, no schools, nothing but a camp ground and an eclectic mix of charming bungalows.

Windy Harbour township with its dirt roads. A step back in time.

 I wonder why it's called Windy Harbour? Where's Wally?

WA's rugged southern coastline.

Cathedral Rock in D'Entrecasteaux National Park.

The coast just kept getting better as we moved through to Walpole, Denmark and Albany. It took our breath away. Some of the most beautiful coastline we have ever seen.

Ocean Beach near Denmark. 

Sooooo beautiful.

Pedro waits patiently in the car park below.

Peaceful Bay lured us in for several days. 

Garry checking out the fishing spots. 

The water was cold but I did take the plunge several times.

Then we stumbled upon Green Pool, turquoise water ringed by rocks.  

The water was so divine, I just had to have a swim.

So called Elephant Rocks near Green Pool.

Misery Beach near Albany.  

No misery here. I was pretty happy frolicking in the water.

I kept the best to last: Little Beach in Two Peoples Bay near Albany. It's been voted one of the best beaches in the world and we have to agree. It took our breath away. The water was so clear it was like swimming in crystal.

We enjoyed Albany very much. A laid-back, friendly city. As the first settlement in WA, Albany is proud of its heritage and has preserved many of its historical buildings.
It also claims to be the birthplace of the ANZAC story. The first convoy of Australian and New Zealand troops departed from Albany Harbour on November 1, 1914, bound for Gallipoli. The National ANZAC Centre and war memorials are impressive.

The Desert Mounted Corps Memorial, a replica of one that stands on the banks of Port Said in Egypt.

A tribute to the heroism of the men and their beautiful steeds.

The entrance to Princess Royal Harbour, Albany.

Garry playing silly buggers on a granite outcrop.

Albany was also the site of Australia's last whaling station. It closed in 1978. The station has been converted into a museum called Whaleworld. It pays tribute to the industry and the formidable whaling men of the past but principally promotes the preservation of these fabulous giants of the ocean. It's an emotional display. I wept for the workers as I wept for the whales.

The last whaling ship Cheynes IV. 

The skeleton of a Pygmy Blue Fin that washed up on a beach in Albany. 

The headline reads "SWIMMING AT THE WHALING STATION IS A HEALTH HAZARD!!" These sharks had been caught in the bay near the station.  Misery Beach, where I swam the day before, is just around the corner. Hmmm.

Finally, some random shots of bush art we discovered along the way ...

.... and some random wildlife pics.

A cormorant drying its wings at Circular Pool near Walpole. 

Blue Wrens everywhere. These cuties came in to feed on the march flies we were killing at an alarming rate. The flies are fierce at this time of the year as the marri trees are flowering. We were very happy to be feeding the wrens.  

One cheeky chap took up position on the fly swat.

Two skinks (one is just popping its head out of the crack) take in the view at Mr Frankland.

We've decided these Sooty oystercatchers are imposters. They are supposed to be endangered but they are everywhere on the WA coast.

Phew. That was a long blog slog. If you've made it to the end, you deserve a medal. But I do hope you continue to enjoy our journey. We are having the best time, the best time of our lives.
On we go ...