Day 230
A chance to visit one of the ‘show caves’ (whatever that is) in this area for a guided tour today and so throw everything in the spare room (tent) and head off.
Take a slight detour down Boranup drive and proceed down a gravel road through an ancient Karri forest. The drive is beautiful (if a little rough) right through the heart of forest and we don’t mind having to take it slow. Polly actually seems to enjoy a bit of off road and purrs along as we slowly make our way, pulling over occasionally to let a big 4WD speed past.
Back on the black stuff we continue on to Jewel cave and a chance to have a guided tour through Australia’s largest show cave!
Once we are all assembled, our group descends down the 300 odd steps and we find ourselves in a huge cavern, filled with what must be thousands of stalactites.
As we continue further down to the bottom of the cavern we come across other strange formations, some which look like frozen waterfalls and some shaped like hanging sheets of fabric.
We continue a bit further down to what was (when the caves were discovered) the old waterline and see the skeletons of Tasmanian tigers that had been found in the cave (meaning they must be 3000 odd years old).
The tour is over all too quickly (not quickly enough for Carmen who has mild claustrophobia) and we are ascending all those ruddy steps again to get out into the daylight.
Return to the campsite and start packing our stuff away for tomorrow departure.
Day 231
Woken up by the Beatles ‘Good morning’ which means it must be time to pack up and move on today. Down comes the tent and on go the bikes and we are off before too long and heading south for Augusta.
After a short drive and we arrive and pull into the tourist information to pick up a map and get some info on the campsites. Quite a small town, Augusta has a supermarket, a petrol station, a bottle shop and a few other touristy shops along its main street and seems to be teeming with holidaymakers. We pick the only campsite right on the ocean and head there just in time to get the last spot for the night. After setting up, putting some washing on and more importantly plugging in (after a few days in National Parks everything needs charging!) we head off for a stroll down to the beach and I have my first dip in the southern ocean. The water seems a different colour here, more green than blue but is still lovely and refreshing and the beach is nice with a small timber jetty and steps down into the water so you can avoid clambering over the rocks to get in.
It’s not as cold as I thought it would be either and I enjoy splashing about for a bit whilst Carmen suns herself on the beach. After a swim and a lie in the sun we both head back to Polly to hang the washing out, cook some dinner and retire to bed.
Day 232
Up in the morning and after breakfast head off, just down the road to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse and Australia’s most South-westerly point. This is where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean meet. They know they are on to a good thing as it is $5 each to get in and have a look round and would have been a further $7 each if we had wanted to climb the lighthouse (we didn’t).
You don’t get much for your money really, just a chance to walk around the (outside of) the lighthouse (and keepers cottages) and have a look at the plaque they have put up to tell you about the two Oceans.
The lighthouse is pretty good (as lighthouses go) and the keepers cottages are cute in a ‘I’ m glad I’m not a lighthouse keeper’ sort of way and they even have a statue of a cow (strangely looking inland).
Bet he gets good reception
Lighthouse exhausted we head back up the coast a bit to visit a little bay called ‘Cosy corner’.
The beautiful little bay is all but deserted but the wind is blowing a bit too much for a swim so instead we have a stroll up and down the beach and head onwards to Hamelin bay. Hardly any wind here and so it’s straight on with the swimmers and we are both in for our final swim in the Indian Ocean.
With no wind and the sun beating down it is hot here and the water is lovely so we spend the best part of the afternoon swimming and lying in the sun before heading home.
Day 233
Onwards ever onwards and so after shoehorning everything (including our latest acquisition, more on that later) back into Polly we head off, travelling eastwards now along the South coast. We drive through forests that have had recent bushfires ravage them (as little as 6 weeks ago) and although I think the blackened trunks and lack of leaves look quite pretty against the brilliant blue sky I realise that it is probably not a good thing to be seeing.
Arrive in the pretty little town of Pemberton and head into the Tourist information to get the lowdown on the area.
The helpful (if strange looking) woman gives us an armful of brochures and leaflets and after picking up supplies and deciphering the wealth of information we head off back into the forest to visit the Dave Evans Bicentennial tree.
We are in an old growth Karri forest and these trees are huge, up to 90M tall and are the second largest trees in the world (second only to the giant redwoods). We stop at one of a number of trees that were (and still are) used as spotter trees to see if there is a bushfire coming. Usually a tower would be built and the spotting would be done from there but as these trees are so tall they decided that a tower would be impractical and so used the trees themselves. To get to the top of the tree they have hammered in what amount to big nails which spiral up around the trunk and you simply climb up these.
Well I say simply and it was easy at first but once you get over a few metres up it all becomes a bit scary (Carmen wasn’t even going near the thing). I made it up to the first platform, about halfway (30M) up and it wasn’t too bad but above there the nerves started kicking in a bit and you can’t help but think if just one of these nails comes out I am a gonner!
Up to the second platform and now you are very high up but still surrounded by the branches and leaves of the other trees.
The final climb is up a series of ladders up to the very top of the tree, a dizzying 60 metres above the ground below and suddenly the whole landscape opens up before you. No longer are you surrounded by the trees but rather sitting above them looking down over a blanket of leaves with breathtaking 360deg views out over the forest in all directions.
Simply amazing and far and away the biggest tree I will ever climb.
Of course once you have looked at the view for a bit you have to contemplate climbing all the way back down again and I’m here to tell you that coming down is definitely harder than going up. I manage to make it down safely though and legs a bit shaky we continue on to the campsite.
We are on a gravel road again and as we drive through Warren National Park towards the campsite we spot one of those roadside stalls selling fruit and decide to stop to see what they have got. Turns out it is one of the original fruit machines and so we pick up a few bits and head onwards.
We reach ‘Heartbreak loop’ (So called because it was cut through the forest by hand) and proceed along to Drafty’s camp where we get a lovely spot, surrounded by the forest and set Polly up.
It’s a hot afternoon so once we are set up we head down to the Warren River for a swim and to cool off and a kind fellow camper lets us have a go in his canoes so we have a paddle up and down for a bit on the river.
Back at camp and it’s time to have a look at something we picked up in Augusta. I saw a bloke chucking out one of those fly screen houses as a couple of the poles were broken but thought ‘we can use that’ and so took the thing. It’s pretty unwieldy and weights a ton but once we have dumped the poles and cut the whole thing in half it is an (almost) perfect fit over Polly’s awning and we have ourselves a new room!
Day 234
A new day dawns but we are still asleep, shaded by the forest and by the time we do get up we’ve had quite a nice lie in.
Decide it’s a lovely day for a stroll and so put on our walkers and head off on the ‘forest loop’ walk. Set off along the banks of the Warren River, following track downstream as it winds its way.
Really nice with the forest one side and the river the other and before too long come across a huge fallen tree stretching right across the river.
Of course I’m straight on it and walking across, trying not to fall in (I don’t). Next thing we see is a rope swing hanging from a random tree on the side of the track and again I’m straight on it swinging about and good fun it is too.
The track then leaves the river and winds its way, up through the forest to Warren lookout (popular bloke this Warren) where you get views back down into the tree filled valley and can see the river winding its way.
The track continues off to the bicentennial tree but as we had been there yesterday (and climbed it) we decide to head back the way we came to the camp and once we have had some lunch head back down to the river for an afternoon swim and a sit soaking up the peaceful river sights and sounds.
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