PERTH and FREEMANTLE Western Australia

3rd May to 8th May 2012:-

 Entrance to London Circuit in Perth's city centre

 Arcade within London Circuit 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Carillion 'Swan Bells'........

the soaring glass tower housing historic bells

from London's St-Martin-in-the-fields church                      

 The moat around the Carillion 

      The old buildings amongst the new buildings

 Stirling Gardens in the centre of the city

A bronze statue outside the Stirlings Gardens 

 Memorial at Beautiful Kings Park

 Looking over the city and Swan River from Kings Park 

 The magnificent view of the city from Kings Park

We travelled around Perth by bus........A very direct sign posted in the bus

Looking from Barrack Street Terminal across the Swan River to Kings Park  

 Perth City Sightseeing Bus

 The Golden Sun Cruise a very scenic and informative
cruise along the Swan River to Freemantle 

 Perth's city skyline 

The Swan River has many Marinas

 

 Freemantle Market precinct is abuzz with people on Market Days



 

An example of the beautiful architecture in so many of Fremantle's buildings 

Travelling north from Walpole to Perth WA

30^th April to 2^nd May 2012:-

Just north of Walpole you arrive in the Shannon National Park. In this park there is 'The Great Forest Trees Drive'. The drive takes you through spectacular old-growth karri forest and stunning marri and jarrah forest, sedgeland, heath and granite outcrops. We drove 23 kilometres of the 45 kilometre drive as the road was slow going.

We continued onto Northcliffe and then Pemberton. Pemberton has quaint wooden workers' cottages and is fast establishing a reputation for its wines and fine foods. An unknown fact is that there are more wine grapes grown in the Pemberton area than that there are in the well known Margaret River wine region. This area also grows most of the avocados in Australia. As lunchtime was upon us we enjoyed a counter lunch at the Pemberton Hotel!

The Pemberton area has the Karri Forest Explorer Drive........a drive that winds through some of the south-west's most magnificent karri forest. We drove parts of this drive seeing Big Brook Dam and Beedelup Falls, where a suspension bridge takes you across the falls. These falls are supposedly spectacular in winter after the winter rains. Then we visited the Gloucester Tree, where if you are fit and fearless you can climb the 153 rungs of a spiral ladder to the top a mere 60 metres high! There are several trees in the area where you can climb to the top via a spiral ladder. The ladders were purposely installed.......... these tall trees were used as fire lookouts. We camped the night in the karri forest at Big Brook Arboretum. It had been a showery day and when night time fell it became very cold and damp. Other campers at the camp site had built a large fire so we sat around the fire staying warm and chatting. The night itself was cold so I'm thinking we should soon head much further north to enjoy the Northern Australian winter.

Next morning travelled onto Manjimup. In WA there are numerous 'up' towns. The name Manjimup is derived from the Aboriginal word 'manjin' – an edible reed found in the area and 'up' meaning place of. We visited the Diamond Tree Lookout – another large tree with a spiral ladder you can climb if you wish! Then onto Donnybrook, known as the Apple Capital of the South West, home of the Granny Smith! We stayed the night at Stockton Lake Recreational Area near Collie, on the bank of the lake. This lake is an old mine site which is now used for recreational purposes such as boating and skiing.

Next morning travelled onto the very beautiful town of Harvey..............today, Harvey has beef production, citrus growing, dairy farming and viticulture. We spent time wandering around the Keith Leece Tourist Precinct, the Heritage Gardens, River Walk and the Harvey Internment Camp Memorial Shrine. Located in the Harvey Visitor Centre is a May Gibbs Display. May Gibbs was born in England and migrated to Australia with her parents when she was four. She lived in Harvey for a few years. It is believed that she drew much of her inspiration for her stories and illustrations from her experiences while living in Harvey (1885 & 1886).

We arrived in Midlands Perth late on 2^nd May and camped at the Advent Campground. The next few days we will take in the sights of Perth then travel south to join a Winnebago RV Safari 'A taste of the Margaret River'.......... Should be fun.

Travelling North from Walpole to Perth WA

30th April to 2nd May 2012:-

 The picturesque drive along the South Western Highway
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The Great Forest Tree Drive - Shannon National Park WA

 The track was very narrow in sections which made the

 drive slow going

Our motorhome is dwarfed by the size of the forest trees

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A mural at Northcliffe...........

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 In and around PEMBERTON...................

 

Is Chris going to climb to the top? 

The 60 metre high Gloucester Tree.....Tree Top Fire Lookout

 A beautiful Australian Ring Neck Parrot (Port Lincoln Parrot)

was hovering near the Gloucester Tree

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PEMBERTON and its surrounds.........





 An example of the quaint Wooden Worker's Cottages in the town of Pemberton

Beedelup Falls........... 

 

Suspension Bridge spanning the Beedelup Falls 

 Big Brook Dam.........

 

 The Diamond Tree......

 How much further to the top!

 Both entrances to the town of Manjimup have these impressive timber arches.......

they symbolise that Manjimup is the gateway to the magnificent southern forest.

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Donnybrook......... 

 Donnybrook known as the Apple Capital of the south west

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 Camped by the Stockton Recreational Lake near Collie

 A Scrub Fowl

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Harvey................





 

 The river walk

 A replica of the Old Sterling House

 Double click on photo to enlarge and read about May Gibbs

 On the Gumnut Babies......

 

The very picturesque South Coast of Western Australia

26^th April 2012:-

We spent another day in Albany enjoying a game of golf at the Grove Park Golf Links. A beautiful golf course set in natural bushland. The resident kangaroos are protected on the course. We spent the evening at Torbay Inlet at a quiet and cosy camp spot.

Next day we travelled a short distance to Denmark, a quaint town with lots of interesting galleries that showcase the ability of the local community. Greens Pool, rated one of Western Australia's most idyllic beaches is a sheltered natural lagoon. A short stroll east you view the huge granite boulders resting in the water, aptly named Elephant Rocks.

28^th April 2012:-

Phoned our son, Scott, to wish him a very 'Happy birthday'. He sent me a lovely photo from a restaurant in Cronulla, where he had celebrated his birthday with family members.

It was raining in Warpole where we had camped overnight, so Chris and I decided to just hang about for the day and relax. Warpole overlooks the tranquil waters of the Warpole and Nornalup inlets.

29^th April 2012:-

Next day, still showery, we ventured out and took the scenic drive through Walpole-Nornalup National Park to the Giant Red Tingle Tree. An 800 metre walk takes you through karri and red tingle forest to a boardwalk around the tree. The Giant Red Tingle Tree, hollowed out over many years by bushfire but still living, has a girth of almost 25m.

Then we drove onto the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. Tingle trees are towering eucalyptus found only in the Valley of the Giants, which surround the Tree Top Walk. We got a bird's-eye view of these forest giants from a walk way high above the forest floor, and then on ground level got a different perspective on the Ancient Empire Walk. We continued on to the Shannon National Park and found a camp spot beneath tall Marri Trees.

Albany to Shannon National Park WA.............

Playing golf at the Grove Park Golf Links in Albany

The resident kangaroos on the golf course
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Young male Little Pied Cormorant.............
fluffing his feathers while perched high in a tree on the riverside park in Denmark

 Remember when the Co-Op Store in Newcastle had the Divvy!

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The beautiful coastline between Denmark and Walpole 

 Greens Pool .................. and

 Elephant Rocks

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 This beautiful Kookaburra was surveying his territory for food near our motorhome

whilst we were camped in Walpole

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Scenic drive through the Walpole-Nornalup National Park WA.............. 

The Giant Red Tingle Tree.

Its hugh buttressed trunk provides stability for this shallow rooted tree.

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 Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk in the Nornalup NP. Many of the larger Red Tingle Trees are over 400 years old.   

 The suspension bridge takes you to 40 metres above the ground.

The Ancient Empire Walk also in the Nornalup NP, gives you an on ground look at these large trees.  

 This Red Tingle Tree was named Grandma Tingle..........the burls and gnarled bark of this distinctive Red Tingle Tree give it an almost human character - a female, grandmother character. This matriach of the forest measures more than 12 metres in circumference and estimated to be more than 400 years old.

 Chris amongst the sword leaf forest floor

Camped for the night in amongst the tall

trees in the Shannon National Park WA