Hi everyone...I thought I would drop a line as we continued on along Western Australia's southern coast...through Walpole to Augusta, the south western tip of Australia. After that we head inorth to Margaret River, famous for its vineyards, to Busselton which sits on the delightfully named Geographe Bay (for a French ship of the same name), through Bunbury, Mandurah and finally to Fremantle and Perth.

Sunday November 13...in Walpole on Garth's birthday. Tonight is our 6th night on the road...in that time we were in the hot dry mining region of the interior of Western Australia, getting there and to the southern coast we drove through miles of the wheat belt, found small tourist towns also being service centres and ports for grain and ore, but also for the smaller farms along the way, and today we drove into the southern forest where logging was once the main occupation.

The town of Denmark was initially a logging operation started by two brothers from Norway...don't ask me why the name. Today it is a hangout for organic artisans I think...given the businesses advertising along the South Coast Highway. Reminded me of the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. We had no need for blossom honey or organic veggies so kept driving. Not to mention our suitcases are full so we also dodged the stained glass and pottery galleries. Passing through Pemberton tomorrow it might be more difficult.

The highway route is a bit inland so we kept dogging down little roads to see the beaches. They were all lovely, only a few families out on this splendid Sunday afternoon and each beach quite different from another.
 
 
We drove the 10 kms out to Ocean Beach at Denmark since our notes said it was a surfers' beach. Only a couple of wetsuits were out today...but it also had a beautiful little lagoon with a boardwalk, a few kangaroos chewing and napping, plus a group? Gaggle? School? of pelicans.

Onward to have a look at Peaceful Bay...I mean you can't give a beach with a name like that a miss. Much busier...trucks hauling their boats down to the water, one poor fellow with a truck that wouldn't start and the tide coming in, dogs galore...a place for keen anglers and sailors. The Rescue Centre has their headquarters there...hopefully because of the peacefulness of it.

We gathered that one can't go to Walpole where we are tonight in the Coalmine Beach Holiday Park without taking in the Tree Top Walk...since this area is famous for its giant red tingle (a eucalyptus variety) and Karri trees.

The walk is spectacular...you walk along 6 lightweight bridge spans weaving through the tree tops...well 40 meters up, but the trees grow to 80 meters...so sort of in the tree tops...it feels like it...you look down and up and can only hear the wind rustling the leaves and the song and the occasional flash of the white-tailed black cockatoo.

The spans were especially designed to sway slightly as you walk in order to create the sensation of being in the canopy of the trees. We thought it was so great we walked it a second time. On the other hand, one person we came across was stalled out on the first span and another woman was being guided down at the end to sit down and recover. If swaying in the tree tops isn't your thing...well give it a miss. It is just like a ski lift...but there aren't many of those around here.

The Tree Tops Walk is celebrating its 20th anniversary. We were wondering how they kept the fee so reasonable ($20) and then realized government subsidies help. The forest is unique in Australia...and having people walk through the tree tops helps to guarantee its longevity more than letting folks drive their cars to and through the giant hollow bases of the trees.

The red tingles can have a base circumference of up to 20m. This makes it the largest buttressing eucalyptus. The life of the red tingle can be more than 400 years and they can reach a height of 75m. A distinctive feature of the red tingle is its large hollowed out bases (thus the cars driving into them in the past). The tingles don't have a tap rout but a shallow root system that spreads as they get older.

Karri trees are the tallest trees in WA...reaching up to 90m. They have long straight trunks and a dense hard wood. The spread of these trees is a very small region in SW Western Australia...where the heavy rain fall, temperate climate year round and sandy soil make for the perfect growing conditions.

 
I think as a logger's daughter I will have to tell you more about these trees and the early forestry in this area...tomorrow...you are spared tonight! Not only that but my MA thesis was on the Interior Forest Industry of BC...see all capitals so it must be important!

Think of this...if I had been a miner's daughter I might have gone on and on in Kalgoorlie about mining...but then I know that Garth and Lisa are doing a CBC Ideas documentary on the Giant Mine in Yellowknife...so if you tune in you will learn all sorts of things about gold mines that you can extrapolate to the Super Pit...maybe...have to ask David Searle about that given it is a different sort of mine in a different environment...he is my mining expert living over there in Victoria.

Monday November 12

Western Australia has turned the dial and the temperature is now near 30 degrees...getting me acclimatized for Myanmar.

Today we drove through the Southern Forest along narrow roads treed on either side. A beautiful drive with the sunlight filtering through the karri trees.

The superb strength of the karri made it an obvious choice for sleepers on the Trans-Australian Railway Line. In 1913 timber mills were established around Pemberton for that purpose. Many of the Kari sleepers were also used in the first stage of the London Underground.and other railway lines in the UK. This slowed down until an acute shortage of timber after World War II prompted the State Government to permit the logging in some area of the Southern Forest. Most of the forested area in this part of Australia seems now to be covered by National Parks. I am sure there must be quite a story as to how we got to that. It is a protected old growth forest...although obviously there are exceptions.

In Pemberton which is the town of 920, most of the jobs must be at the local sawmill to which some large logs were delivered while we ate lunch at the "Mill Restaurant" or in tourism. We dropped into the local Information Office where a delightful woman gave us a non stop 5 minute talk on what to see, where to see wild orchids, where to have lunch and don't miss the Gloucester Tree. She said...you'll find everything, no worries...it's a small town...and we did..but not the orchids.

The Gloucester Tree is the most famous karri tree in Australia. It was one of 10 used for fire look outs until planes came into use to spot smoke in the forest. BC located the fire lookouts on mountain sides...here they found the strongest, highest karri tree, topped it, built a wooden lookout on the top and a spike ladder to mount the tree. And then hired the towermen or women.
The Gloucester Tree has 153 rungs which spiral dizzying up to the platform 60m above. We are told the view is magnificent. It is now, along with 2 other trees in the Southern Forest, climbed by tourists. While we were there 6 or 7 started the climb up...all 50 years younger than us...although come to think of it we never saw the Japanese kids descend. I have included in the images some of the logs of early fire watchers...if they spotted something they had to phone in their report. Do read them...also then you find out why the tree is called the Gloucester Tree.

We are now just south of Augusta on the map in the Flinders Bay Caravan Park...recommended by the Tuppers. It is right on the beach, but tree shaded...which was important a few hours ago. The flies have come out so we moved indoors. We also have more friends wandering about the grounds...but they haven't surrounded us.

And the chap,across the way has a great sign on his caravan. Gary also reminded me to let you know I have adjusted to camping again and am enjoying it...not quite as keen as he is, but it has great flexibility and lovely spots in Australia for parking for the night.

Off to see lighthouses tomorrow...early...it was too hot by 3:00 pm for me to do the trek. On the negative, Gary has been reading to me from the NYT and we do hope the Kiwis around Christchurch are ok. Liz Birnie's sister lives there...so hope everything is fine with her and her family.


Good night and good morning
Love
Doreen















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