In the Southern Forests of WA

We drove through more dense eucalyptus forests on the way from Pemberton to Walpole. Sunny and pleasantly warm. Stopped at Walpole, beautifully located at Walpole and Nornalup Inlet, with houseboats to rents and ecotours (WOW! tours) to take. Very quiet and peaceful (photo below).

 

On to Delaney Lookout (photo) to enjoy the view towards the inlet from there. Wish we would have had more time for this beautiful region of WA!

In the Walpole Wilderness area, the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk is the main tourist attraction. Built in 1996, it features elevated walks, up to 40 m high, but also the free Ancient Empire walk - passing by true tree giants like shown on the pictures further below. We took part at a ranger tour and got to know more about the endemic tingles trees (Eucalyptus jacksonii), another species of eucalyptus. 

The Red Tingle (left) reaches a diameter up to 20 m - they are shallow-rooted, but belly-bottomed! Tingles are only growing in a very restricted area in SW Western Australia, around Walpole. 

Average height is approximately 70 m. It grows about 1 m per year until the canopy is reached, then they grow broader. Being very fire resistant, they live on even when the bark is burned by wild fires (which happens often!) - see photos below!

 

In the same forest other eucalyptus varieties, like Karri trees, are to be seen, up to 90 m tall and growing straight, plus Marri, not as tall and greyish-brown, also called "blood wood" and producing big Honkey Nuts). 

Karri she-oak (Chorilaena quercifolia) are understorey shrubs in eucalyptus forests, trees with needles, there are Karri Wattle, Tassel Flower and many more trees and shrubs (like the one on the left) ,,, learning a bit more every day! Also, about Quokkas, which we didn't see, but they were even pictured on street signs. These little kangaroos are night-active and a smaller species of the Wallaby. 

 

From the Tree Top Park it took us 45 minutes to the magical Greens Pool, considered part of Denmark! And there, we HAD to go for a swim! Almost completely sheltered from the waves of the Great Southern Ocean by rounded rock boulders, Greens Pool is a beautiful beach. Thanks to its green turquoise water and white sandy beach it has been a favorite beach since the European settlement, and, still is, even on a Wednesday early afternoon it was quite crowded.

 

 

Only steps away, also part of William Bay National Park, is Elephant Rock, another fascinating rock display, resembling a herd of elephants wading in the waters of the Southern Ocean. Smaller beach, but equally appealing to take a swim!

 

 

 

 

Denmark - our next stop. A quaint little downtown with several shops and boutiques, many producing their own artesanal products like chocolate, cheese, etc. But ,,, the famous bakery was almost sold out in the afternoon and the choice of the locally produced cheeses very restricted.

We continued on to Albany, another 40 min., the oldest city of Western Australia, founded in 1826! Arrived there in the evening, having driven 264 km this day. Just had dinner - fish & chips and prawns - at the local Wilson Brewery and called it a day. 

 

More on Albany in the next blog post.