Another good day today; in fact if felt more like a New Zealand day than and Australia one as I've had time to squeeze in everything I had planned for the day.
The day started at the usual time as the alarm woke me at 06:00; it was a leisurely start to the day as the resort I was staying at didn't start serving breakfast until 08:30, so I was all packed and loaded before heading into breakfast for a quick getaway once I'd been fed.
These plans don't always come to fruition; I ended up having a long chat with an Aussie couple in breakfast, then then a long chat with the resort manager when checking out, so ended up hitting the road at 09:50.
Bill Bailey did a series late last year where he visited Western Australia, and I've been loosely following in his footsteps. One of the things he did that looked good was a treetop walk, and that was my first aim for the day. Fifteen minutes into the drive, and I reacquainted myself with State Highway 1, which has been a regular companion of the trip. But this wasn't like the State Highway 1 that I knew; it was a narrow road that wound it's way through a Karri forest, the trees tight to the road on either side feeling like the columns in the nave of a cathedral. It was a beautiful drive for about an hour and a half until I arrived at Valley of the Giants.
I bought my ticket, and asked whether this was the place that Bill Bailey visited; it was, and they've had a lot of visitors due to that series .... they can add me to that number. First I went on the Tree Top Walk; a walkway went through the forest climbing to 40 metres above ground at it's highest point. The trees were majestic, towering above me even at the walkways highest point.
As I walked along each individual length of path between the supports, the whole walkway bounced in time with my footsteps. When I reached the end of the walkway there was a sign asking 'why not do it again?', so I did.
Then there was a path on the ground that took me through another part of the forest. The base of the trees can be impacted by insect infestations and fire to leave big voids at ground level. There were a lot of trees where this had happened, and one where I could even take a path right through the centre of the tree. Walking through the forest at ground level provides an entirely different perspective.
Back onto the road after grabbing a coffee at the kiosk by the car park, and the next location to visit was a spot called Green's Pool. I took a side road off of the main highway, which took me into William Bay National Park. Into the car park, and onto the lookout that provided a fantastic view along the coast to the west.
Then down a path to the beach, and there was a pool protected from the Southern Ocean by a perimeter of rocks where people were enjoying a swim; I suspect there's a load more folks here in summer as the car park spaces stretched a fair way back along the road.
Back up the path to the car, and only a minute further up the road was the car park for Elephant Rocks; so close in fact that the couple I'd followed up the path from the beach beat me there on foot! Down another path to the lookout with views of a rocky bay, I quickly gathered some shots and departed as the biting bugs had made an appearance and I was the only person there on the menu. I got away with only a couple of bites, although they did itch like an itchy thing for a while.
Back onto State Highway 1 for a half hour, and then another detour coast-wards. The next stop was at Ocean Beach Lookout which provided a great view of a fantastic beach. There were lots of surfers in the car park, and one told me that the sea was really flat; there is usually great surf here.
I continued to follow the road away from the state highway, and soon found myself on a gravel road as I headed for McGreary Rock. A path lead down to an open area of rocks beside the sea, and this provided a not dissimilar view of the beach I'd just left and the coastline to the east.
I returned along the gravel road to tarmac, and then to State Highway 1 again for another 45 minutes, then headed for the coast once more and into Torndirrup National Park just to the south of Albany. The first place targeted was Sharp Point Lookout, and I totally missed the turn firstly because my mind was trying to figure out where I'd had complementary wine in my room (still haven't remembered!) and secondly because the turn was a narrow gravel road.
I turned around and returned, and followed the very corrugated gravel road for 8 kilometres to a car park. Along a path to a lookout that gave a fantastic view to the east along the coast, and then another that gave a view westwards into the lowering sun. I got chatting with some locals who had never been there before, and they pointed out The Gap not far along the coast which was to be my next location.
Back along the bone shaking corrugated gravel road, and just 5 minutes up the sealed surface I turned onto the road leading to 'The Gap' and 'Natural Bridge'. The Gap is a small inlet from the ocean which has had a platform built out into the open air, from which you can look straight down to the waves crashing into the rocks below. For me this was a fantastic spot, and just the type of thing I like.
Just a hundred metres away from The Gap was the Natural Bridge; a natural arch cut by the waves over the eons. The view West along the coast was also fantastic from here.
Looking at Google Maps, there was one more site not far away, so as I was only a quarter of an hour from my penultimate accommodation I decided to go and have a look. Into the car park, I followed a path downwards for 15 minutes heading for a location marked as 'Blowholes'. The path ended with a scramble over rocks, and a couple were coming the other way. I asked whether it was worthwhile, and they advised that they'd stood there for 20 minutes for nothing, so I decided to turn and climb back up the hill ..... if nothing else, it gave me a bit of exercise.
Then onwards to my accommodation in Albany; I arrived and checked in at 17:00. There is a kind of symmetry here. You may recall that the second hotel in French Polynesia had a restaurant that was closed ..... well, my penultimate hotel has the same, so I had to head out for something to eat. There is a Chinese restaurant within walking distance, and I've never seen the size of portions that they serve ..... I've ended up bringing half of the meal back to the hotel with me!
So, it's been a really good day. I have some ideas for what to do with tomorrow before I leave here on Wednesday morning to make my way back to Perth.
Comments
Post a Comment