Pemberton

PEMBERTON 14^TH – 17^TH MARCH

People come to Pemberton to climb trees and test themselves if they can put mind over matter when it comes to heights, we gave it a fair crack !



A good picture of what you climb up on!



Proof we all had a go!!



My  first effort, that was high enough for me.




Pete with Tom in front itching to go all the way!
The platform you see is not even half way!




A close up of what the fire tower looks like if you make it! There are 4 towers
to climb and it all sways in the wind! 



This tree above is called the Bicentennial Tree and is over 60 metres tall. This is the highest tree to climb out of the three in and around Pemberton. This tree is a little off the beaten track so it doesn’t get as many visitors. That so called ladder is how you climb it with not very much protection, O.H & S eat your heart out!! This was our first try at a climb and standing on the ground you feel OK looking up, but once you start climbing and that ground gets further away that feeling very soon diminished for us. Not bragging but I managed to get a bit higher than Pete on this one. Pete’s brain went into work safe mode and was so busy worrying about how it was built and what could happen if you fell! He did also have Tom in front of him pushing him on! It is not recommended children climb and we truly understood this, but Tom didn’t. He so badly wanted to keep climbing to the top and I have no doubt if we would have let him he would have done it easily. Charlie wasn’t so keen. We told him he can come back when he is 18 and do it then! We stayed and watched 2 men climb right to the top without much hesitation, good on them!

 These trees were what men and women used to climb daily to check for fires around the area. The photo’s displayed in the information shelters are amazing, showing how they built the fire towers up on top of the tree. They actually stripped the tree of all its branches but a few just right at the top that they would use to place a few planks of wood around so a man could then stand on these and swing an axe and cut the top 15 metres or so off the tree. So then they had a flat area to start building the actual fire tower! Yes they have now been replaced with metal towers.

The other two trees are the Gloucester Tree, which is the most famous for it is closest to Pemberton and the Diamond Tree. We went and had a look at the Gloucester Tree but there were so many people around we didn’t bother to have a climb.




The Gloucester Tree.



Tom took this laying on the floor looking up.



THE DIAMOND TREE


The day we left Pemberton we stopped in and had a look at The Diamond Tree. There was know one else around and this tree is only 51 metres tall which is a huge difference when you are looking up at them. I decided to have another go at climbing and I felt much better going steady and slow  until  I stopped and looked down to talk to Pete on the ground, bad mistake! I was very close to a platform you can stand on half way up but I had to get down. Mad at myself for being so close I eventually talked Pete into doing it with me and we both managed to get to this platform, yeah! We took photo’s of each other with trembling hands!! Wow what a great feeling to push yourself out of that comfort zone!

Tom was not happy to be the one taking the photo’s from the ground!!!




The Diamond Tree, my first effort, I am up on the left.
You can just make out the platform up to the right!





Pete climbing onto the platform, me not far behind!




We made it! ( well half way was good enough for us!)



See if you can spot us we are about half way up you can just see the top half of us
sticking out above some leaves.



Looking down from the platform we were standing on.

 

BIG BROOK DAM

We went and had a look at The Brook Dam. This was  dammed  in 1986 to increase water supply to the town then later they added the sand to create the beach feel. It is a very popular swimming spot as you can see why. Tom and Charlie both had a swim here.





Standing on the dam wall at Big Brook Dam.




Looking out from the dam, the beach area is up on the right.



BEEDELUP FALLS N.P.

We also went and had a look at Beedelup N.P. This would have been beautiful in spring with the falls flowing and everything in flower. Even still it is a nice area and the suspended bridge was fun to go over.



The suspended bridge




The boys hanging on because Pete was swinging it!




The dry Beedelup Falls.



Another visit to the D’Entrecasteaux N.P.

We were by told people to go for a drive down to YEAGARUP DUNES and see the moving dunes, we are glad we did. It is only a short drive from Pemberton, you enter the D’Entrecasteaux N.P.  and go down a well used unsealed main road. Then you come to picnic area and a sign saying to let your tyres down to 11psi before going on. Pete decided with that the usual 22 in back and 16 in front would be fine, we can always let more out, so off we went. You start by going through a lovely forest area on a lovely sandy based track then all of a sudden you see this huge dune through the trees. On a closer look it actually looks  like it is swallowing them up the trees as it goes, hence the name “moving dunes”.



This is what the drive through the forest looks like.



The first sight of the dune entering the forest.

 Not far from here you round a corner and next thing you are climbing the dune. Guess what! You need 11psi in your tyres to get up the dune! It is a huge area once on top, the boys said it was like looking at a snow field and it was.





This is that same dune, just taken from the other side.







views on top of the dune above and below



 There are markers to follow to find your way across the dunes where you end up coming off them and find yourself driving back through the forest for about another 3km. At last you come to one last dune and from the top you get your first glimpse of the ocean. We drove out onto the beach and headed East to find where the Warren River  meets the sea. This has a  natural sand bar preventing it from joining up at the moment so we could drive across it but not for long, the river is slowly pushing its way out to sea.



We had driven over the sand bar where the Warren River is trying to get
to the sea this is looking back on it.



It was a great day out and really interesting to see these dunes slowly making their way inland. When we were playing on them your foot print very quickly disappeared, they were very steep and slippery to climb and the sand was very fine, not at all like on the beach.





This is the Yeagarup Lake looking back towards the
moving sand dunes. it is near here that you air up and down your tyres.




I just love the contrast of the water, trees, sand and sky!





The Pemberton C.P. is very nice and the wildlife very friendly, especially the parrots, ( called 28’s) and the ducks.

The friendly 28's in the C.P.

Windy Harbour

WINDY HARBOUR

Pt. D’Entrecasteaux N.P

You may have heard of this place on the news a few weeks ago because of the fires over here in Northcliffe.  Windy Harbour was closed because you need to go through Northcliffe to get to it and Windy Harbour  itself was nearly lost, it was quite a large area that was burn’t.




The houses you can see is Windy Harbour then you can where the
fire was.

 

Driving through the burnt dunes.



Thought is ironic this sign didn't burn!!



You can already see the grasses growing back about 2 weeks
since the fire.



Windy Harbour itself  is what you would call a fishing village. In all it has has 209 little beach huts , no fences, tractors in carports and it is green and grassy . I was speaking to the ranger and he said there are 11 people that live here permanently even though they are not meant to. You can kind of tell the permanent houses by the vegie patches and the way that some are built out of new materials and rather like a mansion compared to the shacks!



Our first fire!


The camping area is lovely, green and full of kangaroo poo, but best of all we got to have our first fire, yeah! We had a big roo come bounding into our camp area, I’m not sure who got the biggest fright. The next morning we were woken by the chomping sound of a large roo right outside our tent, the boys thought this awesome.

The scenery around the cliffs is breathtaking. Again a huge difference in rock compared to a few kilometres back down the road. It is all limestone around here so the cliffs are softer and weather beaten creating these amazing holes and sculptured looking edges.




They call this "one of natures windows".




An example of rugged cliffs




A great show of natures own pillars!



  

Coalmine Beach near Walpole

The friendly wildlife.
(I am very proud of my photo!)

COALMINE BEACH 10^TH – 12^TH MARCH    
                          

                                                                  

Coalmine Beach is just before Walpole on the edge of the inlet. We stayed in the Top Tourist C.P. which was set amongst the trees, you felt like you were bush camping, beautiful. We based ourselves here for three days to go explore the trees and inlet and we were not disappointed.

Oh Yeah! Before we got set up Pete had to do a minor repair to the trailer!




After finding a big pot hole and bouncing the trailer Pete found
that one of the springs had slipped out of it's guide! Oops!
Very easy to fix!




Think he liked getting his hands dirty again!


















 What also made our stay here very enjoyable was meeting the Adam’s Family, ha!  Tracy, Andy, Ben, Zach and Emily,a lovely family close to our age & the kids were only a couple of years younger then Tom and Charlie but they hit it off wonderfully.



Here are the boys, the crutches belong to Ben.



Walpole is famous for the Tree Top Walk and the age of the forest around it and one can understand why when you see it.

THE VALLEY OF THE GIANTS TREE TOP WALK

The tree top walk takes you around the tree tops via 6  platforms that are 60 meters in length they are made out of steel and you can see through them.  The platforms all sway slightly to give you that feeling that you are up in the canopy of the trees. The highest point s 40 meters. To our surprise this walk opened 6^th August 1996, so it isn’t that old but it has already had over 2 million people pass through it’s doors.




the start of the tree top walk




at the highest point




speaks for itself




Tom, Charlie and Pete are
at the end of this 60 meter
platform!





up in the branches




look how high compared to the tree!


We also did a short walk through the floor of the forest and we ended up on a free tour which was very informative. We now know that these amazing Tingle Trees are called “Giants” because of their girth size not their height. The girth is measured 1.4 meters up from ground level and some in this forest have up to and beyond an 18 meter girth which has to be seen to get a real view.

The age of these trees are also of importance because a lot of them are over or around 300 years old. What we found amazing was how they still manage to grow when half their trunk is missing or burnt out, and we did learn that it is all in the trunks structure and great design, nor do these trees have deep roots so it is the way the trunk spreads out at the base which gives it its whole support, allows it to absorb more moisture and also tells the age of the tree.



This is Grandma Tingle
her base is 18 meters and she
is over 300 years old!



A good example of how burnt out
a Tingle can be and still live.



Before the Tree Top Walk was built there used to be tree you could drive your car through. This tree fell down in the 90's and it is part of the reason the Tree Top Walk
was created, to keep people off the shallow roots of the Tingle Trees and
hopefully keep them alive for a lot longer.



NORNALUP RIVER CRUISE

After some consideration and thought we decided to do this cruise out on the inlet, it wasn’t really for the cruise ride itself it was more to do with the man running the cruise. Everyone we had spoken to said he is a very knowledgeable and funny man and if you wanted to learn the history about Walpole he new it.

We went and had a great time topped off with a magnificent day of weather. An absolute character with a passion for Walpole, Australia and the environment as a whole. His name is Gary Moir and he is a eigth generation to the area and has written and/ or been involved with a book or two on his family. No matter what your background is he could somehow place you back to some thing/ era or time which involved Walpole! His knowledge did not stop at Walpole though he could tell you about science, animals, politics, anything; a man with the gift of the gab!



views from the the boat 




The water was so clear  you could see the channels in it.




We stopped for morning tea near the inlet and you were allowed
to go for a swim, you may be able to see the fish below the boat
on the right.



GIANT TINGLE TREE

This tree is in another part of the Forest to the tree top walk and it has to be seen to be believed. It is over 300 years old and before it’s middle was burn’t out in fires its girth was 24 meters around, massive!



Trying to show how big it is!




Couldn't get far enough back to get it all in.



Circular Pools

We went for a paddle in the Frankland river which is what leads into the circular pools . Tracy and Andy had this canoe that they let the boys have a go on. Everyone was having a lovely swim till Pete found a leach under his arm pit!



One of the pools at Circular Pool




The top pool




Tom & Charlie on Tracy's canoe on the Frankland River




Mount Frankland

This was an easy walk as far as our walks have been, although it was a bit tough climbing up the 300 steps and two small ladders to get to the manned fire tower up on top, but good views form the top. When we arrived to do the walk a Park Ranger came over for chat about the car, ( he had just bought one), anyway he invited us to come and have a look at what he was building in the park as another look out. So after the walk we went around and found him and were amazed to see a long platform that will eventually take you straight out from the mountain side through the tree tops and to look out onto the valley. He said the Castle Rock Walk we did at Porongorup was a take off from this one, they just got contractors in to do theirs quicker and that this one has been going for 2 years due to inclement weather.

The manned fire tower up top.



Views from the top.










This is the rock that forms the top of the mountain.











The platform will be amazing when completed, will have to come back to see it.