Denmark
From Margaret River, we headed to the south coast to a place called Denmark. On the way, Jamie climbed the Diamond Tree, one of the tallest types of trees in the area, it used to be used as a lookout for forest fires (helicopters are used now). Jamie also fed some brightly coloured birds. I did neither of these things because that tree was bloody tall and those birds were psychos (maybe a slight over exaggeration there!)
Jamie up the Diamond Tree (He got down after that point, he said it was too high and scary!). I think it was about 60ish metres high.
J's got yet another new bird!
After all our complaining about it being too hot up north, it was too COLD down south! The weather was very British: very windy and rainy. We were the only people crazy enough to sleep in a tent in our campsite in Denmark.The wind was so strong that I was sure that the tent would cave in any second!
The following day, we went to Walpole-Nornalup National Park to do the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. A steel walkway has been erected in a forest of Tingle Trees. It ascends to 40 metres at its highest and you can see through the floor - it's very scary! But J enjoyed it, he did it twice.
J in the giant trees
The view from the canopy.
We also visited the Giant Tingle Tree, which is over 450 years old and has a hollow base.
From Margaret River, we headed to the south coast to a place called Denmark. On the way, Jamie climbed the Diamond Tree, one of the tallest types of trees in the area, it used to be used as a lookout for forest fires (helicopters are used now). Jamie also fed some brightly coloured birds. I did neither of these things because that tree was bloody tall and those birds were psychos (maybe a slight over exaggeration there!)
Jamie up the Diamond Tree (He got down after that point, he said it was too high and scary!). I think it was about 60ish metres high.
J's got yet another new bird!
After all our complaining about it being too hot up north, it was too COLD down south! The weather was very British: very windy and rainy. We were the only people crazy enough to sleep in a tent in our campsite in Denmark.The wind was so strong that I was sure that the tent would cave in any second!
The following day, we went to Walpole-Nornalup National Park to do the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. A steel walkway has been erected in a forest of Tingle Trees. It ascends to 40 metres at its highest and you can see through the floor - it's very scary! But J enjoyed it, he did it twice.
J in the giant trees
The view from the canopy.
We also visited the Giant Tingle Tree, which is over 450 years old and has a hollow base.
Apparently they used to drive their cars into the hollow!
Esperance
We headed east along the south coast to Esperance. On the way, we stopped near Albany to check out the blowholes. Basically, they're a natural phenomenon of seawater being 'blown' out through holes in the rock. It was pretty impressive and reminded me a bit of Jamie after eating a curry. We also checked out some other natural sights on the rugged coastline.
Jamie's arse!
The Natural Bridge.
The rough seas around Albany.
The weather was much more cheerful in Esperance, though still a bit cold. We drove to some of the sights including the Pink Lake, a beach and some coastal lookouts. The Pink Lake was, disappointingly, not pink! There was a detailed explanation of where the colour comes from (involving the ingredient that makes carrots orange), but the lake was more like a grey-blue. Oh well.
What a difference a day makes!
The Nullarbor Road Trip
We drove north from Esperance to Norseman, where we began our journey east across the Nullarbor Plain into South Australia. Apparently, people do this drive just to prove that they can do it. It's a very long drive and there's very few places to stop on the way. It also includes the '90 Mile Straight' between Balladonia and Caiguna - the longest straight road in Australia! 'Nullarbor' is derived from the Latin for 'no trees' and although it would be wrong to say that there are no trees, the land is very flat and monotonous.
We stayed the night in Caiguna.
Very misty and atmospheric at 5am
The next night, we stayed at Eucla. In the evening, we went to see the old telegraph building out in the sand dunes. It was a very serene place - nice cool breeze, very few people and the sound of the sea in the distance.
The next night, we stayed at Eucla. In the evening, we went to see the old telegraph building out in the sand dunes. It was a very serene place - nice cool breeze, very few people and the sound of the sea in the distance.
The next day, we crossed the border into South Australia.
We drove on the true 'Nullarbor' section, where there isn't a single tree for about 40km (a relatively small distance). We stayed the night in Ceduna. After tea, we enjoyed a few hours drinking wine and chatting to an old Aussie biker and a Swiss-German guy by the fire (as it was a bit chilly).
Port Augusta (Spear Creek)
We drove to Port Augusta, the following day, passing through Kimba on the way.
Mad Jam: Beyond Thunderdome - loo break on the way.
A big gallah with the Big Gallah!
The weather had been pretty crazy recently in this area and roads were flooded. Luckily, the place where we stayed hadn't really been affected.
The weather had been pretty crazy recently in this area and roads were flooded. Luckily, the place where we stayed hadn't really been affected.
Sunset over Spear Creek.
The next day, we drove south to Adelaide via the Clare Valley wine region. We stopped at 3 wineries for a spot of tasting - not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
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