Advertisement
Published: December 9th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Hopetoun
Hopetoun Port Hotel Well if you read the last Blog entry you will see that we were really really happy to be leaving Mason Bay ...not ! But as we had a date to keep in Busselton we had to keep moving. Today we are headed to Wave Rock, and beyond, and our first port of call was Hopetoun.
Nestled on the shores of Mary Ann Haven is the picturesque holiday town of Hopetoun. Originally a thriving Port town that serviced the nearby Phillips River Goldfields, Hopetoun is situated on a point that reaches out into the Southern Ocean between two sweeping bays. The coastline to both the east and west of the town boasts unspoilt, pristine white beaches, popular with holiday makers for swimming, boating, fishing and snorkelling. Mason Bay to the east is an example of these beaches. The Fitzgerald National Park, just 10Klms from town, supports over 20% of WA's known plant species and so the area is a popular destination in the 'wildflower season' with bushwalkers also.
From Hopetoun, we head away from the Fitzgerald Coast (sob) towards Ravensthorpe and a coffee spot (hopefully!). The Wudjari Aborigines once roamed this area and apart from a few middens and
Hopetoun
..main street stone scatters they have a scantily recorded history. In 1868 Dunn Bros established a sheep station on the Phillips River, and in 1900 the Phillips River Goldfields were discovered and gold fever and mining established Ravensthorpe. When the gold ran out Copper was discovered, reaching a peak in the late 60's, and mined until it ran out in 1972. Today over a third of the Ravensthorpe shire is productive farmland, the other two thirds comprise natural bush and National Parks. Nickel mining has now displaced gold fever and copper and is developing quickly.
The town sits amongst stands of Salmon Gums encircled by the Ravensthorpe Range, enjoying a temperate climate ! Huh ! It was 40 degrees when we were there and to say that the town was uninspiring as we drove up the main road was probably influenced by this fact alone. Undaunted by the heat and the flies, (we now know that WA not only stands for 'windy always' but also 'waving always'😉, we found a cafe and instead of Coffee ordered... 'cold drinks please, anything that is wet and cold will do'.
Striking North we headed for Wave Rock. Along the way stopping
Lake KIng
Yellow Billy Buttons at Lake King for the biggest bottle of cold 'whatever' we could buy. This is all wheat belt country, miles and miles, or, thousands and thousands of hectares of crop on both sides of the road. Lake King is basically a Viterra Grain delivery depot along this road. Another 100Klm saw us arriving on the outskirts of Hyden and Wave Rock.
While the Aborigines were the first inhabitants of the area, it is believed that they gave the district a wide berth during the past century and a half. Who can blame them, the heat and the flies were unbelievable !!!! Be prepared with fly veils and deterent when you visit ! The Sandalwooders (people that cut and harvested the sandal wood tree), are believed to be the first white men in the area. The earliest recorded farming was in 1922 and descendents of these settlers still live in Hyden (they are an insular lot!).
Wave Rock was impressive and interesting, a granite cliff, it is 15 mtrs high and 110 mtrs long. It's rounded shape has been caused by weathering and water erosion which has undercut the the base and left a rounded overhang. Water
Wave Rock
....fantastic and worth the heat and flies...brilliant ! running down the rock in winter months has disolved minerals and left the coloration, or, markings we could see. Hippo's Yawn is an unusually shaped granite tor that forms part of the main larger rock.
After surviving the walk in the heat and the constant barrage of flies we decided at 2.30pm not to stay here but to 'push on' to somewhere so off we set with our first stop just down the road at Hyden, a small wheat belt town. We would have to say that our first impression was clean, neat and with good facilities. After a stop at the bakery for salad rolls and the most magnificent (to date) vanilla slices we felt well fortified to continue on until the temp dropped a bit and the flies abated or until we came to a suitable campsite.
On through Kondinin we travelled, a town synonmous with the Kondinin Group, Australia’s leading provider of independent information for agriculture to assist farmers to make better choices for their farming enterprise. This town is basically a service centre for the surrounding agricultural community. As we progress closer towards Narrogin we are starting to see some
Wave Rock
Trish 'surfing' the equivalent of a 15 mtr Bells Beach Pipeline...unlikely ! sheep, predominatly Merinos. Near Kulin, we pass a property which I thought belonged to an old aquaintance from The Bendigo Sheep Show days, Ray Lewis of Lewisdale Merino Stud, but I could not be sure. Again Kulin was a clean and neat wheat belt town with new facilities being built, a swimming pool, caravan park and sports facilities. How come our towns in Vic don't get this money to provide these community facilities which I might add are nothing short of impressive.
And then we arrived in Wickepin, 'A Fortunate Town'. Yes, A.B.Facey who wrote that fantastic Australian classic, 'A Fortunate Life' lived here. Time for a cold beer in the local pub so we stopped at the council park $15 for the night with our very own ensuite and free laundry facilities ... fantastic! A quick set up and shower and off we trot down the road to the 'Wicke Pub'. Just in time for Happpy hour !! You beauty... I have never seen Trish drink a cold beer (any beer) so quickly, Judy would have been proud of her ! 'Line em up again please' she says as the bloke next to us says ...'where
Wave Rock
The walk around the base of 'the rock' you guys from?'. 'Bendigo' Trish replies (if we say Kyneton everyone says where is that)...'oh yeah I know Bendigo' he says, 'that is where the sheep show is'. 'How do you know that', says Trish ' I work for Ray Lewis we take sheep there', he replies. I now enter the conversation with 'you are kidding!' 'Nope' he says and 'he will be here in a couple of minutes'... The rest you could say is history, Ray and I talked about sheep and sheep shows and what was happening in the industry and the world in general, (as you do in a country pub). Quite a number of beers later we all left after having a brilliant night and us with a promise we would go out home the following morning for breakfast and to look at CHOGM the 170 kilo ram. What a fantastic night we all had.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.059s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 14; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0326s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Barb Hilton
non-member comment
Wave Rock
Just loved the blog on Wave Rock, I have always wanted to go there, missed it when I visited the beautiful Esperance , wonderful looking at all the photos, I feel as though I have now been there, thank you.........