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Published: June 28th 2006
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Albany to Pemberton
After leaving the Karri Forest the rain and late afternoon made the drive somewhat spooky HEADING NORTH FROM ALBANY
Our spare week before heading north was spent in the south corner of W.A. After our short time in Albany we headed along the coast road to Denmark which looked so much like the Barossa that we “sort of” felt like we were “home”. The area was at least green as from Perth down it was like a desert and must be worrying to all those people depending on that liquid gold from the sky. We then headed to the Karri Forest just north of Walpole where Jen & I had a wet but enjoyable time taking the tree top walk through this majestic forest. This had been a boyhood dream of mine (since 1st year high school during woodwork classes) to visit this awesome place. Awesome it was, as the trees were up to 60 metres in height and were breathtaking to say the least. These monsters are truly majestic and in some ways it was a pity it rained when we arrived but on the bright side, the moisture made the surrounds look crisp, clean and healthy. The journey continued through the forest like countryside and arrived at Pemberton just on dark. The houses were
Karri Tree
The trees down south were up to 60 metres tall and this is one of them all wood and the area a little bit like the 1850’s era, or to Jen, Mt. Burr in the south east of SA. The trip through the area was a bit eerie because of the dull conditions, and the caravan park was a bit the same. A reasonably early start saw us head for Busselton where we booked into a five star park called the Mandalay. The hosts were very friendly and the park was superb….heated pool, entertainment centre and a host of large cabins and trees. All the facilities were “spot on”, and in the near future customers will enjoy FREE broadband access.
We then headed north, had lunch with aunty Janice at Rockingham and then headed to Upper Swan where we stayed with Rob & Marcella Lynne. The following morning the “girls” decided to colour their hair and by 12 noon we were ready to commence our trip to Lyn & John Sewells, 42km east of Geraldton. The trip north went without a hitch, and we decided to take the inland road which had a bit more scenery. We stopped in Moora to buy a PVC cap (which I left off the tube at the back of the
Jen on the catwalk
The catwalk was way up high and the view was extremely exciting. Her Jen holds on as it sways a bit in the breeze van) and then chatted with a bloke at Three Springs who intimated that several farmers would be forced off the land this year because of the lack of rain. The country is indeed dry and we only saw about three crops that had peeked through the surface as far north as Geraldton. The are some areas which have been dry sown but as of the 28th June, the rains have not arrived and it would seem that the farmers will miss out on an income this year.
ARRIVAL AT THE SEWELL’S
We arrived at the Sewell’s after dark having negotiated some back roads from a mud map posted to us earlier by Lyn, and just as were reading the welcome note, John & Lyn arrived home from Geraldton. Jen was relieved to arrive as we were low on fuel, it was dark, and we were not exactly sure of our final destination. Anyway, everything turned out well and we parked the van ready for a well earned sleep. The next day Jen & I headed for Geraldton hospital as she had a swollen left eye and face….apparently the hair colour from the day before had had an adverse reaction on
Tony at base of tree
The Karrie trees were huge and here you can the size as Tony stands at the base of one of the 60metre trees her skin.
The doctors conducted a few tests and gave her some medication while she “rested” in bed. An hour or so later we headed back to the farm for a bit more convalescing.
The next day saw John, Lyn and son Tim continue tailing more lambs, and after bidding them well, we again headed for Geraldton to have a better look around.
Saturday morning John, Tim & Tony moved the sheep and lambs back to another paddock some three km away, with me actually walking the distance. It certainly took me back in time when this sort of thing took place on the farm in Angaston.
Sunday our hosts gave us a guided tour of the town and outskirts, and to cap it off had a quick lunch at an Irish pub. To show our appreciation, Jen & I hosted John & Lyn to dinner in our van and sent them “packing” three hours later after an enjoyable evening. Monday we had a relaxing morning doing the odd job or two and again headed for Geraldton to collect the mail and buy some goodies for our trip to Kalbarri. That night we were hosted to a farewell dinner and
The Sewell Homestead
John & Lyn Sewell welcomed us to stay at their home after a hearty meal, tumbled into bed soon after 10pm. Tuesday morning saw us pack the van, stock up on water and say our goodbyes to John, Lyn and Tim.
KALBARRI….here we come.
Our journey further north went well and we slipped into Kalbarri mid afternoon. The town is expanding and has four caravan parks and boodles of accommodation places. Tourism is the main reason for the town’s existence, and the attached photos show why. We visited many of the sites along the coast and the bay itself is protected by a zig zag of reefs. The entrance to the river blocks up from time to time and the winy conditions make it difficult for the boats to get out to sea through this entrance. Apparently the whales when they come are a great attraction and last year some of them stayed in the river section near the town with their calves for three months. We also visited a bird sanctuary today and saw a huge variety of rainbow parrots and I must say that the birds were extremely friendly and beautiful. I took plenty of photos but have only popped a couple on the net. We intend staying here
Tailing time at Sewell's
Tim John & Lyn tail their lambs as Jennifer watches until Friday morning and then head for Monkey Mia. Until next time……..
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Marg
non-member comment
Hello birdies
A very interesting Blogg, it seems you are having a really great time and seeing some very interesting things. The bird sanctuary would have been great, you don't realize how colourful the parrot family are until you see them in large numbers. The coastline looks really great, I love rocky coastline. It's getting my travel bug stirring!! May have to plan a trip next time Sue and Gra come out to Australia! Keep the bloggs coming, I always look forward to them. Take care and happy and safe travelling. luvyamarg xx00 Max is getting her feather-do a bit ruffled today, it's very windy and rainy but she is enjoying being tossed about in "her tree"