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Published: November 22nd 2007
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Brochure Text:
• Frenchman Bay
• The Gap/Natural Bridge and Blow Holes
• Valley of The Giants
• Tree Top Walk
Up early towards Frenchman Bay to explore amazing coastal rock formations known as ‘The Gap’, ‘Natural Bridge’ & the spectacular (in rough seas) blow holes. Travelling via the delightful scenery of the south coast to the picturesque town of Denmark located on the edge of the massive Karri & Tingle Tree Forests. Next stop is at the clear waters of Greens Pool for a refreshing swim. From here we continue to the Valley of the Giants, which includes the elevated Tree Top Walk allowing unrestricted views of the dense Tingle Tree Canopy - a unique eco-tourism experience. We journey onto Pemberton where you can take the challenge and climb one of the famous Fire Tree lookouts.
Hostel accommodation for tonight. (B,L,D)
Wednesday 21st Because we saw all the natural phenomenon yesterday we don't have to get up so early today - 7am, breakfast and to be on the bus by 8am. Bart just remembered to give us the internet credit we can have, so I quickly check in - disappointed to see that my Ayers Rock
tour has been cancelled but sure I can find another one... But now that we're on the bus to to 'Denmark', just realised the upgrade to a longer tour they offered me is probably feasible, so hopefully they won't cancel me on that one after all - shouldn't deal with my emails with 2 minutes left on the internet clock when it's early morning! As my mobile is now working (finally! Just have to work out how to top-up) sent a quick email from my phone before we pulled into Denmark which was a town set up in the post-war Depression when land-plots were given to the poor to see what they could make of the land - before the logging industry moved in. The town is now anti-logging and a very creative/liberal/hippy town. We check out the award-winning bakery before heading off to Greens Pool where we'll have a swim.
Greens Pool is a naturaly formed pool amongst rock formations, protected from the waves, with a central rock platform which can be dived from if the rocks around are carefully checked - I know 'cos I did it! The water was pretty chilly and I don't know whether
I warmed up or whether I went numb! Finally managed to get onto the rock, hung around for a bit then jumped off and went for a walk around to Elephant Cove, where the rocks (if looked at from the right angle) look quite like elephants.
After a quick change and a short drive we turn up at Bartholemew's Meadery, which produces honey and honey products including wine and ice cream. We taste various wines and honies before any purchases then head off to Bowbridge where we stop for lunch - not too hungry though! Then it's off to the Valley of the Giants for the Tree Top Walk. The Giants are the exceptionally tall trees (first see tall Tingles which only grow (worldwide) in a 20k area round here), and the walk is a suspended platform amongst the trees (a bit bouncy), reaching a height of 40 metres. I'm not sure how many know how many times I have crawled over things or curled up in balls in glass lifts so this is another challenge for me (like diving the depths of the ocean) and first point where everyone thought bouncing would be amusing was an 'uh-oh' moment,
but was determined, so I made it - with many photo stops! After a walk through the huge Tingle trees (which offer more photo ops) back into the shop where Tina says I should buy the Certificate of Achievement - so I do! Bart then tells us there's a 70 metre tree to climb this afternoon - not sure about that one!
Back on the road, stop at a bakery - if I eat anything else will not be well, so despite the enticing looks from the cakes... Back on the road, Cleggy's driving - I kinda doze and open my eyes to miles of road through tall trees - I guess this is what we're heading for with the tall climbing tree - if I'm in a harness maybe?! So, we get there, turn the corner and I decide that for once in my life, just because something is there doesn't mean I have to do it! Tina sets off at a cracking pace, the others more slowly, and watching their faces (bearing in mind the Tree Top Walk was not even an issue for them) makes me decide not even to attempt the first platform (which must
be 40m, whole thing is 80m). 3 get to the first platform, Bart, Cleggy and Tina make it to the top, Annik and I go far enough up to have photos taken! Think I made the right decision - and now we're off to a waterfall.
Waterfall was pretty but nothing spectacular (but maybe in such an otherwise often dry country...), so we headed back through the countryside which was actually looking quite English in parts (bales in the fields, green fields, cows in the field)... Then we turned off for our night-stay which is at Pemberton YHA, aptly described by Bart as 'a hut in the middle of nowhere' - but a pretty well equipped hut! Usual hostel stuff plus a kangaroo sanctuary and a BBQ hut, where Cleggy cooked our evening meal of 'snags' (sausages), steak, kangaroo, potato/sweet potato/onion, salads and who knows what - it was a lot and it was tasty. Had my shower whilst the fire was lit in the BBQ hut, then sat there and finished my Penfolds Tawny Port and decided if we're getting up at 530 I'd like to go to bed and read for a bit - it's about 9pm.
Think they may be going to look at stars but I want to read!
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