Blogs from Valley of the Giants, Walpole, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania

Wednesday 13th and for a change, our journey today was only some 128 kms but we were still on the road by 9.30am. Just 50 kms away was Denmark where we had stayed for a couple of nights on our previous tour so we pulled in near that same caravan park for our cuppa and cake. What a delightful spot! The park is right on the river estuary and as we strolled on the footpath alongside we saw three Spoonbills, a Black Winged Stilt and a Sea Eagle all within a few minutes. We chatted to a couple from Perth who were sat by their caravan enjoying the beautiful scenery. We happily whiled away an hour there and wondered if we should be staying there again but as we were booked into Walpole today we were ... read more

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 ... read more

Set off on our journey west to Walpole. First stop was Mount Melville to get one last view of Albany before we left. Great views from the observation tower of the turquoise waters off Albany's coastline. On the way to Denmark (a town - not the country!) stopped for lunch at the outstanding beach of Greens Pool. (Unfortunately being school hols & an outstanding beach, everybody else was there too!) However if you walk round to Elephant Rocks you will find another fantastic cove with clear turquoise water, white soft sand and a much quieter beach - yippee! We sat on a rock & contemplated swimming & although the water wasn't too cold we thought we'd better head on to see more beautiful things! One of our favourite places though. As we headed away from Albany ... read more

Fed up with Pemberton, I headed down to Walpole for a bit of rest and relaxation over the new year. Walpole is 420km south of Perth and 120km west of Albany, roughly a two hour coach journey southeast from Pemberton. With a population of only 450, the township of Walpole is completely encircled by the 18,000 hectare Walpole-Nornalup National Park. Within the boundaries of this National Park are forests of Tingle and Karri trees, miles of coastline, beaches, rivers and estuaries plus a massive abundance of flora and fauna. Walpole is situated on the shallow Walpole Inlet. This has a depth of no more than one metre and is fed by the Walpole River. Good for chilling out with a bit of fishing. After my success in Pemberton and slap-up trout suppers, I decided to invest ... read more

Well its 11 days since last I blogged and we have travelled some miles since then. We left Ceduna on Thursday 16th for the long awaited crossing of the Nullarbor. The road was great and the weather even better for driving - overcast with the occasional sprinkle of rain. Quite a few road trains around but didn't bother John at all really. He had been warned so many times that it was almost an anti-climax. We didn't hit the real desert until about 270k out. Then very flat and scrubby. Passed through Yalata roadhouse on aboriginal land and it is closed. A bit further on pass the turn off to 'Head of Bight' where the whale watching is fantastic in season. This is also closed as the sign says 'no whales'! About here we start on ... read more