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Published: November 16th 2012
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The big trees were constant as we travelled east the short distance to Walpole. They continue to WOW us but we also pondered the potential for bushfire and loss considering the closeness to homes and towns. Walpole is set amongst a number of National Parks and though everything is wet, green and lush at the moment, we were left wondering just how much it dries out in the summer months.
We stayed in a caravan park within the National Park located on an inlet where the Deep and Frankland Rivers meet the sea. There are two sections to the inlet with the first bay much smaller than the second. The salty but still water tempted those wishing to catch a fish, whilst the shoreline and forest tempted others into bush walking. The views were stunning.
A young German guy excited by his first catch, a fish all of 25cm long looked shattered when we told him it probably would make good eating, but was very much under size so he should throw it back but after taking a photo of course,.
We drove the scenic drive to see the big tingle trees that are only found in this
area of Western Australia and only here in the world. They had quite different character to the karri and marri trees, still being very tall but having a massive girth. The effects of bush fires and termites meant they often had hollow trunks. Some of the hollows were so big you could have a group of people inside the tree. Just when we thought we had found the biggest tingle, we would find directions that pointed us further. They were truly amazing giants.
Flies, flies and more flies!
Friday morning with time to pass before our lunch destination we took the drive to Mount Frankland Wilderness Park. The summit of Mount Frankland is another historic bushfire spotting location in the area. It has a solid rock top which had a ladder and many steep steps to climb if you wished to see the view. We opted for a walk at the base of the granite outcrop. This was challenging enough and still gave us stunning views into the far distance.
We made it back to Walpole in time for a relaxing lunch at the Top Deck Café. It had an indoor section, and 2 decks. The lower
was enclosed whilst the Top Deck gave wonderful atmosphere and views. The food was simple but beautifully presented and tasty. A real treasure that was obviously popular with locals and visitors.
Saturday morning the short hop to Denmark was punctuated by a visit to the Tree Top Walk 17 kms out of Walpole. Fortunately the misty drizzle only turned to rain as we completed our tour. The walk on a suspended platform at times 40m above the ground gave the forest a very different perspective. We could look into the hollows that formed high up in the canopy, hoping to find a sleeping possum or the nest of a white or red tailed cockatoo. We were out of luck that day. The engineering and design of the suspension bridge proved almost as interesting as the tree tops. The bridge swayed gently as people moved along it giving some idea of wind movement in the treetops.
The tour done, the rain came and we moved on.
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