After checking out of Forest Lodge we drove into Pemberton to have breakfast. Pemberton is famous for its towering Karri trees and of course the famous Gloucester Tree (a link to a previous post about this). Following breakfast we walked the length of the high street and back to give our legs a stretch.
Packing up and heading off
Now defunct railway tracks
Pemberton
Downtown Pemberton
Pemberton Town Hall
Typical house in Pemberton
An old logging train
Marron Mural
Pemberton is famous for its Marron, a freshwater crayfish endemic to South West – Western Australia. The quality of the water here is perfect for this extremely sensitive creature.
Northcliffe
A friend had mentioned that if we were in the area we should stop by Northcliffe as there was a fantastic nature art trail. So this was our next destination.
It was a 1.2km circuit and cost $10 each to walk around it. It was definitely worth it!
Rising from the Ashes
These were created by artist Kim Perrier who worked closely with the local community to create these artworks. They commemorate the catastrophic bush fire in 2015.
Forest Folk
Marble resin, cement, iron dust and steel
There were so many more art works but I’ll save these for another time! The driver was itching to get on the move.
Our next stop was Beedelup Falls, a series of waterfalls and a suspension bridge. But first a stop to take some more photos!
Emus and Sheep
Beedelup Falls
This was a lovely walk through the forest and looking at the falls. It was the right time of year to see these falls as in the summer they are probably just a trickle.
Just a quick stop after this in Nannup for lunch and then onto Margaret River for two nights.
Our trip to Victoria included a one night stay on Philip Island. It’s a place I’ve wanted to see for a while and was intrigued as to why many of the places are named after Isle of Wight towns. I haven’t read anything definitive to explain it, just that the early settlers (1800 or thereabouts) had just holidayed there or saw a similarity.
We travelled from Melbourne with our two intrepid travellers, Laurence and Maddy, with Laurence driving. It’s an easy drive around 90 minutes and you can drive onto the island across the Philip Island Road Bridge from San Remo.
Our first stop of the day was lunch at Saltwater, a restaurant directly on the seafront. After pizzas and fish tacos, we wandered over to see a “squadron” of pelicans awaiting their lunch.
Newhaven
Philip Island Bridge
Newhaven Foreshore
As it was almost 4pm by now we had to get a move on to check into our accommodation. A little boutique guesthouse – The Castle, Villa by the Sea, located in the North of the island in Cowes.
Cowes was named by Henry Cox in 1865, a land surveyor who had just recently visited the seaport in England. Before this it was called Mussel Rocks.
We were already very impressed by the beautiful scenery on our drive up to Cowes. After checking in we walked along to the seafront. I could imagine how busy this place is in the Summer, such a wonderful island for a family holiday. Calm sandy beaches and grassy areas for picnics.
Cowes
Lengthening shadows
Cowes Beach
Mussel Rocks
Cowes Pier
Dinner that night was in a Greek restaurant a short walk from our guesthouse.
The next day we had an early breakfast along the seafront before checking out at 10 am. I had a lot planned for today.
Our first stop was Rhyll, a little fishing port named after the one in Wales.
Rhyll
A beautiful carving by Brandon Lawrence. Brandon created this sculpture from the massive cyprus tree that was blown down in a storm in 2016. It is called The Ferry Captain and depicts all things nautical. It honours all the ferry captains over the years.
Continuing with our tour we drove through Philip Island and down to the South West to Ventor, where we had a brief stop to watch the surfers. This is also where the penguins live and there is a nightly parade on show. We gave this a miss the night before as it was extremely chilly, maybe a visit is on the cards for the summer.
Ventnor
Mads enjoying the view
Cape Barren Goose
Downwards now to the very bottom tip of the island – The Nobbies. Home to the fur seals of Philip Island. There is a wonderful walk around the cliffs that takes approximately half an hour where you can see the roiling rollers of the sea. It’s quite mesmerising watching the waves.
The Nobbies
There is also an interactive Antarctic museum here which we didn’t visit but looked like a great place for families.
Churchill Island
Driving back now across the island to Churchill Island, where a historic heritage farm is located.
Churchill Island was named by Lt. James Grant in 1801 for the name of the man who had given him the seeds first planted here. There are beautiful well kept historical buildings and magnificent gardens to explore. It is still a working farm where there are many animals freely roaming around. A truly tranquil place to while away an hour or two and soak up the peace.
The Farm and Surrounding Areas
What fantastic murals!
Churchill House and Gardens
A fabulous weekend was had by all on this picturesque island. Below are some links for interest.
On Saturday while out for a walk around Lake Claremont I came across a beautiful new mural from Friends of Lake Claremont. I thought it was absolutely stunning with so much detail. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I love the way the tree keeps growing onto the roof. It blends in so well with the natural scenery.
Posted for Monday Mural hosted by Sami at ColourfulWorld.
For the next few days we would be exploring Launceston and some of the surrounding areas. George Town and Low Head were the destinations for today. We travelled along the East Tamar Highway alongside the Tamar River. Low Head is a suburb of George Town and sits right on the peninsula with a lighthouse at the top.
The above photo is of the Windmill Point Tree Sculptures. Depicting the workmen hauling ashore the telegraph cable that linked Tasmania to the North Island. Carved by chainsaw artist Eddie Freeman from macrocarpa trees.
One of theTamar River Leading Lights
Low Head
Onto Low Head to have a look at the lighthouse and historic site that is up there. There is a carpark just below the lighthouse and after parking we made our way to the top. Constructed in 1837 by convicts, originally made of rubble with a coat of stucco. It was decided to build a lighthouse after a dozen ships were wrecked over the previous years.
Walking down the hill the to the sea, I could see some black and white birds on a rock. It said there were penguins nesting around so I had a look through my Canon Powershot and sure enough there were a “huddle” of penguins on the rocks.
I had to balance the camera on one of the rocks to keep my hands steady, I was very happy that they didn’t come out blurry.
I felt like I’d had a good workout by the time we got back to the top and into the car. Stopping again in George Town for a delicious lunch in a waterside restaurant called The Crazy Duck. We still had a few hours left before Laurence and Maddy were arriving from Melbourne that evening, I looked at the map to see if there was anywhere worth seeing on our return to Launceston. Deciding on Lilydale Falls we drove half an hour east away from the river.
Lilydale Falls
After parking the car we made our to the first waterfall which was around 15 minutes and then saw a path to the much bigger one. It did have a warning for this part of the walk to say there were no handrails and it was quite a way longer. I’m glad we made the effort though, not that it was an effort for hubby only me! There were huge trees and ferns all around and so peaceful. There were a few other people walking the trail but not enough to hold anyone up.
At the start of the walk
Getting back to the hotel around 5pm, I had just enough time for a rest before Laurence and Maddy arrived and then it was straight out to dinner.
Another walk to the restaurant called Cataract on Paterson. Wonderful lively restaurant with a great menu and friendly staff.
Always a treat to see these two
And then it was back to our prison block as hubby called our hotel! Actually it was a very nice hotel “Balmoral on York” but housed in a plain brick utilitarian building. Conveniently located with a super host and great reception staff. There was a cute breakfast room serving continental and cooked breakfasts. The rooms were perfectly fine with extremely comfy beds.
Tomorrow we would be heading to Cataract Gorge which was going to involve lots of walking!
I dusted off my Canon Powershot SX730 and took a few macros from around the garden. I have to admit that I haven’t had that much success with this camera, mostly too blurry because of camera shake.
After the rain
This wasp has got himself into a right messIs this a Flaming Katy Kalanchoe?Gardenia
I think the best way to see anywhere new is to go on an organised excursion. I did just that when I visited Fuerteventura with the excellent Pie de Caracol tours, with driver and guide Luca. It was a long day from 9.00 am until 8pm so we really packed a whole lot in.…
I saw this little guy on a walk a while ago. At first I thought it was just a tree stump, but up close I knew better. The mother lay dead a few feet away and when I walked nearer a menacing magpie was flappy frantically around his head. I shooed it away and went to pick up little guy, but he flew away and tried to reach a near tree. Walking towards me were a group of golfers and as I was at the edge of the golf course I decided not to risk my head! I always wonder what happened to little guy.
Heimaey is the main island of the Westman Islands, surrounded by 15 other islands. We visited here as part of our Icelandic tour a few years ago. Its population is approximately 4,300 people while all the other islands remain uninhabited. It can be reach by ferry from Vestmannaeyja or from Reykjavik.
It’s a beautiful little island, with abundant wildlife, but mostly famous for the puffins. It also has two volcanoes, Eldfel exploded in 1973 with all the inhabitants having to leave the island for almost six months! The island was left under lava and ash, but with the help of foreigners and other Icelanders, it was cleared to make it habitable again for the Westman Islanders.
The volcanic rocks we passed on the ferry
Before checking into our hotel we did a tour of the island taking in the puffin sanctuary. It was August when we visited, the time when the baby puffins are born. The puffin parents stop feeding their young early so this forces the babies out and into the town looking for food. The lights at night attract the young and they fly down in their hundreds. It is a pastime for the youngsters of Westman Island to rescue these young birds and the next day the children take them to a safe nesting place on the island.
After seeing the puffins we then went onto to walk the volcanic trail around Eldfell Volcano, Anthony decided he would walk to the top later on that afternoon. He mentioned it was tricky to descend because you tended to slide down!
Volcanic ash is very fertile
Eldfel Volcano
Volcanic town of HeimaeyThe new volcanic island formed from volcanic eruptions from 1963 to 1967
We were staying one night at the wonderful Hotel Vestmannaeyjar, where we had a great room overlooking the harbour.
It’s a lovely little town to explore on foot and we had the afternoon and night free to ourselves. Anthony wanted to try the local delicacy of baby puffin, a bit sad after we had just seen them! So he did get his wish after we found a pub for lunch.
Before
After
A puffin and a pint – Verdict: Fishy pigeon
Photos from around the town
View through volcanic rock
Municipal offices
Fabulous murals depicting local life
Open air fish drying
A very fine Oldsmobile
A nightcap in broad daylight!
Before leaving the island the next day our tour driver picked us up to visit the black sand beach, Reynisfjara, very popular with locals during the summer.
Lengthening shadows
I loved the setting of this tiny island and it’s well worth a visit if you ever get to Iceland, a beautiful hidden gem full of colour and history.
🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋
That’s it for W, next should be X but I’m stumped with this. So it will be straight onto Y!
We decided to get away again for a couple of days to go up North to see the wildflowers, or what was left of them! Our destination was Dalwallinu which is just over three hours from Perth. Anthony wanted to take a less than direct route so we travelled up the coast to Cervantes where we picked up the Indian Ocean Road. This road is dotted with huge white sand dunes along the way, and you can see glimpses of the miles and miles of the West Australian coast. Taking this route did put some extra miles on the clock but we were in no hurry.
We stopped for a bite to eat and stretch our legs at Nilgen Lookout.
looking out over the Indian Ocean
Banksia flower
Banksia flower
We stopped once more in Badgingarra for me to take photos of the endless green wheat and bright yellow rape fields.
Badgingarra Nature Reserve
Endless wheat fields everywhere you look, with grain bins edging the fields
Arriving at the Dalwallinu Wheat Motel around 5 pm, we checked in and then went for a walk into “town”. This takes around ten minutes from start to finish. It only consists of one main street for shops with houses around the back of the main street. There is a bakery, cafe and tavern. We had a quick drink in the tavern and headed back to the motel for dinner. The motel has a fairly large restaurant and the menu boasts Asian and Australian food. Not too bad for a small wheatbelt town.
There were many couples like us out for an evening stroll and then back to the motel for dinner.
Dalwallinu
Nearly every country town in WA has old and rusting farm machinery on display, at least it’s put to good use!
Having a pre-dinner drink at the local.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
The next morning we ate breakfast in our room and then had a walk to the bakery to pick up our lunch. The bakery was doing a roaring trade as everyone else had the same idea!
Our first stop of the day was Xantippe! I was super excited as I thought great, my X place for my A to Z travels. Disappointment soon set in, there’s nothing in Xantippe except a large concrete water tank which we missed anyway and by the time we had travelled so far down a dirt track we gave up. Not such a great start.
There are maps of the wildflower trails which take you around a loop, but I also wanted to get off the beaten track to look at some other “attractions” that were listed. From Xantippe we drove back over to Wubin and then up to Perenjori.
An old rusty Holden
The Old Covent, established in 1923. In 1933 it became a Catholic girls boarding school. It was never a covent!
Some of the many wonderful flowers along the way
Alpacas, goats and more wheat bins
Our next stop was Buntine Rocks. There is a large granite rock here that gives amazing views from the top. I surprised myself and managed to climb to the top!
Along the drive the railway line cuts back and forth between the road, we only saw one train. There are no level crossings, you just have to look both ways before you cross!
Just checking!
Okay, all clear
Some of the places on the map don’t have anything there at all except a few rusty farm machines, like Maya. It was once a thriving community with an estimated population of 140 in the late 1930s to 1940s. It had a post office, a store and a school plus a cricket and football team and tennis courts. But times change and people move on.
We finally reached Perenjori late afternoon and I asked my dear hubby if he was getting tired of all the driving, but he said no it was good to let the car stretch its legs.
We then headed up to a placed called Camel Soak. This was a man made watering hole for the men and their camels to have a drink in the 1900’s whilst building the rabbit proof fence
The road leading here is full of pot holes and ridges in the dry earth, then once you park the car it’s a bit of a walk and climb, but we both thought it was worth seeing.
Backtracking then to Perenjori to see the famous wreath flowers that are a national treasure of WA.
These flowers are also way off the beaten track and even when you park the car, you do have to hunt for them.
Our last stop of the day before heading back to Dalwallinu
