It might have been a washout.....

It started badly- and from a weather point of view it didn't really improve all day. Bl**** cold this morning, 8c (46f) and only reached 15 this afternoon. I'm wearing long trousers and a fleece, the first time since leaving the UK in July!
And the rain- well, intermittent it may be, but when it comes it comes in spades. Anne had to have her dressing changed this afternoon and as I sat in the hospital waiting for her it was so solid we couldn't see the car park outside. Then there is the hail..... nuff said!
But apart from that between the showers we have had a good day. We've moved down to Pemberton, in the Karri forest,which is a region of extremely tall straight trees.
There has been logging here since the 1800s, and there is still a large sawmill in the town. One tree felled in 1901 was 87 mtrs, (270 ft), and they regularly reach 70 mtrs. They can live up to 300 years. Much of the forest we see today in this area was completely cleared in the 20s and 30s, and has grown again since then.
Because of the danger of fire in dry seasons it was necessary to keep a close watch on this forest. Tree towers were first built in the 1930s and consist of a platform at the top of the tallest trees, with pegs to enable the fire warden to climb. These platforms are over 200 ft high, and involve quite a climb, as well as a full day or night on watch.
These days most fire watching is done from planes, but occasionally when planes cannot fly a warden will still use some of these. Tourists are allowed to climb if they dare, but today is not the day with rain and high winds.

In the early days these huge logs were moved by horse and bullock, with the leading edge lifted by a pair of wheels to stop them digging in. Then they were winched onto a rail car, and taken to Pemberton to be milled. They are still milled there, but now they are transported by road

Between the downpours we enjoyed our day, driving the forest trails. There are good sized rivers here, which run year round, as well as lakes and reservoirs in the forest. Well worth a visit, we will stay here tomorrow I think to see a bit more.
Hopefully this bl**** weather will improve!!!