There's a lot to do around Walpole

 and we have spent the last two days trying to cover it.This wilderness area features a vast natural and wild landscape which is the essence of West Australia’s southern forests and coasts. Jarrah, tingle and karri forests surround granite peaks, peaceful rivers and tranquil inlets, with cliffs overlooking sandy beaches and the Southern Ocean. Located in one of the wetter parts of Western Australia, the wide variety of vegetation provides a range of habitats for native birds and animals.

Incorporating no less than seven national parks, as well as a number of conservation areas and nature  reserves, this area provides the tourist with a diverse landscape to enjoy.

We started our exploration with a boat trip through the Normalup inlet, with an extremely informative guide who would make a great lecturer. He told us of the history of the area, how it started as a logging region and was intended to mine and export coal, and indeed become a largish city. Fortunately that didn’t happen, and since much of the forest has regrown we can see what it was like in the early days.

He took us to an island, and told us about the frogs, snakes and other small animals which inhabit it. It could have put us off landing, but he went ahead in bare feet across the island to the beach on the other side.

Later we drove to the Valley of the Giants, where the red tingle trees are some of the largest in the world, and can only be seen in this area. Many are hollow at the base where funghi, insects and fire have made huge gashes in the trunk. As many are over two hundred feet high it is amazing how they hold up.

We took a tree top walk, along 600 mtrs of 40 mtr high bridges which swayed as we walked. Anne was not happy! But she made it, and enjoyed looking at the many birds flying around us. Below, the undergrowth is very thick and undisturbed, something that cannot be appreciated from the ground.

Today we drove to Mount Frankland, one of the highest peaks in this area, at 410 mtrs. (1300 ft). It was quite a climb to the top from the car park, one and a half kilometers altogether, the first section a steep path, the second no less than 300 steps before reaching the top, which was a large granite rock. The view was tremendous, around thirty miles over Walpole to the lagoon and sea to the south, and some fifty miles to the north east and west. Almost all of the area is forest, but we could see the glinting of rivers meandering through the valleys below us.

Later we drove to the circular pool, a lovely natural pool in the Frankland River, which also runs past our chalet at Che Sara Sara.. Although the water is brown from tannins leaching from the forest, it is a favourite swimming hole, with easy access from the smooth rocks.

A busy couple of days, but tomorrow we must move on to Albany.