Walking in the shadows of giants
The early mornings in Western Australia are starting at around 4.30am. Thanks to a lack of daylight saving hours in WA crossing the border from South Australia means dropping the clocks back two and a half hours. Since crows and sunlight have no concept of time the day begins so much earlier.
Not that it matters to me. I enjoy being up early, watching the sunrise and enjoying that first coffee of the day.
We head down to Albany for the first stop of the day. Albany originally started as a deterrent to the French, who were looking for their own convict settlements, and grew as the main port in Western Australia before Fremantle was established. Albany was an ideal deep water port for shipping and the gold and timber were exported from here. The first ANZAC troops left to fight in the First World War from here.
There are some great views of Albany from the top of Mount Clarence, along with the War Memorial.
From Albany we drive down to the Torndirrup National Park to see some of the rock formations that have been created over the millennia. The Gap and Natural Bridge are part of the formations that were created when Australia broke free from Antarctica some 45 million years ago. Though less famous than the rock stacks of the Great Ocean Road, Western Australia’s southern coastline is no less impressive.
It’s onto Denmark for some good coffee (courtesy of Simo and Nullarbor Traveller) and lunch.
More of the rocks on the coastline follow with the Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks, a clever set of rocks which (if looked at from the right angle) do look like a herd of elephants heading out to sea.
As we head west the Eucalyptus trees become more evident. It’s here we stop for the Valley Of The Giants tree top walk. The Red Tingle trees are unique to this area and can grow to enormous sizes. The Valley Of The Giants features two walks, one a platform walk 40m above the ground and another on the ground. The trees can grow up to 60m but it’s the bases that can look bizarre. Bulbous growths on some while others have large bases hollowed out by fires yet still continue to grow.
One of the giant tingle trees we see has a hollowed out base large enough for the whole group to stand in a line.
Tonight we camp around Mount Frankland National Park, in amongst the trees. The Bush TV is popular tonight we have some company from a group of girls out from Perth.
The comedy of the night comes when, while sitting down, I miss a “Schultz” (the popular burping game) and get a tap on the head from Ali. The fold out chair promptly collapses below me. The merest tap! It was too funny to be painful and I’m saying nothing about the large lass from Perth who was using the seat earlier!
That night I stay by the camp fire and arrange the swag so I’m sat resting against the picnic table bench. Watching the fire and the night sky through the trees.
It feels like a state of splendid isolation as one moment I’m watching the fire and the next it’s dark and the fire has gone out.
