We usually try go away over Easter and have had some fun Easter weekends
in cool places over the last few years such as Iguassu Falls, Rio, and twins sharing
our birthday together in London when Joshua was born. This year we spent Easter
in Denmark in humble WA and it definitely ranked as one of the best and most
special.
Our BnB was a working farm and this is the view we woke up to every day
Cows on the farm
Denmark is a small town on the Wilson Inlet in the Great Southern Region
of WA, about 420 km south of Perth. There are many national parks in the area
and it is known for its natural beauty, hills, forests and beaches. Albany,
another small town a little further along, was the first settlement in WA
before the Fremantle and Swan River (which became Perth) colonies. The Albany
port was significant as the only deep-water port in WA for many years before
the opening of Fremantle Port and was the last port of call for troopships
departing Australia in WWI.
We decided to travel directly to Albany from Perth and spend the
afternoon exploring there before checking into our accommodation in Denmark.
Despite the busy Easter traffic we still managed the journey in the expected
time of 5 hours travelling along the inland number 30 highway. Our first stop
in Albany was Albany Heritage Park on Mount Clarence for beautiful views over
King George’s Sound and the entrance to the port. There is also the National
ANZAC Centre here and remnants of coastal defences from over the years.
King George's Sound
National ANZAC Centre and King George's Sound
Remnants of coastal defences
The not-often-seen black cockatoo
From Mount Clarence we continued to Tondirrup National Park. This wild
and rugged park has many impressive natural rock formations which have been
shaped by waves over thousands of years. There are several highlights to see
here including the Gap, Natural Bridge, the Blowholes, Stony Hill, Jimmy
Newells Harbour, and Salmon Holes. Unfortunately the road to the Gap and the
Natural Bridge was closed due to upgrading of lookouts and facilities in that
area, but the rest of the park was open and we enjoyed a windswept and cloudy
day exploring the sights of this park.
From the park we completed the journey to our accommodation Denmark, a
BnB on a working cattle farm, and a quiet evening ensued. Dinner was at the
Indian restaurant in town, the only thing open on Good Friday!
Exploring in Tondirrup National Park
Mind the possums!
Boibs at Stony Hill in Tondirrup NP
First time we saw twin grass trees!
It rained most of Saturday but we didn’t let that didn’t stop us
exploring. The day started in the Valley of Giants near Walpole, about 40 min
from Denmark. This area is known for its tall Karri and Tingle trees,
especially the Red Tingle. Tingle trees can grow up to 70 m but their roots
only reach 1 m deep. To compensate and help with stability, the trees grow a
wide buttress around the base of the tree, up to 24 m in circumference. This
buttress is often infected with bacteria or fungi and as a survival mechanism
that wood dies. When fire passes through the forest, the dead wood is burnt
resulting in a hollow base with a narrow ring of live trunk supporting the
tree. Tingle trees require 1 m of rainfall a year to survive and are only found
in this area of Australia where there is enough rainfall to support them. Some
of the tingles here are over 400 years old.
The Tree Top Walk is the best way to get up close to these beautiful
trees. The walk is a 600 m loop within the canopy of the trees, the
highest point of which is 40 m, and has been designed to be gentle and respect
the sensitive shallow root system of tingle trees. Next to the Tree Top Walk is
the Ancient Empire Trail meandering through the Red Tingle forest. This is
where we saw our first She-Oak trees. She-Oaks look nothing like typical oaks,
instead they have needle-like leaves and an interesting bark that looks like
waves around the tree. She-Oaks are prized for their beautiful distinctive hard
wood.
Bron at the Tree Top Walk in the Valley of Giants
Views on the walk
The hollow buttress of a red tingle
From the Valley of Giants we made our way back to Denmark on the number
1 highway stopping at many of the local small businesses along the way, such as
the Toffee Factory and the Chocolate Lounge for a hug-a-mug hot chocolate. Our
last stop for the day was Greens Pool and Elephant Cove in William Bay National
Park. Several large granite boulders form a protective ring around Greens Pool
acting as a barrier to the swell of the ocean and creating a natural sheltered
swimming pool. On most days the water here is perfectly calm and perfect for
swimming if a little cold. Elephant Cove is adjacent to Greens Pool and is so
named for the oval granite rocks that look like elephants paddling in the
shallow waters and gazing into the ocean. This was our favourite place in Denmark
and we enjoyed a nice long walk stretching from Greens Pool into Mazzoletti
Beach on both days we were here.
The beautiful and calm Greens Pool
The ocean looking much choppier just beyond Greens Pool
We loved the gorgeous orange rocks
Our first wild Roos!
And then it was Easter Sunday and Bron’s birthday. She was thoroughly
spoilt with Easter chocolates and thoughtful gifts from her amazing husband. Her
main present was a photo book with over 400 photos from all our travels over
the last 5 years! It is a beautiful book and Justin put so much work into it. I
love it! Thank you Pookey. The next time Easter Sunday falls on my birthday is
in 2157! (Thanks Google.) Thank you for all the surprises and for making it
such a special day, amazing thoughtful husband of mine. It is one I will
remember and treasure.
Saturday was our busy sightseeing day and Sunday was a much slower
chilled day. In the morning we went to investigate Wilson Inlet and enjoyed a
short walk on part of the Bibbulmun Track. We found a great view point over
looking Ocean Beach. The sand bar leading into the inlet is closed at the
moment creating an extended deeper beach. This would be a great place for a
nice long walk on the beach.
Ocean Beach at Wilson Inlet
Justin had booked a surprise lunch at The Lake House, a very scenic wine
farm in the valley with views over the lake and vineyards. It’s a popular place
to be and Justin did a good job booking a table a month in advance. The menu
doesn’t have single plate meals; instead there are mixed picnic-style platters
for sharing. We enjoyed a very relaxed slow lunch over a bottle of Lake House
Chardonnay.
The rest of the afternoon was spent wishing family far away a happy
Easter and happy birthday and then it was back to Greens Pool for a lovely long
sunset walk and photo shoot. It had been a beautiful warm day and was a perfect
evening for it.
Vineyards at The Lake house
Oyster Catcher looking for dinner
Sunset walk on Mazzoletti Beach
Sunset at Greens Pool
Monday was time to head back to Perth and we decided to squeeze in one
more national park. We chose the longer mostly coastal route along the number 1
highway instead of the inland number 30 in order to stop at Fernhook Falls in
the Mount Frankland National Park. We didn’t realise however that with the lack
of rain in summer the river would be dry! So the falls weren’t running anyway.
That was disappointing but it was still beautiful drive through more lovely
forests.
The wine farm next to our BnB
Fernhook Falls, lol
Mount Franklin National Park
In the evening our friend Matt that we met on the plane to Bali in
December and his partner Helen came over for pizza and wine. It was a lovely
and fun way to end a great weekend.
All in all it was a great weekend, a good taste of the Denmark area and
well worth the long drive!
See you next time after a
sneaky week in Sydney!
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