Week 5 southern forests and Margaret River

We packed in a lot this week, as our booking at Dirk Hartog Island was only a few short weeks away. We pulled out the calendar to determine a timeline for the end of March. There is a lot to see and a lot we may have to jettison. The frustrating reality of time and travel: we can’t do it all. 

With the marvellous southern forests to explore and 900 kilometres to travel from Perth, along with the Pinnacles, Lucky Bay and Kalbarri in between, we needed to streamline the next couple of weeks.

First up, following our tour with Gary Muir, we headed east to the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk before leaving the Walpole area. Aptly named, the walk is a dizzying 40 metres above the forest floor, giving us access to the vibrant forest overstorey. The tingle tree, endemic to this area, is the eucalypt with the largest known girth in the world. This marked the start of our journey into the stately southern forests. 

D’Entrecasteaux NP

D’Entrecasteaux National Park is named after French explorer Admiral Bruni D’Entrecasteaux, who sailed past the area on a scientific expedition in 1792. He also ‘discovered’ the channel between Bruny Island and Tasmania.

He said Western Australia was ‘extremely bare and very dry, nothing but sand dunes intersected by dark green heath or steep rocks. There seemed no hope of finding shelter. But for the smoke that rose in one place, the coast might have been thought uninhabited.’ (E.P.E. de Rossel, (ed.), 1808, Voyage de Dentrecasteaux envoyé à la recherche de La Pérouse Vol. I: 176, quoted in Frank Horner, 1996, Looking for Lapérouse, Melbourne University Press: 113).

He was right about the sand dunes. There are plenty of them. We drove along a nerve-racking three kilometre sand track to arrive at Banksia camp, with sections of soft sand and others with rubber matt, and Jeremy gripping the steering wheel, white knuckled. All sand driving, though, is excellent preparation for what we will encounter in more remote locations up north.

Two days gave us some space in our schedule to swim and catch up on our beach combing, We picked up more old rope, plastic bottles and other detritus washed up on an otherwise pristine coastline. The exposed open ocean, with its unfamiliar currents, made us cautious about swimming. We stayed in the shallows or enjoyed the pool created on the beach by beautiful granite boulders.

Jeremy continued shooting for The Outback Project. I conducted some tutoring. Access to portable internet gives me the opportunity to keep my hand in the teaching game. And I love reconnecting with teenagers and the challenges that thinking provides them.   

Warren National Park

The weather apps forecast a fair bit of rain for the night following Banksia camp. Belle and Blake from Adelaide way mentioned Draftys Campground in the karri forest on the Warren River, Warren National Park, with a camp kitchen,. This meant a comfortable shelter for cooking dinner in the predicted 20mm of rain. 

The campgrounds in the national parks here in WA are generally very well-equipped with camp kitchens, bbqs, tables and chairs, and with clean toilets. Contrary to the chatter on social media, most of the campgrounds we have stayed at require payment. We haven’t found much free camping. 

The forest was tranquil, with foliage, leaf litter and humus absorbing much sound. Fallen gum nuts the size of big marbles, like bonkers or thumpers, blanketed the ground, large enough to roll an ankle. Before the rain, we busted out the kayak for a paddle on Warren River. Another serene experience. surrounded by dense forest, the silence was profound on the river, 

Leeuwin-Naturaliste NP

On our way to the Margaret River region and Leeuwin-Naturaliste NP, we stopped for the obligatory ‘hug a big tree’ photo, randomly selecting a large-ish tree, not the biggest we’d seen. When it came to reach around the trunk, we needed a third person to connect our hands. It was massive! 

We also turned off the main road at Pemberton to visit the Gloucester Tree, which was used between 1937 and 1952 as a bush fire detection tree, with a platform 58 metres in its canopy from which to spot smoke and fires. To climb the tree, there are 152 steel spikes jammed into the trunk spiralling up to the top. The climb has been a tourist attraction until 2023 when it was closed.

Our first stop in Leeuwin-Naturalist National Park was the Augusta lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin. A rain squall rolled in while we were there, the grey clouds a fitting reminder of how fierce the elements can be.  

We intended on spending two nights at Point Road Campground near Boranup. Nestled in the peppermint trees, all six campsites were all ideal, spacious and quiet, with no one around. We settled in, looking forward to another two night stay.

At roughly 10 o’clock that evening, as more rain started to set in, a car pulled up, choosing the site beside us. Unspoken rule of camping: Respect other campers’ space. 

They couldn’t set up their tent, had children in the car (an urban SUV), walked all over the laid-out tent, had no shelter, head torches or raincoats. After a little while, we got up to help them assemble their brand new 10-person tent, with our head torches and raincoats. We wouldn’t be sleeping until they were set up and that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

In the morning, with young children, it was an early wake-up. We decided to move on to nearby Jarrahdene Campsite, situated amongst jarrah, marri and peppermint trees. We were visited that evening by a possum. Maybe a brushtail? It was very game, coming in between our legs looking for scraps. Western white-backed magpies were also friendly the following morning, joining us for a cuppa.

The karri forest around these parts gives me the same sense of spaciousness as the Nullabor. Expansive, imposing, stately, majestic. Another element of grandeur in these western landscapes. 

Moving on, we arrived at mainbreak, Margaret River, in the morning to find a pumping swell. The break is about 300 metres from the beach and well worth a visit. The surfers on the break are skilled, making catching waves and riding the powerful beasts look simple. It is mesmerising. We stayed for a couple of hours.

Old friends, Christian and Beth hosted us for two nights in Cowaramup. It was lovely to spend time with friends, eating and laughing, talking about travelling, gear and camping. 

Having both visited the region and wineries in the past, we decided to skip this part of the region, visiting only Woodlands Wines for a quick tipple.

At the northern end of Leeuwin-Naturalist National Park, we snorkelled at a few spots, enjoying the excellent visibility and plentiful sea life. The most beautiful snorkelling we found was at Gannet Rock, Cape Naturaliste. With crystal clear turquoise water and an abundance of fish, this place is a haven for southern right and humpback whales, adding to the coast’s mystique and appeal 

Big swell was forecast to arrive on Thursday morning. We decided to camp for our final night in Margaret River close enough to the main break for Jeremy to get up before the sun, take the car and shoot the surfing, leaving me to walk the short distance when I woke. Again, we spent a few hours mesmerised by the three metre swell.

Interestingly, names in WA with the suffix -up, such as Boranup, are part of the local Noongar language, meaning ‘place of’. Boranup means, in local language, place of the male dingo. Cowaramup means place of the purple-crowned lorikeet.

The trip has given me pause for thought about life and future directions. In covid we had the great resignation. Lately, I have been doing my own great rethink and I have decided to call it quits with my job. After 12 satisfying, incredibly busy years, including a couple of leadership positions during my tenure, it is time to go. This is the week I sent my resignation.

The open road beckons.