Hua Tuo StudioRoad Trip WA
2016 Easter. Another year and another Easter, time goes so fast. Three of us has decided to take a road trip to the Western Australia’s Southern Forest Region. We all knew the region pretty well so the trip was roughly planned and the accommodation was booked a few days before the trip.
The Itinerary
Day 1
Leave Perth
Rest at Bunbury (1.5hrs), change driver
Take the National Route 1 from Bunbury to Walpole, rest at Bridgetown and Manjimup
Arrive at Nornalop accommodation (3+hrs), rest
Arrive at Valley of the Giants
Visit the Tree Top Walk
Day 2
Leave Nornalop
Visit Elephant Rock and Greens Pool (William Bay National Park)
Lunch at Denmark
Drive back to Perth (Albany Highway is the closest and simplest way to get back to Perth - just keep driving for 3-4 hours and you are there. Take the left turn to Mt. Barker Road outside of Denmark, to cut through to Albany Highway, instead of driving from Denmark to Albany. It’s a nice drive through the State Forest too.)
Random, 😂 I was in Perth City when I found this:
I thought that it was a fantastic discovery before starting a road trip! 😃 In case that you want to find it yourself, it’s near the corner of the St. Georges Terrace and Barrack Street in Perth City, opposite of the Stirling Gardens.
Day 1
Walpole & Nornalop
We planned to leave Perth at 8am. We actually left Perth around 9.30am due to the last minute search of a GPS. I decided not to get upset about it. 😃
Our first resting stop: Bunbury. It’s been years since I last visited Bunbury. We drove straight to the Marlston Hill Lookout Tower. It was a bit windy at the top of the tower but the view was stunning. It’s a great resting point.
The sandy beach of Bunbury. I took this photo while dad ran onto the beach to chase his hat. :) I caught a photo of him with his arms in the air (trying to hold onto his hat) and his hat floating in the air too (flying away). I laughed every time when I saw that photo.
The second part of the drive was not boring. There were plenty stopping/resting points at one of the little towns along the route. We kept eating and chatting. The view was gorgeous whence we entered the Southern Forest Region of WA. Giant tress covers both side of the road. It was a fantastic drive. I was also pulled over 3 times by the cops checking for alcohol, 3 times!
We stayed at Nornalup Riverside Chalets. It was difficult to book for an overnight accommodation during Easter. Marge was nice enough to take us in. The Chalets are located on the Riverside Drive by the side of the Frankland River. The Chalets were reasonably priced and they have everything you need for a night’s stay. You can cook your own dinner or drive to Walpole for a meal. We went to the Top Deck Cafe in Walpole. We were happy with the food, the service was good too.
I discovered some mushroom on the road side. They pushed through tar and gravel road surface and stood like little soldiers. I was so proud of them. Isn’t life amazing?
Valley of the Giants
The Tree Top Walk 600-metre walk has a gentle gradient, suitable for children and all ages, including wheelchairs and strollers. A walk trail links the Tree Top Walk to the Ancient Empire boardwalk where you can get up close and personal to the 400-year-old giants of the forest.
This is the first time I come to the Tree Top Walk in Western Australia.
The Tree Top Walk is located at the Valley of the Giants. Don’t you just love the name! Whenever I saw the name, I always had the image of the Ent from the Lord of the Rings in my mind.
The Valley of the Giants’ website contain good information about the place and everything else related to it. Head over there if you would like to plan for a trip too.
I enjoyed my walk at the top. Although, I don’t think one should be on this walk if one is not comfortable with heights. The walking path wave slightly when a few people walk on it with unsynchronised steps. It was pretty fun for me! It sounded like the waves in the ocean when the wind blew pass - the trees started dancing and I could hear them whispering in our ears! I wonder what stories they would tell after standing there for 100s of years.
The Ancient Empire boardwalk is a 20 minute walk under the Tree Top Walk. It was certainly a different view from the bottom up! I could really appreciated the height of the Giant Tingle Trees (Eucalypts) from the ground - like the giant protectors of the forest. The air was crisp and sun shone through the branches. I’ve read that it’s a quite busy touristy attraction but we must have missed ALL the tourist groups! We gladly enjoyed the quietness and serenity of being one with the forest - it was such a magical feeling! I’ve learned so much from the stories left along the walkways describing the trees, the eco-system and the surrounding area. I was sure that I could easily spent an hour there, wandering around and marvel the lives in the forest. I strongly suggest everyone to take a trip there when in the area!
Day 2
Denmark
After a good night sleep, I woke up to cool crisp air. I put on a jacket, picked up a cup of coffee and walked out of our chalet. It was a bit cloudy and the air was the mix of the tree, the flowers and the grass. I wished that I could put them into jars for late (or sell them to China and make millions! 😃 ). The front lawn felt like a green carpet, slightly wet. The kookaburras and some other birds were already singing and playing amongst the trees. I walked straight down to the river side. The water flows south in a steady pace and on the other side, it was a national park. Giant trees stood there along the banks. The more I looked at them, the more mysterious they seemed. I was fully expecting some kind of monster jumping out of the woods - thank goodness that there was a river protecting me. LOL! What would the monster look like? I hoped that it could not fly! 😃 I dragged my rampaging imagination back and sat down on a small jetty, sipping hot coffee, relaxing and just enjoying this peaceful morning all by myself… until the others got up. They joined me for a walk into the woods. The topic for discussion was how long would each of us live in the woods like this. I was pretty sure that I could easily stay there for a month. 😃
After breakfast, we took off to Denmark and saw the Elephant Rock with the Green Pool. I have been there before and Denmark is truly a beautiful spot in south WA.
We started a long drive (>4hrs) back to Perth after a lovely lunch in Denmark. There is a shortcut to Albany Highway from Denmark: drive out of Denmark and take a left onto Mt. Barker Road.
We had a great time on this road trip. We are truly blessed to be able to call this beautiful land home.