After lunch we went to Vasse Felix Winery , the oldest winery in the district but surprisingly it was only started in 1967.
Then we went to the Grove liqueur winery where we tasted some liqueurs.
What a busy day but good fun.
Day 98 Thursday 21st July
We left Margaret River at 8.00 this morning and drove to Pemberton. The drive was lovely, passing many vineyards, beautiful rolling grassy hills dotted with cows or sheep and magnificent forest areas. When we got to Pemberton we headed for the Tram and caught the tram through the karri forest. At one stage we stopped to see the river and the
Cascades waterfall. It was very pretty but really cold. We all wore beanies and gloves.
We had lunch at a parking bay and then headed off to Walpole. Once again the forests were fantastic. We went to Coalmine Beach Caravan park and set up and then went for a walk. What a fantastic view was in front of us. The caravan park is on the Nornalup Inlet where the Frankland River, the Walpole River and Deep River flow out and then flow into the sea. It was stunning. We walked along the Bibbulmun Track for a short distance to a lookout over the inlet. The Bibbulmun Track is a walking track from Perth to Albany and is about 960 kms long. It winds around through many of the scenic areas of the south west.
A very curious and friendly kookaburra came down to see if we were offering food. We weren’t so he flew away.
Distance travelled today 263 kms
Total distance travelled 14513 kms.
Day 99 Friday 22nd July
Today we went to the Valley of the Giants. We passed through beautiful forests of karri and tingle trees. They can grow up to 70 metres tall. We arrived at the Valley of the Giants and went on the Tree Top Walk. This is a bridge constructed in the canopy of the trees. It was a bit wobbly but a sensational view.
Then we walked the Ancient Empire walk where we could walk along the forest floor and see the tingle, karri and karri oak trees from the ground up. Some of these trees are nearly 400 years old. Fires have occurred and burnt out the base of the tingle trees however, the branches are still living and the trees are still growing.
The weather started off sunny and clear this morning however, by 2.00 it was very overcast and started to rain. We went to Conspicuous Cliffs but there were no whales to see in the Southern Ocean, just Lorelle walking along the beach.
We then went to see the Giant Tingle Tree which is 24 metres around the girth. On the way we stopped at Hilltop Lookout.
We then went to Circular Pool where the tannin in the water not only made it brown but also churned up lots of foam. There were 2 people canoeing down the river. It looked like fun. After that we took a drive around the Knoll which is around the inlet and then returned to our van. Hopefully the rain will stop tonight.
