Western Australia
« Previous EntriesYeagarup Dunes - Where Sand Invades Forest
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
The Pemberton area in Western Australia is best known for its spectacular forests of karri and other native trees. But rising suddenly out of this forest - and slowly creeping inland - is an expanse of big sand dunes on the move. These are the Yeagarup Dunes, the largest land-locked mobile dune system in the southern hemisphere.
The sand dunes are about 20km southwest of Pemberton, and are an odd sight when you first come upon them, rising up to 40m above otherwise normal forest. They form a ten kilometre long body of sand being blown inland, swallowing the forest at a rate of about 4 metres each year. Slow, but unstoppable.
Having a look around the dunes, or at least their edges, provides a refreshingly different angle on what is mostly a forested and farmed region. Here are three ways of getting a taste of it.
1. Organised 4WD tour
Pemberton Discovery Tours operate trips in 4WD vehicles with experienced drivers. Although the Yeagarup dunes are “land-locked”, they aren’t far from the coast, and the tour takes you right to a wild deserted beach where the Warren River gently enters the sea. The tour also passes through old growth karri forest, with good descriptions of everything you see.
I’ve done this tour, and learned from the commentary despite being already well acqainted with the region. It’s a great way for non-4WD vehicle owners to see an interesting area few get to see, with someone skilled and experienced to worry about driving safely through some very hair-raising terrain.
2. Do-it-yourself 4WD tour
Anybody with their own four wheel drive vehicle can drive through the Yeagarup dunes to the coast. The catch is that you would need to be confident with driving through deep sand with some very steep slopes, and possibly no-one else around to call on for help if stuck.
3. Do-it-yourself walking tour with conventional car
This option is available to anyone who has a regular two wheel drive car and the willingness to go walking. It’s also the cheapskates option, which may be why it was how I first explored the Yeagarup dunes!
From Pemberton, head towards Nannup on the Vasse Highway. About 12km from Pemberton, turn left down Ritter Road. Thls turnoff is near where Old Vasse Rd (through the Warren National Park) joins the highway. Continue down the gravel Ritter Road, and after a further 11km you’ll reach Yeagarup Lake with its picnic area and toilet. Beyond this point is strictly for four wheel drive vehicles, so if you’re in a regular car, park here.
After taking in the small lake, proceed on foot down the sandy track which is a continuation of Ritter Rd. Not far down this track a wall of sand is encountered, appearing very out of place in the thick forest. The exact spot where you leave the track to climb the dunes will vary from year to year, but should be clear enough when you come to it. Remember to keep an ear open for approaching vehicles, and be ready to quickly move aside off the sometimes narrow track.
Once up on the sand, you’re in another world. To one side spreads a view over low forest, dense and green, while on the other stretches just sand - and lots of it. Part beach-like, part desert-like, it forms a stark contrast to the surroundings.
Away from any vegetation, you can pretend to be in part of the Sahara desert, and take suitable photos. Sand-boarding could be an option if you’ve got something to slide down large dunes on. Otherwise, just going for a wander to explore the dunes - wherever takes your fancy - can pass the time pleasantly. The coast is too far for a return day walk, but there’s plenty of sand to explore.
I should point out that walking in the soft sand can be sweaty work, even in winter, so a drink bottle might be appreciated. Also, if you plan on walking far, look back and take a mental picture of where you entered the dunes … to help you find the exit point later! Some days finding your way out may be easy. On cloudy days, with fresh tracks scarce and footprints wind-covered, it may not be so obvious.
When you’ve had your fill of mobile forest-eating sand dunes, simply return the way you came.
More information:
Yeagarup Dunes (Pemberton WA website)
D’Entrecasteaux National Park (Dept of Environment & Conservation)
Pemberton Discovery Tours (look under Beach & Forest Eco Adventure)
Topics: Attractions, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Merredin Railway Station Museum
Monday, December 21st, 2009Many country towns have small historical museums, and standards vary. One which I found to be rather interesting and well done is in the Western Australian town of Merredin, and although it focuses on railway history there is more to it than train memorabilia.
Merredin, with around 3000 people theses days, is an important wheatbelt service town mid-way between Perth and Kalgoorlie. In older days it gained importance not just for agriculture but with its strategic location en route to the flourishing goldfields. Railways played a large role in the area’s history, so it seems appropriate that a museum be located in the old railway station building.
The Merredin Railway Station Museum is right near the centre of town - next to the main highway heading east but largely overlooked by the busy passing traffic. Upon entering and paying the small fee (adults $4 when I visited in 2009) you are given a little booklet which serves as a good guide to the museum. One of the impressions I left with was just how well organised and labelled the collection was. Whatever your level of interest may be, there is enough detail to feed it.
Plenty of photos and written descriptions fill the rooms of the old station, including the early settler women’s room, but here they play a supporting role. Central to the collection is an abundance of diverse objects: genuine artefacts from the past. Most are connected in some way with the railways, but not all.
One which caught my interest was a wheelbarrow used by prospectors to haul their gear from Perth to the goldfields before the railways arrived. I’d read how they used to push their loads hundreds of kilometres across untamed land, but to see one of these heavy-looking wheelbarrows in real life gave me new respect for the challenges people faced back then … and the difference the railways must have made.
Outside, the platforms provide an open-air collection of larger objects. Parked on one railway track is an assortment of train carriages and engines, including a steam engine waiting to be restored. While I was there a bunch of children amused themselves happily pretending to be engine drivers. You can also climb up into the signal cabin where a mass of levers control the surrounding tracks, while catching a view of the town.
Train buffs and boys of all ages will probably find this museum most appealing. However anyone with an interest in scratching beneath the surface to get a feel for the area’s history should get something out of it. Check with the visitors centre in Merredin for current opening times.
More information:
Merredin Railway Museum
Central Wheatbelt Visitor Centre (Merredin)
Topics: Attractions, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
A Drive Through Boranup Forest In WA
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009Pleasant forest drives in Western Australia are not limited to the southern forests region. The Margaret River region, known more for its wine and surf, also has a delightful gravel road winding its way through majestic karri forest.
The road is Boranup Drive, which starts from Caves Road just south of Lake Cave and re-joins Caves Road 11km further south, towards Augusta. If you’re travelling along that part of Caves Road, then a detour up Boranup Drive can be used as a slightly-longer alternative to continuing on the bitumen.
The attraction of this drive is the forest it passes through, and the walks which can be accessed. Boranup forest consists mainly of regrowth karri - the whole area was logged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the explosion of life you see (up to 60 metres tall) is what has grown back since then. Karri is the third-tallest tree species in the world, and while the trees along Boranup Drive are not quite as tall or wide as the karri regrowth near Pemberton, they are still impressive.
In the middle section of the road lies a small open space which was once a picnic area - it’s at the intersection of a narrow four-wheel-drive trail named Anchor Rd. The trail is signposted, but the sign is hard to spot (and only if heading north); look for an area of flat open space adjoining the road. The picnic table was removed long ago, and there are no facilities, but it still makes a great spot to park and enjoy some local bakery products while soaking up the forest ambience. Bird noise here can be delightfully cacophanous at times.
This old picnic area can also be the start of some pleasant walks. When the forest was being logged, narrow gauge tram tracks were laid to enable log removal. The routes of these long-gone tracks are now four-wheel-drive trails in varying stages of being overgrown, and they make excellent walking tracks. One way to enjoy them is just go for a wander and see where you end up, and Anchor Rd is a good candidate for this. Another option is to consult the book “Walking the capes” by Jane Scott for some maps and walk descriptions.
Boranup Drive is a firm gravel surface, suitable for conventional cars, although it can be bumpy due to corrugations, pot-holes and rocks. Expect your car to get a good shake-up! It is also narrow, so keep the speed down and be ready to move over and make room for oncoming vehicles. If you don’t mind this sort of driving, Boranup Drive can be a scenic addition to a tour of the Margaret River region.
Topics: Scenic Roads, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Merredin Town Tour
Monday, October 12th, 2009The Western Australian country town of Merredin looks fairly average at first glance, the sort of place most travellers might stop for food and fuel before moving on. But it’s far from average, and boasts a town tour that is surprisinqly worthwhile.
I stumbled on this little gem while driving around the wheatbelt, a large agricultural region inland from the west coast. Previously I’d only used Merredin, 285km east of Perth, as a brief refreshment stop. Being the largest town for hundreds of kilometres makes it very suitable for that. This time, however, I stayed overnight to explore some of the natural attractions in the area. That’s when I found out about the Snapshot Tour, a town tour run by “Discover the Wheatbelt” late afternoon every day for most of the year.
Normally I avoid organised tours, but as it cost only $15 and would only take up 90 minutes, there wasn’t too much to lose. Curiosity got the better of me.
It didn’t take long to see why this was going to be a good tour. The guy running it, Martin Morris, is a long time Merredin resident who not only knows the place inside out, but is passionate about it. Being a tour guide isn’t just a job - he already has a day job. He leads tours because he enjoys showing off his town, and this enthusiasm makes the tour very engaging. On the surface, a country town’s airstrip and wheat bins may not sound like the subjects of gripping tales, but the stories behind them, as told by Martin, are worth hearing.
The tour uses a comfortable small coach, and takes in points of interest in and around the town. Merredin’s history is talked about, as you might expect, but it’s the focus on the town’s present that left the greatest impression on me. In particular, the way water is harvested and recycled in an arid climate. Examples of waste-water recycling were pointed out, which would otherwise be easy to not notice. The gathering of rainwater from granite outcrops, and the present fight against salinity, are other cases of Merredin’s people adapting to their challenges.
In contrast to most inland Australian towns, which are slowly shrinking, Merredin is actually growing. The tour helps explain what is different about Merredin, and why the growth is not surprising. Martin’s other role as a town councillor allows him to give insights into many of the town’s innovations, and provides a source of many interesting stories about the town and its people.
I felt that the relatively small investment of time and money in doing this tour was well rewarded. Never again will I think of Merredin as just a toilet stop!
Links:
Discover The Wheatbelt
Topics: Activities, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Guesthouse In A Monastery At New Norcia, WA
Monday, August 31st, 2009
New Norcia in Western Australia is definitely not off the beaten track, but it offers some accommodation which is truly out of the ordinary. It is Australia’s only monastic town, and the accommodation is a guesthouse run by the monastery following a fifth century tradition. I recently stayed in this unique place.
New Norcia began in 1846 when a monastery was built 132km north of Perth, and a small town grew up around it. In the tradition of St Benedict (born in Norcia, Italy), the monks offered hospitality to passing travellers, as they still do to this day in the guesthouse attached to the monastery. The numbers of monks may have reduced, and their schools closed, but the monastery still owns and operates the town, a situation unique in Australia.
Guests stay in either single or twin rooms, some with ensuites and others sharing a bathroom. Standards could be summed up as basic but comfortable - everything you really need is there, including a guest lounge room, dining room, and kitchen. Meals are provided, and the showers are consistently hot. In keeping with the surroundings, quietness is requested at night, and there is no TV.
You can attend prayers with the monks and eat with them if you want to, providing you are male, but you don’t have to. I ate with them in their refectory to experience how monks at New Norcia do dinner - without speaking, other than someone reading from the bible. The food was very good, but as a slow eater I found it a little rushed. You can eat in a more normal way in the guesthouse dining room if you prefer, as most guests do.
Whether you stay there or not, the twice-daily walking tours are an excellent way of exploring this one-of-a-kind town. Of its 64 buildings, 30 are classified by the national trust for their heritage value, giving it probably more historical ambience than anywhere else in Western Australia.
Even if you’re like me and prefer the roads less travelled, staying in the monastery guesthouse is a good reason to visit the much-visited town of New Norcia.
Links:
New Norcia website
The monastery guesthouse
Topics: Accommodation, Western Australia | 3 Comments »
Good Budget Accommodation In Augusta, WA
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
One of my favourite places to stay in Western Australia in recent years has been the Baywatch Manor in Augusta. Frequently voted the best YHA hostel in Australia, it is much more than you might expect from backpacker accommodation … and has a wonderful bakery nearby.
I began staying there soon after the purpose built two-level building was opened in 1995. What first appealed to me was the location - centrally sited in a quiet part of the small town’s main street, with views over Flinders Bay (hence the Baywatch name). Just as appealing was the presence, only two minutes walk from the hostel, of the Augusta Bakery Cafe - my favourite eating place in southwest WA.
Next to impress me was the standard of the the place. Clean and comfortable are over-used words in accommodation literature, but they really do apply here. Spacious, tastefully decorated and well equipped are also accurate descriptions.
Sleeping quarters include shared dormitory rooms, twin, double and family rooms, plus the en-suite rooms which have the best views. Most rooms make use of the pleasant shared bathrooms. Downstairs are the communal dining area, kitchen, and lounge/TV room - nicer and more roomy than what most hostels provide.
The kitchen is particularly well equipped for those who like to keep costs down by self catering - something usually not possible in more expensive accommodation. Although with the bakery so close at hand, I confess I haven’t used Baywatch’s kitchen as much as I should have!
The original owners, Neville and Jane, provided the friendliness and good management that made good accommodation truly great. I haven’t been to Augusta as much since new owners took over, but the standards at Baywatch Manor appear to be just as high. My only complaint - and it’s only a small one - is that the mattresses are of the dense foam rubber variety rather than proper spring mattresses. You can’t have everything in budget accommodation.
Like most coastal spots, Augusta is very busy in the summer holiday period. At other times, it is a much quieter alternative to Margaret River and other tourist towns further north, largely because it is further from Perth. For anyone looking to explore the region from a comfortable but economical base - with views and a great bakery nearby - I can recommend Baywatch Manor at Augusta.
Links:
YHA Australia - the Baywatch Manor page, with online bookings and availability checking
Baywatch Manor Resort - more information and photos
Topics: Accommodation, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Lake Clifton Thrombolites, WA
Saturday, May 16th, 2009The stromatolites of Shark Bay, on Western Australia’s north western coast, are well publicised in the tourist literature. However you don’t need to go to such a remote place to see these pre-historic living rocks. Their close cousins - thrombolites - can be seen just south of Mandurah, within 100km of Perth.
In case you were wondering what these things are, both are types of rare and extremely primitive life forms. They consist of single-celled bacteria which deposit layers of silt and calcium that slowly grow into rounded rocks. Scientists believe they are the earliest form of life on earth, dating back about 3500 million years, and the origins of oxygen in the atmosphere. These relics are mostly extinct and exist only as fossils - living examples can still be found growing in just a handful of places in the world. Shark Bay is the well known Western Australian example, but Lake Clifton is more accessible.
Lake Clifton’s thrombolites can be reached from either of two roads - Mount John Rd and Clifton Downs Rd. Both are turn-offs from the Old Coast Road, south of Mandurah (and south of the Dawesville Channel) but north of where the new John Forrest Highway branches off towards Perth (see link below for map).
A few minutes drive brings you to a parking area with toilets and signs telling you about the thrombolites and their environment, which is part of Yalgorup National Park. From there a boardwalk takes you out over the shallow lake to where the thrombolites can be viewed from many angles. And what do you see? A community of rounded rock-like structures lying just beneath the surface … or just breaching the surface, depending on water levels. Their humble appearance gives no indication of their status as extremely rare and ancient life forms - living fossils.
The thrombolites are more exposed in the lower water levels of summer and autumn, but are still easily seen at other times. Visibility is more affected by wind - strong winds may roughen the water surface and limit the underwater view. On the other hand, wind helps keep away the mosquitoes which can be a nuisance in still weather.
Links:
Google map showing location of Lake Clifton Thrombolites
More about thrombolites and stromatolites
Environment and Conservation Dept - Yalgorup National Park
Topics: Alternatives, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Wild Solitude At Mandalay Beach, WA
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
If wild and pristine coastline tickles your fancy, the south-western coast of Western Australia has much to offer. Between Walpole and Augusta lies nearly 200km of unpopulated and undeveloped coastline … the only catch is that most of it is accessible only by four wheel drive, or on foot. Even then, access is very limited. Fortunately, two points on this remote stretch can be reached by normal car - one of them is the ruggedly handsome Mandalay Beach.
This beach is only 8km from the main highway, and 21km in total from the town of Walpole, yet receives far less traffic than it deserves. Perhaps the gravel road puts people off. The first time I drove there, the narrow winding track nearly put me off with its soft sandy surface and lack of passing room. Since then the road has been substantially upgraded, and should no longer deter anyone. I drove it a few months ago, and apart from some loose stones and corrugations it was fine.
At the end of the access road you’ll find parking, a toilet, and a boardwalk leading through the dunes to a long viewing platform with magnificent panoramic views. Benches allow you to soak up the scene from a sitting position, something I can recommend if you want to linger and be soothed.
What you see from the platform is a clean unspoiled beach, rocky headlands, Chatham Island a few kilometres offshore, and the restless southern ocean. The wreck of the Mandalay, a Norwegian ship beached in 1911, is occasionally visible at low tide, and passing whales may be spotted in season. I’ve seen neither so far, but that just gives me an excuse to revisit. As is normal in this part of the world, a smorgasbord of wildflowers enhance any visit in spring.
Steps lead right down the face of the dunes to the beach. Ocean swimming is generally not recommended, but going for a walk can be pleasant, possibly invigorating in the frequently fresh winds.
Of course there’s no guarantee you’ll have the beach to yourself … but unless the weather or the fishing is really good, there’s a good chance you might. Whatever the case, roaming the rugged beauty of Mandalay Beach can be good for the soul.
Links:
Google map showing location of Mandalay Beach
Topics: Beaches, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »