An empty green caravan park in Denmark was to be home for 5 nights whilst the winds and rain battered our little home. Despite all the rain our home has been water tight thus far and proven itself a haven. The days weren’t too bad but during the nights the deluge was unabated. But Denmark and this region seem used to the wet just soaked it up. The forests took it all in their stride. On a trip to the tree tops walk, outside of Walpole, we discovered that the massive tingle trees require 1200mm of annual rainfall as sustenance for their shallow roots. As we drove through this magnificent forest, one can see why the Greenies fought so hard against logging to protect this wonderful resource. We have been amazed at how much of Western Australia has been set aside as National Park or protected land. It really is very special.
Throughout our many walks, the kids have been subjected to Josh’s rekindled love of photography. So much so that when we leave for a walk, we know we can expect to wait at least 10 minutes for Josh to catch up to us at each rest stop. His persistence is admirable, yet painful. However, of interest to all of us has been the diversity of mushrooms (or in hebrew P’triyot) within both the caravan parks and the forests. Jem has taken to saying the word in hebrew with great gusto and clarity.
We took out membership at the local video store to get through some of the rain. Surfing was out of the question as the swell had become pretty large and fairly messy. We didn’t think fishing would be very fruitful either. But we had entered some big forest country and the trees were getting bigger and bigger.
We didn’t want the weather to prevent us from seeing some of the spectacular walks in the region so we got out when we could. As well as outdoor activity, there was plenty to keep us occupied indoor - a local brewery/winery, chocolate makers, a bead shop, bookstore, toffee factory and more. Jem picked up some more Lego to keep him occupied whilst OJ and Rubes spent some time doing schoolwork.
Trace has had some questions about the quality of the facilities at some of the places we have stayed. Mostly they have been very good, but just to show give you an idea of one of the better ones, here is a shot of the female amenities at the place we stayed in Denmark, talk about roughing it!
Mothers Day commenced with some pressies and a fried breakfast, followed by visit to a park by the Denmark River. Here Rubes fell in love with 8 pups that were just 6 weeks old. A picnic lunch in the park during a break in the weather, then on for some coffee and ice cream. With a bit of blue sky we ventured down to the beach in the afternoon for a stroll, after sighting some schools of sizable mullet in the estuary off the beach the kids got enthused about some fishing, but a walk along the beach had to suffice as school work to be sent off the following day beckoned. After a game of hockey and a version of Avengers both played out on the jumping pillow at the van park it was time to shower and get some dinner at an Indian restaurant in town - OJ could probably write a concise guide to Indian round the nation by the time we finish this trip.
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