Tuesday, December 29, 2009

JARRAH KARRI MARRI and the TINGLES

JARRAH KARRI MARRI and the TINGLES - WOW....

the majestic tall forests of the south were certainly inspiring as were the communities living nearby. The land and its people were an instant attraction for us here. To get a feel for the height of the giant trees we started by venturing into the Pemberton tall forests where there are 3 trees with fire towers that can be climbed - with care !

The first of the climbing trees was the bicentennial tree, 75 metres to the top and I mean the top - the tower extended just beyond the canopy of a Karri (Eucalyptus jacksonii). I choose to go first. The bottom 25 metres were a little daunting as I have never climbed much higher without protection of a rope and harness. To climb the tree it had metal spikes driven into the trunk in a steep ladder like spiral up onto a series of platforms at the top. One simple rule to climbing the tree is 'do not fall'. So after 25 metres or so, it no longer matters much between the degree of outcome should a slip occur, after 25 metres it would result in a very nasty end to the day. And so the climb to the top there after is a breeze. Never-mind there was a view at the top to be seen !!

I was glad to reach the first platform - I am guessing at around 60metres high, inspecting the bolts at the base of the tower after encountering a loose spike, it seemed ok to move on. I was surprised at the enormity of the steel tower attached to the top of the Karri, and ladder after ladder I eventually came to the top all the while wondering how much weight the tower was bearing down on a handful of bolts on the last decent sized branches. Swaying in the wind it felt as if I were at sea, though the ocean surrounding me was awash with green leaves. The views were spectacular to say the least ! Later I learnt this tower weighed about two tonnes, the physics and logic of sticking a two tonne structure ontop of a very tall swaying tree still has mystery for me.

After soaking in the majesty of the wilderness, I began the decent, my legs were pumped by near the bottom and began to ache not too long after reaching the bottom. whooaoa, I need to do some more walking !! The climb gave me a great sense for the height of these trees. It had me reminiscing being under the canopy of Eucalyptus nobilis in Cunnawarra National Park in NSW which reach to near 70m or so. Although the Karri/Marri/Jarrah didn't have the rainforest understorey of the nobilis, the shear enormity of how much tall forest with occasional patches of old growth existing across the landscape was awe inspiring.

Nicole's turn, when she arrived at a small platform at 25 metres she was not convinced that climbing this tree was for her. It was a long way to the top. Somewhat disappointed on leaving the bicentennial tree, Nicole was determined to climb another tree before leaving the Pemberton area. We enjoyed camping in solitude on the Warren River the night before coming to the Glouster Tree - another fire tower that was 61 metres in height. Nervously Nicole ascended the tree with ease.

We enjoyed the rest of the day travelling through fantastic forests including old growth and made our way to a vastly different landscape at Windy Harbour in the heart of the D'entercasteaux National Park. The landscape was stunning a diverse heathland meeting the Southern Ocean at the base of dramatic limestone cliffs - WOW. A wonderful place.

From here we stopped in at Northcliffe where there was an audio self guided forest walk put together by a local community of artists inspired by the forests and the tensions that arise in the community relating to the forests. We were so impressed with the art in the forest, we were wanting more around the country, and imagining how great it would be to have such places in areas like Coffs Harbour and northern NSW. Places where people can connect with the landscape and the stories imbued within the place.

With the trailer coming close to becoming unregistered and requiring an inspection we kept up our pace toward Albany. Although we do not have any concrete time constraints, they do still seem to arise - vehicle inspections were difficult to arrange from Margaret River onwards, some places not having space for 3-4 weeks and smaller towns not able to do official vehicle inspections. We figured a place the size of Albany we would have choice, and hence the pace of our story here.

A stop in Walpole to restock on food was fruitful in terms of waste vegetable oil and unexpected. I gathered a region diverse in culture and rich with sustainable living practices, waste vegetable oil would be a prized resource. No, it was easily accessible and 100's of litres available. Yiiippppeeee

We camped at Fernhook falls a pleasant and quiet place, with only one other solitary camper, a young buzzing woman from Perth who loved to camp out in the bush as often as she could. She was full of life, vibrant and easy to connect with.

On the way to Denmark and the giant Tingle Trees we encountered another display of art in a forest of Karri at Swarbrick - a celebration of the success to protect the last remaining patch of old growth Karri in the region. Although the number of sculptures did not meet the number we encountered at Northcliffe, the stories attached to them were still moving. A mirrored wall of perceptions had many quotes from the region over time... plenty to 'reflect' upon. For example John Ednie-brown who worked for the Department of Woods and Forests WA in 1904 said "The best crop for jarrah forest soil is jarrah trees...the wastefulness of trying to grow grass for possible short-term pastoral needs is suicidal and reprehensible in the extreme".

I really enjoyed our stop in Denmark, the town had plenty of signs of happiness and wellbeing - and not surprising with the diverse healthy landscapes surrounding the town, estuaries, rugged coastline, old growth forests, tranquil bays, surfing beaches. Denmark is also home to the Valley of the Giants and a 600metre wheel chair accessible tree top walk - impressive! The Tingle Trees were inspiring all nobly and old looking, some trunk diameters reaching around 20 metres.

We setup camp on Shellys Beach in West Cape Howe National Park before venturing into Albany for supplies and booking our trailer in for inspection. We were greeted with more dramatic coastal scapes and impossibly clear waters of the Southern Ocean. I was pleased to be here for my 40th birthday.

We are very impressed by the Albury region and could be easily tempted to move to the region to live. There were many areas in the region that seemed to grab our attention. Like the school on the edge of Cape Howe National Park - It read at the entrance, 'a school where I can be me', perhaps a true democratic school? or an other non-coercive? The school buildings even reflected uniqueness and fitting with it's surrounds more than being imposed on the land. It had us wondering ... www.woodburyboston.edu.wa.au ....

Albury city itself was full of frantic xmass shoppers, and us frantic campers running amongst it all chasing food, water, car maintenance supplies, camping equipment pieces, and 3 loads of washing at the laundrymat! We enjoyed the city, it had a mix of buildings old and new... there was something about it I can't put my finger on, something unpolished and exposed about it that I liked. Kaiden was most surprised to find Santa in a shopping mall and explained that he'll be in the bush, this surprisingly unconditional Santa assured Kaiden he'll make it out to the campgrounds. I was happy Kaiden found the other version of Santa - without the typical manipulations and bribes. Another hooray for Albury.

Back to West Cape Howe we felt more at home. It was a wild place, to move anywhere beyond the camp ground were narrow 4WD tracks needing high clearance and low range driving most of the way. Nicole with some reluctance came along for a drive out to the southern point, with a few hair raising sections we discovered awe-inspiring cliff lines and wild coast. I felt like we were very remote, the heath and scrubland was dense, the dark grey dolerite cliffs contrasting with the luminous blue of the crashing southern seas before us left me almost speechless and a bit stunned. Climbing out of the car into swarms of flies still did not take away the coastal bliss.

Xmass was upon us very quickly, on the 22rd we opted to head for Sterling Ranges NP to setup camp there, WOW, the craggy peaks were a stark contrast to the wheat fields it abruptly stood among. Checking out the walks I was disappointed to have lost our macpac child carrier, the walks were hard, probably a little difficult and dangerous for Kaiden on his own. One 2km walk was suggested to take around 4 hours return, requiring high level of fitness agility and a number of rock scrambling sections. Still perhaps Kaiden would be fine if we stretched it to a full day hike and took it slowly?

We setup at camp, which was more like a road rest area nearby the main road with road trains passing by and a couple of caravans using generators .... One night camping like this was enough for us to move on to search for more peaceful surrounds. After taking a scenic drive through the Sterling Ranges it was a little disappointing that there was no other alternative 'quiet' camp site available. The park was really stunning, an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot. A few campervans took the advantage of sleeping in their vans within the park - just can't easily get away with that having an 18ft campertrailer !

Earlier I enquired about the camping along the coast east of Albany at the tourist info, it was suggested many of the camp grounds near Albany become very full and somewhat rauchus for xmass/NYE. We decided to try our luck at Fitzgerald River National Park, some 400km East of Albany, though not as far from Sterling Ranges. The park was massive, an hour down the road from the entrance we rounded a corner to find a sparkly turquoise bay and mountainous coast in the distance, where the point Ann Campground was. Perfect. The campground was small, the sites were nestled privately amongst the bush with shade and close to the beach. Aaahhhhhhh we sighed.

We enjoyed a peaceful and unconditional xmass, mild temperatures, great food in moderation (probably my first time), Kaiden and Jamala were both joy-full. I felt at home among the other campers here probably seeking similar atmosphere for xmass. We connected easily with a neighbouring family they were so relaxed, and enjoying the travel as a family. We stayed for awhile, Kaiden and Byron a 4yo boy from across the way made a great connection, and played in the bush many creative and imaginative games. Byron told his mum "I really really love Kaiden". This gave me plenty of time to reflect about how many people we have connected with along the way, who enjoy connecting with children compassionately and unconditionally. I am really inspired that these connections are in abundance on the road. Watching the kids these values really come out in their play, and is a joy to witness.

The neighbouring family has been enjoying home-schooling and spoke a little of their journey, they seemed to be finding their way toward unschooling. When I mentioned it they were very excited to here that such a concept existed, and are looking forward to investigating it more. We exchanged contact details and hope to meet with them again someday.

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