Western Australia Week 8

Manjimup
November 9th 2009
Week 8
Monday - Day 50

Today didn’t get over the low 20’s which was great for driving and walking. After toast and coffee we headed east into forest country for one last attempt at a numbat. A ranger down Pemberton way suggested northern road in the Perup area. We drove at a slow speed along the 15 odd kms observing every termite mound and log in eye sight from the road. Alas no numbats.

We turned south and stopped at a bridge wayside stop for lunch. This was fortuitous for a small flock of western corellas were there. There is a subspecies of the western corella called the Muir’s corella which is the one we spotted. It may one day be a species of its own and split from the western corella found north and south of Perth. It is listed as vulnerable and its range is limited to the Lake Muir Tone Bridge area which is where we spotted it. It looked very much like Victoria’s long billed corella with the exception of having no red line on the throat.

I stopped in at the Department of Conservation and had a chat with a guy named Ian who I accidentally ran into at the Info Centre yesterday. He couldn’t recommend any birding sites other than the ones I intended looking at so the visit was disappointing. Glenda visited a local doctor to renew a script so the afternoon was reading and researching.

Manjimup Goju Ryu – Self centre, Sensei Klaus Mueller 5th Dan to my right, Craig Crampton 3rd Dan to my left.

The Manjimup Karate Club made me most welcome around 7 p.m. and Klaus Mueller was a fine teacher who ran a great class. I was very impressed with the dedication of his students and the obvious respect they have for their teacher. It was good to up my training but the lack of solid exercise over the past seven weeks was certainly felt. The body will be letting me know its feelings in a day or two.
Bird Sightings: Western corella (Muir’s), 158 birds 6 new birds

Manjimup
November 10th 2009
Tuesday - Day 51

I slept very well. Training in a martial art has always released the well know endomorphines associated with exercise, but after the wind down and debrief with Glenda the body shuts itself down for the night with precious little effort.

I awoke around 6 a.m. feeling good and did a quick walk around the park which doesn’t have much in the way of bush attractions. Glenda made bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms a bit later which set us up for a drive south to Shannon N.P.

Shannon was again all about the three giant trees and apart from some special spots had a 20 plus km forest drive which we took in the 30 degree heat. A radio broadcast filled us in on the history of the place and bits of the ecology. The broadcast didn’t mention the myriad of bush flies that seemed to be waiting every time we stopped to get out (I strongly suspect that they had hitched a ride on the vehicle itself). We’ve become very attached to these huge trees which grow to over 90 meters, putting them in the “highest trees in the world” bracket.

We couldn’t capture the might of these trees nor the feel for the bush despite our best efforts. It was peaceful apart from the flies and made for a restful morning.

We returned to the van and had a delicious roast chicken and vegetable lunch with a bottle of wine to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall (20 years ago yesterday). Okay, a day late but then, lunch was last night’s meal which we didn’t feel like eating. It was the first time we have sat down with a bottle of wine for lunch on this trip, quite a feat given the number of surrounding vineyards. We opted for a local Manjimup wine, a “Woodgate” sauvignon blanc.

Around 5 p.m. I visited Klaus’s property about 7 kms from town. A true martial artist, he has his own dojo on his 2½ acre property with a beautiful ornamental pool with Japanese carp. If only Victoria would allow us to keep them. Various well established bamboos made a great touch. We worked through some Bo and Sai techniques before I returned to the van.

At 7 p.m. it was his normal iaido and jodo class so I made my way over to the local hall we trained in yesterday. Glenda worked on the blog site and put up week seven on the net. Two hours of Bo, Jo and Iai and I was ready for a good night sleep. I’ll remember Klaus as a gentleman of the old Budo guard……not many of us left! We’ll meet again.

Manjimup - Walpole
November 11th 2009
Wednesday - Day 52 “Lest We Forget”

Today was mild and didn’t get past 24 degrees. A power failure caused a complete loss of hot water at the park so we left without the invigoration of a shower. We headed south towards Walpole through the Shannon N.P. again, enjoying slight changes in vegetation as we crossed varying soil types.

Walpole was reached around 11 a.m. and we moved straight to the Coalmine Beach Caravan Park. It is a bit all over the place but each site has its own border made up of trees and shrubs, the standout being a pale green kangaroo paw which is everywhere. We set up and enjoyed the showers. A quick dish wash and we were ready to hit the Info Centre. Unfortunately the car wasn’t.
A flat battery?? After a good trip it should have been stoked but not a spark despite many a choice word. The park owner drove down with jumper leads and got us going. What would have happened if we were bush camping on the Nullarbor? A visit to Stan, a local mechanic saw us buy a new battery for $140. Stan was a character, ex Vietnam vet, the Celtic tattoo on his forearm being a mid life crisis thing after the death of his first wife. Not his Cornish heritage; “I just liked the look of it”.

We took in the Info Centre and drove around the inlet to get a feel for the place. We like it! A stop or two along the Knoll circuit (no, not the “Noel” circuit) enabled some photo opportunities. I did a walk from the park along a heritage trail and walked under a Baudin cockatoo less than 10 meters above me. A return with my camera saw it nick off before I came even close.

Tonight as we were cleaning up a young kookaburra perched on our awning strut and just waited. We gave up and handed it a few meat scraps which it systematically beat against the strut. It was a good laugh. The park is quite sweet so maybe an extra night here will be the case. I talked to my brother Wayne and my sister Kerri by phone late afternoon. Good to touch base with family and friends.

It’s sad that the kookaburra doesn’t belong here. Its introduction to W.A. in the late 19th Century has caused an ecological disaster amongst the natural order of the area. Not many people realise this. Can we swallow the hard pill and try to eradicate them from W.A.? Soon we will have the DNA technology to achieve this through a systemic killing agent. Hmm…

Walpole
November 12th 2009
Thursday - Day 53
The tub we place our range of footwear in greeted us this morning by being substantially full of water. Bad placement on my behalf left it partly exposed at the front of the van where a natural drainage point for the roof overflowed. Given the steady rain that fell during the night and continued until midday it was hardly surprising.

My early morning walk was delayed because of the rain and netted me very little in the way of good photographs. A family of splendid wrens and a wallaby pretty much summed it up.

Pink Fairy Orchids were everywhere

We drove in the rain to Mt Frankland, about 30 kms north east of Walpole. It was humid under a very overcast sky but we decided to do the base walk of 1.5 kms. The top of the mountain is a granite outcrop but the trail around it went up and down numerous times making it a level 3 – 4 trek. We stopped to photograph a cheeky rufous treecreeper consuming a moth and a pair of inland thornbills along the way. .

The views of the surrounding country were good but had the sun been out they would have been much better.

The trek took us over some aged board walks which saved us clambering over slippery moss laden rock or soggy ground. In the drizzle it would have been disastrous without it.

The Fernhook Falls were a further 13 kms along a circuit so we pushed on. They weren’t too spectacular and the water seemed dirty. This is a common misconception over here as the tannins give the water its dark tea colour. According to the literature the water here is 95% pure. Huge karri timbers were used as pylons for the bridge.
We looked at the local camping ground but again caravans weren’t invited.

By the time we returned to the van the showers beckoned. A late lunch gave us some down time before Glenda drove me back into town so I could do the heritage walk through the swamp. Talk about flies! I thought my back pack had extra weight by the time I returned but it was the masses of pesky hitchhikers.

Glenda prepared pumpkin and feta pizza with chorizo for the evening meal. How does she do it?? Below are shots from the Mt Frankland walk.


Barking owl (heard) ,not counted, 158 birds 6 new birds

Walpole
November 13th 2009
Friday - Day 54

More rain overnight but nothing too heavy despite much thunder and lightning earlier on. We managed to sleep in a bit before slowly getting up.

Two people from Buninyong happened to be parked across from us. While chatting I found that they were bird observers so we were able to share some information. He was after a red winged wren which I’d photographed around their van site yesterday. It didn’t appear on cue and unfortunately they were heading for Denmark and up to the Stirling Ranges. Hope it’s not too hot for them and that they have some luck.

Glenda made pan cakes with jam and cream for breakfast so we were full of energy by mid morning. We drove to the Giant Tingle Tree which was about 10 kms from Walpole. These big gum trees are amazing, they look thoroughly burnt out and dangerous but above the dead looking trunk are healthy limbs and leaves. This particular tree had a significant history as an early attraction for tourists dating back to the 1920’s. There are quite a few photos of families on horseback and even a VW Kombi van standing in the hollow of the tree.

We moved on, still hoping for a sighting of the western thornbill. The Circular Pool was next. A delightful swimming place albeit the dark tea coloured water might be a deterrent. Many seats and parking bays made it look quite the weekend fun spot for the locals.

Today was again quite humid so we opted for some reading in the van under the air conditioner. Around 2 o’clock I decided to walk the heritage trail again, not to see how many flies I could pick up but to hopefully see a new bird as it’s been a few days since a new spotting. Armed with camera, binoculars and a mosquito head net which made me look a bit like a sniper I headed out. After an hour I had had enough.

I phoned friends Bob Cartledge and later Ross and Wally Smith (Wally is actually female) to catch up on some gossip. Seems the longer I’m away the more I miss family and friends. Regardless it was the fix I needed to brighten up the day. Tomorrow we’re off to Denmark, the town nearest to the Valley of the Giants as opposed to O.S. (overseas). It’s on the beach and more karri forests.
Tonight’s dinner was echidnas (alias porcupines) with a side of steamed greens. Bloody delicious!
Bird Sightings: Barking owl (heard) not counted, 158 birds 6 new birds

Walpole - Denmark
November 14th 2009
Saturday - Day 55

The news last night revealed that Eucla reached 45 degrees yesterday which makes the thought of travelling across the Nullarbor at this time of year a little daunting. Hopefully when the time comes for our crossing the weather will be a bit kinder towards us. Hell, after the battering we had on the way over we deserve a decent break.
We stopped at the Walpole market which was never going to have much. Some fresh vegetables and a sausage in bread for breakfast and we were off. Denmark W.A. is only 60 kms away so we took our time getting there. Eventually we booked in to the Ocean Beach Caravan Park which is very modern judging by the amenities block. Not a lot of bush about for me so we soon headed down to the beach for a look in the windy conditions.

The Info Centre soon had us heading north to a wine and puzzle farm followed by a cheese and wine spot. Can’t remember the last time we visited a winery and didn’t do a tasting. We eventually got lost and ended up 30 kms from Walpole! A U turn put us back and we sampled an ice cream at a wine and honey farm. Amazing little boutiques everywhere!!
The ocean was too windy at the Elephant Rocks which were interesting. Stairs led down through large boulders to a rocky beach which would be great fun depending on the currents.

Being Saturday night we decided on a bottle of wine which we eventually bought in Denmark at a liquor store. A guy giving free tastings of his “Poacher’s Ridge” brand convinced us to buy a bottle of his cabernet sauvignon for $20. It turned out a neat drop.

Denmark
November 15th 2009
Sunday - Day 56

It was a warm night and I must have been half asleep at about 3 a.m. Nature called so I decided to use the amenities across from the van. In any case it wasn’t until I was coming back that I was confronted by the biggest kangaroo I’ve seen on this trip, standing under a light pole. He was equally surprised to see me, probably by the way I must have walked straight at him.

Roos can be quite dangerous and his body language suggested menace when he stretched himself to his full height. I was in for some trouble. I doubt that even in the testosterone filled years of my adolescence I would have stood my ground facing such a situation. I stood very still for a time then started to edge my way backward and to the side. Where does a 100kg kangaroo sleep?
Anywhere he likes!! I got back to the van very quickly and remained awake for a long time.

We got away reasonably early and reached Albany late morning. The town was enjoying its agricultural show which isn’t our scene. We were heading for Cheynes Beach where we stayed earlier in the trip. There was a slight tail wind in our favour which we hope might stick around for a while.

The day was clear and reached the low 20s. We booked in and did some housekeeping. A walk mid afternoon and again around 5 p.m. showed little activity bird wise. Indeed, the spring blooms are mostly over so I have a suspicion that things will be nowhere near the frenetic pace of our visit just a few weeks ago.

A gentleman by the name of Michael Akrill from the Hunter Valley in NSW dropped by unexpectedly. The park owner had given him their bird observers’ diary and told him that the people who had donated the photos of the whipbirds (us) were on site 15. He has been travelling for 8 weeks but has gone from the Hunter Valley to Darwin, Broom and down the west coast. He has amassed a staggering 300 plus sightings on this trip which included cannon netting at the Broom Bird Observatory.

We had a pleasant chat about the “places we have been and the things we have seen”. We will probably meet up in the morning. Let’s hope the birds are a bit more active in the early hours.