A long day of driving, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that here — as elsewhere — the police are more concerned with revenue-raising than with road safety. From Walpole(-34.95,116.7333333) to Bridgetown(-33.95,116.1333333) the road winds through the forest, one lane in each direction, narrow, no centre divider, but with a 110km/hr speed limit. Not one police car could be seen. Between Manjarup and Perth, the road is a freeway, divided road, four or six lanes wide, assorted speed limits of 80, 90, 70, 100 and 110 km/hr, and we passed five speed cameras!
For breakfast we decided to try the other café in Walpole(-34.95,116.7333333) — a poor choice as it turned out. Two rubbery fried eggs with bacon and a tasteless industrial tomato. The eggs could easily have been used as sink plugs! Then time for a quick rummage through the local market stalls before commencing the drive back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many variations of hand-made soaps, there must have been a local TAFE course on soap-making some time in the past…
Into the car to commence the long drive north-west through the forests. Looking in awe out into the Karri forest, speaking without thinking, came the classic comment:
So how often do they fall down?
…followed by the obvious answer:
Just the once.
The Diamond Tree, Manjimup
Half-way up the Diamond tree, the warning sign
Along the way we stopped at the Diamond tree to ponder, to consider, then finally, to climb. 52m from the base to the lookout platform, up a ladder comprised of steel spikes a disconcertingly wide distance apart. There’s a wire-mesh cage about arm’s length out from the ladder, but I think its more for peace of mind than protection. Up and up it goes, I tried not to look out, just concentrate on where I was putting my feet
Two-thirds of the way up there’s an enclosed platform. A place to rest, to straighten your neck, and in the words of the warning sign “to reassess your situation”. From here up the ladder is steeper, the tree sways a little more and its definitely not a place to take someone who’ll freeze up. I wondered how many tourists panic and are stuck up there, and how long it takes before their friends can talk them back down…
Miles and miles of orchards once the forests ended, little towns full of day-trippers. One of the patch clubs was in town at one place — a couple of hundred Harleys parked along the street, the local police driving around eyeing them off. In another town, traffic was slowed around a 4WD that had driven through a give-way sign and demolished the car in the main road.
Despite being a public holiday we found a room in backpackers in the heart of Fremantle(-32.05,115.7666667), complete with a parking space straight outside the front door! Then there was time for a walk around the park before dinner and a beer or two back at the Little Creatures brewery. That brewery would have to be the major find of the holiday, I’d almost be tempted to move to WA just to be nearer to it…
Where?
Walpole(-34.95,116.7333333), Bridgetown(-33.95,116.1333333), Fremantle(-32.05,115.7666667)
