The starting point

The starting point

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

23/3/21 Collie River & Murals



         Leaving our friends place at Waroona , we headed to Collie - up in the hills - coalmines & aluminium smelters . It was another hot day , getting to 35 degrees , so after setting up and having some lunch we headed down to Minninup Pool on Collie River for a refreshing swim . There were people everywhere - it's a very popular spot for the locals . Here it is .


     After cooling off we headed off on the Collie River Drive - a new addition since we were here last and a very pretty drive through the bush beside the river . There were several spots to pull over and check out the views .


     With the water backed up by rock shelves & trees etc the river looked great until you got a bit further down where the river wasn't as deep and clogged up with tree trunks .


     Next day we ventured down to the shops to get the groceries , and found some murals . There is a mural trail in town , but these ones were outstanding , almost like photo's .  These depicted coalminers from the local area .

     The men in these murals are local miners .




     Again after shopping and lunch we went for a swim , this time at Black Diamond Lake , which is an old mine pit - another popular spot with the locals . Crystal clear water & nice sandy entrance to the water was great and it was nice to cool off in .



      After another stunning sunset and a good night's sleep we headed out to Wellington Dam . We've been there before but things have changed a bit . Our first stop was Honeymoon Pool - a camping and day use area on the Collie River below Wellington Dam . It's a magnificent place with a 600m stretch of river , perfect for swimming , fishing & kayaking etc . There is a fenced deck area to overlook the river , with steps either end to get in & out of the water , toilets & Bbq's are provided .


      There's a 6 klm walking track that takes you back to Wellington Dam and follows the river along , we did the first kilometre or so .




     Further down the river was another couple of campgrounds - all 3 campgrounds are only suitable for tents . 


     After the walk around the river we headed up to the dam and the lookout . There has been a mural painted onto the dam wall spillway - it's the largest dam wall mural in the southern hemisphere !!


     And it is remarkable , on closer inspection you can see the painting resembles old photos , even with creases and turned up edges & corners !! Quite remarkable how good a job the artist has done .


     There are different images on the mural , with cultural heritage strongly depicted .


     Leaving the wall behind we drove down the river trail toward Honeymoon Pool again . There are 4 stops along the way - Big Rock , Little Rock , Rapids & Long Pool . This is the rapids .


     This is Little Rock .


    And that's it for a couple of our days , hope you enjoyed it . Cheers .

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