27/4/21 Yancep NP we're free

 

     Yahoo lockdown over , we head further north to Yancep NP - we'd booked it before the lockdown otherwise we probably would have kept going north . Anyway here we are all tucked up in our little enclosure , right beside the amenities building . Henry White Oval is beside us and it's greatest use is to feed the local kangaroos at night .

     After lunch we headed over to the parklands , koala enclosure and walked around the old buildings . There are millions of grass trees in Yancep NP , here's just a few , with a few cycads as well .

    The koala enclosure is about half an acre in size with elevated walkways to get you up to their height . These ones aren't your small variety , they are large !! We saw 3 of them having a serious afternoon nap !

     The parkland areas are beside Lake McNess and feature nicely grassed areas with beautiful trees , paved paths , table's, chairs & Bbq's . Then there's a few other buildings around as well - Yancep Inn , Gloucester House which is currently being renovated , Tea Rooms , then there's the 9 hole golf course . Yes you read correctly , a national park with a golf course . There's walks , caves and plenty to explore .

     Here's one of the local greys , having a rest under a grass tree .

     Some of the cycads have flowered & fruited , the locals seem to like the fruit , lots of it being chewed and left .

   Plenty of banksia's as well .

     Next day we went for a tour of Crystal Cave , it's a dry limestone cave with plenty of features , but not as full as the caves down near Margaret River . The water levels in the cave have dropped due to drier than normal conditions and more stress being put on the aquifer by an increase in population . WA is more reliant on underground water than the other states . 

  There are over 500 caves in the park , one of those is Cabaret Cave which can be hired out for functions , weddings etc .

     The limestone is pretty fragile and you can see where some of the features have been broken off , then re fused together 

  

    The caverns are fairly large , this one has a water level marker in it .

     There's a band of crystals in the walls of this cave .

     This is Yancep Inn , you can rent a room here as well as have a drink & a meal .

   This is one of the golf holes carved out of the bush .

    More banksia 

     This is Gloucester House .

     Just across the road from Gloucester House is Boomerang Gorge , at the start of the gorge are these enormous palm trees about 25m tall .

    This honeycomb caught got our attention in one of the many holes in the limestone . we were intrigued by the bands of colour in it .

     This is one of the many cave entrances .

     Next day we headed back out to Yancep Beach for a look , we came out the other day , but you couldn't see anything due to smoke from burn offs further down the coast .

    This is Yancep Lagoon and is reputed to be a great spot for snorkelling when the tide is right . There was quite a current flowing from left to right while we were there . It's a patrolled beach - I thought that all they would have to do is wait down the far end and catch the swimmers as they were swept down . There's a reef that's only about 40m out that creates the lagoon .

     Further up the coast is the town of Two Rocks , it has a large marina that has lots of cray boats tied up and also in dry dock .

    Here's an aerial shot of it and the shopping centre . King Neptune is looking over the marina .

     He was part of an amusement park back in the 1980's and is still there watching over everything .

     Another view of some grass trees from above .

    Back at the park we found a flock of Carnauby's Black Cockatoo's having a drink from one of the puddles on the side of the road - there were more than 50 of them . We had a reasonable amount of rain yesterday and last night .

  That's it for Yancep this time , here's a map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=10KSWhWO5Fr2ZuBNRbg9OSUf35WRVcQlv&usp=sharing

27/4/21 Move & lockdown

 

     Leaving Woodman Point , we headed across to the other side of Perth , to an Advent Park at Maida Vale . Not surprising , we were there before lunch time and set up and had lunch - as you do .  Our location is at the base of the Darling Scarp ( Perth Hills ) , so after lunch we headed out to Kalamunda - just up the road into the hills . Checking out the suburb was interesting , not so much in bushfires though - picture something like the lower blue mountains near Penrith - lots of bush with people building right on the edge of the hills & valleys . Stumbling across Mundaring Weir Road , we followed it to check Perth's water supply dam . The road wound it's way through the valleys & hills , eventually coming to the weir . Our next surprise was being allowed to walk across the top the wall to the other side - a lot of water supply dams have restricted access . Don't think the dam has seen water flowing over the spillway for a long time - water level was about 8m below the spillway ! 

     Across the walkway is a valve house that looked interesting - well kept , painted & tidy . 

     We were lucky enough to get very little breeze , giving us near perfect reflections of the sky & clouds .

Below the dam wall , the stand out feature was this chimney and the pump house buildings .

      Back to the ute and we drove down , around & over to the old village and hotel and the access to picnic & Bbq areas , and lookouts .

     The valve house got another look as well .

    Following the road back out to Mundaring , we suddenly remembered we had just driven back to the Great Eastern Highway , so we did the return trip to the van on the main highway .

   

   Next day we cleaned the van and started to polish the sides - we'd done the roof about 4 weeks ago - so that kept us busy . We were looking forward to a dinner cruise on the Swan River at Perth on Saturday night - Covid had other ideas , as we found ourselves in a 3 day lockdown - at least we could finish of the polishing of the van , and washed the ute as well . Our 4 days at Yancep National Park were looking dodgy due to the lockdown , but it lifted for us to go there on Tuesday . 

  Just as well we went to the weir when we moved , otherwise we wouldn't have seen anything !!

Here's a map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1xR9m6R6Al8jAFmlKdW7Khh21dlQFyXX6&usp=sharing

19/4/21 Nearly Freo

 

        Next stop in our journey is Woodman Point , just south of Fremantle . During the war years this area was used as an ammo depot and jetty , used for loading ammunition onto boats . The jetty is primarily used for fishing off now though . It has a beautiful beach either side , clear water , and is very popular over the weekend . Behind the sand dunes is a park area with Bbq's , tables , kiosk , playground and high grassed areas . Another feature we have enjoyed are the bike / walking tracks that head north to Fremantle and onwards , and also south toward Rockingham . We have ridden our bikes most days here and loved it .   Here's a panoramic of the jetty & beach , views are out toward Rottnest Island .

      Further down the track toward the point is this beach - it's beside a sand dredge that is permanently attached to the end of a small jetty and pumps water to Cockburn Cement Factory a few kilometres away.

     Going north now , this is Coogee Beach - pronounced Koo Gee , quite strange when you know how it's pronounced in Sydney , and has significantly less waves as well . As you can see there's a large netted swimming area .

     Another 200m north is a shipwreck of the Omeo , it was once a powered ship , but that's was changed and they added 4 masts and turned it into a sailing ship . It delivered freight up & down the coast , it was also involved with laying the first communication cables across Bass Strait from Victoria to Tasmania .

   There's a diving / snorkelling trail here , might be something for a slightly warmer day . There are some keen snorkellers out there in the photo .

       Next day the drone appeared and gave us a birds eye view . At the bottom of the photo on the left is the dredging plant - you can see how it clouds the water . The beach goes up to Coogee , you can see the ammo jetty beside the trees in the top right . Perth skyline is above the fair end of the beach .

      This view is back toward the cement plant , Cockburn Power Boat Club & boat ramps at the end of the beach , further around is a boat building factory - they do the huge passenger / vehicle catamarans and also navy / coast guard boats as well .

      This is the pointy part of Woodman Point , another popular fishing spot and due to the prevailing winds , a very popular kite surfing site .

    Another day we headed up to Fremantle to have a look at the prison - there are several different tours you can do there , and we were there just before one started . This is the main entrance to the prison .

     Inside the main gate is a reception area , visiting rooms and some management areas . This prison was still in use till 1991 , with a mix of maximum security , mens and womens sections . This internal gate leads into the main prison parade ground .

      This is the view of one side of the main prison building - 4 floors of prison cells , and to the far left the new wing used for women . The yard area was being used for some concerts , so there were lot's of tents , chairs etc .

      The tour headed out after showing us the reception area where the new prisoners arrived , describing the process in detail . Next was the kitchen area - this was the prime area for the prisoners to work in - they could snack as they cooked and always got a hot meal , not like the others in the furthest sections away from the kitchen . Prisoners had their meals in their cells - another way to avoid problems with prisoners being together in groups .                                                                                                                        The feeling of deprivation was gradually overtaking us as we were shown some of the cells on the ground floor , then into some exercise yards . This photo is in one exercise yard - interesting to note that the covered area in the right of photo wasn't there for a long time - can you imagine being in this yard in 45 degree heat with no shelter ! The wall on the other side was usually in a bit of shade and there were many fights about who would get the benefit of the shade . Rolls of razor wire line the tops of the walls .

 

     Razor wire is as it's described, razor sharp . If you were to try and go over it , it is designed to collapse under weight , so you fall into it and get cut up even more , and trapped in it .

    Back inside the first floor is netted off from the ground floor to stop prisoners from above jumping to their death , also to protect people below from things being thrown down from above - prison officers were instructed to always walk underneath the walkways above to avoid getting covered in the contents of waste buckets etc .

       There are many cells that have been set up to show what they were like in different times . The Older cells were 7 feet by 4 feet , and had a hammock , a chair & table and a bucket . In later years the cells were increased in size to double that !! In it's last years of use , the prisoners were allowed to decorate their cells with paintings on the walls - directly on the walls . Here's one of them 

      The bars , locks , gates & razor wire does have an impact on you - definitely don't want to lose my freedom !!

     We were shown the area where the executions took place , then the maximum security sections where the life sentences were , before coming into the new wing for a brief look . Back out into the parade ground and around to the womens cells where they had some of their misdemeanours listed - a colourful history for a few women were inmates here .                                                                                                  After an hour & a quarter we were back to the entry gate and we got to get away from the tour guide - he had his script and knew it well , but that's where it ended - it was a job , nothing more , and he didn't put any personality into it at all .                                                                                                                                 Back outside and the prison Governor's residence was beside the gate , surrounded by beautiful gardens . 

     Then there was the Prison doctors residence .

      Then we were done , back to the van for some lunch and to enjoy our freedom !!! 

Here's a map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1FC1thFD7SY5dcEcDY7-31lni4hJ8W_Ue&usp=sharing

 For those that have subscribed to this blog , Google is introducing changes to the subscription part that will take effect from the start of July - if you don't receive notification there's a new blog , you may have to go looking - I will attempt to do what is required to change it , but don't hold your breath on that one haha .

14/4/21 Back to the estuary

 

             We leave Collie and try for some time around Bunbury , mistake No 1 - they are booked out . Tried further down - same result . Hmm what to do , where to go - due to easter coming , then school holidays , we decided to head back toward Mandurah - Falcon to be precise - on the western side of the Peel Estuary , an area we hadn't looked at much before .  

   Decision made , off we went down the mountain  toward Bunbury , then back up the coast road to Falcon . The drive was uneventful - which was great , and we found the caravan park entrance in between some shops . Checked in & set up we had some lunch then headed out on the bikes . At the end of the caravan park is the bike track which runs along the side of the estuary and is definitely a very pretty area .

 There are many seats and nicely mown grass to sit and enjoy the views .

    The water in the estuary is quite shallow , you can be 50m from shore and still only 600mm deep , it's very popular for fishing and crabbing out in the deeper sections . There's also a few tiger snakes living in amongst all the vegetation - so we were told , we didn't see any fortunately .

There are pools of water surrounded by the grassy vegetation which make it look good as well . 

There are also houses bordering these park areas - some very fortunate households . 

    We were disturbed by a helicopter the next morning , it was flying very low all along the bike track - they were spraying for mosquito's . Given all these pools of stagnant water are an ideal breeding ground for mossies , the city sprays regularly to reduce numbers of the little biters !!

There are various art works installed along the way that have aboriginal significance as well as other sculptures - there's a bit of culture for you .

Bitumen tracks ribbon there way through the grass and there are boardwalks over the marshier sections - it's very well thought out .

After a week here we headed back to another park close to Emma's and put the van into storage for a couple of weeks . We then spent Easter at Emma's .

   Bikes came out again and we rode down to the Serpentine River - here's proof !

   This is what remains of the main jetty - it wasn't very high .

    We had quite warm weather over easter and we headed down to the beach for a swim to cool off . The rest of our time was spent doing some small jobs around the unit and getting some stuffing for Emma's business .

 Here's a map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=14kMCUBCzV0TQXnYq482c_2AWB08VNZXc&usp=sharing