The Perth Project

Week 17 of the Perth Project.

A British colleague I once worked with said “if the adventure is all about the journey than the destination must be really shit”, however in the case of our recent adventures to Dwellingup, I couldn’t help but disagree with him. After a couple of weeks of solo trips and N.M.I.A. (Niki Missing in action), we have joined forces again to fight of the evil stresses of the city and have hit the road for some nature, hiking and relaxation.

A couple years back I use to follow the World Rally Cars when they came to Perth for Rally Australia, and one of the locations they visited was the small town of Dwellingup, located about 100km south of Perth. They use to race through some of the most amazing forests in Western Australia and I was really keen one day to return. Today is that day! So Nic and I packed up are hiking gear and headed south for the winter. Our journey cuts through the Darling Range driving through spectacular eucalyptus forests and past pristine rivers. Along the way you have the opportunity to stop at the various dams that provide Perth with its drinking water – for some reason I had this urge to scull a martini, repeat my surname in a swab English accent and then hurl myself of the wall with a bungee cord attached to me feet and  an Ak37 in one hand. Times like this I think I should have been a Secret Agent!

Anyway, after I got 007 out of my system and dodging the look in Niki’s eyes ”saying this is the last time I’m ever taking you to a bloody dam”, we arrived in the small quaint timber town of Dwellingup. Dwellingup is just what you picture; small ornate cottage style houses, typical country style shops  and a small town atmosphere almost bordering on a hippy come bohemian feel. The fresh air cleaned out the cobwebs and the quietness was just what we were looking for. The town has heaps of heritage and if you’re into this type of tourism, then the small town walks will give you a great insight into the history of the place. The local tourism centre can provide you the maps and all the info you need.

However what Nic and I were here for was the outdoor activities and Dwellingup is a great place to do this. From climbing, canoeing, horse riding, camping, hiking, swimming or fishing, you can find it all here. We drove down to the Lane Poole Reserve, an idyllic park made for all of the above.  The park is divided down the middle by the serene Murray River and for us, the main destination for our hiking. Niki and I picked the Island Pool hiking track, a small loop about 20 minutes into the park. The hike took us along the winding banks and gave us the opportunity to watch wild ducks and other birdlife at play as well as sit by the river watching it slowly drift by. We even bumped into a few canoeists enjoying a lazy afternoon paddle.

After a short but enjoyable hike we sat down to eat some grub before heading home however not before hugging King Jarrah though – a large Jarrah tree which dwarfs everything around it. Dwellingup is a great little destination which I think alot of people often overlook on their way to Margaret River. Although I’m sure in the years to come its going to be another Denmark or Dunsborough.

By the way guys, I have a new blog coming up on Vietnam(talk about being a sucker for punishment) – more details coming soon!

Lane Poole Reserve

Popularity: 32% [?]

Week 16 of the Perth Project.

Let’s face it, on the whole spectrum of tourist attractions in Australia, Western Australia in the only state to have a fetish for rocks. In fact, it’s a pastime of ours to market how important it is to your travelling experience to visit some form of geological artefact. For example, we have Wave Rock, the town of Boulder, the Bungle Bungle and of course the most famous of them all, the Pinnacles. It surprises me how many people live only a couple of hours away and have never taken the time to drive up to the town of Cervantes to witness these amazing sculptures. Now for those who have no Idea what I’m talking about and are thinking that the Pinnacles is something related to some monumental moment of your life, Ill fill you in. Besides the fact that they are rocks, as we have already established that, they are infact incrediable towers of limestone that have taken thousands of years to form. And unlike Wave Rock which is small and a little disappointing, the Pinnacles form a vast desert surrounded by sapphire blue waters, sunburnt sand and perfect blue skies.

The Pinnacles is located in Nambung National Park and is about 2 and half hours north of Perth.  I found myself up here with 3 uni mates working on a sustainable tourism project. There is nothing quite like getting in a car with 3 others you barely know and hurdling a couple hundred kilometres up the road, in some groups this can be disastrous – just for an example, an issue you may come accross is music and more importantly what music an individual decides to put on whilst driving up (Apparently its never to early for clubbing music). The group consisted of two Reunion Islanders (French) and a fellow Sandgroper. The ironic thing is I didn’t even know about Reunion Island unill I saw an ad for it when I watched Avatar, and then two weeks later I meet two members from this lost French Island. Anyway, we hit the road early, full of coffee and sugar, arriving into Cervantes about 11ish. Checking into the only caravan park and setting up our tents besides a small sand dune that opens up to the calmest  of blue waters I’ve seen in a long time. You could see small islands of the coast and fisherman on the beach casting a line.

We arrived into Nambung National Park about 1pm and began our observations, which I won’t bore you with. The Pinnacles has a fantastic interpretation centre  which explores how the towers formed as well as how the area developed into what it is today. After benefiting from the air conditioned building, we decided to run through the millions of flies back into the confines of the car. Trying to shut the door before any annoying winged pests could find their way in. The Pinnacles is effectively a big desert with a long circular road, which  you slowy drive around and stop at different parts to take photos or just to admire the amazing scenery. If you pick the time right ,you will be gifted with the changing moods of the sky,  where the sands beautifully change colours from violent yellow to red ochres as the sun disappears over the ocean. The shadows  of the pinnacles slowly creep up on you as if you were being stalking by the night.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to feeding the fish, some people also refer to it as fishing. This old sea dog was sitting on the pier bringing in fish after fish, with the catch of the day easily being an amazing species of squid he caught. However no mater how much I tried, and even after diving into to the waters after I knocked a palstic bag with all my hooks in, all I could catch was a blowey. One day I’ll master it….hopefully.

It will cost you $11 for per car for entry into The Pinnacles, and if you go after 4.30pm for the sunset, entry is by honour box – wink, wink, nudge, nudge.  The camping site is about $20 a night for a tent and provides good shower/cooking facilities. If you’re in need of an ale, well you won’t find one. However if you want a beer, then the central Tavern is a good place to grab one. The crowd is good natured and enjoy a good game of snooker and a bet or two. Or in the case of our clubbing music lover, the ability to chat up a 16 year old, which we had to then politely point out that she was too young and no, you cant take her back to your tent, especially considering our tents are next door.

After a great nights sleep, an early morning swim and a yummy breakfast,we headed back to Perth, successfully gathering all the data for our project. The Pinnacles has always been a favourite of mine and if you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, grab yourself a tent and head up. It’s also a great stop if you’re going further north to Kalbarri or Shark Bay. Just don’t forget your clubbing music…

Thanks to Elise, Regis and Julia for the photos – it was an awesome trip! If you want more info on the Pinnacles-  or if you’d rather see what the worlds biggest squid looks like, click here – if that doesnt give you the creeps, nothing will.

Popularity: 52% [?]

Week 15 of the Perth Project.

When you think of Penguins, I’m sure you’d agree with me that one of three images comes to mind. The first being of a small black and white flightless bird who enjoys playing on ice slides in Antarctica. Secondly a gender confused penguin who apparently has happy feet and thirdly, an ageing small fat man who likes to dress in a  penguin suit, and equally as mad as this may sound, to chase a man who dresses like a bat. Strange world we live in that’s for sure. Anyway with all these crazy penguin notions, it bring us to the 15th week of the Perth Project and  last week I had the opportunity to visit Penguin Island for the first time in the 20 years that I have lived in Perth. In fact, if I was honest with you all, I didn’t even know that we had penguins in this hot state of ours. Yet here I was heading off to explore this small island off Rockingham, about an hour south of Perth.

As part of my science degree in ecotourism, I get to try a range of exciting activities such as catching birds, handling reptiles and observing our black and white friends. Sadly Niki couldn’t make this one, so I was on my own… surrounded by 20 other students. We arrived down at the jetty at about 12.30 and boarded a small floating device, barely recognizable as a boat. It was more like an oversized tub, yet the captain was in good spirits and introduced the island. The best news I had heard all day, and it has crossed my mind that morning, was that there were no snakes on this island. I had to cusp my hand to my mouth to stop the big whopppeeeee; I’m not a great fan of snakes you see. As we approached this small island, you could hear and see the hundreds of birds that call this small green island home. It was incredible; I’ve never seen so many species of birds in the wild, or in one spot before. They were thriving on this protected island.

As we were a student group, we had a quick educational talk from the ranger about what ecotourism developments were happening on the island and a little about the history, for example lets talk toilets. The toilet systems uses an enzyme that breaks down the waste to a point where it’s safe to then disperse along the gardens. Apparently they did this one year and they had a crop of tomatoes grow from it…need I say more.

Penguin Island is home to 3 pelican colonies, which I was very excited about. I’ve always been fascinated with these birds since feeding them as a kid up in Kalbarri, and I was enthralled at the option to get up and close with them.  They are a large majestic bird that is incredible to see and even more amazing when there are hundreds flying and “talking” around you, almost intimidating. Apparently the pelicans only arrived a few years back, this was due to being displaced due to development in Mandurah.  After walking along the board walks and viewing these mighty birds, I headed along the beach on the west side. The beach was dotted with craggy rocks and was  currently being bombarded by dramatic waves on this overcast day. Fascinatingly, there was evidence of fossilized root systems from trees in some of the rock formations. Apparently the current beach of Western Australia extended for another 15km past Rottnest – who says global warming has never happened before?

After our walk and a quick lunch in the picnic area ( make sure to bring your lunch across as there are no shops on the island), we headed into the Penguin Discovery Centre. The attraction was home to about 12 penguins that were unfit to return to the wild. Known as fairy penguins, these penguins are the smallest species  of penguins.  Here is a  small little fact for you, they pick a mate for life. However they will pick another partner if one dies or they will divorce if one is a bad parent. The enclosure has a great viewing platform and it is well worth visiting during feeding times, as you get a really good spiel on the penguins and the islands. Unlike Philip Island in Victoria, the wild penguins that do come ashore at night to breed or sleep are not viewable to tourists. However if you look closely into lower shrubs during the day you might in fact see one sleeping or guarding their young ones.

Once we finished cooing the penguins, we had the opportunity to coo the sea lions and dolphins that inhabit the area. We jumped onto a glass bottom boat and begun our tour around Shoalwater Bay, which was home to about  dozen islands all protected from humans.  This was the time I started to feel a little sick, by the time we returned, I was starting to feel really sick. The waters were a little choppy as the winds kicked up and to be honest, my see legs are as good as me putting on a pair of skates and trying to figure skate across a bowl of jelly…that’s being modest.

After we visited the sea lion colony on one of the small islands, accurately entitled seal island, we than headed back to the main land with the sun slowly setting on our backs, the birds retreating to their nest for the night and a small pod of dolphins inquisitively chasing us back into port, almost waving us goodbye with their fins. Time and time again I really realise how much I love nature and how important ecotourism’s role is in this world.

Now for my travel agent spiel; Penguin Island is about an hours south of Perth in Rockingham.  Boats leave every hour between 9 and 3, it will cost you $12 for a return trip or $17.50 which includes the Penguin Discovery centre. Also note that they close the island during winter as to protect the penguins during their main breeding seasons, also its bloody cold and wet at this time. You can walk to the island via a sand bar, however please note: a couple of people die every year doing this and unless you are a strong, comfortable swimmer, it’s not worth putting your life at risk. Penguin Island is well worth the trek down and don’t forget to take picnic lunch for a great afternoon or morning of swimming, penguins and pelicans.

Visiting Penguin Island and a link to a more Ecotourism approach of Penguin Island

Danny Devito Penguin Image….go on, you know you want too

Popularity: 34% [?]

Week 14 of The Perth Project

Once again the Perth Upmarket was in fine form on Sunday, showcasing some amazing talent from some very creative Sandgropers.

The market was held at the University of Western Australia in the ever impressive Winthrop Hall. The hall however was sporting some battle scars after terrible hail damage from the recent super-storm we had in Perth. The dramatic weather had smashed out most of the spectacular Lead-Light windows in the Hall, and a quick patch up was needed to cover the windows with Perspex to deem the hall safe enough to house the market. But after all that repair work, the show went on!

There was an impressive turn out to the Upmarket, with thousands of people flocking to over 100 stalls, thus proving the handmade scene in Perth is alive, well and thriving.  There were no dolls, tea cosies or doyleys in sight. However this free event offers  a whole range of funky clothing, photography, craft, baby wear, stationary, bags, jewellery, toys, gourmet food and of course coffee – it is hand-made heaven.

For the shoppers the endless unique and hand crafted items provide way too much temptation to pass up, and for the creative’s there was wall to wall inspiration to get the creative juices flowing. I was in my element, darting from one stall to the next like a kid in a lolly shop, whilst poor Peter tried to keep up with me without getting lost in the crowd of people, prams and stalls. I think at one stage there was a hit and run case with Peter and a pram – but hey that’s the thrill of the markets for you.

Our favourite quarterly market is back again on the 27^th of June, but we will be away getting hitched at the time, so it’s a 6 month wait for us till the next Perth Upmarket. If your in town, take the time to check it out, you purses will be lighter however you will be supporting this great developing scene of unique handmade goodies in Perth. The question is thou, will I survive the 6 month wait?

Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction of the Perth Upmarket

Popularity: 34% [?]