Perth to Pemberton

On the way to the Nats Camp at Walpole, MB, JL and I set off in a fully loaded car at about 10 am from Burswood. It was a bit of a squash with all the bedding and food supplies for 5 days.

We had to modify our route because the freeway was closed for a charity bike ride, and ended up going through Yarloop, scene of the devastating bushfire 3 months ago. It was shocking to see all the old houses with their tin roofs collapsed, with a few modern houses apparently intact. Driving past, MB took photos of the trees, partly burnt but now recovering with some new green growth. There were signs up forbidding people from stopping in the town.

We had a picnic lunch by the river at B . It was a lovely sunny day of 31 degrees, but as we approached Manjimup the sky darkened as smoke billowed up from a forest fire (or maybe a controlled burn?) We kept going, hoping we wouldn't encounter any road closures, and finally arrived at Pemberton for afternoon tea in the town centre.

It was another 17 kms to the Karri Valley Resort where we had booked a chalet for the night. As we relaxed of the balcony with pre-dinner drinks, a kookaburra swooped down to join us. JL gave him some Anzac biscuit, which he ignored, being a meat eater!

View from our chalet.