Chimes Spa Retreat, Denmark

I had booked a 2-night stay at this up-market retreat in Denmark. After checking in, we began to make the most of the facilities. Val filled up the spa bath and had a long soak, whilst I went for a massage. I hadn’t had one for years and was pleasantly surprised how good I felt afterwards. Then it was time for port and nibbles in front of the log fire. This was very welcome as it was a freezing cold day with a cold wind coming in from the sea. We soon discovered that all the restaurants in the area were closed in the evening, apart from at the weekends (a staffing issue, we were told), so I had to produce some food from my emergency stash. We enjoyed miso soup, avocado, cheese and biscuits and a glass of red: we didn’t starve!

Our room with a small balcony is 2nd from the left.
The dining room for breakfast is on the right.

View from our balcony.

Next morning we went for a walk from the town centre to the caravan park at the river mouth, where we had both stayed in the past. There was a new cafe there, so we ordered a plate of F and C.  The local King George Whiting was delicious!

The wildflowers on the riverside walk were still blooming, even though it’s now late in the season.

Two pelicans amused us near the bridge:



Gum nuts galore:

Pemberton to Denmark

We really enjoyed staying at Forest Lodge Pemberton. It is right in the middle of the forest, surrounded by tall trees, kangaroos and bird life.

We also saw a baby kangaroo desperately searching for its mother (video on Instagram).

We tried a selfie on a cold morning.

On a swing seat overlooking the lake.

Giant sequoia tree

It was a long and winding road through the forest towards Walpole, where we stopped for a picnic lunch near the Visitors Centre. There was a large carpark displaying prominent NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING signs. The town had experimented with free camping for four self-sufficient caravans, but the privilege had been withdrawn because it had been abused, they said.

After lunch Val wanted to visit the elderly parents of G, who is one of her son's friends. He runs daily boat tours around the inlet. They have 8 grandchildren and about 13 great grandchildren and own some interesting antique furniture brought out from England in about 1900.

Oak sideboard with interesting shell carvings.

Matching dining chair.

We need Antique Roadshow to give us more information. Val told me how they first met: she had come out from England to be a governess on a cattle station and he was working there as a roustabout. They fell in love ... and the rest is history!

Their house overlooks the inlet. It was a freezing cold afternoon with a strong wind off the water. I took a quick photo and jumped back in the car to warm up:

Choppy water in the inlet.

Perth to Pemberton

We left Perth at 9.30 am. I picked Val up at Leederville Station and we were soon on our way. We stopped at Manjimup to visit the State Timber Museum, a magnificent new building with a nice cafeteria:

Giant jarrah:transported here in two sections.

How to cut logs efficiently.

Tree ring window looking at the giant jarrah outside.

The following interactive board allowed visitors to see the decline of the industry, There is now only one working timber mill in WA. (shown in a green light). The other faint dots of light show how many there were originally - over 100, I think:



We saw lots of timber trucks coming north on the road, but mainly carrying pine logs.

Our home for the night: Forest Lodge Pemberton.

View from our cabin.

Away

Tomorrow I'm going on a road trip to the south coast with my friend V.  We have also been attending some  lectures at MALA (Mature Age Learning Association) on Russian History and the rise of Putin. Some years ago, before COVID, we were in China and passed by a waxwork museum:

Guess who I saw there!

Apparently Putin is sensitive about his height, or lack of it.  For the record, I am 167 cm tall. He is a bit bigger, but not much.

A little unrelated joke, which I saw on another blog:

Robbery in plain sight

My handbag was stolen this week. I was taking a shower at Beatty Park Swimming Pool. In 3 minutes my handbag was pinched, even though there were others in the changing room at the time.

When I went to the foyer to report the theft, the staff were all standing around looking outside. Apparently the police had already been called. An aboriginal couple had been shouting at one another and fighting over the booty. The management had called the police to break up the fracas! I saw the paddy wagon arrive and then set off in pursuit of the couple, who had escaped on foot down the road. Unfortunately, the police were than diverted to attend a more serious incident so they were able to get away.

The staff then started to watch the CCTV footage. There are many cameras around Beatty Park, but of course none in the changing rooms. I was allowed to watch the footage (even though legally the victim is not supposed to see it, in case they take the law into their own hands). I saw the woman going into the ladies changing room and the man into the mens. They came out very quickly, but the man was empty handed. The woman had a backpack and another bag. 

I was in a state of shock and couldn't think what to do or who to call. The staff helped me to cancel my credit card right away. My car keys were gone, as was my mobile phone. I couldn't remember anybody's phone number, as they are all on speed dial nowadays. Finally I spoke to my daughter, but she said she had gone to work on her electric bike and would take an hour to get to me. Finally her boss lent her his brand new Renault to come and rescue me. She had spare keys to the apartment so we had to drive there to find the spare car keys and then back to Beatty Park to retrieve the car - what a palaver!

Next day, the first thing I did was go to the Apple Store to buy a new phone. It took them 1.5 hours to transfer all the files from the iCloud onto the new one. Even so, I still have to re-enter a bunch of passwords. Then, amazingly, I received a call from my bank to say that my handbag had been handed in. When I went to get it, everything was there except the phone, and in addition there were car keys belonging to another victim from the changing room.

Now, on the Camino nobody leaves their valuables unattended. People place things in a waterproof bag and take this into the shower. Why didn't I do this at home? 

Jarrahdale

When I went to see the documentary Cry of the Forests, one of the speakers suggested a drive to Jarrahdale, park by the cemetery and walk down towards the stream and the start of the Kitty’s Gorge trail. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day so this is what I did. Most of the giant jarrah trees are now gone though a few remain toppled over in recent gales. The regrowth trees are competing with each other for light and space:

This is an artist’s impression of the leaves (from the book Bushwalks in the Southwest):

The most prolific wildflowers on display were the Fringe Lilies, which were everywhere:



There were also plenty of Blue Lady Orchids:

These are some of the smaller flowers I saw:



It was getting too hot for hiking (24 degrees), so I retraced my steps back to the car for a picnic in the shade. A giant bull ant followed me and crept up onto the dashboard of the car. I was nervous that he might bite me and cause an accident as I drove back home. I don’t know what happened to him.

Lesmurdie Falls

Practically next door to Whistlepipe Gully is Lesmurdie Brook, which is said to have the best waterfall in the Perth Hills. I wanted to see it yesterday, but I was unsure whether to approach from the top (ie the Falls Rd car park) or the bottom (ie the Palm Terrace car park). My friend V said go to the top; but she didn’t warn me of the million steps down and back up again! There was plenty of water rushing down the falls, so it was worth the trip, even though I was worn out afterwards.

The interpretive boards were useful, explaining about the Darling Scarp. I took the green route:

This is what the steps were like:

Top of the falls from the first lookout

This bank has been colonised by Watsonia
(a South African weed)

Nothing else can compete once it's established

View of Perth in the distance

Bottom of the falls

The best view is from much nearer the water, but I didn't feel like scrambling over the rocks to get there! I watched two girls in front of me do just that. Coming back, they overtook me and I heard them chatting. They were nurses enjoying their day off. Good for them!