Paruna

Today was a public holiday, said to be for the King’s Birthday. C had bought tickets online, so we set off in my car as it’s the most economical on fuel. I was glad to let her drive because of the many hairpin bends on the one hour drive. The final  kilometre was on gravel, when she wished she was in her own car, with higher clearance and new tyres.

Paruna Sanctuary is owned by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. The trails have all been closed for some time, I think because of heavy rain which made them unsafe. The Possum Trail has just opened for the prime wildflower season and it was very busy.

Turnstile entry

You had to enter a code that had been given after the online payment and then enter it again in order to leave.

The first thing we saw was a couple of long drop toilets (which I used to call for on the Camino, but Spain took no notice and they now have a huge litter problem).

It was an overcast day with sprinkles of rain from time to time. I took a photo of C pulling up a noxious weed:

Gladiolus weeding

A selection of wildflower pics follows:

Too many to point a stick at!

Rocky outcrops

The trail had LOTS of steps, up and down and I found it quite strenuous. I am not fit any more for bushwalking. C said I was probably the oldest person doing it. There were plenty of kids as it’s the start of the school holidays. Their noise scared away any bird or animal sightings which was a pity.

We reached the car just as a heavy downpour started. Lucky for us, as there would have been absolutely nowhere to shelter. We ate our lunch inside and waited for it to stop before negotiating the gravel track out. 

All in all, it was a great day.

https://trailswa.com.au/storage/media/kep5xlj359oq/Possum-Loop_Paruna_Brochure.pdf