Walking With Ancient Giants

It was pouring rain when I left Albany and it hardly let up all day. My original plan had been to take a slow trip up the coast to the Margaret River, checking out the sensational scenery along the way. I really only had one must do activity planned at that was the "Tree Top Walk" that is installed in the Tingle Forest just south of Walpole. It's a short stroll of just 600 metres along a suspended walkway 40 metres above the forest floor - spectacular. It was so good I did it twice. Sadly while I followed the coast most of the way the weather ruined any chance of me catching the breathtaking coastal views I remember from my last visit.

The weather was kind to me for the tree top walk however. For the 1.5 hours of my stop at worst there was a light drizzle. First time round I just tried to get all the photos and get used to the swaying platform underneath my feet. There were signs saying no more than 20 people on any one span and no more than 10 people on any column. I was the only one on the entire walkway and it was still swaying like a kid at schoolies. The second time around there were about a dozen people all up and I took my time and really appreciated what nature had to offer. The clouds started to roll in on my second trip and while the photos don't do it justice it created a quite intimate and relaxing sensation that I can't adequately describe.

I really should have got a shot looking down to better illustrate the height. 

After the canopy walk it was time to take to the ground and see the same forest from a different perspective. The Tingle and the Karri trees were spectacular, some of them 400 years old and unlike the Huon Pines on the Gordon River in Tasmania these ones looked their age, all weather beaten and gnarly. 

Because of things like insect damage, bush fires and fungus growth they end up having hollow bases. these are the trees that you would see the car driving through in those 1950's magazine ads, which you can recreate for yourself. 

They are so large you can walk right through some of them and stand fully upright in others.

So that's it for today. It's on to my favourites tomorrow, limestone caves. Then it's on to Perth for three nights. I have something pretty special planned after Perth however, I just hope I can pull it all together.