Day 101 Walpole

Today we drove to Walpole and went to Rest Point. The historic gazebo at the end of a jetty is a well known landmark at this popular spot. In 1926, Tom Swarbrick was granted land at Rest Point, on the western shore of Walpole Inlet which is now a marine park. A sawmill was established here and an eight-bedroom guest house was up and running by 1928. The Swarbricks also built timber boats.

We went on the Sawpit walk just up the road from Rest Point, is an historic site featuring a restored 1860s timber-sawing pit. It demonstrates early manual timber cutting where two workers (one above, one below) used a long pit saw.











Sandy Beach is located on the Nornalup Inlet just around the corner from Walpole.





Circular Pool is a rock channel segment of the Frankland River. The name circular pool derives not from the shape of the two pools, but by the froth that is created by the falls which shows the water currents. The currents of the pools flow in circles, creating moving circular patterns with the foam they create. The foam is a result of saponin which is a class of chemical compounds found in plants. Saponin, when shaken (not stirred), creates the 'cappuccino' foam for which Circular Pool is famous. The foam actually gets stained by the eucalypt leaves in the water and looks like a cinnamon topping on the cappuccino-like frothy foam.










This area of the country has the most beautiful green rolling hills and unexpectedly emus.





Coalmine Beach is on the northern shore of the Nornalup Inlet and the calm, shallow water is perfect for swimming. It was named for the shallow seam of coal in the nearby cliffs. It was so calm and peaceful and we had the whole beach to ourselves so we had lunch by the water.




The Channels - Along the steep granite hills fringing the Walpole-Nornalup channel, the south-western shore of the Nornalup Inlet, and along the Deep and Frankland rivers, stands of karri, marri, red tingle and yellow tingle dominate the tree line. The narrow channel connecting the two inlets is about 200m wide, a kilometre long and about two metres deep.




Knolls Scenic Drive a 5km circular drive around the peninsula between the Walpole and Nornalup inlets. Hilltop offers spectacular views over the Southern Ocean and Nornalup Inlet, Saddle Island and Goose Island.



Giant Tingle Tree on Hilltop Road winds through a very special red tingle and karri forest. Deep in the heart of outstandingly beautiful tingle and karri forest, the Giant Tingle Tree is the place of a huge fire-hollowed red tingle tree. We did the circular walk which leads down to the Giant Tingle Tree 22.3 mtr around the girth. Tingles are the largest girthed eucalypt known in the world.










Conspicuous Cliff has spectacular limestone cliffs, after which the place is named, as is the large surf that pounds the shore of this pristine beach.
The walk to the lookout has fabulous coastal heathland featuring swamp paperbark and the red flowering gum.










Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk above the ancient giant tingle forest of the Walpole Wilderness 40m high above the ground. Some of the forest plants, including the ancient giant tingle trees, have origins that can be traced back 65 million years to the supercontinent Gondwana when Australia was joined with what are now Africa, India, Antarctic and South America. Much of the plant life in the tingle forest is unique to the high rainfall south-west of Western Australia, and the the tingle trees are endemic to a limited area surrounding the town of Walpole. The Ancient Empire is a walking trail that meanders across the forest floor between and through 400-year-old red tingle trees. With their huge hollowed out trunks, the red tingle trees are just as spectacular when viewed at ground level as they are high up in the forest canopy.