035 - Ayr Sailean - Valley of Giants (1/5/17)

Jam packed day today...

We were off to explore the Great Southern Woodlands for what the area is famous for. 

First stop was the Valley of the Giants, which is a walkway constructed high up in the canopy of the giant tingle trees of the region. In it's highest point it's around 40m off the ground and is yet another impressive feat of engineering. I'm really coming to appreciate the effort WA goes to to display the natural wonder and beauty of it's state.

The walkway creeps up on you a bit I reckon, just starts as an innocent boardwalk and slight raised walkway, and then bang! You're miles up in the air! An easy walk around, I loved how this place gave the kids activity sheets which brought them into the experience, getting them to read the signs and find the clues to solve a riddle at the end. Homework included in the price of admission. Win!

The walk is amazing and to think all this scenery just grows and wasn't constructed was quite surreal. And to add to this, the trees still towered over us in quite a few places.

"Watch that last step. It's a low-low"

Some very well designed truss work here. If  you look closely, you'll see our three trekking along.

Smiles all around.

Homework that is disguised as an awesome activity sheet! Thanks WA Parks!

There was also a group of Japanese ladies walking around who were quite entertained by our three and how they were working through their activities. They even joined in one time asking "how many spans are we up to?" The helped out with a family picture, but really B and I were just worried about them dropping the phone. Like James' green crayon found out, it was a LONG way down...

Quite the nice family shot I think.

After the tree top walk, we were taken on a walk along the forest floor, where you could experience the size of these trees close up and learn about the eco-system that lived around the base of these giants. Evie managed to cut her hand on some "Sword grass" which proved to be an excellent example of accurate name. Not sure she'll forget that one!

They are big trees. Like REAL big. I also like the way they make as much as possible wheel chair accessible. This spot was no exception with paved tracks where practicable.

Perhaps however, one of the lasting memories will be one of frustration as a group of tourist (whose ethnicity will go unidentified) who were blantantly ignoring the "Keep to path" signs and symbols to stomp around the undergrowth. It really annoys me, when the message all through the walk was one of conservation and protection, that people can be so ignorant and disrepectful to the place.

Anyhow, enough moaning and grumping... I'll save that for my poor troubled and suffering family. :)

Onwards from there we kept touring towards the Mt Frankland lookout. First however, we had seen a brochure for the Swarbrick Artloop which was on the way. Now, let me say... on a scale of one to shithouse, this was off the charts. I reckon had the car kept running I would have missed only 3 AC/DC songs on the stereo, I couldn't get out of their fast enough. A 500m loop through the scrub looking at what I can only describe as junk... seriously people... if you stop here and complain, I don't want to hear it. I'll recommend a lot of places on this trip I feel, but this won't be one of them. It's only redeeming feature was a giant mirror of all things that reflected the bush around me. Ironically though, had it not been there, the view would have been almost identical without the need for 5 more Marshians.

A mirror is now "art".

"Yeah, I'm not sure either James. Art apparently. I reckon it looks like a poor prop from a Stargate movie to be honest"

Halo apparently. Ha ha... yeah right.

So, from there we trekked to Mt Frankland for our picnic lunch spot. A spin along some dirt roads found a lovely lookout from an area established to monitor potential bushfires in the area. It wasn't an overly long stopover but the journey up and back from there along the track was just as interesting. The woodlands are simply spectacular.

Me just contemplating... "cider or beer tonight?"

That was what we had on our initial itenary for the day, but thanks to the spectacularly crappiness of the Artloop, we had time up our sleeve. Recommended by a mate to visit the Circular Pool, we realised we could also tick off the Giant Tingle Tree walk as well.

And what a great loop it was. Again, I love the little unexpected adventures we get to go on.

The one way road up through the woodlands to the Giant Tingle was really cool, and I could imagine a phenomenal rally stage being held on it. In my head I was Scandinavian flicking my way all over the show.

The Giant Tingle Tree is once again another brilliant example of the Australian Naming Convention upon which things are named on the most basic unit of measurement. It was in fact a "giant" tingle tree. And I mean Giant in Jack and The Beanstalk kind of Giant. It was humongous. I guess Humongous Tingle Tree would have needed longer signs... Still, it was amazing to see, walk around and through.

Despite being hollow on the inside, the giant Red Tingles carry their "life force" through the solid buttress base on the outside. This allows them them to survive bushfires that can burn infected internal wood. A spectacular example of shrewd evolution.

Somewhere, in there, you'll find James. In the interest of continuing the Dad jokes, this could be titled "James and the Giant Tingle"

Soon he was joined by his siblings

Not until you are at the base however and I throw in an adult (albeit a small one) in for perspective do you get a feel for the sheer magnitude of this giant. And it's alive...

I'd never taken a photo of a giant tree from inside another giant tree. Well, now I have.

The neighbouring tingle was so big the kids played 'tiggy' around it. I tried to take an arty landscape pic of that game. Maybe I could submit it for the Swarbrick Artloop....

Hopefully the giant lives on for many more years for other to see and appreciate, as apparently a changing climate does threaten the woodlands of the area. Whether this changing climate is being artificially accelerated is a discussion for another day, and another six pack of beer...

On to Circular Pool, and damn... why wasn't this our lunch spot. A beautiful peaceful spot (if you excluded the sounds of our kids), we had it to ourselves. You could imagine it being a great picnic retreat in the warmer months. Both B and I agreed it was somewhere we could have spent a lot more time.  Amazingly there wasn't a stone thrown into the water (that I saw) by anyone. Quite the rarity amongst our boys... may be due to the fact that most stones were actually granite boulders...

Are we over the landscape shots yet? Not me...

The deeper of the two circular pools, some 8m deep.

Water levels were lower than usual, which allowed us to jump around on the rocks a little more than others might.

From there it was back to Ayr Sailean for another fire, some homework and some beautiful toasties made by B from last nights left over roast. I'll leave you with this:

Is it just me, but is the best food often found in leftovers?

Sam's fuel log. Total kilometres in the bottom right. (Note: it's a few more than that now!)

Blogging by campfire. The wonders of modern technology.

The BGL settling in for the night, a beautiful sunset over Ayr Sailean. We'll miss this place I feel.