After another little while in Perth not doing much it was time to head out for another quick trip. This time I set my sights on a loop down to Walpole, across through Denmark to Albany (these are the real names of the towns), and then back up to Perth. Walpole is famously a place to see giant trees—tingle, jarrah, karri, and marri, among others. They’re all different varieties of eucalyptus, maybe except the marri, and they make for beautiful forests of tall bare trunks with spreading canopies up above. On the first day I went for a lovely stroll through the forest to a spot where they’ve made boardwalks around a couple of especially big tingle trees. The giant trees here are similar to the sequoias back in the states in that fire is an important part of their lifecycle, clearing the underbrush and triggering their seed pods to open. They’re also similar in that the adult trees are very fire resistant, and you often see live trees where the base of the trunk is hollow and burnt out. There used to be a tree that any visitor could come drive their car into, but they eventually (after that tree fell down, I think) realized that the trees have shallow roots and trampling them hurts the trees, much less driving over them. I also hiked Mount Frankland, a nice chill walk through beautiful forest and up onto a granite summit.

The next day I checked out the treetop walk, where they’ve built a sequence of walkways that slowly bring you up to the level of the canopy, topping out 40m/130ft above the forest floor. It’s a cool way to get a different perspective on the forest, and I had a nice time lingering, hoping for a bird or two to pose for me in the treetops. After that I went to see Elephant Rocks, a beautiful beach where huge granite boulders rise out of the crystal clear water. I had a nice little ocean shower and then headed up to Mount Lindesay where I camped out in the forest. The next day I had a nice hike up Mount Lindesay, and then went over to the beach next to Denmark, where I finally got a nice surf in. It had been forever and I was frankly getting pretty frustrated with the whole idea of surfing as a hobby, but finally the swell, wind, and crowds all lined up, and I had a fun time and even caught a few waves.

The next day, after a very slow and relaxed morning, I went over to Albany to hike Bald Head. This hike came very highly recommended and it absolutely lived up to the hype. The trail follows a ridge over granite hills out to the end of a narrow peninsula. There are lots of different viewpoints of a variety of beaches with incredible blue water, and the views out across the bay and of Albany itself are also magnificent. It’s just hard enough to give you a sense of accomplishment, but easy enough not to leave you feeling ragged. And, after wondering where they’ve been during my whole year in Australia, I saw two snakes! The second one made for quite the panorama, basking in the middle of the trail, and it immediately jumped out of the landscape when I came over a rise, even several twists and turns down the trial. Don’t ask me what type they were, I don’t have a clue, but I know that they both glistened pretty menacingly in the sun.

After some hurried research I found Porongurup and Stirling Range National Parks, both a bit north of Albany and home to some cool hikes. I swung through Albany just long enough to grab groceries and be surprised at how big and cute it was. Most of the towns along the coast are sort of little nothing vacation towns, but Albany obviously had some sort of actual industry going on, as evidenced by the big refinery-looking buildings along the water and also the size and age of the town. I was only there for 30 minutes or so, about 25 of which I spent in a grocery store, but it was enough for me to want to check out the town a bit more when I go back.

The next day I got up early and hiked the Nancy Peak circuit in Porongurup National Park. It was a really pleasant hike with a little bit of elevation (a true rarity in Australia) and some sweet views of the surrounding farmland with the Stirling range rising up out of it. There isn’t much hiking culture in Australia so I had the trail to myself and really enjoyed the solitude. After quickly snarfing a PB&J I headed over to another part of Porongurup to check out the granite skywalk. This is a shorter, easier trail to a boulder pile where the parks department has built a ladder up to an observation platform. It was, accordingly, way busier, so I was dodging families the whole time and had to wait a solid while at the end for people ahead of me to make their excruciatingly slow way up or down the ladder. It was still a nice walk and a nice view, but I have to say I prefer my hiking trails a lot less busy and manicured.

And that was it for that little trip. That afternoon I headed back up to Perth, where I am now, catching up with a couple of friends I made up here before leaving forever. I got a chance to play one more soccer game, which was great, and otherwise am just taking care of a couple of errands before I go. The plan from here is to head back down to Albany with a couple of hikes on the way, notably Bluff Knoll. After that it’ll be time to head east, and quick! I have to get to Melbourne, which is apparently a 40ish hour drive, by January 12th to meet my dad and his girlfriend, and to watch the Australian Open. So I’ll be trying to find some nice places to stop here and there, but mostly on the road. You can find a couple of videos for this post here—watch with the sound on.