Holidays – day 4

So, where were we? Ah yes, wine tasting and long days out.

Well, the next day we had to drive to Denmark which is a pretty long way through mostly forest and on windy little roads.  Fun.  Especially with kids.

Don’t get me wrong, its a beautiful forest, but it does go on.  And on.  And on.

We kept on trucking for a few hours until forest started opening up into farms and we reached Pemberton, a logging town, where we joined my parents for lunch

Coming into Pemberton behind a huge dual trailer logging truck

Lunch at the Fizz Cafe was pretty good and catered for gluten free and vegan, which, given the remote location and small population, was nothing short of a marvel.

We quickly headed off again into the forest towards Denmark.

Pretty soon we were surrounded by massive old growth Karri and Tingle eucalypts.  They were double the height of the Jarrah we had been driving through until now.  Very impressive.

I took some video because they were so striking, but nothing really shows up the splendour of these trees like being there

We decided to visit the Valley of the Giants treetop walk on the way – the kids were getting bored and we had plenty of time.   A huge steel walkway had been built that formed a path 40 metres up into the tops of the giant Tingle and Karri trees.  Awesome!  Jay was a little nervous, not been good with heights, but it was too good to pass up and we all decided to go.

A very good experience and well worth the money and detour from the main road.  If you’re down that way, its a ‘must do’

Onwards and upwards though more forest and now towards the ocean, with tantalising glimpses and signs to look outs and remote sandy beaches only accessible by 4 wheel drive.

Eventually, we arrived at the Karma Chalets where we were staying and what a lovely place it it too.  Just off the South Coast Highway a few km before Denmark, the chalets are found up a winding red dirt track nestled amongst the Karri trees.  It’s a beautiful place – if you want somewhere to stay – this comes highly recommended.  The owners are a lovely couple too, very helpful and friendly.  Interestingly, they don’t think much of our current dud of a PM, Julia Gillard either.  And nor, they say, do anyone they know in this area.

We got the keys to the chalet, unpacked and relaxed to the gorgeous view from the balcony and bedrooms.  There was plenty of wildlife around – loads of colourful birds, especially parrots and skittish kangaroos.  Very cool

We went for dinner in a fantastic little place – the Healthy Buddha Bar – just down the road in Denmark.  Best food ever and they managed to accommodate us on a packed evening with no prior booking.  Excellent stuff.

Next up – Alpaca farm and Greens Pool.