The Blackwood River Valley and Southern Forests

Southern Forests

Monday 27 September and the beginning of our journey east, from Busselton to the southern forests. The Vasse Highway took us through rich farming country with black Angus cattle and sheep knee deep in grass, beautiful wildflowers in the national parks, and huge forests of Karri, Jarrah, Marri, and Tingle trees. There is no way you would want to be speeding around the corners on these winding mountain roads with these massive trees right on the edge of the black tar.

Nannup, the first town we drove through at the northern end of the Blackwood River Valley is picture postcard country. Flower boxes filled with multi coloured tulips and daffodils lined the main street, and trellises of white and blue wisteria were in full bloom on many of the old dwellings. It's known as the Garden Village in honour of its many beautiful gardens and the town celebrates their famous tulips with a spring festival. We visited the rustic and charming town of Bridgetown and yes you drive over a beautiful old bridge on the Blackwood River on the outskirts of town. The countryside is a continuation of fertile land, supporting chestnut, tulip and daffodil farms and grapes (third largest wine growing district in WA) and those huge forests, mainly Jarrah and Marri in this district.

Kangaroo Paw
We stayed in the heart of the southern forests in the town of Manjimup, centre stage for a thriving fruit and vegetable industry as well as timber milling. The woodcutters log houses in the town looked picture perfect nestled under the forest trees but the smoking chimneys - now that could be dangerous! This is home to the Pink Lady apple, one of my favourites, and several varieties of cherry's although we were to early for the Cherry Festival in December - darn! We visited the King Jarrah Tree which is over 500 years old; 200 years older than our nation, that's impressive. It was saved from the woodcutters saws when an order to protect the tree was posted in the nick of time back in 1910. Such a great story with the 'saviour' riding his horse non stop from Bridgetown to Manjimup to blaze the broad arrow on the tree and therefore protecting it to this day.

The logging industry is alive and well in the town of Pemberton, and the timber mills which were established in 1913 provided railway sleepers for the Trans-Australian Railway Line and also for the first stage of development of the London Underground. This is another delightful old town which also produces excellent wines and delicacies of marron (freshwater crayfish), trout, and perch from the local rivers - what more could you want?

To answer that question, warmth. Three nights of freezing overnight temperatures in the mountains is enough for this girl and as we are about to head further south to Walpole on the southern coast, it probably wont improve!