OUR FIRST AIRBNB - BLACKWOOD COUNTRY HOUSE - NEAR PEMBERTON

We are booked in at 5 different Airbnb's, for 3 nights each in different areas - this is our first one and not sure any of the others will outdo it!  3 bedrooms, huge veranda with BBQ and hot tub (or cool tub at the end of boiling hot days - in the low 30's several days), a fridge full of food for breakfast with their own eggs, deep in the bush with great views of the garden and forest - and all for £58 per night.

 A bargain.

Niki would stay here just because of Shadow the dog - he's a sweetie and always here to welcome us home.

DUNSBOROUGH TO PEMBERTON - LOGGING TIMES

Took most of the day to make a 2 hr trip down from Dunsborough (after major clean up for Niki - the least we can do for 10 days of great relaxation).  First stop was Nannup - a small town half way to Pemberton - just a few of these in between miles and miles of bush and farming land.  

We later learn from museums and information boards, over the next few days, that the Karri forests and other native trees were the main source of expansion and wealth in the early 1900's.  A tough life logging huge trees and clearing areas, which the farmers then attempted to move into - with not much success as the soil could support bush but not crops (fertilisers came along in the 1950's and transformed the way of living - and then the Govt decided they had better keep the forests, so farmers couldn't expand).  Many farms failed initially due to this or the poisoned plants that killed off their newly acquired stock (after walking them for hundreds of miles from Busselton port, imported from around the world).  A tough, tough life - very similar to American pioneers but with large trees in the way!

This tree at Nannup by the Blackwater River (remember our river trip in Augusta where it enters the ocean - although not sure I actually told you we took an interesting boat trip there - we did!) shows the flood levels over the years -you can just make out the top yellow label (1910 but 1982 just below) - unbelievable.  And we thought we had a problem in Beck Head!!

This (over the Blackwater at low levels - but had flooded a bit a week before and blocked off our riverside trail) is just one of the many rail bridges in the South West that supported the lifeline for these communities and opened up Nannup - until the 1980's when they all fell into disuse once more.  The railroad to Nannup meant a 1 day journey to Perth instead of 2 days trekking the bush to Busselton, half way to Perth.

The second picture is of One Tree bridge - so called because .... you guessed it!  A bit dilapidated now but you get the idea - now replaced by a shiny new concrete and metal affair.  We had a picnic nearby at a lovely pool in the bush - both of these on the Bibbulum Track - similar to the Coast to Coast walking route - "The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s great long distance walk trails, stretching 1000km from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills, to Albany on the south coast, winding through the heart of the scenic South West of Western Australia."

Then on to Manjimup (lots of towns with "-up" at the end!) - bigger place with supermarket to stock up at for the next 3 days at Blackwood.  Very interesting outdoor park and museum buildings showing how life was back there when - lots of old steam engines scattered around every town across Australia as the railroads transporting the logs and operating the machinery to cut and move them, fell into disuse.

Always wanted to be a train driver!!!