Monday 1st December 2014 – It’s Summer ! - Rain - warm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p6YfGsqUXE – I forgot to give you the link to Playin Hard To Get – This is the concert singer’s band.  He played this short film when we went to see the War Bride at Toodyay.

We packed up and headed over to Dwellingup. We called into Williams, so that we could make our east coast phone calls.  The time difference can catch you out.

 

The Williams Hotel, it must have been spectacular in it’s day.  Unfortunately neglected now and ugly modern tack on to the right of the photo was a carport and drive through set up. 

Council should have been shot for allowing this, and the owners for the neglect of a unique historical building.  The lead light glass was stunning.

 

 

 

The drive over from Williams, the country side opened up before entering the heavily forested area of Dwellingup. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We noticed bare dirt landscape in the distance and soon discovered that there is major bauxite mining occurring in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were jarrah plantation forests.  Plenty of wildflowers still in flower.  This area is prone to wild fires and people are building in the middle of these heavily timbered areas – just plain madness.

Dwellingup, a very small town with a very basic IGA express poorly stocked.  There was a great cafe – Blue Wren Cafe.  The information centre was closed and so was the tourist railway.  I felt it was another weekend town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a nice rose garden at the station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had wanted to camp at Lane Poole Conservation Park, but the website for online bookings is down and you must book online for New Baden Powell Camp Site.  Also, we were told that Marrinup Camp Ground was better ??? – so made the decision to go to the abandoned town of Marrinup just outside Dwellingup.

  It is fairly obvious that the site has been hacked and will be awhile before we can access it.

 

We had a lot of trouble trying to find the camping area and someone has taken signs or there aren’t any.  It had stopped raining by the time we arrived and set up camp.

The camping at Marrinup is very ordinary and to top it off, we managed to camp near  caravan with a barking dog and a cockatoo and two arguing pommies – one side and the other side a camper trailer owner who was deaf with loud music and across another guy with a wandering peeing dog. – struck it lucky / not.  There’s always a downside -  we hit rock bottom.

On Tuesday, we decided to go to Lane Poole and see what it was like.