We are going to visit the big tingle tree today – it is 24 metres in circumference.
Here is our little touring map of the area. We are camped near the bend on the bottom left of the map with the tent sign.
Yesterday, we went into Walpole and did the loop on the right hand side of the map going out to Coalmine Beach, Conspicuous Cliff Beach and back to Camp. Today we are going to the giant tingle tree, then on to Mt Frankland, Circular Pool and back to camp via Fernhook cascade.
This is the largest loop on the map. The tourist information centre also marked a cruise of the two inlets on the map, which we are not doing and marked Long Point which will visit on another day.
First up this morning, the Kookaburra seemed very happy with himself and was making lots of little laughing noise, so I went to see what he had.
Obviously he called into camp to show it off.
Well, he caught a very large mouse (or so I would like to think) rather than some native marsupial. He sat there for a while showing off and after a bit of mouthing finally managed to swallow it whole. I would never have thought that Kookaburra’s hunted anything other than reptiles.
A view from the look out we passed on our way to the giant tingle tree.
The original tree which many famous photos of cars parked within the tree has long since gone, but they now use another one. The numerous boardwalks protect the root system of the trees.
Here we are dwarfed by the giant tingle tree.
Around the back of the giant tingle tree. I believe that it is approximately 450 years old, which is really something, but there are trees that are 10,000 years old, so in that perspective this is only a baby.
Our next stop was Circular Pool, but we didn’t expect much as in WA in summer most of the rivers, waterfalls are not flowing. Winter is when they get a lot of rain. Circular Pool is a popular kayaking and white water rafting in winter. It wasn’t even worth a photo.
We then headed to Mount Frankland. We had no idea how long or how difficult the walk to the summit would be, so we decided to find out when we got there and then decide whether we would have lunch beforehand or not.
Well, this seems easy, but it is Grade 4 - okay it’s a steep climb then.
Still working on the theory that this is good for us, so we will be in better shape to climb the big tree :)
Lovely big information outpost, but not sure why it is so elaborate. There are a couple of bench type seats and some prints on the wall. The picnic area is out in the open without shade, so I don’t really know why they built this.
This is the small rock behind the information shelter. That let me know what we could expect. It was a very big rock but no where near as big as the tower rock (Mt Frankland summit)
This is all granite country and is very much like Tenterfield and Bald Rock National Park in NSW.
Our first views of the summit, yep, it’s steep and what no escalator….. rats
This is a fire look out still used today. Forestry used to check for fires and it is now monitored by National Parks from December to April. There was a ranger up there checking on existing fires and taking wind readings.
Stairway to Heaven – a warning that you may go there if you over do it.
From the sign it is 200 metres to the top and in excess of 300 steps, so they warn you. When Forestry had it the staff had to do this walk three times a day. Bet they were very fit indeed.
The gradient was really good and the placement of the steps was excellent, so the walk up although it is taxing it was made a lot easier by good design. I think the only reason that occurred was because the guys who had to walk it three times a day built the steps.
Ladder view up and down. Again good design, it was very easy to walk down the ladder facing forward.
At the top of the ladder there were as many steps again to get to the summit. The summit is fenced as the sides are steep.
There were a few fires burning, making it hazy.
The top was shaped like a orange. We were very surprised to find a pair of Pipits living up there. They are ground birds and like open space. Not much chance of that in this heavily forested area.
They ran away, but I used my bird caller and curiosity got the better of them and they came back to see who was in their territory. Glen took some excellent photos while I held their attention.
It was a good day to be on the top, it was windy enough (15 kph) to blow my hat off and that’s a still day for these parts, so it would be very hazardous in 30+ kph winds.
These pretty pink wildflowers are in flower everywhere at the moment. There were quite a few along the pathway.
On the way down, we side tracked out to another look out which had original planks.
Driving out to Fernhook Falls, we came across a Emu with his brood. They did the panic and raced along the road in front of us.
The others are off to the right. It was unbelievable the amount of dust they kicked up.
There were some great wildflowers out as well.
Bottlebrush which flower along the stems and the large Banksia which I have taken previous photos of. The cone can grow up to 30cm and this one was getting pretty close to that measurement. There were large quantities of the bottlebrush flowering together.
This bridge has been at Fernhook Falls for the best part of 80 years. This is in full flow after the winter rains. Timber supports as good as the day they laid them.
How to build a bridge on solid rock.
The falls would be a great sight in full flow.
We completed the loop and headed back to camp.
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