We were getting used to things not really working out for us
so when we got to our morning destination of Mount Franklin and our guide made
a point of telling us to take the summit not
loop walk we should not have been surprised to discover the summit walk closed
when we got up there. Since it was a nice day we decided to take the loop walk
and had a pleasant morning walk through the forest. I am sure the views weren’t
as good as from the summit but it was a nice walk and I am sure we were all
glad for the break from the bus. Once we returned to the bus our guide
expressed his disappointment at the lack of signage about the closed walk but
we reassured him we were happy enough with our morning so far. It turns out the
closed walk was the least of our guides problems. Our bus (which had been
serviced recently) had another hissy fit and we were forced to make another
unscheduled stop, this time in the small town of Pemberton. Fortunately it’s a
nice little town and though we had to wait for our orders at the small cafe on
the main street once they arrived our drinks and cakes were all approved of. Thankfully
our bus problems turned out to be minor and we were soon on our way again.
Since we had missed the Diamond and Fire tree the previous day our guide took
us to the Bicentennial tree where a number of our group braved the climb to the
top. As it had been raining and we had decided that my accident proneness was
in part due to my shoes I declined the opportunity. I am glad I didn’t go up
then but I do hope to try climb one in the future..... when I am not going
through a phase of falling over and have better shoes.
Our final campsite was to be at a caravan park. Now I know
we were on a camping tour but we were all so so happy to have proper showers and both phone and internet reception
once more, though mostly the happiness was for the showers. It’s amazing how a
few days without a proper shower can make a person appreciated hot running
water. As usual the first order of business was to get the tents up but once
that task was finished instead of our usual exploring we rested in the common
area and I helped prepare dinner as the others took advantage of the plentiful
hot running water. Before the sun went down there was one very important task
for us to complete. There was an inflatable jumping pillow and we were
determined to try and get a photo of us all jumping up from it. That was a lot
harder than he envisaged so instead we got many photos of us falling over which
were equally if not more entertaining. Mission amusingly failed it was time for
our last dinner as a group and for us to mark on our maps all the places we had
visited along the way. Then it was my turn to take advantage of the heavenly
hot showers before joining the rest of the group around the camp fire for our
last evening drinking together.
Day 10
Our last morning on tour and we started the day by airing
out our swags and rolling them up as tight as possible. We then had to pack the
trailer ensuring that the last people off had their bags at the back and the
first people to leave had theirs at the front. Packing accomplished we started
to make our way to Perth. We took the coastal road and passed through Yallingup
where we stopped at one of the famous local caves. Before exploring the caves
an aboriginal man took is on a small bush walk explaining the uses of the
surrounding plants. He then showed us how his people traditionally made fire, tools
and even music. He gave us all an instrument and whilst he played the
didgeridoo we attempted to join in. It was a fun as well as education al
morning and ended with our aboriginal guide telling us the story of how the
caves were formed. On entering the cave we all rubbed some dirt on our skin
before throwing it in to the caves entrance so the spirit would recognise us
and then it was time to see the beautiful stalagmite and stalactites’ that had
formed in the caves.
We stopped in Bussleton for our usual lunch. This time the
weather was not against us but pour guides usual lunch spot was fenced off due
to work being carried out along the beachfront. We sound found another spot and
quickly made our sandwiches and filled out the questionnaire our guide provided
us with. This was not our last stop though as we had one more treat before
arriving in Perth. We stopped at Simmo’s ice-cream factory for our last group
outing. We didn’t have long there before we were back on the bus and on our
way.
By early evening we were all safely deposited at our hostels
and well and truly back in civilisation. Though the tour was over my friends and I were
all staying in Perth for a varying amount of days so we knew our adventure
wasn’t done yet. A friend and I met up for dinner before heading back to my
hostel where we joined our guide and other friends for our first drink in
Perth. It was a great end to an interesting tour and a lovely welcome to the WA
capital.
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