Well, there are some seriously BIG trees in Pemberton. It’s crazy to think about how old they might be and how strongly they must be anchored to the ground to be able grow so tall. When in Pemberton, seeing the huge Tingle Trees is a must, as well as climbing up either the Gloucester Tree (58m) or the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree (65m). These tall karri trees were selected and used for fire watch platforms in decades past. Now, amazingly, visitors are allowed to climb them. In this age where health and safety precautions are so prominent, it’s surprising that people are allowed to climb this tree without any real mitigations from falling. Nevertheless, for those who climb it, the white knuckle climb is worth it for the canopy view from the top and the sense of achievement when you get safely back on the ground!

These red tingle tree have these distinctive hollowed out bases caused by a combination of fungal and insect attack, followed by fire burning out the dead wood in the centre. The tree is still alive and getting nutrients via the parts under under the bark.

The Bibbulman Track is a long 1000km walking track which goes from Kalamunda down to Albany on the south coast. Parts of it goes through Pemberton. The parts that we saw looked really green and lovely.

Margaret River in the south west of Western Australia needs no introduction. It’s the big hitter destination that most people head to. It’s no wonder, with it’s lovely restaurants and wineries as well as plenty of gorgeous coastline and nearby natural attractions. We had a lovely al-fresco lunch outside at the Brewhouse. They were most welcoming for humans and canines. Doggy friends who come to this buzzy pub are quickly supplied with a water bowl (actually faster than humans were served with some cool water!)

When visiting Margaret River, the sleepy town of Augusta is only a 40 minute drive south and worth a visit. On route, stop in at Hamelin Bay.

For people who like to be surrounded by the serenity of bush, there are plenty of really lovely bush camping spots in the south west of Perth. Not too far from Perth, near Dwellingup is Lane Poole Reserve. It’s a lovely place to camp with trees, a river for swimming in, clean pit toilets, fire rings and picnic tables. There are many different areas to camp in. Some camping areas have lovely sites which are private and surrounded by trees, while other camping areas are just a large bit of bare earth.

Not too much further south from Perth than Lane Poole Reserve is Logue Brook Dam. Camping by Logue Brook Dam is possible facilitated by the Lake Brockman Tourist Park. For those who like more amenities, there is a normal caravan park facility. For those looking for a bush camp experience, there are sites which only have a communal pit toilets but are surrounded by lovely bushes and trees. Swimming, kayaking, jet-skiing and all manner of water activities are allowed in the Logue Brook Dam.

Closer to Margaret River, near the Blackwood State Forrest is Canebrake Pool. There is 6km of unsealed road to get in there but it’s a lovely location with clean toilets, fire rings and swimming.

Other lovely bush camping sites we passed include Honeymoon Pool and Greenbushes Pool. Interestingly after being through most of the states, it can be said with confidence that West Australian pit toilets are the least offensive and confronting. Unfortunately, either due to the design, the remoteness or the humidity, pit toilets in the Northern Territory are the worst!

For people who enjoy a hot shower and flushing toilets but do appreciate sleeping amongst the trees, Coalmine Beach Holiday Park in Walpole ticks all the boxes. It feels like a bush camp with all the sites set amongst the trees but is has all the mod cons of a caravan park.

How do you like to camp?

There are plenty of lush green rolling hills and beautiful countryside to be seen in the inland areas in the south west region of Western Australia. A must visit sight is the massive 8000 square metre art work that is the Wellington Dam Mural. The Wellington Dam is the second largest dam in in Western Australia, second only to the dam at Lake Argyle. The artist, Guido Van Helten is no stranger to painting giant murals and has done so worldwide including inside a nuclear cooling tower in Chernobyl! This is his biggest work to date.

Due to the difficulty in accessing the large curved wall for painting, the artist had to use a custom built floating platform and split the work up into grid blocks, painting to final completion one block at a time. This article tells the story of how it was done. Realistic paintings are difficult enough to do, but to do it on this scale and to be only be able to work on one small area at a time in isolation must have been particularly challenging. The result is very realistic and mind bogglingly huge!

About 15 minutes from the Wellington Dam is a roundabout where there are thousands of garden gnomes! Pull over and stretch your legs as you peruse the thousands of garden gnomes at Gnomesville. This is one of those attractions that invite public participation and one-upmanship! What started as a few gnomes has grown quite out of control with thousands of gnomes now dotting the area. It’s a kitschy attraction but a bit of fun especially if you have a cheeky gnome to add to the collection.

Not far south of Gnomesville is a lovely arboretum called Golden Valley Tree Park. An arboretum is a botanic garden comprising of trees. This one was broken into two parts, one section for Australian trees and another for European trees.

There are some people in the charming small town of Nannup who love roses! Beautiful, plentiful rose bushes are blooming everywhere in this cute town. It has a small, delightful market on some weekends, a comprehensive free app for tourists and a nice walking trail by the Blackwood River.

There are stunning displays of flowers along the Blackwood River walking trail but was saddened to find that most of these are invasive weeds, garden escapees.

There is a beautiful long strip of spectacular beach that stretches from Busselton to Dunsborough. I had previously claimed that Turquoise Bay in Exmouth was the best beach in Australia but this beach might be better! It’s very long so there is no need to deal with crowds. There is plenty of stunning beach for everyone and it’s easy to find a spot for yourself! It’s also very close to amenities whereas Turquoise Bay is a fair drive from Exmouth which is in itself a fair drive from any big city. The Busselton to Dunsborough beach is very close to houses, restaurants, roads and is only 2.5 hours from Perth. It’s a calm beach, perfect for families and there are plenty of vacation rental accommodation nearby. The only thing Turquoise Bay has which is superior is the snorkeling. Australians are totally blessed with so many beautiful beaches and a huge number of gorgeous blue sky days that many forget that this is not the norm in other countries.

There is a lovely shared walk and cycle path that stretches from Bussselton to Dunsborough. This is a lovely well maintained facility which is not hilly at all. It makes a very pleasant cycle ride with view of the stunning coast. You can also cycle along admiring the expensive and varied beachfront properties as you go! Whilst cycling along the path, we saw 5 bobtail lizards sunning themselves on or beside the bike path.

Cycling does make a person ravenous. We had a lovey authentic French lunch at Bistro Breton in the centre of Busselton.

Whilst in the region, check out the spectacular sights and beaches around Cape Naturaliste.

Many Perth locals and travelers alike race right past Bunbury in a mad dash to go “down south”. Bunbury is not without it’s charms and is worth a look. It has some cool lookouts, pretty spots and a bustling farmer’s market!

Bunbury is a big city and sometimes they can lack the charm of small towns but with any and every place, there are always hidden gems to be found!

Perth is a beautiful city. Lots of perfect blue sky days, a gorgeous city centre area and lots of fun stuff around for a day trip, weekender or short break. It’s always interesting to return to a city you have lived in after traveling a lot. The city appears different through your slightly different perspective. Perth is better than I remember! It is an isolated city by world standards but it has so much going for it. Locals who are tired of their own city are encouraged to pretend you are a tourist and research the surrounds. Get out there and enjoy yourself. After living in Perth for years, it was amazing to discover recently the rolling lush, green hills of the local wine growing region of Bickley Valley, the walking trails around Lesmurdie Falls and the ancient Lake Clifton Thrombolites.

Highly recommended is to do a cycle ride around the Swan River. The route is flat, the scenery is enjoyable and there are enough pubs to make a day of it with good food and drinks!

An hour by ferry or boat from Perth is the much loved island of Rottnest. “Rotto” is a favourite with locals for a relaxed beach holiday to be enjoyed with plenty of time barefoot in the white sands. There are plenty of gorgeous bays and beaches with crystal clear waters of aqua blue. The available accommodation reflect this relaxed vibe and at dusk there are plenty of the local marsupial, the quokka wandering around, grazing for food.

After experiencing Rottnest a number of different ways, the best way, is to find a friend with a boat who is familiar with the island! Even better if your friend knows how to get hold of the plentiful local crayfish (lobster) in the waters around Rottnest!

In a boat, we could visit the beautiful Parker Point for a swim in these clear aqua (albeit cold) waters. A spot this beautiful is understandably popular. Note how many other boats we had to weave through to get to a clear spot to anchor!

To get around the island, the best way is by bicycle. As there are no private cars on the island, cycling is very safe. Pinky Beach is a short ride from the town settlement. At Pinky Beach, there is a fancy beach resort with many glamping tents set up. This looks like a lovely fun stay except for the eye-watering price tag! It costs between $300 to $800AUD per night to stay in these glamping tents! At these prices, this is out of reach of many who would like to escape the rat race for a few restful days by the beach!

A little bit further westwards from Geordie Bay is the Little Parakeet Bay. On the day we visited it was overcast and crowded. (Crowded by Australia’s standard but we do have the extreme privilege of having vast amounts of stunning coastlines and much of it quite uncrowded.) The water on this day at Little Parakeet Bay was getting quite choppy and there were potentially dangerous rocks hiding underwater.

Due to the restrictions to interstate and overseas travel, Rottnest is currently extremely busy. The local bakery and pub are crowded and available accommodation is scarce. Despite this, Rottnest remains a place of stunning natural beauty. Unfortunately, the biggest downside is the price. Accounting for the cost of accommodation, ferry, bike hire and food, it’s not an affordable place for a middle income family to have a holiday.