The Hills District

After living in Perth for 8 months I still can't get over what a contradiction Western Australia can be, it's an enormous state with vast distances but at times places are very close. We're living 4 kilometers west of Perth CBD and to drive to the country on the eastern side of Perth we can be there within half an hour max.

We experienced this on the weekend when we took up the suggestion that we try Pickering Brook Golf Course, which is located east of Perth in the Hills District. Within twenty minutes we're driving around the outskirts of the golf course trying to find out where we pay and the first tee.  After finding a sign we found  that we had to go up the road to the sports club put our $6 in an honesty tin outside the club house and then we could play 18 holes.

The course which included sand greens was rough and ready but beautiful country side. It was a great experience looking for lost balls in long grass, enjoying the wild flowers and watching the kangaroos feeding on the fairways.

Yesterday we went back up to the Hills District and walked a small section of the Bibbulmun Track, this is an amazing walking track that goes from Kalamuda in the north to Albany in the south - approximately 1,000 kilometres. We meet one couple who had just got off the plane from the east coast and were on their first walking day of 6 weeks tracking down to Albany, we were very jealous.

One of the tee's

Sandy green

You can just see a couple of the kangaroo's - they blend into the bush

Wild flowers along the Bibbulmun Track 

Billulmun Track near Mundaring Weir

One of the overnight huts along the Bibbulmun Track 

Kalbarri

Over the weekend we took a road trip 6 hours north of Perth to a place called Kalbarri, approximately 160km past Geraldton.  It was wonderful to be out of the city, to enjoy the country side and such a surprise package it was.  I had expected flat, dry, barren land but instead we were greeted with a patchwork of lush, fertile land that must be the food bowl of WA.

Kalbarri is a small coastal town that has amazing coastal cliffs and also a national park close by that we found to be a mass of colourful wildflowers, deep river gorges and amazing rock formations.  We wished we had had more time to do some hiking around the gorges, but we've promised ourselves that we'll go back next year with a few days spare to really experience the park.

After a perfect day we took some time to watch the sunset at one of Kalbarri's small beaches where Tim spotted whales that apparently frequent the Kalbarri shoreline in spring.

Country side south of Geraldton

On the road heading to Kalbarri

Wild Flowers

The Gorge in the Kalbarri National Park

The Natural Window

On the way home along the new Indian Ocean Road close to Perth 

Chittering Valley

At this time of the year Chittering Valley takes me back to the Southern Highlands and Kangaroo Valley; it is vivid green, with a countryside that is bursting with vineyards, orchards, hobby farms and magnificent views that has the Brockman River flowing through the scenery.

Last Sunday we took a drive to Chittering Valley to enjoy the food and wine festival which was more wine than food being available. The venue was out in a paddock with market stall's selling their produce and people relaxing, enjoying the sunshine, sipping on a vino and listening to the musicians playing their repertoire - it was very relaxing.

Not far from Chittering Valley is the Catholic Agricultural College, which we visited on the Camino walk a few weeks ago. The community of the College were very hospitable and served us afternoon tea but I had mixed feelings as this in a previous life was Bindoon Boys Town. If you've seen the movie Oranges and Sunshine then you'll understand the evils that were behind Bindoon Boys Town.

Enjoying the day

One of the beautiful vineyards

Markets in the paddock

Catholic Agricultural College (Bindoon Boys Town)

Mundaring

Just before the Camino walk we visited Mundaring, which is approximately a 45 minute drive east in the Perth Hills. There's not much in Mundaring apart from the Weir, the hotel, an arts & craft shop and a museum. The town developed because of the construction of the Weir and in those days sly grog was rampant, so in 1898 the hotel was built in an attempt to stop the sly grog.

Mundaring Weir supplies all the water for the Perth Hills district and Kalgoorlie. There's approximately 550kms of pipes that takes 5 - 11 days to pipe water to Kalgoorlie, with 90 million litres of water being pumped daily.

The Mundaring Weir Hotel is very quirky with a large outdoor area where on Sunday's there's lamb on a spit and live music. The hotel also has a large ampitheatre and are hosting during the summer period David Helfgott, The Black Sorrows, James Morrison and others.

Also passing through Mundaring is the Bibbulmun Track that's a marked track from Kalamunda in the north to Albany in the south - a total of approximately 1,000 kms. Walkers can either complete a day walk or walk over a few days to weeks staying in 3 sided shelters that are available on a first arrival bases. This is a walk that Tim and I plan to complete before we leave WA.

Mundaring Weir Hotel

The Wall of the Weir

Mundaring Weir