The Tree Top Walk and Valley of the Giants

What can we say about the Tree Top Walk, that hasn't already been said.  Perhaps just that it's worth experiencing, even if you are afraid of heights.

However, the best part of the Valley, to our minds, is the walk through the Ancient Empire below the Tree Top Walk.

The boardwalk meanders through some amazingly huge trees. The feelings one experiences in the Ancient Empire are pure magic and, however many times one goes there, it never palls.  Look out for the first big tree - it looks just like a huge forest spirit creature with eyes and a long nose.  We call him Gondwana - the Spririt of the Forest.

To get to the Valley of the Giants by the shortest route, ask Gerry or Jenny for directions.

Monastery Landing

When the first settlers were looking through this area, a team sailed up the Frankland River from what is now called Nornalup (approximately 10 km east of Walpole).

The majestic beauty of one particular spot, where the trees overhung the river from both sides, overawed a surveyor's assistant in the party. There was a feeling of peace, with the birds singing and the early morning sunlight filtering through the branches.  He gasped, and said, "It's as quiet as a monastery".

And "Monastery Landing" it has been called ever since.

The landing, which can be reached either by boat or canoe up the river from Nornalup, or by car through the forest during the summer months, is roughly 4 km upstream from the Nornalup Bridge.

There is a picnic/barbecue site under the trees, overlooking the river.  It is quite lovely and well worth a visit.

If you intend travelling there by river in your own boat, please keep within the channel marked by floats. Sunday morning WOW cruises go through the Inlet and up to Monastery Landing.  This is a great trip and you'll learn a lot from the commentary.

If you intend going there by car, please check with Gerry for directions and advice about the likely condition of the road.

Mandalay Beach

In 1911, the vessel Mandalay left Delgoa Bay in Africa, bound for Albany, Western Australia.  Whilst off the south coast of WA, a strong gale swept her ashore. The captain managed to steer the vessel clear of Chatham Island, but then was confronted by Long Point. When he realised he couldn't safely round the point, the captain decided to beach the Mandalay in the cove.  This cove is now called Mandalay Beach.

Beyond the car park and overlooking the beach is a monument telling the story of the Mandalay and what happened when her crew managed to struggle ashore. Even though they had just undergone a shipwreck, their adventures had only just begun!

Mandalay Beach is a lovely place for a picnic and for rock climbing. There is a large expanse of sand, which is great for children, although we do not permit our grandchildren to swim there as the water can be quite rough.  Every so often, when the tides are right, the Mandalay shows above the water line. In October 2001, she was clear of the water for a couple of weeks.

The road to the beach has recently been widened to accommodate two, as well as four, wheel drive vehicles. You will need to stop at the Ranger's hut to pay a small charge to drive down to Mandalay Beach, however if you have an annual National Forest entry pass there is no charge.

For those of you are lovers of wildflowers, The Road to Mandalay (sorry, couldn't resist that one!) is carpeted with an enormous variety of wildflowers from September to the end of the year.  It is a glorious experience to drive through the millions of blooms.

To get to Mandalay, drive west along South West Highway (towards Manjimup from Walpole) and turn left on to the gravel road at Crystal Springs.

John Rate Look Out

John Rate, a forest ranger from Pemberton, was the first ranger for the Walpole area.  It was John who discovered the third species of Tingle tree, now known as the Rates Tingle.  The Rates Tingle is a beautiful wood - lightweight, similar to pine, yet a remarkably strong furniture quality timber.

John Rate was killed by a falling tree limb. Contrary to local belief, the Lookout is not called "John Rate - Look OUT!"

To get to the Lookout, drive west along the South West Highway, towards Manjimup.  John Rate Lookout is about 10 km from Walpole, on your left.

Coalmine Beach

An early settler found what he thought was coal in a cave on the banks of the Inlet and, as a result of his find, several attempts have been made to mine coal there.  Unfortunately the deposits proved to be of too low a quality for mining to be economically viable.

The turning to the beach is approximately 1 km east of town along South Coast Highway. The beach is below the caravan park.  The Boat Club is situated here and there is a good ramp for launching your boat.  Coalmine Beach is great for family picnics.  It is sheltered, being a cove on the Inlet, and the water is very shallow, warm and generally quite calm.

School swimming lessons are held here because it is so safe, so you can be sure that your children will be able to play safely in the water at Coalmine Beach.

The Giant Tingle Tree

Not to be confused with the Valley of the Giants and the Tree Top Walk, the Giant Tingle boardwalk is a delight to the nature lover.

The road to the Giant Tingle, which is signposted on South West Highway, is opposite the turning to Coalmine Beach, approximately 1 km east of town.  The road is not sealed, so take care.  After leaving the car park, wander at will along the boardwalk. There are small information signs along the walk, telling you what to look for in that particular location.  This is a good spot for lunch or afternoon tea, as there are barbecue facilities in the car park.

When you drive out of the car park, you must continue north along the gravel road, as this is a one-way system.  If you want to return to Walpole, proceed to the end of the road and, at Circular Pool, turn left along Allen Road. This will bring you back onto North Walpole Road. Turn right to go to Jenny's Lake, or left to go a couple of hundred metres into town.

Circular Pool

A trip to the Giant Tingle Tree would not be complete without a visit to Circular Pool. To get there, turn right out of the car park at the Giant Tingle and follow the signs.

The Frankland River rushes over rocky outcrops and into a roughly circular area  surrounded by high granite cliffs. This area is known as Circular Pool and is a soothing spot to sit and contemplate the world, the universe, and all those things. Alternatively, you can go clambering over the granite outcrops and explore.

Hillside Road is one-way, so you continue on around the ring road. You will drive past Tingleview Estate - where John Thompson spent 30 years unsuccessfully searching his land for a giant Tingle tree which he had been told was on the property. A bulldozer driver found it when they were doing the roadworks in preparation for marketing the estate. That tree is BIG!

Continue driving past Tingleview Estate (unless you are interested in buying one of the lovely blocks there, in which case head for Walpole Real Estate), and you will arrive at a T-junction.  You have arrived at North Walpole Road. Turn left and you will almost immediately arrive in town. Turn right and you eventually end up back at Jenny's Lake.

Conspicuous Cliffs

The road to Conspicuous Cliffs is a couple of hundred metres further east from the end of the Valley of the Giants Road.  As you come out of the Valley of the Giants car park, turn left and follow the road to the T-Junction at South Coast Highway. Turn left and a couple of hundred metres on you'll find a gravel road turning off to the right.

Conspicuous Cliffs Road is all gravel and can be a bit bumpy.  It is quite long and you'll need to follow the signs directing you to the cliffs.  When you have parked your car, lock it (!) and walk towards the bushy hillside on your left. There is a path leading gently uphill. It can be negotiated by most people as the slope is gentle and there are seats at regular intervals. It is well worth the walk, as the views are pretty spectacular.  It is, however, very windy.

There are two lookouts: one looks over the bay and shows the almost vertical cliffs enclosing it, whilst the other looks down on the water pounding against the rocks and the cliffs below.  If you prefer, th beach provides an energetic windy walk. To get to the beach, walk forward from the car park, following the path.

For the experienced surfer, Conspicuous Cliffs provides a good surf, but the waves can be large and the rip strong, so only attempt surfing there if you are accompanied by an experienced lifesaver and you are an experienced swimmer and surfer.

Peaceful Bay

The road to Peaceful Bay is signposted on South Coast Highway, or you may make your way there directly from Conspicuous Cliffs.  As you leave the car park from Conspicuous Cliffs, you can take the first gravel road to the right, called Ficifolia Road. ('Ficifolia' is the botanical name for the Red Flowering Gum tree, which is indigenous to Walpole.  Ficifolia Road will take you east through the bush.  At the end of the road, turn right and follow the signs to Peaceful Bay.

The houses in Peaceful Bay are leasehold, not freehold, and are worth looking at. Increasing numbers of houses have fun names, so a drive through the streets is good for a giggle.  The beach is a good place for a family picnic, though we have never yet hit the beach when the water has been 'peaceful'!

Horseyard Hill Trail

This lovely bushwalk is relatively new. The prisoners who carry out their community work in Walpole, and live at the end of Allen Road where it adjoins North Walpole Road, did the work of establishing the trail. They did a wonderful job - as they have done at the Silver Chain garden, painting and tidying up around the St John Ambulance Centre, and at the Telecentre.

Horseyard Hill was where the horses were kept until they were passed on to the early settlers of Walpole.  It was a sheltered place but, being in the centre of town, was convenient.  To find Horseyard Hill, walk behind the Tourist Bureau and across the boardwalk over the swamp. Don't forget to call into the Tourist Bureau to collect a set of laminated notes.  If you bear right on leaving the boardwalk, the path wanders anti-clockwise around the hill. If you bear to the left, you can obviously wander in an anti-clockwise direction - but the slope is a bit more demanding.

As you walk around Horseyard Hill Trail, you will see little yellow plaques with numbers on them. The numbers relate to photographs of trees and bushes on the laminated notes you collected from the Tourist Bureau. We found that our knowledge of the bush increased dramatically after our guided walk!

You will hear and see plenty of birds through the bush. If you don't recognise them all, you can either call into the Tourist Bureau to ask for help or look them up in the bird books at Jenny's Lake.  There are several seats available for a few moments' respite on the 2 km walk.

Jenny and Gerry Edghill
Jenny's Lake Farmstay       

Search WWW Search www.countrycousins.com.au
	Homepage - Tourist Information - Walpole

This page last updated 19-Dec-2005