I am totally engrossed in the area, as I grew up nearby, as a kid. It bring back all the memories of my childhood, the sound of toads in the pond, the sound of wind blowing and leaves brushing against each other, the blinking fireflies, the zinc roof, the wooden walls, and the smell of fresh air!
I went back the following day with my family, knowing that my children will enjoy this place as well.
The pond where I sat for 2hours listening to the toads, the night before. Kids are enjoying the place.
Swing!
Treehouse!
Pots… big pots…
Deep pond
Path around deep pond
Zinc Roof!!
Around the premesis
Mrs Tan teaching Pottery
Potteries on display
Had the opportunity to be at the Firing of the Dragon Kiln at Thow Kwang held from 7th to 8th Aug 2009.
Its the only working one in Singapore now, and its fired only once in a while by potters from http://thowkwangclayartists.wordpress.com
I arrived at about 10pm on 7th Aug to take some night shots of the firing.
Stoke Hole 1 of the Dragon Kiln, and the overhead passageway.
Bricks used to seal the Kiln
Clay figures from the previous firing
Dragon Kiln Shed
700*C @ Firing hole
Sculptures around the premesis
8th Aug 2009 11am
The Dragon reached its desired temperature and the firing hole was sealed. Next, fire the windows.
Firing the Dragon Kiln windows of stoke hole 1
Side view of the Dragon Kiln shed
Smokin’
8th Aug 2009, 6pm
The temperature of 1250*C was reach much earlier than anticipated. The Dragon Kiln was sealed, and left to burn, and then cool down on its own, for the next week.
The Dragon Kiln shed
Ms Tia explaining
Albany
We left The Lily at about 1100hrs this monring for Albany.
The 85km drive took about an hour and a half, due to the heavy flow of traffic before entering Albany.
The first thing we did was to to head for the petrol station. We have a quater of a tank left, but was afraid that the petrol price will go higher when we go further into the trip. We have travelled more than 1000km thus far.
Second thing we did, we went straight to Albany Plaza, but could not find a free parking lot. So we parked at Woolsworth, and went over to Coles (in Albany Plaza) to buy our food for the next few days.
We also brought lunch from Subway, and then we proceeded on to Jesters Pie, the real reason why we came to this part of Albany.
Jesters Albany
1/77 Lockyer Ave
Albany 6330
Of course, its available all over Australia, but its only at Stirling Range I remembered about it and the nearest location would be here, I guess?
We bought:
Chunky Beef (Stockmans)
Tender chunks of lean beef simmered in our traditional gravy
Chicken Carbonara (Pavarotti)
Skin-free chicken with bacon & button mushrooms in an Italian cheese sauce
Beef, Bacon & Mushroom (Footy)
Chunks of lean beef with bacon & juicy mushrooms topped with tasty cheese
Satay Chicken (Nutty Chook)
Skin-free chicken marinated in Jesters secret Satay sauce. *Contains Peanuts
And thats $18, FYI.
We didn’t spend much time in Albany, infact, only an hour for the shopping that we did.
We then went on to Albany Wind Farm.
Albany Wind Farm
Albany wind farm is situated in Albany on the southern coast of Western Australia, the wind farm is about 12km south-west of the city.
Torndirrup National Park
“At Torndirrup National Park, the Southern Ocean has sculpted a Natural Bridge in the coastal granites and formed The Gap, where the waves rush in and out with tremendous ferocity. The Blowholes, a crackline in the granite, ‘blows’ air and occasionally spray. The noise is quite impressive. Windswept coastal heaths give way to massive granite outcrops, sheer cliffs and steep sandy slopes and dunes.
The area was one of the first in the State to be gazetted as a National Park, in 1918, though it was not named until 1969 and acquired its first resident ranger in 1973. Torndirrup was the name of the Aboriginal clan that lived on the peninsula and to the west of what is now Albany. “-naturebase.net
It was an easy 20mins drive to reach the Gap and the Natural Bridge.
They both share the same car park. Once you enter the attraction via the only walkway, the Gap is on your left, and the Natural Bridge, on your right.
The Natural Bridge
The Gap
Blowholes
The Blowholes is further south, by car. Lookout for a very inconspicuous sign on the left of the road, pointing you into the road leading to the blowholes.
Once you arrive, its another 1.5km walk, and it takes a cool 20mins to reach the holes. Wear good shoes as you will be walking and climbing over some rocks, which can be slippery.
Do not expect to see geysers of water sprouting out of the holes like the Old Faithful.
Its merely waves creating air pockets in the cracks and creating loud noises.
But still, its worth the 20mins walk to me.
Nothing much left to be seen, since I am not visiting Whale World, we drove into the Vancouver Peninsula, to find more stunning views.
Vancouver Peninsula
Denmark
Its only then that I realised that its already 1600hrs and we have more than an hours drive to reach Denmark.
Denmark is a wonderful wonderful place to be in.
Unlike the route we have taken thus far, where all is relatively dry, Denmark has trees…. trees with GREEN leaves… and loads of them…
Found The Cove Chalet, and Illya immediately pulled us to the Wilson Inlet, wanting to show us this:
Spent another 15mins looking at the scenery, telling us that we can use the boat anytime, and that Honeymoon Island, although almost 200m off shore, the water level is only up to the chest level, but anywhere beyond that, its deeeeeeeeeeep.
He too showed us and walked us a distance on the Bibbulmun Track.
“The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s great long distance walk trails, stretching nearly 1000kms from Kalamunda (Perth Hills) to Albany (South Coast) through the heart of the scenic South West of Western Australia” – bibbulmun.org.au
By the time we got to Tingle Chalet, its late at night, and Illya had a volleyball game to catch.
Prepared the BBQ pit, and we had out first BBQ of the trip!
Shall show you Tingle Chalet tomorrow.
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Bluff Knoll
The peak is 1095m above sea level, but the car park is only about 450m above, and is served by a sealed road, about 8km long.
We actually went up the car park after dark last night after dark, and its kinda eerie.
But this morning, its a whole different story.
We left Stirling Range Retreat at 0645hrs and managed to get to the car park before 0700hrs.
I will let the pictures speak for itself.
We met the park ranger, who watched the sunrise with us, and apparantly, he comes up here everyday to make sure everything is alright, and that the toilet is clean.
He is almost 65.
He was also telling us that the day before, the fog was much denser and the moon was bigger and close to the hills, and sky was all purply.
Too bad we missed that.
Stirling Range Drive
We went back to Stirling Range Retreat to pack up again, and went on our way to do the 80km scenic drive, along Stirling Range Drive, right to Red Gum Pass road, and then right again to Salt River Road.
The only sealed section you will see along this stretch is when you turn right into Salt River Road. However, please be careful as there are loads of road kills I can see along the way.
Guess how fast my wife is going at on a sealed road.
The Lily Windmill
After driving for almost an hour and a half, and making a circle around Stirling Range Drive, we came to The Lily Windmill.
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We stopped by Narrogin, 140km South of York to have an early lunch and a toilet break.
Had Hotdog and a coffee at the petrol station, opposite the left turn to continue along the Great Southern Highway. Service was slow, but hell, we are on a holiday here, so I ought to relax abit.
Wagin
“Wagin is ideally located in the heart of the Great Southern 228 kms south east of Perth and is the home of the Giant Ram and Woolorama. The town possesses excellent educational, medical, recreational and shopping facilities and a strong and vibrant community.” – http://www.wagin.wa.gov.au
We reached Wagin at 1330hrs or so.
We visited Bart.
Information on Giant Ram (Bart):
Giant Ram/Wetlands Park
One of the towns major attractions, the Giant Ram was built in Wagin and was put in place in 1985. Thousands of tourists visit the ram throughout the year which is located in the Wetlands Park.
Sculptor: Andrew Hickson
Built of steel, surface covered in fibre glass
Name: Bart
Height: 9 Metres
Weight: 4 Tonnes
Length: 13 Metres
Width: 6 Metres
Erected on 9th May 1985
I bet all rams has huge testicles…
Katanning
Its already 1500hrs when we reached Katanning, and I have 2 hours before the sun sets, and its another 2 hours drive from Katanning to Stirling Range.
However, we needed another toilet break and also need to go Woolworths to get our food for the next 3 days.
So we stopped by Katanning and did some shopping, hit the toilet, and off we went again. Bought $52 worth of food…. all done in less than 30mins…. we are getting good at shopping fast.
Saw a train along the way and we filed it on tape. God the train is long! And I am sure YS is going to enjoy watching it.
Met up with some road works at Gnowangerup, and that delayed us further.
However, we caught some real nice scnenaries.
We reached Chester Pass Road at about 1620hrs. So you can guess how much over the speed limit I went.
Stirling Range Retreat
Made it in time and reached the retreat just 5 mins before 1700hrs.
Have been communicating with Ayleen a few times over email when booking the accommodation. Decided on getting the Private Hostel Rooms with shared kitchen earlier.
But since we got our food from Katanning, we paid $35 extra ($90 in total) to get the Rammed Earth Cabin.
Its the best for cooking in the property, since it has 2 stoves instead of one.
It really brings me back to feel like staying in kampung. Drink rain water, bathroom walls with smooth cement, high ceiling, and an absolutely charming surrounding of trees and bushes.
Wife Cooking up a storm in the Rammed Earth Cabin, Stirling Range Retreat.
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Finally pumped petrol since collecting the car 4 days back. Having travelled 2 days in Perth and Fremantle, and then to Wannaroo, Yanchep, Two Rocks, Gingin, Bullsbrook, Bindoon, Toodyay, and Northam, totally slightly more than 500km, its really impressive for a 3.5L V6 engine to consume only 56L or Petrol.
York
“York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated 97 km east of Perth in the Avon Valley near Northam, and is the seat of the Shire of York. Home to an estimated 3,289 people in 2005, it was settled in 1831, only two years after Perth was settled in 1829.” – WIKIPEDIA
We left Northam for York at about 8am and reached York, 40km south of Northam.
Went straight to the Town Hall to use the toilet and walked around.
Town Hall
We went to Holy Trinity Church to take some pictures as well.
Holy Trinity Church
*note: The church is actually St Patrick’s Church and not Holy Trinity Church. Sorry for the mistake!
We then drove towards the Railway Track as I have always been a Railway fan.
We only realised that it is now a Private Property when the owner came out and talked to me.
He bought the 2 hector property for $400k 4 years back and is restoring the place into a museum on his own.
Had a good talk with him and he guided me to Mt Brown lookout and also the Suspension Bridge in a small serene park along Lowe Street.
Good job sir, and thank you for your guide! I would have missed them out if not for you!
All the best to your restoration, and hope to see you again soon. And the best of health to you and your family too!
York Railway Station
Mt Brown Look out
York Suspension Bridge
On this, we went on our way to Wagin.
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Northam
“Northam is located 150 m above sea level and 98 km east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway and, like York, is one of the earliest settlements in the Central Wheatbelt area.
The town, with its beautiful setting and its population of nearly 7000, is remarkably attractive although it has a reputation for fiercely hot summers. As early as the 1850s the Anglican archdeacon of Western Australia was writing about how he ‘rode to Northam in the evening through an atmosphere which felt like that at the mouth of an oven. Horses sweating copiously even at walking pace.’ -smh.com.au”
We woke up real early today, and went to Northam Airfield, where the ballooning will take off, if any. And unfortunately for us, non today.
Anyway, if you would like to try your luck, Northam Airfield is only about 10mins drive from town, at the end of Withers Street.
Take Fitzgerald Street, go North pass the town, on to Goomaling Road (Route 115) and its the third (or fourth) right turn off the road.
So we drove back to Fitzgerald Street, and bought some bread from the bakery we found last night, and found out that its opened by Chinese! Really didn’t expect to see any Chinese living here. But the feeling of seeing someone from a similar background, possibly even from the same motherland, is heart warming.
We got our bread and croissant, and went over to the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Australia.
Saw some flowers along the way.
Suspension Bridge
On our way back to the hotel to check out, we saw some real nice looking maple tree, with leaves falling, covering the ground.
We drove on to York and and have to travel 400km to Stirling Range today.
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Bullsbrook and Bindoon
Well, not really Bullsbrook. Because even before reaching Bullsbrook, we have turned left onto Chittering Road, and have embarked on a spectacular visual tour of the wineries.
I was simply taken away by the sceneries and was driving with full bladder, so no pictures were taken.
I stopped by a shady and quite place to take a leak on Chittering Valley Road, just before turning right into Chittering Road again and a great guy came along soon after I finished my do.
He thought my car was broken and he wanted to help! Now, its even more difficult for something like that to happen in Singapore than to strike lottery. Thank you sir, for your concern and good heart.
Drove on to Bindoon but did not stop. Bindoon is a relatively small town, and nothing much I can see, or remember worth stopping by (due to my pretty tight schedule).
Bindoon is where the majority of training and selection takes place for the Australian Special Air Service Regiment. Some of the facilities include live-firing ranges, the Brigade Special Training Facilities (MOUT) and full scale Boeing 747 mockup to simulate the storming of an airliner, so we went on to Toodyay.
Toodyay
“Toodyay, one of Western Australia’s oldest towns is located less than an hours drive from Perth. Located on the Avon River, nestled between Mt Anderson and Pelham Hill, Toodyay boasts exquisite views in every direction.” -Toodyay VIC
We stopped by Toodyay for a quick break, after driving for almost an hour after my last bladder leak.
The main town area has quite few road side cafes and bars, and its a really nice place to be.
I heard that during the weekends, this place is filled with bikers.
So after a short 10mins break, we carried on to Northam. Its already 4:34pm, the sun is setting in less than an 45mins, and we have to find Avon Bridge Hotel, Northam, 30km away.
Northam
Now, the real reason why I wanted to stay overnight in Northam is this:
Northam is the Hot Air Ballooning town, nearest to Perth.
And being the cheapskate me, who is not willing to pay A$250/pax for a breakfast champagne flight, I decided to try my luck, and see if we can catch any flights the next morning, so that I can take some pictures.
Coming down South from Toodyay, the hotel is immediately to your right, once you cross Avon Bridge.
We stayed at Avon Bridge Hotel’s Motel unit.
Its a very cosy place to stay in, really.
Its basically a pub and restaurant at the front, and upstairs, its the hotel rooms, and to the back, the motel units, right next to the pool table.
2 Daytona machine is there, and a jukebox ready to pay the song you want, cold beer at hand, playing pool, and just pop into your room 5 steps away when you are drunk.
I must say that the room is rather small, with an en suite. Must I have nothing to complain, seriously. I like the atmosphere.
Anyway, we got kinda hungry and we on walking along Fitzgerald street (turning left after coming out of the hotel’s main entrance), trying to look for some food, at about 6pm in the evening. Shops are already closed, everywhere.
Walked all the way to Fitzgerald hotel (its only 10mins walk, but hey, its almost winter!), and saw a restaurant open, but that looked too fancy for us.
Walked back, and we saw this little shop – Mighty Mackrel.
Walked in and the smell of deep fried seafood overwhelmed my senses.
Unfortunately or fortunately, they only have take away. We got the seafood basket, and a beef burger set and salad, and went back to our hotel. $24 in all. Not bad at all, considering that we nearly couldn’t finish the food, and you know how much I can eat.
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The Chittering Wine Trail encompass Gingin, Bullsbrook, Bindoon, and other towns.
If you do take this trail, do remember to take the detour to Chittering Valley Road (route 359)
See the map here:
http://www.chitteringvalleywinetrail.com.au/cvwt_colour.pdf
There is also the Julimar Lookout not far, once you turn right into Chittering Road, from Chittering Valley Road.
Its on the right side of the road, and is about 300m of gravel. 2WD will be able to handle it easily.
It seems like quite abit of couples come here to make out as there are quite abit of condoms lying around.
Gingin
Gingin is about 70km from Yanchep.
Picturisque little down, surrounded by miles of farm land with some hills in the background.
We had our lunch here. Fish & Chips, and a Chicken Burger, with a beef pie and coke.
A$25.
Just when we are about to leave Gingin for Bullsbrook, we saw this nice little park in the town center.
And we went on our way towards Bullsbrook.
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Yanchep National Park
Woke up to a really chilly morning, and had the same thing we had for dinner, for our breakfast.
One big mistake we made, was that we left the camera and video camera in the car, and they malfunctioned when we tried to use them in the morning.
We visited the Koala Broadwalk and took some pictures, just when a group of tourist, making loads of noise, came by.
Went back towards the motel unit and went to Loch McNess.
The water was still, and it was absolutely picturisque.
Went back to our room, packed up, and checked ourselves out of Yanchep Inn, Now operating under Comfort Inn.
Crystal Cave
We went over to the park office and got ourselves the tickets for the 10 o’clock guided tour.
Apparantly we are the only 2 for the time slot, and we have the guide all to our own!
On our way our of the park, we managed to find some Kagaroos at the golf course to take some pictures.
And off we went to the Chittering Valley Wine Trail.
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