One thing we find almost irresistible whilst travelling in country WA is a 'Farmers' Market'. Not only to these give an opportunity to rub shoulders with the locals, the produce on offer is universally of a better quality than that for sale in supermarkets...without question and always!
So Saturday morning in Manjimup found us parking with many others near Coronation Park, where as you can see the leaves are definitely beginning to turn. There was a reason for that as I have mentioned. The season was also beginning to turn. The bed quilt was in operation for the first time in many months!
Manjimup lies in the heart of the district known as the 'Southern Forests'...big tree country. We are finally coming to grips with the various 'southerns' in this part of WA. The 'South-West' can be found along the coast south of Mandurah to Augusta and includes Busselton and Margaret River. Beyond that to the east is the 'Great Southern' which takes in Albany and Esperence whilst the towns of Manjimup, Pemberton, Northcliffe and Walpole are classified as belonging to the region named the Southern Forests. Clear? Good.
Manjimup, 'the place of the Manjin' (a locally found edible reed used extensively by the Noongars) was first settled in 1856 by Thomas Muir who took up land at Deeside. The town is now the hub of the largest shire in south-west WA of which over 85% is covered by State forests or conservation reserves.
The rich soils of the area and the reasonable rainfall have resulted in the local production of timber, tobacco (before it was banned), fruit, grapes (table and wine) and vegetables, particularly potatoes and corn. Tourism and a steady influx of those seeking a change in lifestyle contribute much to the local economy.
As if this were not enough, right next to this 'table of tubers' we found not only the ubiquitous market troubadour (who was very good), but the potato cooking demonstration bench where a renowned local chef was presenting hourly demonstrations of various methods by which the raw article could be prepared for the dinner table. (the crowds did gather later!)
Something we came to recognise as a feature of the towns of the Southern Forests were their particularly neatly constructed rockwalls. Manjimup was no exception in its use of this feature as we discovered when taking the walkway from the market to the nearby Tourist Information Centre.
In the small plaza outside the centre, directly above the market, stands this set of gigantic waggon wheels. Now we have seen plenty of this sort of thing in our travels, but this set, which had been part of a timber hauling dray, was decidedly the 'Big Kahuna'!
And for those intrepid souls who feel inspired to cycle through this region, the tourist information centre provides just the spot at which to secure one's 'treadly' (creative bike racks is another feature we have come across a lot in WA!)
Our pedestrian ramble around the Manjimup CBD then took us beyond the information plaza through the local Square of Remembrance
and on to the the central business street of the town
where the most impressive of the commercial buildings was definitely the Post Office.
Manjimup is not really a town of sufficient venerability to boast an architecture of historical significance and the colourful main street pub would not have attracted much of our attention
other than for the fact that we spied this sign in a position of prominence over the main door. When did you last see a hotel 'cocktail lounge'? Obviously the ladies of Manjimup have had considerable influence at some stage or other.
Our ramble through the secondary streets of the CBD did produce two further discoveries of some interest to us. Here at 'Alf's' the fact that the apple and pear harvest was in full swing became patently obvious, whilst, on a nearby corner,
the importance of the local wine industry is brought into focus. 'The Grape Stomper' was "conceived and designed by year 9 students at Kearnan College" and was carved by them, forestry workers and members of the local community to celebrate the emergence of wine production in the district.
Whilst on this subject we late learnt to our real surprise that more grapes are grown in the Pemberton - Frankland River area than in the much more recognised Margaret River district. Indeed on our previous trips back from Albany we drove past some real broad acre vineyards similar to those found in the Padthaway and Kingston areas of SA.
Let us complete our wander around 'Manjimup central' with a look over one of the parkland areas which surround the town. There is certainly no shortage of foliage in this neck of the woods (it's been a while!).
Apart from our market day stroll, we spent little time in Manjimup itself....we were here to see big trees.
I guess there would be few in this country who have not heard of the jarrah and karri forests of south-west WA and of the size to which these trees grow, and it rarely that I wander around anywhere with my mouth hanging open, well figuratively speaking at least. Let me confess here and now that after our experiences in the karri forests of this area I can fully understand why a walk through them has been described as being similar to entering a majestic cathedral. These are forests of breathtaking, towering splendour.
Four of these giants have been established as tourist destinations. We visited them all. Three are karri trees whilst that closest to Manjimup is a jarrah, the 'King Jarrah'. And from what we discovered, its continuing existence was a very close run thing.
A well established and maintained path takes the curious visitor through the surrounding forest from the car park
Four of these giants have been established as tourist destinations. We visited them all. Three are karri trees whilst that closest to Manjimup is a jarrah, the 'King Jarrah'. And from what we discovered, its continuing existence was a very close run thing.
A well established and maintained path takes the curious visitor through the surrounding forest from the car park
to the 'King' itself where, as has happened in the past I found that my ability to photograph this giant in its entirety was impossible.
Hopefully this shot, obviously of the base of the tree, will give some perspective. The King is that in more than name only....it is massively larger than all the trees around it,
and higher, but I suspect you will just have to take my word for that.
For the statistically minded, this ancient tree, which is estimated to be at least 500 years old, raises its top nearly 50 metres above the forest floor on a trunk with a girth of 2.7 metres.
The obvious question is why is it alone amid all the surrounding striplings? Herein lies a tale of early conservation. The 'King' was originally one tree amongst many which were being felled to make railway sleepers. Two 'gun' sleeper cutters, Jim Wilson and Fred Irving had been steadily carving their way through the jarrahs of this forest. The King was in their sights, and it was the last of its kind.
But a saviour was at hand. A local draftsman working in the area for the government surveyor was appalled by the prospect of the imminent demise of the last of this stand of huge trees. He galloped off to nearby Bridgetown and told Fred Brockman (later to become WA's surveyor-general) of what was at hand. Fred, to his credit, was equally concerned, and fortunately for the King, Fred had some clout. He repaired immediately to Manjimup and saw to it that an official Government blaze was carved into the bark of the tree....a very formal 'keep your hands off' sign.
As you would expect, given that Bridgetown is some 35 kms from Manjimup, and all the to-ing and fro-ing was done on horseback, some time elapsed between the alarm being raised and the tree being cut with the blaze. But as luck would have it, those masters of axe and saw, Jim and Fred, had decided to knock off and spent the afternoon in the local pub. They planned to bring the King to the ground the following morning. This extraordinary tree was saved, not by a whisker, but by a pint or two (or three). You know, it's the discovery of tales such as these that really makes travelling worth while (well for me at least).
Our next 'big tree' was no longer standing, but had been put to a purpose of far more local import than finding itself cut into sleepers and supporting railway lines. This fellow became a bridge...'One Tree Bridge' no less.
The Donnelly River area, some 15 kms or so west of Manjimup, was the site of a graphite discovery in the late 1800's. The Donnelly River lay between the mine site and the town. The need for a bridge was self-evident.
This is the current road bridge over the Donnelly with the pathway which took us under it to the other side of the road
where we found the preserved remnants of the modern version's predecessor.
As this shot shows, the old bridge had been built by laying the trunk of a single tree across the river and using that as the platform for the 'roadway'.....'One Tree Bridge'.
It was here that we first became aware of the third of the giant trees of this area...the Marri. This species is almost as impressive as its two better known cousins and is distinguished by its rough, red bark.
Another real surprise was in store for us as we explored this region. In a shelter shed which contained interpretive information, I was astonished to see one board bearing the heading 'Adam Lindsay Gordon'. It turns out that the famous early Australian poet, so much associated with Mount Gambier by those of us from SA, came to this area in 1866 with 5,000 sheep and his business partner, Lambton Mount (seriously!).
He landed the sheep at Bunbury, built a two-roomed slab hut and leased 20,000 ha which he named Mt Leeuwin station. But the area took its toll. Heavy rain, dense scrub and poisonous forage all combined to decimate his flock and force Gordon to abandon his dream of becoming a large scale sheep grazier. In March 1867 Lindsay walked away from his land, returned to Adelaide and later moved to Victoria where in 1870, as a result of a combination of tragic personal events and serious head injuries (from riding accidents), he shot himself. A very sad end to the extraordinary life of a brilliant but highly flawed man.
And speaking of brilliant....the only way to describe the scarlet breast of the robins which flit through the bush in this area.
I could claim that this photo is a demonstration of my skill in that I have not only captured this little fellow as he scurried about but did so mid-frame.....but you all know better. This was very much an 'aim in the general direction, snap and hope' effort! Just occasionally it works. These imaginatively named 'Scarlet Robins' are most self important little chaps, and quite fearless, and whilst they are common in this part of the world, the density of the bushland they inhabit means that it is rare that they are found on open ground like this. To say I was chuffed when I first downloaded this shot is an understatement.
We had actually come across this delightful little bird as we visited the Glenoran Pool, a picnic area near One Tree Bridge. Admittedly the day of our visit was grey and overcast, but the vaunted delights of a dip in this pond had no appeal at all.
The still, black waters of the Donnelly River, seen here downstream from the Pool, complete with muddy banks and snags, seemed far better suited to the marron and fish which inhabit it. That said however, I had no problems imagining the delights of a picnic on a hot summer day in the shade of this dense, high forest which surrounds the cool waters of the Donnelly.
In my next we visit Pemberton and travel south to the coast to Point D'Entrecasteaux and Windy Harbour and, yes, find more 'Big Trees', the last three of the big four.
Hopefully this shot, obviously of the base of the tree, will give some perspective. The King is that in more than name only....it is massively larger than all the trees around it,
and higher, but I suspect you will just have to take my word for that.
For the statistically minded, this ancient tree, which is estimated to be at least 500 years old, raises its top nearly 50 metres above the forest floor on a trunk with a girth of 2.7 metres.
The obvious question is why is it alone amid all the surrounding striplings? Herein lies a tale of early conservation. The 'King' was originally one tree amongst many which were being felled to make railway sleepers. Two 'gun' sleeper cutters, Jim Wilson and Fred Irving had been steadily carving their way through the jarrahs of this forest. The King was in their sights, and it was the last of its kind.
But a saviour was at hand. A local draftsman working in the area for the government surveyor was appalled by the prospect of the imminent demise of the last of this stand of huge trees. He galloped off to nearby Bridgetown and told Fred Brockman (later to become WA's surveyor-general) of what was at hand. Fred, to his credit, was equally concerned, and fortunately for the King, Fred had some clout. He repaired immediately to Manjimup and saw to it that an official Government blaze was carved into the bark of the tree....a very formal 'keep your hands off' sign.
As you would expect, given that Bridgetown is some 35 kms from Manjimup, and all the to-ing and fro-ing was done on horseback, some time elapsed between the alarm being raised and the tree being cut with the blaze. But as luck would have it, those masters of axe and saw, Jim and Fred, had decided to knock off and spent the afternoon in the local pub. They planned to bring the King to the ground the following morning. This extraordinary tree was saved, not by a whisker, but by a pint or two (or three). You know, it's the discovery of tales such as these that really makes travelling worth while (well for me at least).
Our next 'big tree' was no longer standing, but had been put to a purpose of far more local import than finding itself cut into sleepers and supporting railway lines. This fellow became a bridge...'One Tree Bridge' no less.
The Donnelly River area, some 15 kms or so west of Manjimup, was the site of a graphite discovery in the late 1800's. The Donnelly River lay between the mine site and the town. The need for a bridge was self-evident.
This is the current road bridge over the Donnelly with the pathway which took us under it to the other side of the road
where we found the preserved remnants of the modern version's predecessor.
As this shot shows, the old bridge had been built by laying the trunk of a single tree across the river and using that as the platform for the 'roadway'.....'One Tree Bridge'.
It was here that we first became aware of the third of the giant trees of this area...the Marri. This species is almost as impressive as its two better known cousins and is distinguished by its rough, red bark.
Another real surprise was in store for us as we explored this region. In a shelter shed which contained interpretive information, I was astonished to see one board bearing the heading 'Adam Lindsay Gordon'. It turns out that the famous early Australian poet, so much associated with Mount Gambier by those of us from SA, came to this area in 1866 with 5,000 sheep and his business partner, Lambton Mount (seriously!).
He landed the sheep at Bunbury, built a two-roomed slab hut and leased 20,000 ha which he named Mt Leeuwin station. But the area took its toll. Heavy rain, dense scrub and poisonous forage all combined to decimate his flock and force Gordon to abandon his dream of becoming a large scale sheep grazier. In March 1867 Lindsay walked away from his land, returned to Adelaide and later moved to Victoria where in 1870, as a result of a combination of tragic personal events and serious head injuries (from riding accidents), he shot himself. A very sad end to the extraordinary life of a brilliant but highly flawed man.
And speaking of brilliant....the only way to describe the scarlet breast of the robins which flit through the bush in this area.
I could claim that this photo is a demonstration of my skill in that I have not only captured this little fellow as he scurried about but did so mid-frame.....but you all know better. This was very much an 'aim in the general direction, snap and hope' effort! Just occasionally it works. These imaginatively named 'Scarlet Robins' are most self important little chaps, and quite fearless, and whilst they are common in this part of the world, the density of the bushland they inhabit means that it is rare that they are found on open ground like this. To say I was chuffed when I first downloaded this shot is an understatement.
We had actually come across this delightful little bird as we visited the Glenoran Pool, a picnic area near One Tree Bridge. Admittedly the day of our visit was grey and overcast, but the vaunted delights of a dip in this pond had no appeal at all.
The still, black waters of the Donnelly River, seen here downstream from the Pool, complete with muddy banks and snags, seemed far better suited to the marron and fish which inhabit it. That said however, I had no problems imagining the delights of a picnic on a hot summer day in the shade of this dense, high forest which surrounds the cool waters of the Donnelly.
In my next we visit Pemberton and travel south to the coast to Point D'Entrecasteaux and Windy Harbour and, yes, find more 'Big Trees', the last three of the big four.
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