Walpole and Surrounds It was a sombre, early morning as we left Lucky Bay to another beautiful sunrise. The next half an hour spent in silence as we all processed the mixture of lament and excitement. We had a big day of driving ahead of us – a total of 644 kilometres.

After filling up the prado in Esperance and convincing the girls to wait just a little longer before breakfast, we shifted our direction westward. The countryside was slightly undulated, yet beautiful in its own way. The granite cliffs we had become accustomed to in Cape Le Grand gave way to rolling, green hills much like the ones found in the Yarra Valley, back in Victoria. We stopped at Albany for some much needed groceries and reflected that it would have been great to stop there. Next time! Following Albany, we made the 119km trek to Walpole; our stop for the next three nights. Excitedly, Sarah and I began planning our itinerary for the next couple of days. There were so many possibilities, so shortlisting became arduous. We decided that, due to the weather forecast showing the most perfect conditions, that we simply must try snorkelling at William Bay National Park’s Green Pool in the afternoon. This would be preceded by a visit to the Denmark Maze and a meander through the Valley of the Giants. The final item on the agenda for the day was a visit to Bartholomew’s Meadery.

So, with excitement and trepidation, we set out the next morning to check out the aforementioned maze. For a gold coin donation, one could meander through this slightly underwhelming location. The girls seemed to enjoy themselves, which is the main thing. Following the maze with no loss of children or human life, we proceeded to the Valley of the Giants; a rather imposing name, befitting this monstrous and magnificent tingle trees. We politely declined the $52.50 cost for a 600 metre tree top walk and opted for the free, Ancient Empire walk at the base of the tingle trees. The trees were magnificent and magical and we thoroughly enjoyed learning about the biology and history of these giants.

The Epitomy of Irony John Rates, a biologist, spent years attempting to prove that there were three separate species of tingle tree. Prior to this, there were only two recognised species; the red and the yellow. He was successful, only to find his eventual demise at the hands of a falling tingle bough… The final species of tingle tree, was serendipitously named the Rates Tingle Tree. After a very speedy lunch on the road, we keenly headed for William Bay National Park and straight down to Green Pool. The girls both tried out their Ninja Shark Snorkels, which boasted a much more technologically advanced and user friendly snorkel compared to those I had used as a kid. Ebony especially loved the freedom it gave her to explore this natural aquarium and I absolutely loved the time shared swimming together. Much more of this to come. Charlotte also channelled her inner growth mindset by swimming out to a rock in the centre of the pool. This was big for her and she was able to accomplish this due to Sarah’s tireless encouragement.

Sarah enjoyed some time snorkelling whilst I sat with the girls. The granite boulders and crystal clear waters made for another stunning sight. We also checked out Elephant Rock/Cove. (There were signs stating both, so we were unsure of the correct nomenclature for the place) It was equal in its beauty to Green Pool, with much larger granite boulders to marvel at. Finally, we stopped in at Bartholomew’s Meadery to treat the girls to an ice cream. Sarah and I sampled the various meads available, and were quite impressed with what we tasted. So much so, that we simply had to purchase the liqueur.

The following day, we drove a short way to the Giant Tingle Tree and, yes…it was exactly as described in the title. The tingle trees ultimate survival ability was that they can be hollowed at the trunk and burnt by fire, but as long as a section of the body of the tree touches the ground, it will continue to grow. The trees also have incredibly shallow root systems. Fascinating! Rain was forecast for the rest of the day, so it was back at camp.

Another McGyver opportunity arose. The previous day, our diesel heater failed to fire. After many attempts, it still didn’t work and it got the better of me. A few YouTube videos later and armed with my assortment of tools, I removed the heater, disassembled it, removed and inspected the glow plug, cleaned the combustion chamber, drained and refilled the tank and put it all back together again. And wouldn’t you know it, it fired up!! Oh my lordy, testosterone overload! I found some water in the combustion chamber, so my thinking was that I had somehow managed to get water in the tank, it had separated and, because oil floats on water, it had been pumped into the unit. Either way, it has worked since, so I am happy to take the credit for it.

We said a sad farewell to Walpole and lamented on not being able to see more of the area. Next time!