Jurien is a very small town approx. 200kms north of Perth, with their footy grand final on this weekend – red and white streamers and balloons in the shops and a couple of blackboards wishing their lads the best.
We are right on the beach, with white sand, but our interests are still taking us elsewhere, inland – not very far – but just far enough to see the most spectacular heathlands, growing in sand and gravel, with an enormous diversity of plants.
We went to Grigson’s Lookout, where we read that there are 900 different species of plants here – greater than the number of species in the British Isles!
We pack a picnic lunch and walk and walk – I’m not losing weight, but maybe I’d be gaining more without all this exercise!! [whats more – I’m loving it – the exercise that is!]
Yesterday we went to Lesueur National Park and this is a park that lives up to the brochure’s blurb – or exceeds it. You can stand and look at an area of say, 10 square metres and you are greeted by colour and diversity – rarely seeing the same plant twice. There are 1200 species of acacias, and covering the ground are many prostrate varieties, as well as Cowslip Orchids and the most stunning Kangaroo Paws.
We then travelled to Coomallo Nature Reserve and found some more orchids and the same abundance of beauty in the huge range of plants.
Today we went to Stockyard Gully – 4WD, along a sand track, deep in parts and hard limestone, looking forward to reaching the Stockyard Tunnel – a cave with a dry creek running though it for 250 metres.
Torches in hand we walked up the creek bed until we had to enter the cave. Inside,
our powerful torches hardly gave any light and it was quite unnerving and an extremely weird sensation. I think we got about half way when we decided to go back. A spotlight would have been very useful, as was Russ’ hand for me, all the way along, (though I think he was holding mine as well!!!!.)
We have extended our stay here as we have mobile reception and tomorrow we plan to go to Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacles.
