We are camped 17 kms south of Badgingarra at Waddi, on a farm, set up with a
caravan park, kitchenettes and chalets.
Day 1 was an easy one, relaxing under the eucalypts, enjoying the scenery and going for a long, but hilly bike ride.
Day 2 started by travelling back to Badgingarra, with a 4 km Nature Trail walk, starting from opposite the Roadhouse.
Due to the different region, we again saw loads of different plants – we wish we new
all the names, but unfortunately we’ll have to look them up when we get back. Only one orchid – the common Cowslip.
While walking through the sand section, there were mostly yellow flowers (Hibertia Hypericoidres) was one we knew, and Banksias sphaerocarpa and candolleana, Dryandras and hundreds of smaller shrubs.
Once we approached the stony ground (laterite), we saw Casuarina or the Sheoak family, where two varieties of grass tress grow. They are Xanthorrhoea reflexa and Kingia australis, completely different species that do not interbreed. They differ slightly by the smoothness of the trunk and the flower.
We had a detailed booklet to take with us, giving us information as we proceeded. At Stop 10, we were advised to head north, but this meant that at the end of the loop, we had to climb down a steep descent – we both would rather have gone straight on, meaning we’d walk up the climb, and do the loop returning to the south.
Drove 3.8kms further east to Vern Westbrook Walk. Beforehand, we had lunch amongst some beautiful spider, cowslips, pink fairy, lady finger and bee orchids.
The walk, a 1.65 round trip, was quite different to the previous walk, with quite a lot of the orchids previously mentioned on the trail before the Hill River bridge, then heathland and woodland plants, including Kennedia prostrata, Eucalyptus loxophleba (York Gum) [growing with a circular base of trunks, with a large dirt area in the middle. An early settler here (Grigson) used to bury bottles of water in the middle of the tree, for emergencies.
Some of the other species seen were: Lechenaultia biloba, Acacia pulcella, Xanthorrhoea preissii, Zamia Palm, Grevilleas, One sided bottlebrush, Calothamnus quadrifidus, Black butt to name a few. (You can tell I am reading the trail notes!!)
Returned home, legs and back tired, but satisfied with our great morning. This is probably the last walk we’ll do until we get back into SA or Vic.
We’ll see Katie and John & Co on Friday and Saturday, at the Coolgardie Hilton and we can’t wait! Then the big trip back.
Tonight (Thursday) we are at Merridan and we were greeted by a long-billed corella, whose main aim in life is looking for a warm lap – he’s found one in this camp!!