West Australian Wildflowers - Wireless Hill

Dad was the one who discovered that the native orchids were in bloom at Wireless Hill, and it being Father's Day, he decided that that was the perfect place to spend the morning. 

The Porongurups and Drive Home

As we were 'in the area' and had an afternoon at our fingertips we headed towards the Porongurups. 

Researching Lower Kalgan

Common Forest Heath

Having heard of our reason for visiting Albany, our host Jim suggested that we talk to one of his friends Don, a historian of the area.
Discovering that the property in my novel would likely have been an orchard, he suggested we head out in the direction of Lower Kalgan to check out the scenery.

By today's standards Lower Kalgan is about 20 minutes north east of Albany town centre, but 100 years ago, it is likely that it would have taken closer to an hour to make the journey, particularly as it is possible the route was a little less direct than the one we took.

Dawn on the Princess Royal Harbour

I'm not really a dawn person.
I much prefer staying up late into the night reading or writing and then spending the morning curled up in a warm bed, maybe with a purring hot water bottle.

However, with it being the middle of winter and the sun rising after 7 am, and being on holidays, and being surrounded by beautiful scenery and being in Albany to see the scenery, I declared that I wanted to see the sun rise one of the mornings we were in Albany.

Torndirrup National Park - Stony Peak

Next stop on our sun drenched tour of the Torndirrup National Park was Stony Peak. 

A location, during the war, for a signal lookout, now it is the perfect place to sit whale spotting or just soak in the beauty of the surrounding landscape. 

In the foreground is an iron nail, remnant from the rock's use as a signal lookout.

Torndirrup National Park - Salmon Holes and the Blowholes

I think I'll let the photos of Salmon Holes do all the talking.

Torndirrup National Park - Frenchman's Bay

I'd planned to spend Saturday in the town of Albany checking out the historical buildings, visiting a few museums and house museums..
However when we woke to blue skies and sunshine, Claire suggested that we make the most of the weather and spend the day in the National Park instead.
Couldn't have asked for a more excellent suggestion.

William Bay National Park

Our extensive research on the internet led us to add Green's Pool and Elephant Rocks to our list. They were a stones throw from each other within William Bay National Park on our route towards Albany.

And we were pleased as punch with this decision.

Valley of the Giants

Our first official stop on Friday's journey from Bridgetown to Albany (after breakfast) was the Valley of the Giants,

Located just out of Walpole, this allows you to wander through the canopy and undergrowth of a Red Tingle forest.
Turning off the hwy, we were delighted by the sunlight streaming in and hitting the straight slender trunks of the trees that lined the road.

Cape Naturaliste

Bunker Beach

The beauty of the South-West is something of which I am always aware, and yet I find myself undertaking very few opportunities to actually head down and enjoy it.

Meteora - Monasteries in the Mountains

Our last port of call in Greece was Meteora, an area in the north, well known for its unusual honey-comb rocks and rocky pillars, and the complex of Greek Orthodox monasteries that sit perched atop them.

We'd stayed the night just out of the town Kalambaka that sits at the foot of these boulders and so were able to be overwhelmed by their size and strangeness as we slowly wound our way up towards the monasteries.
As it was the middle of winter we'd been prepared for rain and dreaded fog, things that are renown for plaguing this area, however we were blessed to wake to sunshine and blue skies.

St Dunstan in the East

There's an old church in London I wanted to see, a church that had ceased to be a church and become something more interesting. It's located in the middle of a block in the City of London, just slightly east of the Monument and Pudding Lane, hidden from the sight of the cars and pedestrians who race by.

The Road to Konigsee, Hintersee and back

Aware that Dad preferred the natural to the man-made in terms of sightseeing options, we did our research before we left and decided to spend the day heading down towards the Berchtesgarten national park, in the south-eastest corner of Germany, without quite reaching Salzburg. There were supposed to be some scenic views and walking trails in the area that Google images indicated might be rather beautiful.

Leaving the Cloister on a foggy day, we did wonder how much of these vistas would actually be visible.







None the less, we decided to head in that direction anyway, hoping that the fog would clear, we’d see something scenic regardless, we’d see something else that would make the trip worthwhile or a combination of the above.

Dad was driving, in the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, with the road winding away from him into the mist and fog. Thankfully with 1 GPS and 1 navigator it was alot easier and I was able to take photos from the front seat in addition to scenery-shoot (as opposed to trouble-shoot) so Dad could find the nearest parking spot and enjoy the vistas along the way.

In fact, though I’d expected to do most of the scenery shooting around Konigsee and Hintersee, it was in fact the journey itself that was most rewarding.

We passed through forests of conifers and deciduous trees silhouetted by the fog,

Under sheer mountain faces,

Rolling hills with a backdrop of pine trees peeping put from under the low lying clouds,

 

Lakes of mist settled in the valleys between the snowcapped Alps

 

Sunlight streaming through the trees and radiating beams in the mist

Eerily silent lakes and rivers, the vegetation mirrored in the rippling water.

All scenes that are typically European(as opposed to the Australian countryside/outback) but at the same time picturesque and unusual and nothing like what you would expect to find in Australia. The fact that much of the mist and fog was a result of the (very) low temperature may have had something to do with it, but on this occasion, because we spend most of the day  in the warmth of the car, or at least breaking up our excursions into the cold with lengthy drives in the car, it made it bearable.

At Konigsee we parked, having got our bearing and a map of the national park further up the road at Wimbackklamm. There was supposed to be a walking trail or two to do that snaked their way up the surrounds hills and no doubt provided breathtaking views of Konigsee lake, or fascinating wildlife.

   

Unfortunately, the wildlife was hibernating (sensibly), and the views were shrouded in fog, so thick that it was difficult to see more than a few dozen meters in front of you.

 

So instead we wandered around the near part of the lake where during warmer seasons there was obviously a resort type atmosphere. On this particular day, only the  ducks were making use of the lake.
Later we were told that this lake is famous for it's echo. It's just a pity that someone informed one of the ducks, for though there was 30-40, only one was audible wherever you ventured around the lake.

After photographing that misty lake and the island monument within, we  headed west to Hintersee, another lake I'd discovered had reputable vistas.

Wandering around this lake before heading back to civilisation we stumbled upon a quaint little church and cemetery in I believe the town of Ramsauer Ache. Dedicated to St Sebastian, the church was light and airy and simple. 

 

The memorial garden, however, was absolutely delightful. It comprised of no more than 80 plots, each one no longer than one metre and no wider than 50 centimetres and yet each one was meticulous in its presentation with bright flowering plants, lanterned tea lights and not a single weed or unkempt branch in sight. 

I've heard that the maintenance of these plots is an expected weekly ritual within a village community and the love and care that goes into it is obvious. 

Throughout our ramble Dad kept saying that this is the type of place Granddad would probably like as his memorial as it looks far happier than the barren unkempt cemeteries that are prevalent in Perth.

 The drive back was as picturesque, dipping in and out of the clouds as we would our way back along country roads.

 

It made for a very visually rewarding day.