The Southwest of Australia: Coasts and Forest-hopping

Early on a Monday morning our tour bus started towards the South from Perth. Funnily, the highway reminded me of Finland: the road was line by pine trees (planted in forestry purposes), and there even was a fence between the road and the edge of the forest. Back home we use those fences for keeping the moose and deer from jumping on the road, but I don't know what they are for here. Fending off wandering emus, perhaps?

Talking about flightless birds, our first stop was at a emu farm, where we got to meet the big male Bruce and his two cubs. The little ones were not so little anymore at a few months old. We fed them apples. I love the way emus move their head - their small head in the end of a long neck darts to any direction, so fast (blitzschnell I would say in German) and agile that they are like snakes.

Our tour guide Tammy was a nice girl. Have you seen the movie Juno? Tammy was exactly like that girl Juno: they looked the same, talked in the same way, were enthusiastic about uncommon things, and both were a bit nerdy and awkward. Tammy wasn't a teenager though but 30, and didn't look pregnant. But anytime she opened her mouth I saw Juno in front of me. I found it endearing.

Our second stop was in Busselton, to visit the longest jetty (almost 2km) in the Southern hemisphere (They seem to have their own measures for everything in the Southern hemisphere... No-one ever says something is the biggest or best thing in the Northern hemisphere). Not a very interesting place to be honest, especially as the jetty was closed for restoration. We had lunch there, and I set the pace of eating for the rest of the trip: as much as you can. Maybe it was all the cold, fresh air that made me so hungry, or not knowing exactly when the next meal time would be. It's very good that the tour only lasted three days, otherwise I would've gained several kilos stuffing my face like that, despite all the exercise we had. My only excuse is that I'm a backpacker and like food I don't have to pay for, haha.

Next we visited Ngilgi Caves, a fabulous place deep under the ground. When I first heard that people get married there, I wonder what kind of cave people want to get married in a cold, dark place. But actually the cave was lit up very beautifully, had a stable, warm year-round temperature, and I could feel the magic that those people must have seen there. The cave was pretty long: it took an hour to walk to the end of it and to climb back. The formations of the stalactites and stalacmites (why are those two words always paired in that order? 'Tites and 'mites would work too, I reckon) were gorgeous. It's crazy how so big structures can hang from the ceiling and defy gravity. By the way, if you want your own titemite cave in your backyard, it's easy: just put heaps of limestone there and wait for 500 000 years.

That day we also visited several spots on the West and South coasts, admiring the scenery and the rock formations. It's really beautiful there.

We kept an eye out for whales, as it's their migrating season now, but didn't see any during our whole trip. I'd love to go on a whale-watching cruise sometime. Anyway, I was very humbled by the vastness of the ocean. Go that way a couple of thousand kilometres, and the next stop is Africa! And that way for Antarctica!

We retired to a hostel in Augusta for the night. As usual, there was no heating. As all the doors had been open all day, it was as cold indoors as it was outdoors, +5! I find it ridiculous that Australias can't be bothered to build proper houses to keep the warmth in and don't heat them either. Granted, it's hot most of the year, but still, I wouldn't want to freeze 3-5 months of the year come wintertime.

All throughout our trip we visited several magnificent, tall forests of Karri or Tuart trees. Some of the forests were so peaceful in the golden light that you expected a bunch of elves from Lord of the Rings to show up any moment.

In one national park we got the chance to climb the 62 or 75 m (don't know which one is correct, have heard both) high Bicentennial tree. Only me and an American guy were up for it, but I must say the others seriously missed out: the climb wasn't that difficult, and at the top, the views over the canopy covered in morning mist were amazing.

In this picture I'm about one-third of the way up. The dots on the ground are people.

We also visited the Tree-Top Walk, a pathway 40 m up from the forest floor in the canopy of these really tall Karri trees. Then we enjoyed a walk among their feet in the Valley of the Giants. The trees were so big and hollow that our whole group could stand inside some of them.

The highlight of our last day was a hike up Mt Trio in the Stirling Ranges. I'd say the track was quite badly chosen, as it was really really steep and full of loose rocks - in my opinion way too tough for a group of inexperienced hikers, most of whom weren't wearing proper shoes. I was also prooved not to be top fit as the climb was wreaking havoc on my legs, and on the way down I almost fell over several times because of the terrain. It is true though that the views at the top were breathtaking, absolutely gorgeous. However, there must have been an easier path somewhere on the Ranges with equally great scenery.

All in all, the Southwest was very beautiful. In many places the nature was completely unspoiled. The coastal parts reminded me of Finnish Lapland, that's how harsh the vegetation was. It was also an empty land: the distances between towns were long, and even the isolated regional hubs didn't have more than 35 000 residents. Maybe that is way the nature has remained so rich.