As a travel agent who specializes in selling trips to the South Pacific, I was invited to attend the Australia Trade Exchange in Perth. To stay current on travel to Australia, I make it a point to visit yearly, so I thought I had already experienced much of what Australia has to offer. When asked by Tourism Western Australia if I would like to discover more of that region, I quickly said “yes.” I had wanted to go on the Margaret River tour for something fun and exciting, but that tour was full before I could sign up. As an alternative, I was offered a tour of the “uptowns” of Western Australia. There were four of us scheduled for that tour: a travel writer from Thailand, a writer from Canada, another travel agent and me. Because we were visiting “uptowns” and the tour included time for shopping, we nicknamed it “the old lady shopping tour.” It was in this frame of mind that I set about to explore an area new to me.
I pictured the uptowns I have known in the states, Chicago, New York, San Francisco…. Little did I know that the “uptowns” of Western Australia are actually located down from Perth, not up, and that they consist of villages in magnificent forestland, lush pastures, pristine beaches and rolling green hills.
The villages are called uptowns because their names all end in “up” an Aboriginal word meaning “place of” as in Myalup, place of the paper bark tree or Wagerup, place of Emus or even Cookernup, place of the swamp hen. They are places where you can breathe the fresh air and relax with the knowledge that you are surrounded with the best nature has to offer. The Southwest region of Western Australia is diverse, beautiful and certainly not crowded with visitors.
Tourism Western Australia hosted the tour, and they provided the itinerary which was jam packed with activities. I visited Kelly Caves, Wild Bull Brewery (situated on a hilltop with a 180 degree view of the valley below), Harvey Cheese with their large variety of handmade unique products, Stirling Cottage & Garden where I had a fantastic cup of hot chocolate topped with real whipped cream and a marshmallow. I floated down the Donnelly River in a boat captained by Peter and Shawn. It’s the only boat that has water rights on this small inland river and it takes passengers through a lush eco-system of Jarrah and Kerri forests, through the paperbark and wetlands to the limestone cliffs and sandy beach of the Southern Ocean. Along the way I was treated to the view of unique fishing huts set among the towering Marri trees and coastal dunes.
Graeme Dearle, the owner of Pemberton Discover Tours, took us on an adventure where the real fun happens. Wow! Imagine taking a 4WD trek that transverses the Yeagarup Sand Dunes—one of the largest inland sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere, if not the largest—that is slowly creeping in on the forest. This is one of the Southwest’s special secrets. Traveling another 8km, you reach the Warren River mouth, around 3km short of the Southern Ocean—a great fishing beach located in a lagoon that is fairly safe most times of the year. I was also able to fly a kite on the dunes….What an experience for someone who has not flown a kite in more years than I care to remember.
Besides the fascinating landscape of sand-covered forests, awesome Kerri trees and beaches where you may not see anyone else, the people are so hospitable and friendly. I remember the night I tried to get on the Internet, but could not get my laptop to connect. I was given the key to the management area of the hotel so I could use their Internet at 5:30 the following morning. It certainly was a lesson in trust for me. That was only one of the many acts of kindness I witnessed from the managers, owners or workers at the many attractions I visited.
How surprised I was to find something so unexpected in a country I had visited a dozen times. What a wonderful gem I discovered on this “second choice” tour. I now invite you to indulge yourself while tasting the wonderful wines and fresh produce, exploring the isolated beaches and hidden caves in this beautiful countryside. Would I return to this region again? In a heartbeat!
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