Day 68:

Today we drove from about 100k north of Perth to Freemantle. We came here the day after we picked up the van but we decided to come back to check out the markets they have. They were really cool but so busy! We managed to buy some more flags though to sew on our bags! Yes we are super sad backpackers who are buying flags of all the countries we go to, to sew on our bags! Plus it gives me stuff to do when I'm bored. As you do get some boring time when your travelling despite what it sounds like.

After the markets we made a crazy decision that we would drive all the way to Walpole which is about 350k south of Perth - in the very south of Australia! This was so that we could do the Tree top walk tomorrow. We also wanted to come back up through Pemberton to climb the 60m Gloucester tree. I think the main decision for this was that Matt found a cider factory on the map about half way down to Walpole and he knew I wanted to do the tree stuff so he thought why not.lol

So we basically spent the rest of today driving absolute mileage - all in all I think Matt drove about 600k which is probably the equivalent of Bristol to Newcastle but doing 60mph the whole way so that the van didn't explode or breakdown! Good old Dracula van!

As soon as we got passed Pemberton the drive was amazing as it was just this small winding road through miles and miles of forests and the trees were huge. We tried to stop for the night at a campsite near the Tree Top Walk but the guy that owned it said it was shut, it was 7pm, how funny is that. He then went on to tell us of a good free stop we could stay near the river.

Can I just say this night was bloody freezing I had to wear to bed leggings pyjama bottoms, 2 pairs of socks, 2 vests and 2 hoodys, as well as my sleeping sack and 2 blankets and I was still cold - whoever though Australia was hot lied. Down South in winter it is colder than England!

Day 69:

Today we got up early and were the first people at the Tree Top walk. It was amazing basically it is an elevated walk on a platform 40 metres above and among all of the giant tingle trees. It was so cool - we have some really good pictures and the families should be getting some postcards soon that we will be posting tomorrow. The walk was 650m long and slowly got higher and higher - it was quite scary as it swayed a lot in the wind and you could see through the bottom of it. Matt was bricking it a bit as he isn't the biggest fan of heights and even I felt a little bit uneasy. It was really beautiful though and nice to have the whole forest to ourselves.

After this we continued on to the Ancient walk which is on ground level and just takes you through the forest and tells you about all the different types of tingle trees and we took some funny pictures in the ones with hollow trunks. It is just crazy how big this trees are some are 16m in width and the tallest ones you get are about 60m.

We grabbed a quick coffee from the shop and got back in the van, we were heading to Pemberton. On the way we saw a turning for The Giant Tingle tree, circular pool and the tree top lookout. All of these were absolutely amazing especially the lookout and it gave matt an good excuse to do some more offroading in our 2wd. Australia is absolutely amazing just the different scenery it can have from one end of the country to the next. We are so glad we did the west coast and that we drove mileage down south to see the forests as it is definitely worth it.

We finally got to Pemberton about lunchtime and got to the Gloucester tree. Basically it's a 60m tree with metal rods stuck in it like a ladder that you can climb - it was built in 1947 as a fire lookout so they could spot bushfires. Now you will see from the pictures that the Australians aren't that big on health and safety as it is quite dangerous - there is no safety net and not very much room to put your feet. Matt climbed up about 6 rungs and chickened out - I did the same. To be fair it is dam scary if you are scared of heights - It was bloody scary. So we decided to make a sandwich at the van and watch other people do it. After lunch I saw 2 older guys doing it so I thought I had to.

So I am proud to say that I climbed the 60m tree - and it was so worth it. The views were amazing and me and the old guy at the top were very impressed with ourselves. Meanwhile Matt was practically having a heart attack on the ground and kept shouting to check if I was ok. Now getting up was the easy bit - coming down was the worst as the rungs were tiny and looking down every 2 seconds to see where you were putting your feet wasn't the nicest thing when your 60m above the ground with no net or anything to catch you if you fell. Also I have been aching for the last 2 days especially my arms where I was holding on so tight I think.lol

After this we drove to Donnybrook to check out the cider factory - we were absolutely gutted to find out it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Oh yes it was a Monday and we have to give the van back on Wednesday morning. Who opens on a Sunday but closes on a Monday and Tuesday - crazy Australians. We were actually quite upset and just looked through the windows at all the lovely cider.

We then drove to Bunbury and camped up near the beach for the evening - we weren't sure at first in case we got caught but we saw a Britz van doing it so thought why the hell not. We also cooked up some Kangaroo steak which was gorgeous - even though I felt a bit mean eating it after seeing loads of lovely roo's. Never mind it was dam tasty!

We are now in Perth and will update you on Friday before we fly to Cairns. Woop so excited hope the east coast is as good as the west coast - we will also have to start working soon - never mind i think 4-5 months of being unemployed is enough for most!

Take care and lots of love x x x