After visiting Charlie for the first time in Denmark, the decision was made to drive back to Margaret River via Pemberton to visit the tree top walk amongst the Tingles and to show the kids the Gloucester and the Bicentennial Trees. We have seen some special forests during this trip. In Tasmania, I loved the Tahune Air walk amongst the Huon Pines, Sassafrass and Blackwood and just south of Margaret River, Boranup Karri Forest with its delicate, silvery trunks, infused the air with sunbeam reflected brilliance that nourished the soul. The Tingles were a different experience again, however.

The Valley of the Giants, located in the Walpole- Nornalup national park, is the only place in the world the Giant Red Tingle tree is still found. The trees can be up to 400 yrs old and the largest ever Tingle had a circumference of 23m. The base of the trees are butressed and often develop large hollows within the trunks following forest fires. It is possible to stand up in and walk through the hollows in these trees and in one famous tree, it was possible to drive a car through it! This has been stopped now as National Parks realised the tree was dying from the impact, but the enterprising visitors centre at The Valley of the Giants has set up a full scale model, complete with an old car, so you can pretend that you are driving through it still!

The Tingles have a reddish, knobbly bark which in some cases, has formed in an arrangement that appears almost human. The best one is called the old Grandmother- it did strongly resemble the face of an elder Aboriginal woman, which I thought was interesting. The hollows provide an almost chapel like space in which to sit and contemplate the silence and stillness of the forest. The tree top walk was cool, I love being up that high in the canopy and literally getting a birds eye view of the forest floor.

I didn't feel so excited about that birds eye view an hour later, however, as I contemplated the descent from the 25 m station on the Bicentennial Tree with a panicky 6 year old. The impressively tall Karri (75m) had metal rods hammered into it's trunk in a spiral arrangement to celebrate Western Australia's Bicentennial in 1988. Along with the Gloucester and Diamond Tree, it is one of three fire lookout trees that are still climbable today. The fact that it is still climbable is quite astonishing in this cloistered age of Health and Safety and the fear of litigation. But not only is it still climbable, it is also joyously unregulated. There is no one at the bottom controlling entry and exit, no net underneath the widely spaced prongs- nothing to stop you slipping through and landing splat, on the ground below. In short, its time to look after yourself, people!

Oscar and Ned were particularly keen to try climbing these trees. I went up, mainly to keep an eye on Oscar. We all did quite well until the 25 m platform, at which point I knew I couldn't go any higher, and I fervently wished that neither of my children would want to. Luckily, their primitive self saving lizard brains were well honed and the decision was made to descend. This proved much harder than going up for Oscar, as you can't help but gaze into the yawning space between you and the next rung that contains nothing but air, and I found myself holding on to him around his middle with one arm, and hanging on to the rung below with my other hand. In this awkward embrace, we inched slowly down and finally made it back to solid ground where my legs collapsed in blobs of jelly. To Ned's credit, he managed the climb with very little support and then went on with Tom to climb right to the top of the Gloucester tree (65m). I was a little amazed and a lot proud, I can tell you! The photo on this entry is taken from the top of the tree.