TRAVEL WESTERN AUSTRALIA by FACTS4YOU.NET

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Yesterday we entertained friends from Sydney for the day. After a delightful lunch at our home we suggested to them that we take them for a drive north of where we live on Perth’s northern beaches, up to Yanchep National Park. The weather was superb. Clear blue skies, no wind (a rare event in Perth!), temperature down in the mid 20c & at long last the humidity had gone! Perfect Autumn weather to enjoy a pleasant drive on roads that are not jammed with traffic!

Yanchep National Park Koala Bear…ah it’s a hard life for a bear!!

Recently,  West Coast Hwy, better known as Marmion Avenue, was extended north of our suburb right up to Yanchep. A great bonus as the new road cuts off some extra 15 k’s from our home to Yanchep. These days we leave home, drive the short distance to Marmion Ave, & it is only 12 k’s upto Yanchep. We are there in 10 minutes instead of close to half an hour prior to the new road opening.

Yanchep is approx 60 k’s from Perth  & takes around an hour’s driving to reach Yanchep National Park from central Perth city. As well as the National Park, if you continue across to Two Rocks on the coast of Yanchep township, you can enjoy excellent ocean scenery from a couple of perfect cafe/restaurants located right on the coast. When visiting Perth make sure you drive up to Two Rocks at Yanchep, as well as book in half a day, at least, to visit the National Park.

Just a few short weeks ago there was an enormous bushfire that swept around the national park & almost wreaked havoc in the park itself which would have been a disaster. Fortunately the valiant fire fighting teams fought the fire to a halt just on & within the national park borders.

We arrived at the National Park around 2 pm. I purchase an annual pass which only costs an extra $15 or so for as many visits as I like during the year. The park contains a 9 hole golf course, which while nothing grand, is  a lot of fun & is rarely very busy. Not like most golf courses these days where waiting to tee off at each hole can be a very frustrating experience. Anyway thats one extra reason I buy an annual pass. I can toodle upto Yanchep National Park for a hit around the course whenever I please. One of the pleasures of playing golf on that course is that it is packed with wild life.

Kangaroos abound, & while most visitors are amazed to see several roos enjoying the green grass on the greens, I have become quite used to them. In fact, one has to take great care to move them out of the way of flying golf balls. As well as the roos, birdlife abound in the thick bushland that surrounds the fairways. Ducks are very common to be seen wandering around the fairway edges digging for worms & so on. And must not forget the gorgeous Kookaburra who often reminds me of my golfing antics when I hear Kook’s pealing laugh from a nearby tree. Fascinating experience as the Kooka peals with laughter at one of my more awful golf shots!!

And if you visit in the summer take extra care of walking through long grass as there are plenty of deadly snakes!

Sorry, I digressed there. However, if you are a golfer enjoy a hit…it’s an honour system & only costs a few dollars per 9 holes. You will need your own golf bag, clubs & trolley, as there is nothing like a Pro shop on this course….great! Make sure you put your money in one of the little brown envelopes & drop it in the honour safe. The Rangers make occasional checks to make sure everyone is doing the right thing!

Anyway getting back to yesterday. We drove our friends around the Park to show them the golf course, the graceful old turn of the 19th century hotel where excellent meals & drinks abound, the entry area to the crystal Caves…yes, Yanchep has it all…finally parking next to the wild Koala park. Now, for overseas visitors the Koalas are a must see event. We walked into the Koala park, which is free, & counted 10 koalas perched high up in the many gum trees. No doubt there were many more, however the cuddly, furry bundles are masters of camouflage! Otherwise they are not too hard to spot as they usually sit in a comfy perch & sleep 80% of the day away!

A very happy Koala bear snoozing high up in a Gum tree on 30/3/2009 at Yanchep National park

We next walked to the chocolate Cafe & enjoyed an excellent coffee…& some chocolates. After a pleasant rest we moved on down to the Lake which is dotted with little islands. Flocks of galahs flew noisily overhead & one quickly relaxes in this idylic setting.

Yanchep National Park offers you numerous natural bush parks & BBQ areas for you to enjoy a perfect day out in the Aussie bush. Organised tours are available via your travel agency. Dont miss this grand old national park on your next visit to Perth. I never tire of visiting the park & I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed this excellent natural region over the past 50+ years.

After we had enjoyed a few hours wandering around enjoying the myriad wild life amongst such a peaceful setting we had to depart. However, the visit whetted my appetite to pop up there shortly to enjoy 9 holes of golf amongst the wild life!

Have fun! Visit the Yanchep website for full details.

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