17th April - Cape Leeuwin and Pemberton
We made an early start and drove 95km south to Cape Leeuwin. Cape Leeuwin was named by Flinders in 1801 after the Dutch exploration ship the Leeuwin (meaning 'lioness'), that visited the area in 1622. This is supposed to be the best site for Rock Parrot, but on enquiry we discovered that they are only there in the austral spring. I also planned to do some sea-watching here, at the most south-westerly point in Australia, where the Indian and Southern oceans meet. This plan was also thwarted - by strong winds, rough seas and an absence of any visible seabirds at all. Having intended to spend the whole morning here we ended up moving on after an hour or so.
We continued on 133km east to Pemberton. The town is set in a vast area of Karri forest - a tall open forest type dominated by Eucalyptus diversicolor (karri), one of the tallest hardwoods in the world.
On arrival we went to the Big Brook Dam and after a picnic lunch we walked the 4km circuit around the lake. We enjoyed the birding here, though it was somewhat hampered by frequent showers. Later we checked-in to the Karri Forest Motel. Here we had a nice suite overlooking lawns where a pair of Laughing Kookaburra were a constant presence, perching on the fencing around the pool and dropping to pick various invertebrates off the lawn. |