Day 6 - Pemberton to Shannon National park
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This morning it was still raining a bit. Before I left the hostel, I rode out to the Gloucester tree. Which is about 3kms away. The tree is over 60 metres tall and you can climb all the way to the top. As it was originally used as a lookout for bushfires. To get to the top there are metal spikes in the tree.
When I got to the tree it had stopped raining. The spikes were of course still wet, so a little slippery. I started my climb. It was a little scary, especially when I looked down. So I tried to look up instead. When I got towards the top I could feel the tree swaying in the wind. Thankfully it wasn't too windy.
I didn't spend long at the top as I could see it was going to rain again. So I came back down. About 2 minutes later it poured. When it had stopped I went back to the hostel and collected my stuff.
I headed towards Shannon National Park, which is about 50kms away. I was going pass vineyards and farms. Then through new growth forest, as a lot of the old growth trees were chopped down for timber. The ride was very peaceful and not much traffic again.
I got to the national park at about 1.30pm. Shannon used to be a very small timber town established just after the second world war. The reason for it being built was to meet a shortfall in timber. When the mill shut down the buildings were relocated. It then became a national park.
There is a big camp area where the town used to be. Within this area there are also a couple of huts. I took a bed in one of the huts. The hut is very rustic and only has room for a total of three people. But it does have a billy heater which should keep it warm.
Once I was setup and fed I went for a walk around the area. It was interesting seeing where the houses, shops and oval used to be. I followed the path to a dam which was constructed to provide a constant water supply to the town. It was a very pleasant afternoon walk. The sun even came out.
When I got back to my little hut, which is called Acaia, I started to get the billy heater going. There was already a nice supply of wood in the hut, but all the kindle was wet. So I used a few national park brochures instead to start my fire. It worked first time. I was also able to cook on the heater. So won't need to use my stove until tomorrow morning for breakfast.
Today has been a really good day, again, even if it rained at the start. This campsite is great and I'm amazed I have the whole place to myself. Well except for a few crows and kangaroos. I'm looking forward to going to sleep in my lovely warm hut.
When I got to the tree it had stopped raining. The spikes were of course still wet, so a little slippery. I started my climb. It was a little scary, especially when I looked down. So I tried to look up instead. When I got towards the top I could feel the tree swaying in the wind. Thankfully it wasn't too windy.
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I didn't spend long at the top as I could see it was going to rain again. So I came back down. About 2 minutes later it poured. When it had stopped I went back to the hostel and collected my stuff.
I headed towards Shannon National Park, which is about 50kms away. I was going pass vineyards and farms. Then through new growth forest, as a lot of the old growth trees were chopped down for timber. The ride was very peaceful and not much traffic again.
I got to the national park at about 1.30pm. Shannon used to be a very small timber town established just after the second world war. The reason for it being built was to meet a shortfall in timber. When the mill shut down the buildings were relocated. It then became a national park.
There is a big camp area where the town used to be. Within this area there are also a couple of huts. I took a bed in one of the huts. The hut is very rustic and only has room for a total of three people. But it does have a billy heater which should keep it warm.
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Once I was setup and fed I went for a walk around the area. It was interesting seeing where the houses, shops and oval used to be. I followed the path to a dam which was constructed to provide a constant water supply to the town. It was a very pleasant afternoon walk. The sun even came out.
 |
When I got back to my little hut, which is called Acaia, I started to get the billy heater going. There was already a nice supply of wood in the hut, but all the kindle was wet. So I used a few national park brochures instead to start my fire. It worked first time. I was also able to cook on the heater. So won't need to use my stove until tomorrow morning for breakfast.
Today has been a really good day, again, even if it rained at the start. This campsite is great and I'm amazed I have the whole place to myself. Well except for a few crows and kangaroos. I'm looking forward to going to sleep in my lovely warm hut.
