Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
South Coast Highlights
Walking among and above the giant tingle trees in the Valley of the Giants
Tree Top Walk
(
Click here
)
Competing to see who can spot the most whales in Albany's
King George Sound
(
Click here
)
Pondering our fractious human-cetacean relations at the
Whale World Museum
(
Click here
) near Albany
Hiking among the tall trees and granite outcrops of
Porongurup National Park
(
Click here
)
Wandering through wildflowers along the walking tracks of
Fitzgerald River National Park
(
Click here
)
Marvelling at the surf-battered coast from the
Great Ocean Drive
(
Click here
) near Esperance
Swimming, surfing and soaking up the sun at the squeaky-clean beaches of
Cape Le Grand National Park
(
Click here
)
TOP OF CHAPTER
Walpole & Nornalup
The peaceful twin inlets of Walpole (population 320) and Nornalup (population 50) make
good bases from which to explore the heavily forested Walpole Wilderness Area - an im-
mense wilderness incorporating a rugged coastline, several national parks, marine parks,
nature reserves and forest conservation areas - covering a whopping 3630-sq-km (an area
considerably bigger than Samoa and 57 other countries). Look for
Exploring the Walpole
Wilderness and Surrounding Area
pamphlet produced by the Department of Environment
& Conservation (DEC).
Walpole is the bigger settlement, and the only spot in the area with mobile-phone cover-
age. It's here that the South Western Hwy (Rte 1) becomes the South Coast Hwy.
1
Sights & Activities
Walpole-Nornalup National Park
(
www.valleyofthegiants.com.au
;
Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk adult/child $12.50/5; Valley of the Giants Tree
Top Walk 9am-4.15pm)
The giant trees of this park include red, yellow and Rates tingle trees (all
types of eucalypt or gum trees) and, closer to the coast, the red flowering gum.
In the
Valley of the Giants
the
Tree Top Walk
is Walpole's main drawcard. A 600m-long ramp
rises from the floor of the valley, allowing visitors access high into the canopy of the giant
tingle trees. At its highest point, the ramp is 40m above the ground. It's on a gentle incline
NATIONAL PARK
