Walpole, Western Australia

Mandalay Beach, Walpole

Banksia Camp beach, Walpole

A short break taken recently in the beautiful Walpole region of Western Australia vindicates my opinion that life is changing in this little hamlet.  One needs to look behind the main shopping strip and see the wonderful community facilities and growth of new housing on the outskirts of the township to appreciate the growing popularity of this area.  What I like about the region is that it stills projects a sense of wilderness where one can venture off the highway very easily and walk into the tall timbers of the forest.  If you have a four wheel drive you can tackle the sand dunes to various fishing locations like Banksia Camp. You can get a great view of Chatham Island at Mandalay Beach where the Danish iron barque ship 'Mandalay' ran aground in 1911. The Captain and all 12 crew survived and were found by Frank Thompson as they tried to make their way through the wilderness to seek help.  At Mandalay Beach there is a dramatic photo displayed of the Captain and crew with the beached 'Mandalay' in the back ground. Parts of the wreck can sometimes still be seen at low tide.

Coalmine Beach camping, Walpole

For a true bush living experience try Coalmine Beach camping ground.  You can be assured of seeing kangaroos at dusk foraging around the tents for food.  They love fruit so make sure you zip your tent up otherwise you may get raided in the night! Adjacent to Walpole are many special attractions such as swimming at Green Pool, the world famous Tree Top Walk, climbing Mount Clare for the superb views and taking a quiet kayak trip up the Franklin River amongst the tall Karri's.  Not to be missed is Gary Muir's WOW Wilderness Inlet Eco cruise especially the delicious 'Tingle Cake' served at the landing. The cruise takes you through the Walpole Nornalup Marine inlet. www.wowwilderness.com.au

We camped with a group of friends and one of the prerequisites of the week was to come up with a bush poem for a poetry night.  Here is one of the scribes offerings:-

Oh Walpole, Oh Walpole, land of bloody March flies
and ants who like my fridge
Oh Walpole, oh Walpole, land of beautiful headlands, 
boggy sands and 4 wheel drivers testing out their city cars
Oh Walpole, Oh Walpole, from Thompson to Tolstoy to Tinglewood,
you live deep in the hearts of us all

I am at present reading the fascinating story of Frank Thompson an English draper who bonded with one of the world's greatest writers and later established Tinglewood Lodge in the heart of the Walpole wilderness. The book was written by local identities Gary Muir and Geoff Fernie after the exciting discovery of an old suitcase in a boat shed in Walpole in 2004.  It was a literary treasure chest with the contents containing letters from many influential people such as Leo Tolstoy, his secretary Vladimir Tchertkoff and Tolstoy's official biographer Aylmer Maude. Gary and Geoff took on a research expedition to Moscow in 2010 which included a pilgrimage to Yasnaya Polyana, the home of Tolstoy.  This book is a result of that journey and chronicles the many letters, papers and photos of Frank Thompson's connection with Tolstoy.