Wandoo Woodlands
Trip Leader: Rick and Nancy Ellis
When: 18th April, 2010
Location: Wandoo National Park. WA
Participants: 6 Members, 2 Guests.
Six members and two guests met at Pioneer Park Armadale at 9.15am and after the usual introductions and briefing from Rick we set off in convoy at 9.30am. After a few kms down the Albany Highway Rick noticed that no-one was talking to him, and then discovered his radio had packed in. Luckily I had a hand held to lend him and after negotiating our way past a couple of slow moving road trains and one even slower caravan we turned left off the highway and entered the State Forest along Pikes Road.
It was a glorious morning and the radio eventually cackled into life with a discussion about whether we were wondering about wandering down the Wandering road or… I wonder was it the West Wandering road we were wondering about? Anyway Rick was following his GPS and all was well. We stopped for the obligatory mornos in a clearing and all partook of slimming cakes and even more slimming biscuits.
After some attractive driving through the forest we eventually came to a large clearing where we set up camp for lunch.
Sonia, a guest, tried to run off some of the children’s extra energy with a stiff climb up a nearby hill – all made it up and back down without too much trouble but it failed to tire out the children who proceeded to enjoy the rest of the lunch break with various games of chase and footy and other high octane pastimes. It was nice to see all four children getting on so well together.
Eventually after a leisurely, for the adults, lunchtime we set off again through the forest drives until we hit Metro Road which brought us back onto Brookton Highway where after a few kms we turned right into the area known as Christmas Tree Well – named after the abundance of Christmas trees between the stands of Wandoo and Pine trees.
After a walk around the well area some of the group started for home. The rest chatted on for a while, eventually setting off for the 60 kms drive home after all agreeing that it had been a very enjoyable family day out with attractive scenery and pleasant driving.
Thanks Rick for leading the trip.
Peter B