Bushwalking Group, 10 September 2023

Well, it was another fabulous weekend away for our group of 13. Unfortunately, several people were sorry that they could not attend because they were on holidays elsewhere.

We arrived on the Friday night, staying at the caravan park and hotel. Amazingly, the weather was ideal – humid, warm enough to be in short-sleeves and with no rain except for the first evening. We had a group meal at the Dwellingup Hotel on Friday night and the next morning learned some of the history of Dwellingup before setting off to walk 12 kms along the Bibbulmun Track (South) and back, guided by our wonderful walk leaders, Robyn and Chris.

We stopped for morning tea and then lunch – sitting on logs, looking out over the bush and listening to the birds. Back in town, we had a bit of a rest before heading to the hotel again for the group dinner (the only place open for dinner). This was an interesting experience because by 6.30pm the menu was limited as a result of the hotel running out of food! Still, we were all well fed (and watered).

Sunday saw us become a group of 14 with another member joining us for the day. We headed off along the Bibbulmun Track (North) for a short two-hour walk, with Robyn and Chris again giving us the history of the area and fire damage of 1961. We then returned to town to enjoy the 24th Anniversary of Steam event. This was an all-day event with plenty of people attending the train rides, displays of old transport with people in period costume driving their horse and buggies, the 10th Lighthorse Brigade demonstrating their skills and many market stalls to wander through.

In the afternoon we walked to the Jarrah Discovery Centre, a great place to learn about Dwellingup and surrounding areas. We watched a video of the devastating fires of 1961 that destroyed the town before then wandering the tracks nearby and climbing the steps to the treetop lookout.

That night we all met in one of the chalets to have nibbles, pizza, and wine. The evening finished with a robust discussion on the topic of spirituality and beliefs – who knew we had such different views – that kept us up later than usual.

Vivienne
Weekend Coordinator