Today we had the towns of Greenbushes and Bridgetown on our radar. These two towns are around 40 kms from us in a north west direction and are only 20kms apart. Actually, most towns are very close to each other in the South West of Western Australia and it reminds me a little of the Darling Downs in Queensland. The sun was shining brightly when we left around 9am but by the time we reached Greenbushes it was once again showery. With the weather in mind we headed straight to the Greenbushes Discovery Centre that we are told included interactive displays and a mine walk.
As soon as we arrived we were meet inside the centre by one of the local volunteers who regaled us with all the history of Homebushes. Homebushes is an historic timber and mining town and it gets its name from the unusual green bushes surrounding a well that was frequented by thirsty travellers in the late 1880's travelling south from Bunbury. The volunteer pointed us in the right direction to begin our tour inside the discovery centre. It really is one of the best interactive centres we have been in. We wandered from displays depicting the surrounding area and the vegetation. We then moved to the interactive area showing us the timber harvesting process from tree to finished product. We even had the sound effects of being inside one of those mills and also a moving floor!
The next section was all about living in the pioneer days and had a display of "older" memorabilia that I instantly recognised. We are showing our age 😂.....
The last interactive section took us down a mine shaft. It was terrific and the sound effects of explosions and mining equipment was very realistic. Philip particularly enjoyed the mining and timber sections whereas I enjoyed looking at all the old memorabilia.
Once we had completed our tour of the Discovery Centre we set off on the Mining Heritage Walk that is an easy 3km walk and will take us in a big circle around Greenbushes. We set off down the trail and I was fascinated by the wild lavender growing on the side of the road. Of course I had to pick some to lay under my pillow.
Continuing along the path we came upon old mine shafts. The first one we came to Philip called me excitedly to come and have a look at the very large tiger snake at the bottom of the pit. We don't know whether he was living there or had fallen in but it was a very large and fat snake!
We continued our walk and loved walking through the Jarrah and Marri Forest. I particularly loved the seed pods hanging down from the Marri Tree.
About 1.5 kilometres into our walk we were suddenly meet with a "path closed" sign and we had to head back the way we had come! It was disappointing because in front of us was a man-made bridge, the old Elias Tunnel and the open cut mine lookout. Oh well. It was probably a good thing in some respects because it was once again starting to lightly shower. So back to the car we headed but not before a couple more photos taken around this historic town.
With a quick google search we were able to find the Cornwall Open Cut Mine Pit that was just a two minute drive. It was quite impressive. The scene you see is the old open cut mine and the new open cut is on the other side but is just out of vision from the lookout.
After the lookout, Philip suggested that we head to the local bakery for a gourmet pie that the volunteer at the Discovery Centre had recommended. The Bakery was called Tasty Edibles and how cute is the shop front....
There were only two pies left in the warmer when we arrived at the Bakery around 12.30 and they were Pepper Beef Pies. I would not normally chose this particular pie but beggars can't be choosers. We also requested tea and coffee. I have to tell you that was once of the best pies that I have ever eaten, peppercorns or not (and there were lots!). The owners grow all their own herbs and it is these herbs that are added to the pies. I took a photo so that you could see the inside of the pie. Gosh, they even had lentils in the pie! Annnnd, the tea came with a proper teapot, tea cup and strainer.....
After this very filling pie followed by Rhubarb & Custard Tart, it was time to walk again so we drove back to Bridgetown for a walk along the very pretty Main Street. The streets here are lined with heritage rich buildings, quirky boutiques, galleries, tea rooms and antique shops. So many people have made the tree change to come and live in this lovely town and I can certainly understand why.
After our walk along both sides of the main drag we headed a short distance out of town to the where the old Jarrah Timber bridge crosses the Blackwood River. The bridge is reputedly the longest Jarrah Bridge in Western Australia with a length of 129.2 metres. It is certainly not an old bridge, being built in 1981, when timber bridges where being phased out.
Even though the rain would not leave us alone today it was still a very enjoyable day. Tomorrow is a public holiday across Australia so we will stay at home. I picked up a nice looking Leg of Lamb from the butcher at Manjimup on our way home so a roast with lots of vegetables will be the way to go.
There seemed to be chalkboard signs at every turn today but I really liked these two.....
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