Yanchep National Park

We set the alarm this morning and were up and on the road by 08.30 today so we could drive to Yanchep National Park which is about an hour’s drive and north of Perth.  It was so peaceful and the lady at the entry gate was so chatty and helpful and although it is a Public Holiday weekend, Labour Day on Monday, there were plenty of parking spaces and not loads of people around which we like.  We went to the visitor’s information point and got hints of where to go etc and opted to do the Yonderup Cave Tour at 13.00 as the main Crystal Cave is closed for the moment as they are upgrading lighting etc to be more eco friendly

We took the Wetlands Walk, about 2.7km circular trek and it was so nice, we went anti clockwise and everyone else we met went clockwise, typical us but either way was fine.  

Paths around the parkland area

If you look hard you can see a Grey Fantail in the bush


More parkland views

Great Egret on the lake

Loved this fallen tree stump

View of wetlands

We decided to reward ourselves with elevensies at the cafe but on the way saw some women and children and one older woman on the ground.  We went to walk by as we thought they were messing around then I realised that the lady on the ground was in trouble.  We offered help as she apparently had fallen off her temporary mobility scooter and hurt her left arm, to make matters worse she is arthritic.  Her Grandaughters were trying to get her up with no luck.  I checked her over and her left arm was very painful to the slightest touch, they were trying to lift her up under her armpits with the help of a pashmina and it didn’t work so I suggested we try a different way pulling her forward with it and luckily that worked.  We got her up and on her scooter and made a temporary sling for her arm with the pashmina.  The family were really grateful for the help as they had thought they would have to call an ambulance.  We met them again at the cafe and they were going to take her to a private hospital to get her checked over, hope she will be ok.

Pashmina sling!



After that excitement we had our elevensies, whilst watching the Galahs and Black Cockatoos flying around, they were so noisy!  
Noisy Black Cockatoos




We then did the Koala Walk where there are some older koalas, we spotted two, the one in the photo has been unwell so is being kept lower in the enclosure so she can be weighed weekly.  
Sleepy koala


We drove to the cave site and waited for our guide.  We were lucky there were only four of us on the tour.  We had to wear protective headgear and head torches, supplied by them and we took a short walk to Yonderup Caves, Yonderup means Kangaroo Meeting Place, although we saw no kangaroos at all today.
Our guide was Clancy and she was extremely knowledgeable about the caves and their formation.  They are limestone and too complicated to go into the geology but just to say the straws form as water drips through take about 100 years to grow two centimetres.  At one point we all turned out our head torches and it was pitch black and silent, spooky and disconcerting but all in all it was well worth seeing them.  Some of the time we had to bend low to get through to other chambers and we were not allowed to touch the limestone.  There were some fantastic formations.  The caves were almost completely dry as the water table is now so low.  We saw fibrous roots of the Karri (Eucalyptus) trees in the roof of the caves where they are seeking water.

These markers have glass rods so if they break they know the limestone has moved!


Straws with drop of water at end

Intrepid cavers

Formation of crystals shining



I remembered just in time that I wanted to see the Yanchep Lavender Farm close by and we took a detour there.  They have harvested most of the lavender but there were a few rows left, it must have looked amazing before it was harvested.  We had a quick look around the shop before heading back to Fremantle.  As we were tired we decided not to go out for dinner but went to Frank’s, our favourite butcher and bought some steaks for the BBQ.  All in all a good day out.

Lavender, smelt lovely
Tonight’s dinner




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