Christmas with Mum – Part 2
22nd December 2023 to 7th January 2024
We left Banksia Tourist Park around 10am, the usual check out time, and made our way to our next destination – Diamond Forest Farm Stay. (DFFS)
We wanted to find somewhere to relax and simply enjoy each other’s company. DFFS gave us all that and a good central base to explore the area.
The cabin we stayed in was rustic and very quaint and had everything we could need. We parked Chunky Bum outside and were able to keep her plugged in. It was very quiet, even when the other cabins were occupied, you’d still think you were alone in the forest.
The property itself was well laid out, with good level walkways clearly marked, which led to all the animal enclosures. There were Alpacas, sheep ducks, pigs, chooks, peacocks, all in a lovely setting.
And of course there were mum’s favourites – the horses!
Mum spent a lot of time with the horses, feeding them carrots, and the occasional sugar cube, and she had the pigs running towards her, whenever they saw her coming.
She wasn’t the only one who had fun with the animals as there were plenty of birds and some sort of burrowing bee or wasp. Whichever he is, if you’re a spider, he’s not to be tangled with!
There were a couple of small towns close by, Manjimup being the closest, then Pemberton. These were good for a bit of sightseeing and shopping. For full days out, we visited Margaret River, Augusta, Bunbury, and a bit more bush walking.
Close by was the Diamond Tree Lookout. We expected to walk up to the top of a lookout and look over the Diamond Tree Forest. But the lookout was actually a ginormous tree with stakes embedded up its trunk like circular stairs. The idea was, you climbed up the Diamond Tree and if you dared to open your eyes, you could then look out!
It was actually used as a bushfire lookout, there are several around the south-west. They had the tree fenced off, closed for safety reasons…go figure. So instead we did a bit of bush walking.
Then we did some literal tree top walking in the aptly named, Valley of the Giants. I say aptly because these karri trees grow up to 80 metres tall! This is a must if you’re ever in the area. It is such an accessible walk among the canopy, wheel chair accessible even, that gives an opportunity for all ages and abilities to walk amongst the tree tops. At its highest point, some 40 meters, you get an amazing view of the canopy and the ground below. To add a bit of excitement to the walk, the walkways sway slightly as you walk along them, and it feels as though you too are swaying with the tree tops.
After that we took a leisurely stroll around the forest floor enjoying the sights and smells of the ancient trees towering above us.
We enjoyed a very relaxed Christmas Day, (Santa was very good to all of us) and a typically lazy boxing day.
Last year, mum was with us in Adelaide, we celebrated New Years Eve, with a nice lunch out, rather than a late night dinner. We enjoyed it so much we did the same this year, booking in at the Hidden River Winery’s restaurant. Another good choice. Mind you we still managed to stay up to see the new year in, thanks to many drinks and an increasingly boisterous game of Monopoly.
We must have really enjoyed our stay at DFFS as we all lost track of time. Literally. We had a workday the day before we left. Everything that had been carried from the caravan to the cabin, had to be returned to its rightful place.
We did some washing, organizing and were ready for the drive back to Banksia Tourist Park the following morning. We had a few stops along the way, including a lunch break at Bunbury where we watched the kite-surfers.
We arrived back in Perth mid-afternoon and went into the office to check in at Banksia Tourist Park and the conversation went a bit like this:
“Hi, I’ve got a booking for Pick, should be a powered site and a cabin.”
“Yep, I’ve got you booked in from the 5th.”
I smiled and said, “yes, well…today’s the 5th.”
“No, today’s the 4th.”
I replied, “But, today’s Friday.”
“No, today’s Thursday.”
I quickly took out my phone and checked the date, smiled sweetly, and said, “I’m an idiot.”
To which she replied, “You’re an idiot.”
At least she agreed with me on that.
Long story short, there was space for us all, so it wasn’t a problem, though I think we we’re all a bit sad that we’d missed out on our last day at the farm.
So, as it turned out we had three more days to fill in the Perth area before mum was due to fly out. We did a bit more shopping, saw “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” a fun movie and had a few nice meals. We also caught up with some friends whom we met on Kangaroo Island. We’ve kept in touch and they’d booked in at the same park as us, in the exact site that we were in last time, so we had a BBQ, together and a few drinkies before they continued on their journey on the morning of the 7th. The same day that we farewelled mum. And just like that, we were alone again.
Peter and I thoroughly enjoyed mum’s visit and we made some wonderful memories. Again, thank you mum, for travelling all this way to spend time with us, we’ve loved every second of it. Even when you beat us at canasta. 😉
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
Looks like you all had a wonderful time. Photos of Jean with the horses were great.
Have emailed you about a couple of your bird photos.