Day 31: Thu 18 Apr 24 - Denmark

Thu 18 Apr 24 - Denmark

13 Deg with a slight easterly breeze, clear and sunny all day reaching 26 Deg - another glorious day.

After an early morning walk followed by breakfast, we drove into Denmark for coffee trying a different cafe today, and the coffee was very nice. It was such a beautiful morning, and after our coffee, we set of for a drive along the very scenic Scotsdale Tourist route. This 34km scenic drive follows the route of early timber cutting days with wineries, art galleries, local farm producers along the way. First stop was a roadside stall to purchase a loaf of fresh baked, (still-warm) sourdough bread. A few km's further, we pulled into another property and bought five nice size fresh avocados for $4. We then continued to Duckett's Mill Wines and Farmhouse Cheese. Although producing a range of wines and home made cheese, we instead purchased home made chocolates and some small goods. Next stop was the Dam, a very swish looking restaurant, bar and function centre on a charming, immaculately landscaped 880 acre family operated farm. The property includes more than 2,500 oak trees for producing black truffle, more than 200 head of Black Angus cattle, and several dams which produce up to 2 tonne of Marron each year (fresh water crayfish). Something I have not previously seen in Australia, the farm also has more than eight acres of Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) plants without THC, which is used in a range of products including Gin and Vodka, clothing, beauty and medicinal products  Read about it here.

Onwards we continued to the Denmark Chocolate Factory, which offered a range of enticing products (none of which were chocolate), but we weren't tempted. We returned to the van for a latish lunch on fresh baked and very tasty sourdough bread and fillings. The afternoon became quite warm (26 Deg), and after a rest, I left Noel and drove out to Monkey Rock for a walk to the top. It's not an overly long walk, but it is a steady climb, and the 180 Deg views along the coast from the top are well worth the effort. Incidentally, the rock does resemble a monkey laying on its back (depending on which angle you view it from - and how much you've had to drink). After about a 30 minute walk to the top of both boulders, I found a film crew recording at the top of one of the rocks - I suspect promoting local tourism. I stayed out of their way, and after a quick look around, made my way back down to the car and back to the caravan, where I started packing everything away for our morning departure tomorrow. Afterwards, Noel and I sat outside, and enjoyed a couple of refreshments in the last of the sun, before heading inside for dinner. Our visit to Denmark, and stay at the Riverbend Chalets and Caravan Park has been very pleasant. 

Giants of the region

Giant trees home to some giant fungus (this one was about 12inches across)

...and smaller colourful fungus


Serene Denmark River in the morning

The Dam

The Dam


The Chocolate Factory

The Chocolate Factory

The Chocolate Factory

Monkey Rock


Monkey Rock


Monkey Rock - On top of the lower boulder

Monkey Rock - Film crew on top of the lower boulder with views to Greens Pool and Walpole in the distant background


Monkey Rock - On top of the lower boulder with views to Greens Pool in the background

Monkey Rock - On top of the lower boulder with views to upper boulder

Monkey Rock - On top of the lower boulder with views to upper boulder

Monkey Rock - On top of the upper boulder with views to upper boulder

Monkey Rock - The upper boulder


Monkey Rock - Views from the upper boulder

Monkey Rock - Views from the upper boulder

Monkey Rock - Views from the upper boulder










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