Day 34: Sun 21 Apr 24 - Walpole to Bridgetown

Sun 21 Apr 24 - Walpole to Bridgetown (155km)

The temperature dropped to 12 Deg overnight, and we woke to another beautiful morning, clear and sunny with no wind. The temp climbed to 25 Deg at Manjimup at 1030, and a very warm 30 Deg at Bridgetown after lunch. 

We drove away from Walpole by 09:00am, and the road to Manjimup (119km) was undulating and winding, and mostly narrow, but very scenic. The lack of recent rain was very evident. Along the way we were in awe of the large Karri trees, the tallest species in Western Australia and one of the tallest hardwoods on Earth.

We stopped for 20 minutes at Manjimup for our morning brew at 1040. There isn't a great deal to see in Manjimup, and as we were keen to get to Bridgetown to secure a free camp for the night we didn't stay around for long. Of interest, a little research later revealed that Manjimup has produced more than it's share of AFL stars over the years - Marlion Pickett (Richmond), Matt Pridess (West Coast Eagles) and Sam Kekovich (North Melbourne and Collingwood). 

The road from Manjimup to Bridgetown was as good as any of the roads that we have travelled in WA - they have been excellent. We arrived at Bridgetown at 1100 and had the pick of four free camp sites at the Old Railway Reserve - we were the only ones here. No sooner were we set up, when we were joined by another couple for the night. There are only 4 spots available in a sealed carpark behind an Old Railway Station about 100m walk into the main street. It's a great facility in a great location, but you must be self contained, and we are limited to a 24 hr stay only. It's not busy so I'm sure we could squeeze a 2nd night if we wanted. We'll decide in the morning.

Bridgetown is situated in the Blackwood River Valley and oozes good old country charm.
The town is the centre of a thriving timber, mining and farming district, producing fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and olives, and wine. It appears to be a bit hip, maybe even a little alternative with many artists attracted to town.


After lunch, we had a walk around town, then because of the heat, we returned to the van for afternoon. It was too hot to do anything else, and it was actually a nice change just resting. We were planning to go to the hotel for dinner tonight, and as we were about to leave, I noticed the fridge had stopped working. After searching long and hard to find a cause or solution to the error code. After resetting the fridge multiple times, even plugging it into the Inverter to see if it would work on 240v, nothing worked. UNTIL, I removed the back cover from the fridge and wriggled a few wires and tapped a few bits with the screwdriver, then it started working again. Fingers crossed it stays working, but I will need to have it checked by someone more qualified when I get the opportunity. One of our gas burners is also not working a the moment. So we ended up dining in tonight, and will decide tomorrow whether we stay another night tomorrow or leave for Augusta. 

Walpole - Morning walk at Rest Point

Afternoon walk around Bridgetown 

Afternoon walk around Bridgetown

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition
Sculptures are made by taking a mould of a live subject and then packing it with charcoal, before affixing it to the wooden backing.

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition


Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition


Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition


Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition

Bridgetown - Carbonature Sculpture Exhibition

Afternoon walk around Bridgetown


Afternoon walk around Bridgetown


Afternoon walk around Bridgetown


Afternoon walk around Bridgetown



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