May 3 Serpentine Falls (Day 219)
A cloudy morning greeted us, but the air was refreshed by yesterdays rainfall which was modest here, but caused some flash flooding south of Perth! We headed out to do some sightseeing at Serpentine National Park, a short 30 minute drive from our Airbnb. A short walk from the parking area took us past signage acknowledging the aboriginal connection to this unique spot.
The Aborigines of Australia have a 65,000 year history of human habitation on the continent!
On to the falls, which thanks to the rain, was flowing into the deep blue pool.
We hiked up to a lookout above the falls through a eucalyptus forest with such fresh air it reminded us of Vick’s VapoRub minus the menthol! VapoRub has 1.2% Eucalyptus oil!
As we approached the top of the bluff we found this plant, looking like a grass, but in a tree form!
They are Grass Trees! A native plant of 66 species found only in Australia! The ‘trunk’ is made up of older leaf bases cemented together by a resin. The older leaves hanging down like a skirt around the trunk form an insulating layer around the plant protecting it from fire.
At the top of the bluff we looked down on Serpentine Falls and the pool, in the center of the picture.
We finished the day with a cookout at Joe & Candice’s place!
We couldn’t get the gas grill to work, but it served as a base for the George Foreman electric grill! Probably for the best since the chance of a bush fire from open flame is so dangerous with the drought still prevalent!