• Awesomes
  • Awesomes

Bremer Bay

A 8-day adventure by Awesomes Read more
  • Trip start
    October 9, 2022

    Tozer's Bush Camp

    October 9, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We started the morning with a wonderful breakfast at Tribute Street Cafe with Kai and Warrick before we set off. It took us six hour drive to get here.
    Tozer's Bushcamp is a wonderful bush camp with great facilities. There are hot showers, flushing toilets and a well equipped camp kitchen with fridges and freezers. Absolute luxury, better than glamping.
    We spent the evening chatting with our botanist wildflower guide called Dr Paul Armstrong. He has even offered to take us bush walking with him when we get back to Perth.
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  • Wild Orchid Tour

    October 10, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C

    The morning started bright and sunny, The day was looking very promising for a wild orchid tour by a botanist Dr Paul Armstrong that we met the night before.
    There were only 3 couples on the tour and Paul drives us around Tozer's private property to show us wild orchids and explain the flora that we were immersed in.
    We saw a total of 21 different species of wild orchids. Many that we have only found in books, some tinier than the little finger in height and some hidden in thick foliage of other plants. How Paul spots them to point them out to us is truly mind blowing.
    He also taught us how to use our mobiles to take better pictures of the orchids.
    Paul was very informative and knowledgeable.
    The pictures of the orchids will have the names as captions.
    After the tour, Paul have us a private tour while he mapped out his route for tomorrow's tour.
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  • Bremer Bay

    October 11, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Moved camp to Quaalup Homestead Campsite this morning. Went to Wellstead Estuary Walk Trail at Bremer Bay, starting the trail from the caravan park. We found a dragon orchid, a fragrant leek, and a minionette orchid. It was a shame to see the habitat so overtaken with weeds. A bonus was watching a flock of pelicans land in the small sandbank for a session of intense grooming.

    We met up with Paul for lunch at the pub and he took us in his 4WD to hunt for more orchids. We saw lots of leaves for crystal helmet orchids, but alas, no orchid upon any leaf. Apparently, the tiny flower sits on the leaf, and grows a stem once pollinated so the seed pod will sit up on the stem. We did some such seed pods. Paul did spot a tiny leek orchid, later identifed as a limestone leek. He drove along and pulled up at another spot which looked like it had a recent burn. Some orchids do sprout after a fire, yet others will not for years after a fire. We saw a few buds of sun orchids, but with no sun that day the flowers were not to be seen. It was fascinating watching Paul at work, photographing and mapping the orchids. We got to Quaalup with enough time to set up the tent in daylight. Dinner was cooked in the bbq shelter as the rain started just as we finished setting up the tent. Went to bed with on an orchid high. Thank you, Paul.
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  • Quaalup nature walk

    October 12, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    It rained all night and did not stop when we with up. So we donned our rain jacket and rain pants from the morning and stayed in then all day. There were intermittent showers throughout the day but that did not deter us from walking.
    After breakfast we did the nature's walk Loop from the Quaalup Homestead through Fitzgerald National Park, and at the halfway point, turned onto the Ridge Gorge walk then returned to nature's walk to finish the loop.
    The walk was so interesting with bountiful wildflowers, splendid views, a viewing tower to climb and a discovery of the bird orchid.
    We returned to the campsite to have lunch.
    After lunch we explored inside the old homestead built in 1820s. We then headed out the gate and up to the first crest with views over Doubtful Valley to get mobile reception and call Kai.
    It's a very quiet campsite with only one other couple in a caravan.
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  • Pt Anne and West Mt Barren

    October 14, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We braved the corrugated road to Pt Anne and it paid off. We saw a calf and mummy whale really close to the shore, a mere km from the car park. Can't identify the type of whale though.
    Got the top of West Mt Barren. The views are superb.Read more

  • Cranbrook Federation Wildflower Trail

    October 15, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We decamped and headed home as Ruby picked up a chest infection. On the way home we visited the Cranbrook Federation Wildflower Trail. Saw lots of White Spider orchid, Pink Enamel orchid, Bee orchid and the Lemon Scented Sun orchids. With highlights of whale watching and bumper orchid spotting, we were very happy to be home.Read more

    Trip end
    October 16, 2022