Today we decided to do some more exploring to the south, so
zoomed down the Princes Highway to turn onto the Wonboyn Road. Laden logging
trucks were noticeable today. Wonboyn Road took us for 10 kms gradually downwards through forests
and across pretty creeks to reach the settlement of Wonboyn, which was
scattered on the sides of hills. Our first explore was to an inlet on Wonboyn
Lake at Myrtle Cove, where we found picturesque little private wharves and boat-sheds, and were serenaded by an unseen Lyrebird in the bush.
Then we climbed the Cruiser steeply up Nadgee Road – a
tarred road that seemed to end in private properties, despite signs pointing to
“Beach” and “Nadgee Coastal Reserve” (but indicating “no through road” and “no
caravans past this point”). However, back
in Wonboyn, John asked for directions at the little service station/ general
store, and apparently we had needed to take an unpromising dirt track, which we
had thought led to private property, at
the end of the tar on the steep road above Myrtle Cove.
This proved to be a 4WD track back into the Nature Reserve
which, once reached, was well sign-posted. The track narrowed and was hugged by
tall trees under-storied by bracken, and we regularly almost brushed broad
trunks. Closer to the coast, forests of large Banksia trees featured, covered
in dried “Banksia Men” and, after 4 kms we reached the Green Glades Picnic Area
and parked in the shade of a Melaleuca forest (surprise, surprise!)
Green Glades was an absolute gem of a place, with the
Melaleucas edging the white sand of a very long beach on the edge of Disaster
Bay, and views north to Green Cape. We had the perfect picnic spot to eat our
lunch (which we remembered to pack today) – a bench amply shaded by the trees
and right on the edge of the beach. After eating, we took a short beach walk to
the cliffs at the southern end, and found lovely sections of honeycombing on
them. There were a couple of other cars here when we arrived, but the only
person we encountered was a Ranger (apparently we had beaten him to his
favourite lunch spot).
Then we took the 4WD track to Bay Cliff, splashing through
large puddles of brown water, and weaving through more lovely Banksia forest,
to finally reach the coast near the now land-locked island (Bay Cliff), which
we had seen from Disaster Bay Lookout two days ago.
Here a 1.2 km loop walk took us through Melaleuca forest to
the other end of the same beach where we had lunched, and then along it to the
“island”, back though coastal scrub to the edge of Wonboyn Lake, along a narrow
strip of sand on the eastern side of the Lake (where small marooned jellyfish
had washed up) and back through the Melaleuca to the car park.
On our bumpy way back to Wonboyn we detoured along a short
track to the edge of the Lake and came out this time around the middle of its
southern side, with views across to the resort on the other side.
Our final walk in the Nadgee Nature Reserve was to Jewfish
Beach, along an initially overgrown road through the forest (where we were
serenaded by Bell-birds) and then onto a boardwalk over the swamp lands which
edged the Lake. This was quite a hot walk, often in full sun with no breezes to
cool us, and we had it to ourselves.
We appreciated the tar, when we reached it, and congratulated ourselves for having managed to spend the day in previously unexplored territory (for us) as we zoomed back to Eden.
Remember: Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible. Gratitude App
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