Albany to Esperance 2

Environment

Australia's indigenous forests must be amongst the most beautiful in the world. the Eucalyptus family of trees includes low bushes from the desert area up to huge Karris which are some of the tallest trees in the world, up to 80m high. The forests apparently once covered much of the continent but after many thousands of years of diminishing rainfall now only survive in the wet southern coastal strip which we cycled through.

The red tingle trees survive just in the Walpole area, only 6,000 hectares, where we saw many giants up to 400 years old.

Here we walked the tree top walk through the tree canopy on an aerial walkway. The idea is to prevent damage to the fragile roots and understory from vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The result is a stunning success, has won several awards and the idea is being used elsewhere in the world.

Australians have now becomevery conscious of their unique environment. They have stopped the logging of virgin forests for woodchips and have turned the forest into a tourist attraction with sensitivity. However this has had to come about as a result of gross abuse of their natural environment ina country so huge and so untamed. Vast areas were logged when steam log hauling and railways were introduced. Land is still being legally cleared by what is called *chaining*, a chain drawn between 2 bulldozers which rips out all growth in its path and creates total destruction of a habitat which is then turned into low grade pasture. There are now serious problems with salination due to clearance of deep rooted trees which maintained the water table at a low level. This has resulted in rising water tables, polluting the ground water with salt and killing all vegetation.

The indigenous fauna has been decimated by introduced species. Rabbits were introduced for food, foxes for hunting, domestic cats just escaped and thrived in the wild. As a result, many of the tiny marsupials have become endangered or wiped out. The department of environmental conservation are now combating the problem with poison bait known as 1080. this poison is extracted from a native bush which the indigenous fauna have built up a resistance to. the bait selectively kills all introduced animals. There is also a sever problem known as *Die Back*. It is a virulent type of fungus which kills most of the indigenous bush and is similar to the fungus that caused the Irish Potato blight. It was introduced by imported plants.

We have seeen so litle of Australia rich environment but what we have seeen has often been breath takingly beautiful. We stopped ina layby which was not at all special but the shrubs beside the roads were so beautiful and varied in texture and colour it would have made a bed in any botanical garden. We have seen sea eagles hunting, emu running in the bush, flocks of pelicans gliding on thermals, huge flocks of ibis, noisy black cockattos with their red tails and multicolour parrots everywhere. The wild flowers which are now almost over are sovaried and numerous. 4000 species in the South West alone! Many not occuring anywhere else in the world. Australias became isolated from the rest of the world 45 millions years ago.

The trees of the Eucalyptus family have light canopies that from a distance look as if formed by hundred oriental umbrellas (or florets of broccolis!). The light coming through the canopy enables a flourishing understorey of many shrubs and wild flowers to thrive. We have occasionally seen kangoroos hopping through the bush and one evening a shy little quokka. These have been almost wiped out by feral cats and foxes.

The beaches are absolutely beautiful on the southern coast. White sand, azure blue water, honey brown road and often nobody there. Many are so remote that it is only possible to get to them by 4WD.The Aussies love to drive onto the beach and bring their quad bikes with them...