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| After a refreshing night's sleep in
a stable bed, I enjoy a leisurely breakfast under eucalyptus trees
at the beach near the hotel. Then, hopping into my manual shift rental
car, I drive to Porongurup National Park, only 40 kilomteters (25 miles) from Albany. |
The Porongurup Range is only 12 kilometers
(7.5 miles) long and 670 meters (2198 feet) at its highest point, and is
surrounded by flat land.
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The granite domes of the range are more
than a billion years old.
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A karri tree grows out of a rock
at the Tree in the Rock picnic area in the heart of the park. With the
help of my camera's timer, I take this photograph of the tree growing
out of my head.
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Once much more common than they are now,
the immensely tall karri trees are now found in isolated areas in Western
Australia. One such "island" forest is found in Porongurup National
Park.
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A huge vine winds through the trees.
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As I drive around the perimeter of the park,
I encounter this lizard, who looks sleepily up at me as if to say,
"You're not going to force me to move, are you?"
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Farther down the road, I encounter another
lizard with a much more alert demeanor and an impressive tail.
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On this side of the mountain, the karri
forest extends almost to the mountaintops.
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The huge granite domes are very apparent
in this section of the range.
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