Wheatbelt camping - Jam Patch, Lake Grace, Western Australia

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are well. Today I am taking you camping in the central Western Australian wheatbelt. 

A couple of years ago we explored some of the Western Australian painted silos trail. You can see more on my blog here: Explore the painted silos trail, Western Australia. You can see two of them below here. Amazing aren't they. 

When you are exploring the central Western Australian wheatbelt, or following the silos art trail as we were, and are looking for an easily accessible free campsite for the night, Jam Patch about nineteen kilometres north of Lake Grace might suit you perfectly.

Head north from Lake Grace on the Kulin-Lake Grace Road for seventeen kilometres, then east for two kilometres along the Lake Grace-Kalgarin Road. Jam Patch is signposted on the road and then it is only about 300 metres in to the camping area.  

Jam Patch is located in 202 hectares of remnant bushland left when land was cleared in the area after World War 1.  It is now protected and maintained by volunteers from the Lake Grace Land Conservation District committee with the help of the local 'Friends of the Jam Patch'.

With less than 14% of natural bushland remaining in the wheatbelt, this is an important place for conservation of native plants and the birds and animals that live here in six diverse habitats. These include the regent parrot, humming frog and ornate dragon lizard. You need to be quick to snap a photo of these little lizards that run so quickly over the granite rocks. 

Campers need to be fully self-contained as there are no facilities at Jam Patch, and no potable water, but the peaceful location more than makes up for the lack of facilities.

We arrived around 2pm in the afternoon and had plenty of time to set up on the edge of the large cleared area. We then explored some of the three marked, relatively easy, loop walk trails which range from 1.5 - 2.5 kilometres and take you through groves of trees, past granite outcrops and around the lake. Please stay on the marked walk trails. Information boards along the walks describe the environment.

Jam Patch is named for the one to seven metre tall jam trees – Acacia acuminate – Noongar name: Manjart - which are just one of the native species found here ranging from shrubby samphire around the lake to tiny lichen, rock sheoaks, quandong, sandalwood, York gums and towering salmon gums. The gum of the jam wattle is edible and can be used as a resin.  I remember my Mum telling me that as a child in the wheatbelt they used to chew the gum of the jam wattle. We learnt that indigenous people, who called the tree munjart, obtained bardi grubs from the jam wattle, and used the wood for firewood and making tools and weapons. Farmers used the wood for fence posts, some of which are still in place 100 years later.

You can see a jam tree below here. 

The Rare Flora Group and local botanist Anne Rick spent many hours between 2012 and 2017 at Jam Patch identifying close to 200 species of plant life. I am planning to go back in spring when the area should be ablaze with wildflowers Below you can see some of the rock hugging plants, Sandlewood fruit and some interesting tree bark. 

The lake at Jam Patch is part of a chain of lakes of an ancient river system from Lake King to Fremantle. The lakes are naturally saline, ten times saltier than seawater. Resident wildlife from tiny crustaceans to water birds have adapted to this naturally salty ecosystem over thousands of years.

Jam Patch has long been a popular place for bush walks, picnics and a local gathering place.  A tennis court was built here in 1953 from anthills dug from a local farm. Watered down, the anthill material compacted like cement. The North Lake Grace Tennis Club was formed with matches held on Sundays during summer. The court was resurfaced with bitumen in 1977 and the last tennis match was held in 1980. You can see the old tennis court and picnic tables below here. You might have trouble playing tennis here today! 

There was only one other group of campers and we spent a peaceful night enjoying star gazing. In the morning it was a delight to wake to the light filtering through the York and salmon gums, and hearing the birds’ dawn chorus. I rose early to try and capture with my camera the early morning light through the trees.

There is also a heritage trail in Lake Grace as well as museums, galleries, murals and many salt lakes and granite rocks to explore in the area. Visit the Lake Grace Visitor Centre for information.

FACTS BOX

Where is it?  Jam Patch is located about 19 kms north of Lake Grace in the central Western Australian wheatbelt. GPS -32.954405, 118.49639

 Campers must be fully self-contained. Please camp in allocated areas.

There are no facilities, power or potable water. Take your rubbish away with you.

Fire bans from 19 September to 30 April. Please bring your own wood and keep fires small.

Please keep pets on a leash as the area is baited with poison.

You might also like:

Explore the painted silos trail, Western Australia

Kwolyn campsite, central wheatbelt, Western Australia

Wander out yonder in Western Australia

Thank you so much for stopping by. Do you have a favourite bush camping spot? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Hunting for Dinosaur footprints - Broome, Kimberley, Western Australia

 Hi all, this week I am sharing with you a little more from our trip to the far north west of Western Australia in 2021.  

If you missed the previous two posts you can catch up with them here:

Gumbanan - Cape Leveque - North West, Western Australia

Cape Leveque, Part 2

Years ago we had seen replica dinosaur prints embedded in concrete at Gantheaume Point – Minyirr – in Broome. The real tracks were way down on a cliff ledge, only visible at extremely low tides, and extremely difficult and dangerous to reach, hence the replicas.

Just before our trip in July 2021, I researched more about the dinosaur tracks. I discovered that in fact there are thousands of tracks along 100 kilometres of coastline, preserved in the Broome sandstone from Roebuck Bay in Broome, north to Coulomb Point on the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

We were in Broome for a week on our way to Cape Leveque, and one of my must-does was to search for dinosaur tracks.  

My husband downloaded to his phone the Dinosaur Coast Track App Guide found on the Broome Dinosaur ManagementGroup website. 

There are numerous locations where you can hunt for dinosaur tracks, but we decided that the easiest place for us was Entrance Point near the Broome Port. We parked at the car park and then walked north of the second boat ramp towards Reddell Point.

Of course the easiest way to see dinosaur tracks, is to actually join a tour, but we wanted to be intrepid dinosaur footprint hunters. We spent an interesting hour or so wandering over the rocks at Entrance Point. As we explored we checked with the app when we found what we thought were dinosaur footprints.  

Far from experts, we however decided that the prints we found were possibly Sauropods, gigantic long necked plant eaters, and Theropods, meat eaters that ran on two legs, which were documented to be found here.

It was very exciting to be walking in the area where dinosaurs once trod.

 The dinosaur prints have been part of the cultural heritage of the Yawuru people, the traditional indigenous owners of this part of the Kimberley, for thousands of years and there is a strong link to their creation stories. Three-toed dinosaur tracks trace the journey of a Bugarrigarra (Dreamtime) creator being called Marala, also known as Emu man. You can read more about the cultural significance here: Cultural Significance

 According to the Dinosaur Coast website the landscape was very different to what it is today, dominated by ferns, coastal marshes and swamp forests. Footprints along the Dinosaur Coast range in size from 12cm to more than 1.7m. Over 21 different types of tracks have been identified and thousands of examples have been recorded, estimated to be between 127 and 140 million years old. Whereas Dinosaur fossils in Australia’s eastern states are estimated to be between 90 and 127 million years old.

 It is no surprise that the Dinosaur Coast is included in the West Kimberley National Heritage Area.

 Due to the massive Kimberley tides, many of the tracks are often underwater, so the best time to go hunting is at low tide. Weathered and exposed rock layers break off easily. You can help protect them by not clearing sand from the tracks, not stepping in or on the edges of the tracks and not driving over the tracks. Repeatedly cleaning out sand wears away the tracks.

Where is it: The Dinosaur Coast is located around the Broome area on the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

 Best time to see tracks is at low tide. Most track locations need a tide of less than 2.4 metres. Check the local tide charts.

 For more information go to: Dinosaur Coast.Org– where you can also download the Dinosaur Coast Track App Guide to your phone, and print a pdf of their pamphlet. There is lots of information under the Discover tab, including locations and learning about the various dinosaurs and seeing track examples under Broome Trackmakers.

 Tours: There are several tour operators offering dinosaur track tours, school group tours and activities, and activity packs for families. Refer to the website.

My article about the dinosaur footprints was printed in On The Road Magazine, Summer 2021-22 edition. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have you ever seen dinosaur footprints? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Exploring Felting - and making a felt flower

 Hi everyone. I hope you and yours are well. In the northern hemisphere I know there have been very hot summer temperatures and devistating fires, while down here in winter-time Australia we have had a lot of rain in the south and floods on our east coast. It is cold and wet where I live in the south west of Western Australia. But I am grateful for the rain though it does sometimes interrupt my daily walk.  

I have never been much intersted in felting. But a few weeks ago I "discovered" the Felting Pot Sudio in the lovely Fullers Coop - basically a big shed with lots of artisans in their own lock up spaces. They are mostly open Thursday to Saturday - with the cafe open Monday to Saturday. It is our new favourite place for lunch with friends. Only about 15 minutes from my home by car and no problem with parking. There are even comfy chairs with knee rugs if you are feeling the cold. 

Anyway after I discovered the Felting Pot Studio which I must say is full of deliciousness for crafters, and chatted to the owner Natalie, I liked them on Facebook and then saw an advertisement for a beginners felting workshop - a day workshop where you make a felt flower. So I enrolled. What a great day I had with a lovely group of ladies. Natalie went through the steps so clearly and we all came home with a felt flower. 

Now I am not going to pretend I know much about felting - you would need to go to a workshop yourself - and there are You Tube videos - but I think a hands-on workshop is a much better idea. 

Felting is I discovered very labour intensive! There is a lot of pulling, rubbing, pounding and rolling, soap and water involved. And surprising to me - bubblewrap! 

Starting with a selection of "wool top" (top left below) we all ended up with a beautiful felt flower! Below you can see my finished flower on the right. I added some gold thread stitching and some little beads I had at home left over from some other long forgotten project. I was really happy with the result. 

I am sure there will be more felting in my future. Thankyou Natalie for introducing me to this craft. 

I can highly recommend Natalie's beginners felting workshop. She also runs a felted hat workshop and other workshops. You can find the Felting Pot Studio on Facebook @ Felting Pot Studio and on Instagram.  Some of the photos below have been borrowed from Instagram. 

And the Paper Route Cafe on Facebook @ Paper Route Cafe and on Instagram

Those of you who have been following me here will know that I dabble in botancial eco-printing. I have been following some You Tube "Bootcamps" from Nicola Brown in Clasheen Ireland. She is an experienced eco printer and felter, and I am keen to learn about combining the two.  You can find Nicole on Instagram and find out more about her workshops. 

However I do recommend a hands-on workshop if you have one near you!

Thank you so much for stopping by. Do you do felting? I would love to hear about it in your comments. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 

Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.