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Sunday 30 June 2024

Beringbooding Rock Water Tank, eastern wheatbelt, Western Australia

Built by sustenance labour, the largest rock water catchment tank in Australia gives us a glimpse into the past.

Hello everyone. I hope you and yours are doing well. Today I am taking  you away from the coast and up to the north-eastern wheatbelt, to Beringbooding Rock, one of the many granite outcrops found throughout the Western Australian wheatbelt.

Walls hewn from the rock surround the rock channelling the water

Beringbooding is dominated by a ten and a quarter million litre water tank built during 1937-38 for the farming community. It is the largest rock water catchment tank in Australia.  The concrete tank and catchment was built by sustenance labour. This scheme provided employment during the Great Depression. About 100 men were employed at Beringbooding at a cost of 10,000 pounds. One weeks work was given to each man for each child – for example four children equalled four weeks work. Those doing sustenance work had an extra 20 shillings per week added to their Government paid sustenance payment, which was seven shillings a day for up to five children with a maximum of 49 shillings a week.  They were brought by rail to nearby Bonnie Rock from Perth and lived in tents. These men were often unaccustomed to hard manual labour.

You can only marvel at the engineering and manpower that constructed this water catchment, and wonder about the first impressions of these city men when they were deposited in this far corner of the wheatbelt, beyond which lies uninhabited scrubland.

The tank is fed by a seven hectare catchment area. Rock walls hewn from the rock itself encircle the rock and channel the rain water via a concrete aqueduct into the tank. Big fires were lit on the granite and allowed to burn all night making the rock red hot. Water was then poured over the rock and the granite exploded in big layers. These slabs were sledged away, stood on their sides and cemented together to form the rock walls up to a metre high.

Over the years the corrugated iron roof covering the concrete tank started to come adrift through age and strong winds, creating a safety hazard, and has now been removed. However without a covering, water has been evaporating, and due to the significant amount of algae in the tank, the water has been deemed unfit for crop spraying, watering stock, or firefighting. Latest reports indicate the Shire of Mukinbudin has received funding to install a temporary cover and is committed to secure funding for a new permanent tin roof.

Camping area at Beringbooding Rock

The picnic and free camping area is conveniently located at the base of the rock. A 2.3 kilometre walk trail starts at the gate at the base of the tank and takes you over the rock to a variety of natural features

Rock cairn at the highest point, erected by HS King

I suggest you take a photo of the information map and allow a minimum of one and a half hours. The rock cairn at the highest point was erected in 1889 by surveyor and early explorer HS King.  You can enjoy spectacular 360 degree views over grain-growing farmland to the south and west, and virgin bushland to the north and east.

Gnamma hole surrounded by rock wall. The tank can be seen in the background.

Features include a huge balancing boulder that seems to defy gravity, a sheer rock face where the forces of nature have been at work, and gnamma holes: rock depressions which collect water during rain, providing an important water source for early Aboriginal people, settlers and animals. On the north eastern side of the rock you will find the “Kangaroo Hole”, a deep water natural pool. During October and November you will see the red Kunzia pulchella flowering next to the pool. It is amazing how plants can grow in small crevices in the rock.

Balancing rocks

Kangaroo Pool with flowering Kunzia in the foreground

The surrounding bushland includes salmon gums, sandalwood, melaleuca, acacia, grevillea, Ti-tree, hakea, cassia, kunzia, quandongs, and native orchids. Many birds inhabit the area.

Exploring the rock gardens

Clockwise from top left - Kunzia, wild orchids, quandongs, and Waitzia 

Throughout the wheatbelt you can see other similar rock catchment walls and dams. They make great places to stop and explore. You will also find evidence of other sustenance scheme projects throughout Western Australia.

FACTS BOX

Location :  Located 357km from Perth, near the intersection of Beringbooding and Cunderin Roads, about 65 kilometres north east of Mukinbudin and 13 kilometres east of the Bonnie Rock wheat bin in the Western Australian north-eastern wheatbelt. You might get a bit of an idea from this map below. The red dot is Beringbooding Rock, with our capital city Perth on the coast. 

Facilities:

There are several partly shaded compacted gravel hard standing sites suitable for caravans and camper trailers. Facilities include picnic tables, fire pits and an eco flushing toilet.  Non-potable water is available from a 60,000 litre water tank fed with piped water. Please bring your own firewood, and beware of fire restrictions and take away your rubbish.

The 2.3 km walk trail is suitable for those with a moderate level of fitness. Please take the usual bushwalking precautions. The rock can be slippery when wet.

Useful Information: 

Wheatbelt Tourism - https://www.wheatbelttourism.com/granite-outcrops-in-the-wheatbelt/

The Wheatbelt Way - https://wheatbeltway.com.au/

Shire of Mukinbudin - https://www.mukinbudin.wa.gov.au/

Ornate Dragon Lizard

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed learning a little of our history. My article about Beringbooding Rock was published recently in Caravan World magazine, June 2024 edition. 

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!

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Monday 17 June 2024

A walk along Koombana Bay and the Bunbury waterfront, Western Australia

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. 

The last few weeks, I have shown you some of the walks near where I live. Today I will share another. 

Back in 2017 I shared a walk around a walk around the Leschenault Inlet in Bunbury - the city near where I live. On the map below you can see the Leschenault Inlet which I wrote about in that post. 

The last few days we have had beautiful sunny winter days - perfect for walking. Last Thursday we went into Bunbury and walked along Koombana Bay from the Dolphin Discovery Centre to the old gantry crane. When I looked it up on the internet the distance showed 2.5 kilometres, but that was via the roads. We walked along the beach front. You can see the route on this map. The blue line shows the drive route - but look closer and you can see where the land meets the water - this is where we walked along the walking paths. 


We parked at the Dolphin Discovery Centre and walked west. Opened in 1994, the not-for-profit Dolphin Discovery Centre was established to allow tourists and locals to interact, learn about and enjoy the local wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) that regularly visit the area. There is a dolphin interaction zone on the beach, interpretive centre, swim tours, as well as a cafe. You can learn more about their work here: Dolphin Discovery Centre


You can't see the dolphins very well in these pics below, but as you can see people have gathered to see them. You should not interfere with them or feed the dolphins. 


Here is a previous post I wrote about the dolphins around Bunbury: A magical dolphin experience. No I wasn't in the water with them to take this photo. This was from a previous summer when we were out in a boat and I hung over the side with my camera to take some images as the dolphins swam up to us. SO magical. 


Koombana Bay beach is very popular during summer, especially with those staying at the caravan park across the road. It is a safe beach for children. These shade sails are taken down in the winter (this is an old photo) and the lookout tower was unfortunately uprooted and blown across the path during recent storms. A bit further along is where they play beach volley-ball during the summer. 


Along here there is also a very popular playground and picnic area, very popular with families. 


Next stop is the Wardandi Boodja - a five and a half metre corten steel sculpture located in the park on the foreshore. The sculpture represents a Noongar face, created by sculpture artists Nicole and Alex Mickle of Safehaven Studios as well as the local indigenous community who played a significant role in helping to create the artwork. The messages around the base of the sculpture encourage us to slow down and listen, and step gently. 


From here we walk past the 62-Thirty Cafe and the Koombana Bay Yacht Club. Many of the boats are parked up in the yard for the winter. 


Then we walk over a bridge that takes us over the channel that links Koombana Bay to the Leschenault Inlet. Locally called "the plug" there are gates that can been closed during big storm surges. Along here you can learn about the many ship wrecks that litter this part of the coast from years ago. 



On the other side of the bridge are big new high-rise residential apartments, a hotel and many cafes and restaurants looking out over the bay. There is a new little bar that we sometimes stop at if we are walking along here during the late afternoon in summer. There is a new little Asian cafe along here - Flow 36 - which is a great place for lunch. I need to take a photo next time we are there. 


From here we just keep walking around past all the restaurants until we reach the breakwater going out to the old gantry crane. In this photo below you can see where we have just walked by. You can see the walk bridge where we walked over "the plug" on the left hand side.


It is a pleasant walk out to the old crane. Big boats are moored in this sheltered waterway I think some people live on them. In the second photo below you can see an overall view of the boat harbour with the walk out to the old crane on the right and the land-backed wharf of the outer harbour on the left.  This photo was taken a few years ago - I need to take a new one. 



The old jetty is gone now, replaced with this rock breakwater causeway jutting out into Koombana Bay.  The original jetty was constructed by convict labour employed by local contractor, William Forrest in 1864. Previously people and goods were transferred by boat from ships anchored offshore.   The jarrah and karri decking was supported on piles of jarrah, blackbutt and wandoo. The jetty was decommissioned in 1982 and despite an intensive campaign the jetty fell into disrepair and its demolition was completed in June 2013.

Today only the electric ship loading crane remains. The crane was built in 1911 by Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd in Parkhead, Glasgow. Arrol was a civil engineer who also built the Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland and the Tower Bridge in London. He also built the Arrol Gantry at the Harland and Wolff Shipyards in Belfast which were used to construct the Titanic and her sister ships. 


From here we turn back down the causeway, passed another restaurant and the Jetty Baths playground and picnic area. 


And the Australian Darter drying his wings after diving for fish, and the white egret posing.


Then back the way we had come, past the restaurants, over the footbridge, back past the yacht club, to the Koombana Bay 62-Thirty Beach Cafe for coffee and a muffin before heading back to the car. Please don't feed the seagulls! The don't need any encouragement. 



That's it from me today. I hope you have enjoyed this walk along Koombana Bay and the Bunbury waterfront. Do you have a favourite waterfront walk? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. 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!

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Sunday 9 June 2024

Finding the Spoonbills along the Leschenault Estuary, Western Australia

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. We have had a quick, windy and wet start to winter after 6-7 months with no rain. So I am definitely not complaining. However in the city near to us there has been a lot of damage to houses and trees from a couple of wild storms and a tornado. We luckily have been safe. 

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you a walk along the Collie River near where we live. You can click on the link if you missed it. The Collie River flows into the Leschenault Estuary beyond which lies the Indian Ocean. Last week we took a drive to the other side of the Estuary and went for a walk. It was an overcast but calm day. 

We were amazed to see a flock of Yellow-billed Spoonbills - Platalea flavipes - in some dead trees on the edge of the water. 

We had never seen them before like this, and we lucky to be able to get close enough to take some photos. I don't have a long birding lens, so I was very happy with the pics I was able to get. 

You could almost imagine the conversations these spoonbills were having with each other. 



Yackity yak - I really love this shot. The bird on the left looks like he is being nagged by the bird on the right! I wonder if they are a pair? LOL 


The Yellow-billed Spoonbill is nomadic and is found across Australia in suitable habitat, particularly in the north and well-watered inland areas, but is less common in coastal regions. The Yellow-billed Spoonbill is found in the shallows of freshwater wetlands, dams, lagoons and swamps, and sometimes in dry pastures, but rarely uses saltwater wetlands. It can use much smaller areas of water than the Royal Spoonbill.

The Yellow-billed Spoonbill feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, using its bill to sweep shallow waters for prey. The spatulate bill has many vibration detectors, called papillae, on the inside of the spoon, which means the bird can feel for prey items even in murky water and can feed by day or night. Once food is caught, it lifts its bill up and lets the items slide down its throat.     Yellow-billed Spoonbill - from Birds in Backyards

The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name Platalea derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill. Six species are recognised, which although usually placed in a single genus have sometimes been split into three genera.   Wikipedia-Spoonbill

Below is a photo of a Royal Spoonbill taken by my husband, which we saw at a waterway near Winton in Queensland last year. Its black face, bill and legs all distinguish the Royal Spoonbill from the slightly larger Yellow-billed Spoonbill, which has a yellow bill and legs.    Royal Spoonbill - Platalea regia - Birds in Backyards

We also saw Black Swans - Cygnus atratus - foraging in the reeds and grasses.

Black Swans are found throughout Australia with the exception of Cape York Peninsula, and are more common in the south. Black Swans prefer larger salt, brackish or fresh waterways and permanent wetlands, requiring 40 m or more of clear water to take off. Outside the breeding season, Black Swans travel quite large distances. Birds fly at night and rest during the day with other swans. The Black Swan is a vegetarian. Food consists of algae and weeds, which the bird obtains by plunging its long neck into water up to 1 m deep. Occasionally birds will graze on land, but they are clumsy walkers.- Black swans - from Birds in Back Yards



We also saw Cormorants - possibly the Pied Cormorant -Phalacrocorax varius  In Western Australian they are commonly called shags. Not the best photo, they were a bit far away, and no they weren't standing on the water - in the photos further below which I took several years ago, you can see the posts from the old jetty they were standing on. 

The Pied Cormorant is found throughout mainland Australia. It is more common in the south and along the coast of south-western Australia and is not found in the driest parts of the interior. It is also found in New Zealand. The Pied Cormorant is found in marine habitats (almost exclusively so in Western Australia), including estuaries, harbours and bays. It is also found in mangroves and on large inland wetlands in eastern Australia.    Phalacrocorax-varius from Birds in Backyards

We also saw kangaroos - these would be the Western Grey Kangaroos. I think the one on the left is the daddy. The little one is having a good scratch. They were obviously quite used to people. 


There is a 1.8km loop trail at Belvidere. When we first came to Bunbury 50 years ago there was a humpy camp here. And of course it was a camping place for indigenous people for thousands of years before that. Now you can camp with your tent, caravan or camper trailer in the marked areas. However the mosquitoes are very friendly - so make sure you bring repellent. There are 4-wheel-drive tracks over to the beach. 

For more information on Australian birds - Birds in Backyards.net and Birdlife Australia.org

Or search in All About Birds.org

Thank you so much for stopping by. Do you like photographing birds. I would do more if I had a better longer camera lens. 

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!
   

at 16 comments: