Crooked Brook Forest - Getting there...

Went on a day trip with daughter & and grandkids on Sunday.  We were "supposed" to go down to Busselton for a school thing but decided not to so my new plan for that day was to get the house reasonably tidy again, washing done, some mowing...Then T rang and asked what I was doing and suggested a bushwalk.   Crooked Brook Forest was a place that we had read about a few days before so that's where we went.

I thought I knew where it was, I had read about it, how it was close to Gnomesville but knowing how I am with directions we thought we'd call into the Visitors Centre in Dardanup to confirm my knowledge.   Hmmm.  The woman at the centre showed me a map and pointed me in the opposite direction.  

This adventure was a rushed decision so neither of us packed lunch and by the time we got to Dardanup grandson, and us, was getting hungry.  I "knew" there was a bakery in Dardanup, I'd been there so suggested that we go buy something before continuing on.  Hmmm, again.  Daughter also knew where the bakery was...Except she really knew whereas I only thought I did.  Her bakery was the real deal and packed with people inside and out so we decided to walk down to my bakery which was actually the Dardanup General Store.  I only wanted a grainy roll but seeing as neither place had any we decided to continue driving on an extra 5 minutes down to Boyanup.  Where there were also no grainy rolls.  By this time though the kid needed food so we bought some hot chips and other things and sat there to eat while we read the map so we knew where to go to get to where we were gong.

On leaving Boyanup Bakery we set the phone GPS just in case our map reading skills weren't any good.  T wanted to turn left, I knew we had to go right, GPS was telling us we needed Hurst Rd...We knew where that was so went that way. GPS says turn left, 600 metres then take 4th exit at roundabout...We looked at each other and laughed, stupid GPS knew less than me. 

We finally were on the correct road, turned off of that onto another correct road, I say left she turns right then does a Uey to go my way.  Her way would have still got us there but on a gravel road.

Finally we are on the way, kinda confident that we knew where we were going and was going to get there.  And we did!

Ironstone Gully Falls 29/6/19

Yesterday we took a daytrip down to Ironstone Gully to see if the falls were flowing.  They weren't.  Not anything dramatic like last time anyway, just a trickle going over the wall of rock.  The top area had a lot of water though.

"We" were myself and 2 daughters and 2 grandkids.  An older grandkid was sick so stayed home where it was warm and dry...

I keep telling myself that I will come here and camp, maybe I will, one day...

It was drizzling a bit, had obviously been raining, when we turned off into the big parking area of Ironstone Gully, quite a few puddles so the whole area was wet and muddy. We drove up and parked near a table and tried to get ourselves organised while the excited 2 year old took off.  After grabbing him we went and re-explored.




There was water around but not flowing over the rocks like last time we were there.  This is the top...

 

 And down the bottom...After scrambling through bush and clambering over rocks we reached the base.  That sounds much more exciting and adventurous than it actually was and was probably an easy scramble for the people I was with but this fat and unfit 60 year old scrambled and clambered and had a great time fighting through the wet and overgrown underbrush...





Last time we were here, August 2018, we would have been washed away if we stood here.

 

 

 

It was a great day, wet and cold but fun.   We will come back.