Sunday 31 March 2013

Day 89 (Grace Town to Bunbury)

Day: 122km

It was a big day today. My aim was to get to Bunbury, which at times seemed improbable, yet managed to get there in the end.

I went for a swim just after breakfast and then got on the bike nice and early. I managed to meet a nice French Canadian who had a spare map of the area for me as well. I saw that there was an Aboriginal cultural centre on the map so thought this would be a good place to check out alongside ride. In addition to this is many wineries that I thought would also be nice to check out.

It was fairly hot today and the riding was moderately hilly at the start. I stopped after around 35km for a wine tester and to eat my left over bread. After this I then went into the Wardan Aboriginal cultural centre.

The cultural centre was great. It was around 5km deviation off the main road but was definitely worth it. This was perhaps one of the best stops I've had on my ride so far. The local fellers from the Nyoongar nation, of the Wardan (Wardandi) tribe were very informative. We went out on country and went through the traditions of the land, bush foods, medicines, tools, houses (mia mia) and a few other things. We were informed of a dreaming story of the land and the waters along the walk. I've now herd a few dreaming stories on my trip, and they've all bared some similarities and been absolutely magnificent. The overwhelming connection of each story is the understanding of country and how our environment is all connected.

The centre was free of charge. This was a great experience and also seemed to be for many others. It was very busy, having a mixture of foreigners and Australians. The centre is a good example of reconciliation, promotion of Aboriginal identity, self determination and taste of how Australian culture integrating the diversity it contains. The centre contained a cultural room with current conditions of the culture and the little historical culture recorded, yet still being beneficial. The down side to the centre was the fact government didn't even intimate it or even fund the establishment. A private American donor purchased the land and returned it to the Wardandi people.

We finished up at the cultural centre by playing the didgeridoo together and making fire from some local dead woods and plant matter.

When I eventually got into Bunbury the sun had gone down. I rode for about 15minutes in the dark to get there, cycling very hard to make it before it got too dark. I was buggered when pulling in and fortunately saw a big park/football field area to set up my tent. I'd love to sleep in a hostel here as I feel very dirty and couldn't be bothered messing around with my cooker in the dark. I know a hostel would be way to expensive or my budget so the park seems to be my best option. This is an area of my ride I need to develop even more - content with tent sleeping in any and every condition. In order to fit within my remaining budget I need to eliminate the idea of caravan parks or hostels as they will be to expensive. In large towns, or cities, it is particularly difficult as public open spaces become more scarce and having company is very tempting in shared style accommodation.











Day 88 ((Merri-Bee Farm) Nannup to Grace Town)

Day: 95km

Today was hard to say goodbye. I said goodbye to Bee last night as I knew I'd miss them this morning for the Margaret river market. The German couple have plans to head to Melbourne so I have a feeling I'll be seeing them again.

My plans were to get to Margaret River today and set up camp around there. I left pretty early as I was hoping to see the farmers market, which closes before 12:30midday. It's around 90km to get there so I thought if I left around 7ish then I could catch the end of it. I was also see how Bee and Stuart set up their stand and the way they went about selling produce. I have wandered since I've been here how these two go about selling their produce. They are both farmer types and don't have quite the best communication skills, in particular Stuart. My impression is that they would lose business based off this fact, and have thought that they would perhaps benefit from employing a outgoing spokesperson for the day. Unfortunately I didn't see the stand today so missed out on this aspect of the farm.

Yesterday Stuart had a permit inspector come around for his food van. This reinforced my previous beliefs of exorbitant regulation and suffocation to the growth of small localised business. The inspector has said that the van is "To small for business". This made me feel bad for Stuart and Bee, as they purchased this van fully kitted, aluminium bench tops industrial flooring, operating appliances and everything else required under the regulation. It costs a large amount of money to get a van in this condition that is capable of meeting the required guidelines. Stuart and Bee were de estates when they were told that everything was good but "The work place to small". The worst thing about this it's nothing they can replace or fix, as they are left with a non permitted food van that they will probably now have to sell at a loss. This answers further reasoning as to why we have a non-food culture on the streets and are left to expensive roadhouses, cafes and restaurants.

I only decided to stop briefly at Margaret River. I realised the beach was still quite a distance from the town and didn't want to spend excess money in Margaret River. I rode to a spot called Gracetown 15km past Margaret River. It's a beautiful beachside town, providing a nice selection of places to set up my tent. I've set up my tent on the edge of a small beach cliff, overlooking the beautiful coast line.

I'm a little concerned on the condition if my bike as today's ride was predominantly on poorly kept gravel roads. This caused a lot of vibrations to my bike, additional pressure on my spokes and wheels.











Day 87 (Merri-Bee Organic Farm - Nannup)

Today is Friday, my last day of working on the farm. There is a market on tomorrow so I had an early night sleep last night to prepare for a busy day today.

I was unaware but have been told that it is also Easter this weekend. Lee has got the day off from school so has been working with me all day in the farm. He's a good kid, sometimes getting annoying but I suppose is the same with any 13 year old boy. Stuart's parents have come over to give a few Easter eggs to the family.

While we were having lunch I noticed Stuart's parents were far from the environmental type. They come from Queensland and have been in the business of farming most their life. They were what I would classify as a typical older generation of Australians, for any older Australians not bearing the same mannerisms would be a very rare exception. The tone of voice and their Aussie lingo making it difficult for Max and Julia to follow. I took the opportunity at the lunch table to ask Stuart's dad of (or if there were) Aboriginal people's in the area he grew up in. He looked at me like a surly old bugger and said "Yeah we did, and they were as useless back then as they are today". The table was quiet, I looked around briefly, only to realise Max and Julia couldn't understand, Stuart like a little kid in joy around his parents, Stuarts mum Edna coughing from all her smoking, and the only one I could see thinking the same as me was Bee. I haven't mentioned it to Bee but at this moment I felt we were thinking similar but without mentioning any word or even acknowledging each other. I believe she definitely knew what I was thinking. I contemplated saying it is you dickheads who have contributed to an attempt of human genocide, decades of human suppression, cultural eradication and the takings if innocent children from their families. I asked him why they were useless. His response was "They piss in the pools". Stuart like a little child giggled and agree with him. This response made me even more frustrated and actually very angry. I asked again, why are they useless. The response this time was "They stink". It was like talking to Homer Simpson. The most unfortunate thing is that I've had the exact same response from every other older Australian I've spoken to on this matter. Stuarts dad explained he was in a car with an Aboriginal once. I genuinely believe he had never spoken to an Aboriginal person in his life, based off his own accounts and only being able to refer to one example of sitting in a car with one.

Despite being very annoyed at Stuarts parents, I have been very pleased with the knowledge and awareness young Lee has on environmental and social issues. He knows quite a lot about permaculture, which I gather has been taught indirectly through his life on the farm. After talking with Max I have learnt his parents were environmentally minded, also the same with Julia. The only one who's parents haven't been environmentally minded (besides Stuarts) have been Bees, the lady running the farm. Stuart has only adopted an environmental life style as a result of Bee, and he has confessed that. After conversations with Bee I have realised we have quite a lot in common. Her family background and upbringing being somewhat similar to mine. Her awakening to environmental matters have also been developed from a path similar to those of my own as well. I find many environmentally minded people I meet have been brought up by parents or others who have helped make them aware.

Perhaps one of the most difficult things in life is to have a deep connection with your environment and understand at the same time the impacts of environmental degradation. You live in a world where you can't express it to anyone because people around you don't understand and are also the same people who are contributing to that degradation. In the past I have felt sickened by breathing in the VOCs from aerosol, or ammonia from floor cleaners or any of the other myriad of toxic chemicals we're faced with everyday. You try to not contribute but sometimes are left with no option.

When people say "we cant do anything" or "don't worry, someone will fix it down the track" I can't help but feel even worse. It reminds me of the stolen generation and how many people would have said the same. I feel relieved to meet people like Bee, who have also come to this awareness and are proactively doing something about it. I can guarantee with the rate of environmental destruction, fresh water loss and pollution to our earth our future generations, if they're not bedridden with some type of illness, will say "who were the idiots who left the earth in this condition!!". Having this understanding makes it even harder, knowing you can't be content with life while you pretend to be oblivious to the destruction around you.

This week has certainly opened my eyes to a lot of things.



Day 86 (Merri-Bee Organic Farm - Nannup)

This morning Max had burst an irrigation pipe. Bee was out in Bunbury to do her weekly shop and Stuart was out collecting goods for the farm. We had to find the main water valve to turn it off. We found the tank at the top and could luckily switch it off.

Work duties have followed on from yesterday.

Tonight we watched a film called "Food Inc". I have heard of it plenty of times in the past but have never seen it. The film highlights all the factory processes involved with modern food and also how disconnected we are as a society to what we eat. In the film were a few defining moments that made me consider even more what type of foods I should consume. One of the most sickening bits of footage was in the factories where the hens are kept. They are trapped in a dark building so as to keep light out, and left to live there entire life on the feces they excrete. They can't move and only once all the chooks are taken the factory might be cleaned. They have artificial lighting glaring on them during the day and then switched off at night. In the dark its easier for the chooks to be collected. In my time at the farm I have noticed how much chooks respond to light changes, as we let them out just before sunset because they return to there place of shelter before dark. They do this for what I believe to be natural instinct in search for safety. The chooks are essentially altered by man, using hormones and man made medicines, to have a generic size and shape. The chooks grow so rapidly that their brittle young bones can't handle the excessive weight from the fluid in their muscle. The chooks will often lay on their backs unable to move and struggling to breathe. This is a big contrast to the farm here, as the chooks consistently run around, peck through the soil and have quite a social structure.

It is certainly a good time to watch such a film, as I have direct interaction with many of the foods from the film here on the farm. It is easy to see however how some people can become so disconnected with mainstream society. These people are viewed from mainstream as weird, social recluses - hippies or lefties that have no comprehension of the real world. I would by no means put Stewart or Bee in a field of extreme lefties, as they still participate in many mainstream activities.

Perhaps I need to watch my next film on media, and the role they play in zombifying the public, stereotyping and outcasting people who object to the predominant consumer style of living.






Day 85 (Merri-Bee Organic Farm - Nannup)

Today's duties included feeding animals, preparing fruits for sun drying, weeding, collecting seeds from plants and making bread.

I was surprised to learn that one of the primary sources of income for the farm is the sale of seeds. I have been informed that there is a high demand for non-gm seeds or seeds that have not been cross contaminated with anthropologically altered seeds. The benefit of buying certified organic seeds is that you have more reassurance of the plant being productive, as its genetics have not been altered. In addition the plant will pass down non-contaminated genes through further generations, meaning you can have a long supply of plant use once the initial plant dies or is no longer productive.

In my time on the farm I have learnt more on issues that I have previously only had slight awareness of. Since day one I have actively, and many times proactively, participated in diverse discussions. I feel my understanding on many issues has been further deepened. I have gained some type of reassurance on my existing knowledge so that I can further speak confidently on these issues. I must note a comment received off Max today, from when we were out feeding the animals. He said, "You certainly ask a lot of questions" "I think it is good because I'm also learning from them!!". I felt pleased with his comment as in the past, people often become tired of my constant need to know something. I have however felt the opposite from Julia, as every time I've asked a question Julia will giggle and look the other way. I feel as if she is insinuating my question is an obvious one, or perhaps believed to be irrelevant. Sometimes she will jump in and answer a question for Bee or Stuart, only to have Bee or Stuart moments later answer the complete opposite. In these moments I am reassured no question is ever stupid, and realise I should never feel embarrassed or reluctant to ask a question.

A great dinner tonight followed by fresh lemon myrtle tea off the farm, with a dash of honey.






Day 84 (Merri-Bee Organic Farm - Nannup)

Last night we watched the movie 'The Corporation'. I have heard of it before but was the first time I have seen it. It essentially talks about the power large corporations have and how much they can influence government, policies, regulations, social opinions and many more things. The films based in America and doesn't entirely apply to Australia, yet many of it certainly does. Thank god I'm not from America! The main examples I could link with this film were the mining lobby groups using their muscle power on the federal government. A good film to illustrate issues that we are not usually aware of.

During work today Stuart and I went to the tip. In the country towns the local shore doesn't come to collect rubbish, the residents have to bring it themselves to the tip. At the tip it was no surprise, Stuart was on the look for some waste products that could be re-used. I was surprised by how many good re-usable items were left around - big rolls of barb wire, bike frames and oil drums to name a few.

After the tip we resumed work at the farm. Work was made entertaining by playing around with Lee, the thirteen yea old boy. He likes to pester everyone so it's rewarding when you get a hold of him and rough him up a little!! He's a very playful kid and I feel a little sorry for him because he doesn't have any companions, no brothers who live here and all his friends live 30-40 km's away on other farms.




Saturday 30 March 2013

Day 83 (Merri-Bee Organic Farm)

Today's activities followed on from the previous two days.

Wake up 7:00am - feed the pigs and chickens

8:15- breakfast

8:45- miscellaneous duties (fence building, move pigs, clean pens, weeding, drying fruits and so on.)

13:45- lunch

16:00- resume work (weeding and feeding pigs - pigs are fed tagasate in the evening rather then grain, which requires cuttings from tagasate trees)

19:15- finish

20:30- dinner (roughly this time)

Today was enjoyable as I have leant more about the farm, had productive conversations with Bee and the also the other German wwofers

Day 82 (Merri-Bee Organic Farm)

The same as yesterday, I was up and into work by 7:00am. All I do is walk down the stairs, straight out the door and I already start. I had a pretty bad sleep last night, similar to my first night here, as the roosters keep roosting through out the night. In addition to this a bat flew into my room last night and went around in circles for about 25minutes. Fortunately he found his way back out the window. It's a shame as the windows have no fly wire and it gets quite stuffy in my bedroom, but from now on I'll be keeping it closed.

The activities today were similar to yesterday. In the afternoon we cut down some tagasate branches to feed the pigs. They grow tagasate around the property specifically for pig fodder. It's meant to be high in protein, nitrogen fixing and is a fast growing tree.

I noted the other day that the property appears disorderly from a conventional perspective. The reason I say this is due to the fact it looks messy - paper scattered around the chook hens, plants growing over fences, ducks walking all over the place, shrubs in all corners of the property. In any spot for plants to grow you will generally find something there. This is however cleverly structured and planned out to benefit its surroundings. The paper is to add carbon to the chooks compost, the plants growing over fences are put there for root support and the shrubs are scattered to reap nitrogen from the surrounding low lying legume plants. This is essentially permaculture, a productive system that utilises all natures supplies in a manner non damaging to the environment. Rather then using a toxic fertiliser for nitrogen, you plant intelligently and utilise nitrogen fixing plants. In doing companion planting you eliminate the need for dangerous fertilisers. This also benefits the bees, increasing pollination, and improves the quality of our food source.

The problem with this system is it is not efficient for the intensive type farming that allows for mass consumption of one particular food source- wheat, corn, soy or rice. For companies specialising on one produce, particularly mass scale mono-crops, permaculture is a waste of time. It's more profitable to use damaging pesticides or fertilisers that ward off any natural threat to a crop. As a result people often think it is not possible to eat organically on a mass scale. If one property in a street yielded as much supply as a productive permaculture property could, the whole street would have enough fresh produce to sustain themselves. In addition if one other house had a productive set up they could then trade and diversify their food source. This really shouldn't appear to be such a complex thing, it's been proven for thousands ands thousands of years, and we're meant to be the most advanced society in the world to date. Why can't we have fresh natural food?

During my apprenticeship in landscape gardening I viewed these types of gardens as messy, poorly maintained and constructed by some hack gardeners who have no skill in landscape construction. I believed you needed to bricklay, pave and concrete areas of your garden to make it an effective garden. I was taught through work and trade school that aesthetic features were the only things to consider in plant selection, and drought tolerance was what classified sustainable planting. When experiencing how productive a permaculture property can be it makes me realise how systematically flawed landscape construction is, how flawed societal perspectives are on what productive gardens should be and how oblivious we are to the efficiency we can achieve through simple natural processes. The best thing about this gardening, contrary to what we are told to believe, anyone can construct a productive garden and no special knowledge is required, nor special experience for that matter. If you search for a productive garden or get a book for companion planting you can make your first steps.

Some extra things for me to consider when finishing this trip.



Day 81 (Merri-Bee Organic Farm)

This morning I was up nice and early. The philosophy on the farm is to feed the animals before you feed your self. I woke up at 7 and not long after Max, the German wwoofer (willing worker on organic farm) had shown me around the property. We fed the chooks and pigs. After feeding the animals we had a delicious breakfast. The bread is freshly baked from organic rye grains and has added home made yeast that Bee has had fermenting over the last five years.

It's the first experience I've had with farmed pigs. On the farm their is also cattle- cows for milk, sheep and llama for wool and lamb for meat. They also have a farm roughly 100km away from here, that is specifically for the farming of beef.

One thing that I'm surprised with is the promotion of meat consumption on the farm, considering they are such avid environmentalists. I am well aware that permaculture principals never state meat consumption as bad, but I would have assumed that these guys, based off the philosophy I've observed, would focus namely on plant based foods rather then meats.

During the middle of the day I have been pulling out kikuyu grass, a viscous spreading grass dominating one particular garden bed, but also getting into others. It has been fun working in this garden bed as next to me is a fresh raspberry patch and also juicy roma tomatoes close by.

Late in the night Bee and Stuart returned from the farm bringing with them a dozen new chooks for their yard. Around 8:00pm they returned so we went out to put all the chooks into a few different chook houses. I was informed that if you place them in the house during the day they can be killed from other chooks as they are viewed as a threat or more competition. At least during the night they are sleeping and by morning time the chooks have a scent similar to the others, so they are tolerated more from the other chooks.

Thursday 28 March 2013

Day 80 (Shannon to Nannup (Organic Farm))

Day: 132km

Today was difficult riding. It was even more repetitive then yesterday.

I woke up feeling great after a good sleep in the hut. I went to sleep whilst the fire was slowly burning out, keeping the hut nice and warm. I woke up around 0630 and had a big bowl of oats (or big drink bottle full I should say) giving me enough energy to get all my gear packed and ready to go nice and early.

Despite the energy I had early on, I felt very heavy on the bike. The constant repetitiveness, up hill then down hill, made it very boring and monotonous. It felt much longer then what I actually cycled. The roads were so annoying that I thought if I wasn't riding towards the organic farm then I probably would've camped half way. On the ride I had many short steep hills, followed by even shorter and steeper descents. The first five or so times I was looking forward to the descents, but after this I started becoming frustrated. After a few hours I started cursing every time I come down a sharp descent, as I knew it would be followed by an even longer incline. I couldn't get any consistency with my speed up the hills, as the first half of a climb was spent getting momentum and the second trying to get a comfortable speed up the hill, before I knew it I was down hill again. The next hill I'd have to take a different approach. As every incline varied in length and gradient my legs and upper body were utilising many different muscles.

By late afternoon I ended up getting into Nannup. I had to ride about 3km away from the town to get to the farm. I was fortunate for this as I was so hungry I would've spent unnecessary money in the grocer in Nannup. I didn't want to eat the farm empty but figured they'd have a bit of food spare, being a permaculture property with plenty of produce.

The property didn't have any signage so I found it by chance. I pulled into a drive way and yelled out to a man close by. He didn't answer so I went went closer. I was literally standing behind him and asking even louder if it was the Merri-Bee farm. I figured he must of had hearing difficulties, so I waited for him to turn around and asked again. I did kind of realise this was the right place by noticing a few fruit trees around. It definitely has that typical first impression you get with most permaculture properties, disorderly from a conventional perspective.

He walked me down to the house and I put my bike along the back wall. I should mention there doesn't really seem to be a back or front of the house, as it is all surrounded by flora of some sort. The plants and trees disguise the house within the surrounding environment, giving it a very earthly feel.

Every one has been running around as they are collecting produce for tomorrow's market in Perth. Perth is about 350km from here, and is the biggest market the farm has each month. I felt useless a I saw everybody running around and didn't know how I could help. I didn't want to keep getting in the way by asking what I could do, so I put my bags inside and waited for the others to slow down a bit. The lady who runs the farm is named Bee and her partner Stuart. Bee asked me to collect some figs for the market so I went along and picked away. I was actually excited to do this as the whole trip I've kept my eyes open for a fresh fig tree yet haven't seen many. I suppressed my hunger a bit by picking one or two for my self.

I wasn't sure what to do for dinner, as nobody mentioned it and I didn't want to appear rude. Being quite hungry and the night getting on, I thought perhaps I should set my cooker up. I didn't want to insult Bee and Stuart, so I stayed patient and snacked on my remaining peanuts. Eventually Bee made up some fresh vegetable soup. This was delicious, perhaps made tastier by knowing how wholesome it was.

On the farm is two German wwoofers, Max and Julia. They have been volunteering here for the last two weeks. Bee also has a son here, Lee who is 13 years old and seems to be a character. Ive also noticed a tension between Lee and Stuart, with Stuart being the Step dad. It feels like I'm going to be in for an interesting few days...

Tomorrow morning the German couple will show me a few things around the farm, while the others go to the market.





Sunday 24 March 2013

Day 79 (The Valley of the Giants to Shannon National Park)

Day: 87.30
Time: 4hours 40minutes

Today was very hard on my body. I felt lethargic, dehydrated and also heavy. I cramped up on my inner thigh and didn't have the energy to keep pushing like I normally would. I felt a little like this yesterday, but as it was only a short ride I didn't pick up on it so much as today. The other night at the Wolery I had a few glasses of white wine with Bob and Marieke, and minimal water intake. I have reason to believe this is why I've been dehydrated the last two days and also contributing to the condition I've been in today.

During the night I woke up on a few occasions. The sound of the animals was certainly something different. I'm not sure what type of animals were making the sounds, but they were very unique. It was such a solitary experience, being alone amongst the giant Eucalypt trees. I surprisingly felt no concern at all, besides that of having a stray animal get into my bags, or tent. It's amazing to think how a human mind can work, as sleeping with my two metal chop sticks, for some type of self defence, provided enough comfort for me to fall fast asleep. I think the mini fire I had going may have provided some type of deterrent to any stray animals anyway.

I took off having a minimal breakfast. I had the last of my oats, perhaps a mouthful, and a few handfuls of peanuts. This wasn't the ideal breakfast considering the condition I was in yesterday. I thought last night being about 15km off Walpole, a small town with a few shops, I could camp with no food and load up in the mid-morning. Walpole was actually around 20km off and I felt pretty tired when I got there. I stopped there and loaded up on bread and also had an iron tablet. I haven't had any (or many) green veggies, or meat for the last few months and think my fatigue might also have something to do with low iron intake. I have felt great since having a non-meat diet so don't necessarily believe no meat has anything to do with my fatigue now. I figure having half the recommended dosage of iron tablets can't do me any harm, and may provide assistance with all my physical exertion.

I was hoping to get to Pemberton today, being around 120km away. I looked on the map and realised there was nothing in between Walpole and Pemberton, so had to be well prepared for this leg after my lunch break today. I asked in town if there were any spots to camp half way, just incase my body wouldn't hold up. I was informed of a national park about three quarters of the way in, so thought this would be a good back up plan.

The ride was hilly and difficult at times. I was pushing to make it on a few occasions, with my cramp making the climbing difficult. I stopped looking at my odometer, as I knew I didn't cycle as much distance as I had wanted. I wanted to keep pushing, as I have around 200km to get to Nannup. Nannup is the organic farm where I will volunteer for a week, in return for free food and accommodation.

The national park was about 80km in so I thought if I made that then at least tomorrow I could still reach Nannup, being only 120odd km's away. The day was getting late so I started keeping my eyes open for this national park, or any where to camp for that matter. I decided to have a look at the odometer and realised I was around 72km in. I saw a camp sign but realised it was leading down a gravel road. I thought I'd keep going for another ten or so km and hope to find another area for camping.

I saw a small turn off into the bush. I figured this would have some type of area for me to set up my tent. To my delight there were a few other campers around and the comfort of shelter under a few large trees. The weather looked ok but it's always reassuring to know you won't get your gear wet if it starts to rain during the night. As I pulled in a camper came up and explained he was the voluntary park ranger. He said it cost $9 to camp here, as they have a toilet close by. I started planning to get on my bike and continue riding into the bush to sleep free, until he explained cyclist camp free. I was very relieved. He then explained that I could sleep in a hut close by. I said I was alright and I'm fine with my tent.

I was informed campers weren't allowed to have any fires around their site. I was informed that in the hut you could make a fire inside. I thought in this case I'll go check it out, as it could be cosy to sleep in a hut with the fire going. I went into the hut and it looked like something off a horror movie. It was about a five minute walk from any of the other campers and situated amongst a few big pine trees. A lady had walked me to the hut to help show me where to go. I think she may have felt sorry for me so decided to give me a bag of potatoes, carrots and two minute noodles.

I took advantage of the free food and the fire place. I used my cooking bowl to boil the veggies on the hot plate on top of the fire. I've been sitting in the room by my self all night, listening to some music off my phone and enjoying a tasty and healthy dinner. I've had plenty of salt with my dinner, done a few stretches and now hope my cramp disappears tomorrow!!















Wednesday 20 March 2013

Day 78 (The Wolery to The Valley of the Giants)

Day: 44km
Time on bike: 2hours 18minutes

This morning I woke up feeling great. I've felt great from the moment I entered the Wolery (name of community). I had a great feed with Bob and Marieke last night, I was very comfortable by my surroundings and the tram was incredibly comfortable to sleep in. Marieke put clean sheets on for me, making what appeared to be an already comfortable bed even more comfortable.

I woke up this morning around 6:30, only to realise it was pouring down outside. I was very relieved I wasn't in my tent. I went back in the tram and hopped in the warm bed listening to the rain outside. I have to emphasise on how good this was, to have the luxury of being indoors, warm and comfortable in a nice bed. I was especially happy that I didn't have to stress about having all my stuff wet and packing up a wet tent, sleeping bag etc.

I must also note the great wildlife diversity here. Last night as I walked outside to the tram a big tree frog jumped on my foot. I felt a big slimy thing on me and freaked out, only till I realised it was a native frog. This morning when I woke up a wallaby, or small kangaroo, was sitting maybe a metre or two away from the door. During this morning I have also seen a large black skink, something I have never seen before. In addition to this wildlife there has also been many birds flying around and chirping away. I credit this biodiversity to Bob, Marieke and the others in the community as they are doing a great job providing the conditions for the biodiversity to flourish. The presence of native frogs alone illustrate how healthy the system is here.

After a delicious porridge for breakfast, Bob had shown me around the village. As he showed me around my admiration for the community only grew bigger. Bob explained that the community is ran as a non-profit incorporated association. Once a month a community meeting is held in the community house in the middle of the block. In the community house their is a table tennis table, a projector for people who want to watch movies, a kitchen, bathroom and also a food co-op. The food co-op was really impressive. They buy large amounts of organic foods, such as spelt flour, almonds, grains etc and get it a cost price. The whole community will then go to the food co-op room grab any food they like and then write it down in the book, having an honour system type set up. At the end of the month the persons account is added up, and they then pay the community treasurer. The best aspect of this is that they can buy the freshest organic foods from their door step, and that they get it cost price as they buy it in bulk.

In the community room there is a big blackboard listing what foods each house have. They can then trade produce, buy or receive for free from other neighbours.

I met a few others in the community, all coming across as positive and friendly people. I thought in this community, being distant from mainstream pressures and having a tight bond, it would be hard for members, in particularly the youth, to go down the wrong path. In this community everyone knows each other, and it appears that there would be constant support from others if it were needed. It certainly isn't the same as your average neighbourhood in mainstream suburbia, when you don't trust your next door neighbour, that is, providing you even know them..

I must also mention how this community is reminiscent of those in non-western countries I've traveled to. It reminds me mostly of my time in Morocco and how people in tight residential streets would know each others names, sit down and enjoy lunch or mint tea together. It really makes me wander where we went wrong in structuring our society and how we've become so disconnected from this sense of community. Community can surely bring environmental benefits, but perhaps most importantly healthy lives and a reduction in many of the avoidable illnesses people in western countries now face.

After our walk around Bob and I went in for some lunch. We picked some fresh figs off his tree and also enjoyed some fruit that he had from his neighbours. I had a fresh yellow peach, possibly being one of the nicest I've ever had. I was really in heaven here. To top it off we also ate some Dutch cake that Marieke had baked her self.

I was outside looking at the surrounding landscape and it really felt surreal. The wind was blowing the tall Eucalypt trees (think they were karrie but not sure) and I had just stopped and inhaled the fresh air. No photo, and not even words can describe this feeling I had. I feel that this positive vibe was also aided by the great people surrounding the area. I have also been informed by Bob that Bill Mollison (one of the two founders of Permaculture) has spent time in the tram, which I slept in last night. This made my reverence for these surroundings even greater.

It was raining lightly but I was committed on leaving. Bob and Marieke had offered me to stay another night but I already felt indebted for last nights stay. The truth is I would have loved to stay for a few weeks- fresh produce, comfortable bed, good company and so on. I thought I'd get going and leave my self a few pleasures to look forward to when I return home.

I said my goodbyes and took off to the Valley of the Giants, a national park area containing giant varieties of Eucalypt trees. I took off with grey sky's and had light drizzle throughout the 40 odd km. The ride up to the trees was very beautiful, reminding me of home east of Melbourne around the Dandenong ranges. The climb was also similar to the Dandenongs, being around 13km consistently to the top.

I saw many beautiful farms and open areas that would have been good to set my tent up. I thought I'd check out the giant trees and then assess where I'll go. I walked around the trees for a few hours, reading all the descriptions from each tree and the role they play in the ecosystem. The day was getting dark and the weather looked ominous so I thought I'd go somewhere close by to camp for the night. The ladies in the information area informed me of a caravan park, at a crazy price of $30 a night. I managed to speak with a nice lady who said it would be alright for me to set my tent up in the bottom car park.

I've now got my tent set up under the valley of giant trees. I managed to find the luxury of a shelter under a patio for visitors. This is incredible, sleeping amongst so much biodiversity. The pure sight of the massive trees is certainly enough to make me in awe, but the added sound of all the wild life is really incredible. As I've sat down with my contained fire cooker going I have heard so many different animal sounds. It is pitch black and I am in the middle of a forest with ginormous trees, having the midnight moon glaring through them. Certainly an occasion I will remember for a long time.






















Day 77 (Green Pools to The Wolery (Eco community))

Day: 12km

This morning I woke up overlooking the ocean and beautiful coastline. As per usual, I also woke up to the sound of many beautiful birds chirping. I made my breakfast and enjoyed a hot cuppa green tea. I decided to read and relax most of this morning. I also thought this was a good opportunity to practice more on my didgeridoo. I'm working hard on the circular breathing technique, which I definitely notice I'm close to achieving. It is funny when practicing this, as usually passers by will have trouble comprehending what they see is real. At least here it is secluded, and I only have a few cars passing by on occasion.

I ended up back at Greens Pools to enjoy a morning swim. Here it was very peaceful. I ate some snacks that my Taiwanese friends gave to me from Albany. I may not have noted this, but the Taiwanese people in Albany also gifted me with a pair of unique Taiwanese chopsticks. I was very appreciative, as they are the second pair of chopsticks I've received on my trip so far.

I decided it was time to move on and find another camp spot a little further up the coast. As I was riding down I saw signs to a rural shop selling honey, mead, honey ice creams and a few other fresh goods. I rode past the property, then checked the time only to realise it was still early afternoon, so I did a u-turn and went to check it out.

As I pulled into the gravel drive way a screw came off my back pannier rack. The rack was rubbing on my wheel, making it near impossible for the wheel to spin. I had a quick look and realised the shop was closing soon, so I left all my bits and pieces at the front. In the shop I tried many nice honeys, meads and also treated my self to a honey banana ice cream.

As I walked out there was a man looking interestedly at my bike. He asked where I was from and where I've been. He explained he was interested in bikes as well, and by chance having one of his bikes at the shop with him. We started talking, only to realise we had even more in common. His wife's family are actually from the same town in the Netherlands as my family, in which I'd almost guarantee our older family members would know each other. His name was Bob and his wife Marieke.

Bob explained he had an old tram in his back yard that I could sleep in. I was curious as to what the tram would look like, and also very grateful for his kind offering. We both rode back up the hill I just came down and went into his place. Bob made comment as to the ease I did going up the hill on my bike, having such a heavy load and all. It made me realise that my condition at the moment is easily the best I've been in my entire life.

Bob and Mariekes place is incredible. They have built the whole place them selves, using all recycled goods and actually making mud bricks by hand by using the earth beneath their house. The house is situated in a small sustainable community village. It's ran by the community and receive no council services. All organic matters composted and any other waste is built up to then be taken into town. Bob has explained that every person in the community has a task there responsible for. It is not a job they have, but merely general duties that anyone would have when owning a property or house.

This little village is a real example of how living should be, and a perfect demonstration for other developments in the future. It's incredible to think that this community has been here nearly 40 years, and everyday people like Bob and Marieke have worked hard in setting it up. It's crazy that modern society, having so many resources and government funding, are so far from achieving this type of living. I believe greed and the desire to make money influence the restriction of this growth. As I have been informed by Bob, the only thing people own in the community is the house itself, not the land. For an average money driven consumer, I imagine many people would shy away from the idea of not 'owning' the land, or 'owning' under the western notion and idea attributed by marketing terminology and prospect of future profits.

I have enjoyed a beautiful dinner with Bob and Marieke, aided with some fresh veggies out of their garden. I am really in awe of this place. This feels very surreal and it's times like these that make this trip so worthwhile.

Tomorrow I want to explore the community, see what type of plants, namely edible species, are around and also meet some more of the people in the village.










Day 76 (Denmark to Green Pools)

Day: 20km

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and relaxed. I had some filling veggie burgers last night, with the French guys who camped out in their van. I spent a bit of time with them listening to their stories of travel and about there mission to find work here. They have driven to every farm since Perth, asking if any work is required. It makes you think that if there are so many desperate foreigners searching work, there should never be cries from our rural sectors for a lack in manual labourers. Most travellers I've met have even resorted to volunteering once they realise they can't get any rural work. The thing that gives me much respect for these guys, and other travellers I've met, is that they're prepared to live anywhere, even the most remote areas of the country, just for work. The incentive of retaining a second year visa, after three months rural work, is a real driving factor for them but I have also found many foreigners just desire rural work for the experience alone.

I have to admit I kept my time limited with the French guys as they smoked ridiculous amounts of cigarettes in the time I was with them. One was coughing and blowing his nose for half the night, I especially wanted to distance my self from him. I often think I'm dirty, by the fact I'm sweaty off the bike, sleeping in the bush or making camp fire etc. but when I think about the way Im travelling compared to others, I consider my self relatively clean. At least I'm not carrying any colds or other contagious illness.

Once waking up I took the time to catch up on some writing and also admiring more of the natural beauty. Many pelicans were fishing in front of me, giving me more indication of the quantity of fish in the river. I decided to get some fishing bait in town and spend the day relaxing. I also picked up some garlic tablets in the IGA, as I want to make sure I don't catch anything from breathing the same air in the French fellows van last night. Exerting my limits everyday and eating restrictive food I'm well aware my immune system could easily be attacked. That is certainly the last thing I want..

Later on I went up to an area called Green Pools and was marvelled by the beauty and clearness of the water. This is a small section surrounded by rocks and is perfect for swimming, snorkelling and I'd imagine fishing. I was surprised to see many tourists come down just to take photos and walk off. I wandered what they tell there friends when they show the photos. It would certainly be hard for them to say they enjoyed their time there, being so brief and all.

I lazed around here by swimming, resting, reading and enjoying a very humid and partly overcast day. A little later on I decided it was time to find a good area to set up my tent. I went down a dirt road, containing many pot holes and bumps in the ground. It was very painful riding on this road as I could just feel my bike copping a punishment. It's sort of like one of those dolls you see on movies, that refer pain to people when they get punished. The more my bike cops a beating I feel it too. I found a beautiful spot nestled on the top of a small mountain. I set my tent up overlooking the beach and having the beauty of the surrounding mountains next to me. This is really a sensational spot to camp. It makes me realise how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful country and that I'm also able to get out and do these things.

As the sun set on my right hand side, and the mountains on my left received the effects of the sun setting, I enjoyed some dinner of cous cous and chickpeas. I love eating food cooked off a small fire in front of me. I managed to find some rosemary leaves in the bushes, which I mixed in my dinner. I'm curious as to whether these are pests or a native variety, my thoughts being that it's a pest.

Tomorrow I'm planning on seeing more of this country and possibly camp a little further along the beach.