(sunset over Eagle View lookout, John Forrest National Park)
Back to blogging...after so many months of being missing in action! So much has happened over the past few months. I have been going on photography trips - but at the same time, my workload has somehow managed to increase exponentially...and so I had to put blogging aside for a bit. Now that I have accomplished some of the milestones that I set for myself, I thought I might come back to update this space again. I missed this space!
I've gone hiking twice this year - on the days where my workload decreased a tiny bit. Recently I went to John Forrest National Park with a hiking group from uni - and man, it was one of the best hikes I have been to! Hiking in Western Australia is different from hiking back in Singapore - but both are fun anyway!
Started off at the intersection of Morrison Road and Pechey Road - one of the entrances to the national park...
And check out the view! I noticed that there were lots of valleys, and greenery around. And the landscape was pretty interesting throughout - as it changed quite a bit. We also spotted some of the hills in the distance.
One of the features of the national park included this heritage tunnel - constructed in 1895. Apparently it was used as a train tunnel - but there were problems as the tunnel structure did not fit in well with locomotive standards at that time. It ceased to function as a train tunnel in the 1960s, when a new train line was built.
The inside of the tunnel was practically pitch-black, and there were puddles everywhere. But the walk was worth it...and it was quite a cool experience! Pun intended too!
Yet another change in landscape along the way, as we headed down the trail to the National Park Falls.
The National Park Falls (along Jane Brook) was dried up when we were there - interestingly...
It had rained very heavily the night before and we were anticipating for some water flow, but nope, none of the sort when we went. The rocks were pretty interesting to look at though! We got to climb onto the edge of the waterfall, and the view was amazing! I like how the rocks have been arranged, and how we could walk around the dried up waterfall freely. Oh yes - and lots of photo opportunities too!
Back on the trail again. This time, we passed through more bushland...
And also passed under this old bridge - I'm still trying to figure out what it is used for.
Spotted some kangaroos along the way, while we were resting for lunch. They were generally docile, and were just lazing around and watching us curiously.
The next landmark we passed by was Hovea Falls (also along Jane Brook) - the waterfall was dried up completely (which intrigued us all), But there were some moss and puddles here and there. I like the landscape here too - and it was even more spectacular than the other one!
We had to be extra careful with climbing this waterfall though - the rocks were far more slippery, and the plunge looked a tad scary...but it was so worth it!
My brother and sister spotted this rock formation in the distance, and they ended up climbing on top of the rocks! I wonder how they did it...but they're really amazing! :) This was probably one of the main highlights of the trip. Oh yes - and check out how the rocks are stacked...pretty cool huh!
After exploring the waterfall (and the rocks), we ended up exploring the bushes...literally! We took a shortcut through some bushes, to get onto some of the smaller paths. There were a few diversions here and there though - as the directions got confusing at one point. And we didn't have GPS signals, so we relied on maps to find our way...
And we ended up walking through some narrow trails...
Ended up at Eagle View Lookout - possibly the best part of the hike, ever. The view was amazing! We could see the Perth CBD and the airport in the distance, and there were a few planes flying in and out of the area. Plus - the cloudscapes were so beautiful!
Is it me, or does this rock look like a human heart?
There were other rocks around too, and people were climbing up/down to take photos. I decided to do some silhouette photos for the fun of it...and as I did so, I managed to catch a glimpse of the sunset too...
We managed to make our way back down to the carpark after that, and I was really excited when I heard that we walked 12 km! I'd really love to do another hiking trip sometime soon.
Speaking of which - all these photos were taken with my new iPhone 6S camera. It's a really good camera indeed...and I have been using it a lot nowadays. I still have my dSLR, but the iPhone 6S camera serves as an excellent alternative.
Will update sometime again, when I find free time. Stay tuned!