Big Brook Arboretum

Visited: spring and summer

Recommendation: Visiting in a wet spring didn't result in much wildlife but in summer it was better. It is still worth a visit for the stunning scenery alone.

I drove north from Walpole for around an hour and half through thick forest. The road was a sliver through dense trees and it was magical. I don't remember Western Australia being so lush but the forests feel healthy and bursting with life. I came out of the trees and was thrust into wine making country. I almost felt like I had been transported to rural France. The pastoral land was just as pretty as the drizzle lifted. Just before I reached the town of Pemberton I turned into the track towards Big Brook Dam and just beyond that was the campsite.

I am loving travelling at this time of year. It is nice and cool, the roads are quiet and the campsites have few people in them. It was the same here. The site was a clearing in the forest and I could immediately hear bird song from high up in the canopy. A family of magpie squabbled and squawked around the camp. It was very lovely but I knew birding would be difficult. The drizzle had returned and the tall trees would make things challenging.

I first walked to the Arboretum and marvelled at the variety and beauty of the trees. They seemed to all be planted in 1935 and I wondered what life would have been like for the people who planted them. It was that kind of nostalgic place. I could hear Rufous Treecreeper calling from high up with their distinctive 'pink pink' song. Grey Fantail were all around me, flitting about catching bugs.

On my next visit during the summer months, the weather was lovely and cool with the sun peaking through the trees. On this occasion, I spent time wandering between the camp ground and the dam. It is a lovely 20 minute walk through the forest to the lake, but it is also accessible by vehicle. It was still fairly quiet with little bird song, although I did regularly hear the plaintive call of black cockatoo overhead. 

You can walk a track all the way around the lake and there are various hides and lookout spots. There is even a beach at the main recreation point. Not sure how the sand got there but it looked fairly popular. I was hoping to see more reptiles but I only got a glimpse of a Tiger Snake and a couple of small skinks. There was more bird activity as I approached the lake with juvenile Western Rosellas and Ringnecks zooming about. A Fan-tailed Cuckoo flew in close to me at one point.

On the lake I found a couple of Musk Ducks. One was an adult and it would periodically dive down and bring up food for a juvenile. I've never seen a young musk before so it was very interesting. Unfortunately, they never ventured into the sunshine. 

So, again my time here was very quiet but I did very much enjoy the peace and quiet at the campsite and the lake and I will keep returning to explore further.