Harvey Fresh

WA has healthy competition in the dairy industry. Apart from all of the usual brands we are used to in the Eastern States, Brownes and Harvey Fresh share equal space on the supermarket shelves. Tonight finds us in the dairying town of Harvey, savouring the delights of the Harvey Rainbow Caravan park. Our subtly pommie hostess has just been doing her rounds making sure the kids are warm enough with the extra sleeping bags she has provided and with a fan heater under her arm. She has also lined us up for the fresh scones and cream at 8:30 in the morning. Talk about service!

After a last-minute dash back into the maritime museum for an overlooked souvenir, we meandered down the coast towards Kwinana. This is certainly the heavy industrial area for W.A., with the Alcoa aluminium refinery, bulk grain port and the HMAS Sterling on Garden Island, which for memory builds ships for the Navy, but perhaps I am mistaken. We may have been able to drive over the bridge onto Garden Island, but all visitors needed a permit and that probably would have taken more time than we wanted to spend.

In this area is penguin island, a nesting ground for little, or fairy penguins. Usually open for visits guided by a ranger, it is closed for business until Sept 15 while the residents finish the serious business of raising chicks, so we missed there. The rest of the coastal strip varied between the industrial feel of Newcastle, the beach holiday destination of Caloundra, and the shopping strip of Kawana Waters.

There being nothing further to keep us on the coast, the hills beckoned. After more than two months of plains, deserts, shrubs and heathland, the prospect of some tall timber really appealed. We headed inland to Dwellingup. More or less by accident, that is the home of the Sturt School for Fine Woodwork. Nestled in the forest next to a working timber mill, it serves as a visitor centre, gallery and school all at once. While the gallery was appealing, the increasing trend of banning photography is frustrating. The main display covering forestry and associated displays and a guided walk required an entry fee, and we didn’t feel we had the time to do it justice.

South from there, a drive winds its way through forestry and recreation areas and into a water catchment reserve. Here another frustration. A fantastic camping area beckoned. There was green grass amongst tall, straight trees. There were fireplaces with firewood supplied. There were tables and toilets. Best of all there were no other people. The catch was that camping was banned, except for Summer between November and Easter. I suspect it is to protect the water catchment during the rainy season. We came that close…

My parents were in this area nearly 20 years ago. I don’t remember too much, but I do remember them saying that road direction signs were non-existent. Well, nothing much has changed. Leaving the campsite that wasn’t we headed back west to the more main road. Our map and GPS both showed us the road, but the actual road was somewhat south, with the road indicated actually closed. We followed the road quite confidently for many kilometres, up and down the hills until it disappeared underwater at the edge of the lake. We went back a bit and tried again, only to suffer a similar fate a couple of km further on. Third time lucky, we emerged near Harvey, but totally unaided by signage.

The weather is fine and clear. That means cold in these parts. Expecting a minimum of 2, and currently heading there rapidly.