Lane Poole Reserve

Jacob treated us all to pancakes for breakfast, appropriately (though unintentionally) on Shrove Tuesday. We bid farewell to our adopted WA family and to the beautiful South West. We stopped in for coffee with Tony in Bunbury and later treated ourselves to cheese tasting and picnic platter at the Harvey Cheese factory. Finally we made camp at Chuditch camp in Lane Poole Reserve outside Dwellingup on the Murray River.

Lane Poole had been recommended to us by a young travelling couple we met all the way back at Bremer Bay and Wikicamps reviews were positive. But I think Lane Poole, or at least the sections of it we saw, was an example of us being spoiled by the amazing places we've already been. We were underwhelmed. For anyone based in Perth, I would definitely say Lane Poole Reserve is worth a visit. But set beside the spots we'd camped on the Warren and Blackwood rivers, the Murray couldn't compete. It didn't have the water volume for starters. It was more a chain of pools along a meandering creek. And the forests lacked the giant ancient trees (possibly a consequence of a long logging history). Admittedly though, half the park was closed for construction so maybe we didn't see the best of it.

It started raining overnight and continued for most of the morning. Just light rain but enough for us to don wet weather gear and trek off to the camp kitchen for breakfast. We procrastinated the morning away on the banks of our local pond, Island Pool then made up our minds to inflate the kayak and paddle out from Bob's Crossing in the afternoon. Claire and I shifted rocks under the bridge.

On our way back to Perth the following day we stopped in at the railway town of Dwellingup and hit up two great playgrounds in Pinjarra and Yunderup. Just as we have been spoiled by some amazing beach and river campsites, the kids have been spoiled by some incredible playgrounds. They're a far cry from the 80s swing sets and seesaws that I grew up with.