Another new adventure...

After our couple of weeks in town it was time to hit the road again in search of new adventures.  While looking for somewhere new to go Bill had come across a Bird Sanctuary just out of Ballarat.  A phone call later and we were all booked in for the following weekend.

Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary is at Linton just 30 kms South West of Ballarat and has a small camping area where members can camp.  There is a small amenities block but no power so it was a good opportunity for us to test out our new additions to the Camper Trailer.

We arrived just after dark on Friday night and once set up were able to try out our new water tank and christen the Weber.  With the lights powered by battery and the fridge by gas we had everything we needed for a great weekend in the bush.

We woke the following morning to nothing but birds singing and though it was a chilly morning it was nice and sunny.  Bill went for a wander while I tested the shower and soon after breakfast we were exploring in earnest.  The sanctuary is 535 hectares of land donated by a former farmer, Gordon Clarke, to the then Bird Observers club and is surrounded by crown land in the Woady Yaloak catchment area.

We wandered through the various fields, each one with very different habitats.  We walked along bush tracks with a dam on one side and a river on the other.  With many species of native trees there were also many different birds flitting around making the areas we explored a real wonderland.  At the end of the weekend Bill has discovered that he now has pictures of 3 new birds that he has not seen before.

The other thing that enchanted me was the number of wildflowers around.  Of course it is springtime but I always think of wildflowers being a WA thing and was amazed at the variety we saw.  So many delicate little flowers covering the forest floor and the eucalyptus and wattle trees added to the colourful display.

After lunch on Saturday afternoon we left the sanctuary and drove a bit further out to an area called Devils Kitchen.  This is the name given to a natural amphitheatre of high basalt cliffs bordering the Woady Yaloak River at Piggoreet.  This spectacular area was created many years ago by the river flowing through a valley filled with lava from volcanoes.  The basalt cliffs contain evidence of a number of separate lava flows with some amazing hexagonal columns that developed during the cooling process.  

The alluvial deposits in the former stream-bed were mined from beneath the basalt, and the remains of these sites are still in evidence today though we did not go to find these.  We were there to see the Peregrine Falcons which we were told nested in the cliffs.  We found evidence of these nesting sites on arrival and not long after Bill found a Falcon on one nest.  It did fly off soon after but set up watch on a nearby cliff seemingly checking us out as carefully as were watching it.  After some time it flew off and though we waited for some time it did not return so we left and returned back to our camp site through the little town of Linton.

Today this is just a quiet little town where the Skipton - Ballarat Rail Trail passes through.  We saw some people on bikes taking a rest here and we did the same before heading back to camp for another walk in the late afternoon.  One quirky little sight we saw in Linton was the 'waiting room' beside the Rail Trail.  Looks very comfy for the mystery resident!

Back home we had a yummy dinner, a quiet night and another early morning filled with birdsong.  With no rush to be on the road we had time to wander through some new areas before packing up and heading for home.  Another wonderful little corner discovered and one we will certainly return to.  Lots more of those 535 hectares to explore yet.

And as we head back to work for another week we look forward to next weekends visitors.

until next time..........