Portagabra Track

Well today was going to be a big walk as the guide book told us that it is a two hour walk. Which can take a fair bit more then that when you have a mob of little kiddies wanting to gander at every-bloody-thing that moves (or don't). Todays trip is within a new National Park which is located at Mundaring Weir and starts at the Fred Jacob Park.
Heres a bit of info for ya, in 1889 the 1124 hectare property was sold to the Jacobys mob, who named it Portagabra. In 1954, the property was given to the people of WA as a recreation area.


The start of the track passes beneath the 557 Kilometer long pipeline that supplies water to the Goldfields. Work began on the pipeline in 1898 and was completed in 1903.






The track wanders along nice and flat then starts a steady rise through the bush, then we came apron an old creek bed that only flows during winter which the track follows. The track is lined with granite outcrops and open wandoo woodland.












Along the track you will find heaps of the beaut old Black boys, which I've begun to think that you can't go anywhere in Perth let alone Western Australia. And not bump into these bloody thinks but I still think there the best Aussie trees mate.




The track itself was one of the fair dinkum best tracks I think I've every layed a smelly toe on, and the bush was as ridge-didge as they come. This was just a beaut long walk as it didn't have all the bells n' whistles that some National Parks shove at ya.


Now this photo has a very important theme to it, you know how all the old people tell ya how never to wander from the track or you might get lost..... well we didn't get lost but as we were just trotting along at kiddie pace when I see all these beaut pink bush wildflowers just to the left of us. So I get the kiddies to take a shortcut through the bush to these wildflowers, what I didn't know was that between us and the mob of flowers was a slight incline which as I fell down it became a bigger incline then I thought. As I hit the bottom I twisted my foot back so far I don't know how it didn't brake in two. Fair dinkum I was in that much pain it wasn't bloody funny. After about three/four minutes and with a numb leg and an ankle that had seen better days I yelled at the kiddies to get in with the flamin' flowers and I'll get the flamin' photo as I wasn't coming all this way to hurt my flamin' self and not get the flamin' photo. If you look at Harrison I think he was still laughing at his old man when I took the picture, but don't worry I wriped the smile of his face real smart.....no I didn't give him a thumb, I just told him he lost hes cookies (ha,ha now who's laughing hay).



Then just as I thought my foot was about to exploded we reached the top of the hillside, and we feast our eyes on the outstanding spectacular panoramic views from the top. Well we could if their wasn't so many bloody trees in the way! But the kiddies were all happy as we were about to have our first smoko on the walk.






The walk back was a lot better as most of it was downhill, the little nevilles found an old burnt out tree and before you could say bob's ya uncle they were all over it like flyes at Cathy Freeman's BBQ! But if you want your kiddies to do as you want like asking them to leave the tree alone and come back. all you have to say is 'Hay just keep an eye out for the snakes okay' and just walk off. No joke in about four/five seconds you will have three little asses run past you and back on the track before you know it.



But every thing has to come to an end and before we knew it we jumped over the Kalgoorlie pipeline and we were back at Fred Jacoby Park and ready for our little picnic and just a lay down for my stuffed ankle.







So back at the Park we grabbed our tucker and water and set up for our picnic and tucker time. After smoko the kiddies started jumping all over the swings and running about all over the place, where they get all that energy I've got no idea mate, me I was stuffed.