Into the forest

So it seems there is a possum that lives in the roof and it has some giant skinks to keep it company... and together they make up a 24-hour tag team. The possum is active at night and the skinks scurry about during the day. The owner seemed quite au fait about it when we queried him at breakfast, so er, that's that then.  

Felt happier at breakfast today having armed myself with my own cereal.  After eating we made the short 5 minute drive to the Carters Road Trailhead and made the most of the sunny morning to walk the Big Brook Trail.  Once again, only a short walk (3.5km) and this time on a smooth graded track.  Having said that, the poor signage at the start meant we walked a different trail to begin with and had to double back so we ended up adding to the overall distance.

The path through the woods

After yesterday's coastal walk, the dense forest made for a brilliant contrast.  Apart from a few places where the path wandered close to the highway and there was traffic noise, it felt like being a million miles away from everything.  Just the sound of birds, the whisper of the wind through the leaves, gentle rush of water, and our footfalls on the path.  

Majestic trees

The path crossed over a number of bridges as it switched back and forth across the brook. 

The 'big brook' giving the trail its name

Big Brook Trail

Feeling happy after our morning stroll, we headed to Temper Temper for a coffee and to sample some chocolate. Question: is Margaret River really big enough for a third gourmet chocolate place...?  Silly question!! From there it was a leisurely drive to our last stop of the day at Berry Farm.  We always visit when we're here, not only to stock up on some more wonderful produce, but to enjoy the lovely lunch meals from the cafe. I wasn't lucky enough to see any brilliant blue Splendid Fairy Wrens fluttering around the garden but Ross caught a glimpse. There was just enough of a chill in the air for us to savour our table in the sunshine while we ate our lunch.

The Berry Farm

Lunch over, it turned into another very lazy afternoon of reading and catching some zzZZZs back in our room.  Feeling way too stuffed to eat anything for dinner, we only ventured as far as the main street in the evening for some takeaway sushi.  

And as we drifted off to the Land of Nod, our little possum friend reliably started his nocturnal tap-dance routine above our heads...