Its a cool 7° and a foggy morning so we are slow to get going. We do some resupply in town then wander off around the Collie region looking at the Black Diamond lake, a disused coal mine now full of water. The dam water is aqua blue in colour and the mist was rising it was a pretty sight.

Then off to Wellington Dam to look at the worlds largest dam mural, its wonderful piece of art and worth making the effort to visit and gaze upon. Here is some more information about it https://inspiringcity.com/2021/02/20/giant-mural-on-the-wellington-dam-by-guido-van-helten/

Collie coal is for the power stations and given the Western Australian government huge investment in renewable power the need for coal fired power has diminished significantly. This is an important step in addressing climate change. It has also meant the town is in the process of adjusting. The dam mural, mountain biking opportunities and historical values and venues help provide a new direction for the town, all travellers can help such towns by injecting revenue into them by utilising these new facilities and the supporting town services.

We continue to meander around the countryside, its a mixture of conservation parks, forestry, farms, vineyards and orchards. We have lunch at Balingup a little town with real charm and is not spoilt by excessive tourist development and associated tinsel.

We continue southwards travelling back to the land of the giants ‘Karri and Tingle trees’ stopping at Walpole for the night. Frogs are calling looks like it will rain tonight. Rain is forecasted for the SW and its raining to the north along the coast. We are planning our next few days and will be heading east over the Nullarbor catching up again with family in South Australia in about 10 days.