Australia – John Forrest National park Eagle View Walk Trail

I was up relatively early, and left the hotel at 0800, my destination was the John Forrest Nature Park, to walk the Eagle View Walk Trail. It is only a short 30 minute drive out of Perth, but I didn’t go direct I took the less travelled road as you see more stuff. In Midland I came across signs for a market, so I stopped hoping to get something to take with me for lunch. An English guy selling bread supplied me with a long sour dough garlic and herb roll, and a cinamen twirl. I grabbed a coffee from what must be the biggest coffee shop I have ever seen, a vast hall with food down one side and a coffee serving counter island in the middle, it reminded me of a transport cafe.

The park was easy to find as it was well sign posted, a 1km tarmac track lead to a picnic area and parking. The entrance fee was $13 per car, so cheaper if you are with friends. I parked up and finished my coffee off and then went to the wardens hut to sign the book to register my walk.

There was a slight detour at the start of the walk, due to a new bridge installation, and once detoured the track headed up hill for a couple of km’s. The sun was out but I expected rain and the cumulus clouds were building and it looked a bit grey in the west where the weather comes from. There were lots of large boulders and rocky it crops, on one I spied a parrot, with a yellow splash on its neck, it was an Australian Ring Necked Parrot. The spring flowers were really starting to show there was plenty of yellow red and blue ones, I hadn’t a clue what their names were. I was quite lucky on the bird id front I spotted the distinctive Red Tailed Black Cocatoo, as well as Rufous Whistler and Shining Cuckoo.

At about the 2km to go mark I felt I had walked far enough which is perfect as I like to go just a little bit further than that. As I got back to the picnic area where the walked started would you believe it, two kangaroos hopped past, I had just spent 5 hours walking through the forest and hadn’t seen any, only the odd print in the sandy track.

It was around 1400 which meant I would have time to get a haircut, I don’t have a comb and although I got it cut before I left the UK it sometimes looked like it needed a comb. I headed back towards Perth but stopped at a shopping centre and did a Google map search for haircut open on Sunday’s Samurai Japanese barbers was only 4 minutes drive away. I found it it was one of three shops in a row on a main road the other two were shut and so did the barbers look. I pushed on the door and to my surprise it was open, a short (aren’t they all) stout Japanese guy with a pork pie hat at first said he did not have a slot but I explained I just wanted the clippers on it he agreed. I must say he paid the most attention to detail I have ever experienced from a barber. Apart from trimming my nose, and ear hairs he trimmed my eye brows and did a wet shave on my neck. Finally he washed my hair and then checked that there were no stray longer hairs missed by the clippers. For all that he only charged $20, great value.

I went to the Italian around the block from the hotel and had squid for dinner, then chilled out before going to the airport to pick up A who was flying in from Sydney and staying for the next two weeks.