Originally a fire break, the Heartbreak Trail was named to reflect the suffering it took to carve this track through the rugged and densely forested country of Warren National Park.
Today it is a fairly steep drive through the beautiful karri forests of south-west WA.
The Warren River is the centrepiece of this park and the environment here is considered pretty pristine. Although the coast is several kilometres away, the winds pick up salt from the ocean and deposit it over the country around here, where it is washed into the river via runoff from the heavy rains. This actually makes the water flowing in the Warren fairly salty.
The day I drove through this beautiful forest was a stunning and warm sunny day, which was very welcome after weeks of cold and wet weather.
All that rain did mean there were some very interesting fungi growing in the shadier parts of the forest and I found these colourful specimens as I wandered.
I actually have no idea, but they all looked deadly poisonous to me, so I left them well alone!
Not far from here is Yeagarup Lake, where I camped for a couple of days. The campground is totally immersed in the trees so not much sunlight made it through the canopy, so everything was damp and mossy.
The lake is a short distance away and as per usual, I loaded up my wine box and glass into my backpack for a wander to the lake in the evenings.
Although it was quite cool, the lake was beautifully still and I enjoyed my wine looking at the reflections in the dark water.
