Countryside and Country Towns
After Nannup, we took a different road towards home.
I could get used to drives like this. Gives me almost the same feeling as going to Granddad’s in West Virginia.
Could I live here, is what I kept thinking. 🙂
Loved seeing the barns and farms.
The town takes its name from Balingup Pool, located on the Balingup Brook which flows through the town. The name was first recorded by a surveyor in 1850, and is said to be derived from the name of Noongar warrior, Balingan.
Not sure if the “magic” is in the mushrooms that grow there.
Who can resist a cozy cottage covered in flowers?
Balingup is home to the scarecrow, which is outfitted differently according to the festival that’s on in town such as the Balingup Medieval Carnivale, held in August every year. Appearing 4 to 5 times a year they mark the many great events hosted in the townsite.
Krazy Kow Kafe in Mullalyup
The name is taken from the nearby Mullalyup Brook, and was first noted by John Forrest in 1898. It is Noongar in origin, and apparently means “nose place”, as the place where nose-piercing was performed as part of the initiation cycle of young men.
Donnybrook is the home of Western Australia’s apple industry. In 1900, the first Granny Smith apple tree was planted, and the apple orchard industry grew after World War.
Donnybrook has many town icons bearing the apple. The Apple FunPark, the largest free-entry playground in Australia, opened in Easter 2008 in time for the Donnybrook Apple Festival. The fruit-themed park has play equipment and an adult exercise area.
I couldn’t help but notice something my children would like.
I loved this day. I must be a country girl at heart.
