Denmark, on the south coast in the heart of the Great Southern region of Western Australia is about a five hour drive from our home in Perth. We stopped for a treat at the Mount Baker Bakery. It was very good.
White settlement was established in 1895 when a mill town was built by the Millar brothers, later Millars Timber and Trading Company. They operated in Denmark until 1905. Other important industries since then include fishing, farming, dairying, vegetable and fruit growing, all still evident, along with tourism and viticulture.
Silver Road leading to our chalet. Apart from being surrounded by amazing forests, Denmark township offers some historical buildings, lots of interesting food and usually, art and craft galleries but these were all closed when we were there.
My grandfather was born in Denmark in 1895.
Redgum, our chalet at Karrak Ridge, chosen because it has beautiful views, clever design elements and we could take Louis, our dog! Behind Redgum is 50 acres of karri forest and in front, never ending views over the tanks, dams, alpacas, sheep and cattle, then valleys and green hilltops in the distance. It was very quiet and restful here.
The chalets are elevated, maximizing the views, but also very private.
This is the bedroom and like all the floors in the chalet it has timber boards with under floorboard insulation to retain winter warmth and prevent draughts. ( Previous three photographs used by permission of Karrak Reach)
The clerestory windows capture the winter sun so less energy is required to heat the chalet. There is also a biolytix recycling system, a method of treating wastewater.
I sometimes get hay fever from dust so when we’re booking accommodation I look for tiles and floorboards, blinds and shutters and leather furniture as they are less dusty.
The meet and greet committee at the front door.
We visited relatives on their farm and had a lovely day. This is the wonderful terrine we enjoyed for lunch. The photos of their crops ….not so good!
More of the karri forest.
A lot of the food we ate featured locally produced vegetables and protein. It is easy to find out where the food is sourced.
We enjoyed eating out in Denmark. Despite many places being shut for winter we found a range of food options.
Two views of Wilson Inlet, the largest inlet on the southern coastline. Wilson Inlet is part of a really pretty body of water but on a freezing cold, wet and gloomy day it was hard to capture how lovely this area is as photos were taken quickly between rain and hail. Not ideal holidaying conditions but we enjoyed driving around the coastline, visiting relatives, eating in cafes, restaurants and a brewery and relaxing in our cosy chalet.
These little blue wrens darted around in the restaurant. We also saw small birds with bright red breasts just like robin red breasts but I’m not sure what they were, apart from gorgeous!
Louis lurked quietly under tables in outdoor areas when we ate. We cannot take our dogs into restaurants in Australia.
Ten years ago we were in the same area for a wedding and bought Ugg boots for my husband which he has worn every winter since. They were beginning to look a bit forlorn so we went back to the leather shop near Nornalup and bought a new pair. The next night we enjoyed dinner with the couple whose wedding we attended ten years ago. They now have two gorgeous little boys!
Today is WORLD LION DAY intended to pay tribute to this beautiful and fearsome animal. Lion numbers have dramatically declined to the point where the species is being considered endangered.