Denmark is a very pretty little town (population 500) set on the
Denmark river and surrounded by beaches, national park, rock formations and hilly tree lined roads. Of interest is that there isn't a single traffic light in the whole town. It is known for it's cottage industry - art galleries, fresh produce and food (locally made honeys, preserves, etc) and most of all for it's excellent wine. There are 26 wineries, plenty for even the thirstiest of tourists.
As Denmark is only about 50 kilometres west of Albany, we arrived yesterday and set up along the river with plenty of time to enjoy a day of touring the area. Naturally the first port of call was the wineries. We went to several sampling the wines and buying a few bottles as we went along. We were enjoying ourselves so much that the time flew by and it was only the sound of our rumbling stomachs that alerted us to the hour and the fact that we had forgotten to eat. We stopped at a cafe for a late lunch and then back to the wineries.
The woman at Matilda wines was from New York and I enjoyed chatting with her and "comparing notes" while sampling some delicious wines. We also went to a Honey
Meadery where we sampled various types of honey mead and bought a spiced and sweet variety. They also sold various types of honey and other bee products (lip balms, moisturisers) and honey ice cream.
It was a warm day and by the time we got back to the camper I'd had my fill of both wine and sun and decided that a nap was the go. When I awoke two hours later it was getting dark and Mike already had the camper annexe up. I'd say I timed that one pretty well.. :)
Today we went to see the "valley of the giants" in the national park between Denmark and Walpole which is the next town to the west. We went for a treetop walk amongst the tingle trees followed by a walk on the forest floor amongst them called the "ancient walk". At the top point we were 40 metres above ground walking along the canopy of the trees. I thought it was great and really enjoyed it. The metal walkways had a bit of sway to them though and by the end of it Mike was starting to look a bit green around the edges.
We stopped on the way back at "green's pool" which is a very nice
sheltered beach and great for swimming and rock fishing. Our last stop for the day was at the toffee factory where they make every flavour of toffee imaginable -
Kahlua,
Irish cream, liquorice, chocolate and a host of others. Of course we came back with some toffee as well as a packet of
chili peanut brittle. They also made various sauces -
mayos, salad dressings and dipping sauces. It was probably a good thing that it was a quick visit as we arrived near their closing time!
It's about 6pm now and I'm starting to feel hungry for dinner. We have a lamb roast and veggies cooking in our cob and the aroma is incredible.
Can you spot me in the distance amongst the tree tops?
I'd imagine the face on this old tree would be giving a few kids nightmares
Here's one of the bream that we decided to keep.
Mike scaling the fish
and filleting as another man arrives with his catch.
The pelicans notice that there is some fish cleaning going on and start to run onto the beach toward the fish cleaning hut.
The Pelicans jockey for position as Mike is about to toss a fish carcass.
Success! the pelican in the middle is the lucky fellow who catches the whole carcass in his mouth
