Lake Leschenaultia… yes, it’s quite a mouthful

It’s been many years since I last spent the better part of a day at the beach, swimming and picnicking. Sand-fringed Lake Leschenaultia is located in Chidlow, in the Perth Hills, in the Shire of Mundaring (sounds distinctly hobbity, doesn’t it?), only a 45-minute drive from the city of Perth.

In case you were wondering what the excuse was to drag Roy out of his comfort zone, it was granddaughter Holly’s third birthday today.

Roy, Carl, Holly and Carrie under the shady casuarinas on the beach at Lake Leschenaultia

Previously a railway reservoir that supplied water to steam trains of the WA Government’s Eastern Railway line, the lake was opened for recreational use in 1949 and has been heritage-listed since 2005. It’s fringed by sandy, casuarina-shaded beaches, and offers camping, picnicking and BBQ facilities, canoe hire and more. In short, it’s perfect for a family outing.

Its maiden voyage – and $17 has never been better spent

The birthday girl has first go with her dad

Bush Walk

The best way to feel the spirit of a place is on foot, I believe, and preferably alone. (It’s a stroke of luck that I think that way, because generally no one wants to come with me. I wonder, why is that?)

This air here has a special quality – it’s clear, bone-dry and deliciously eucalyptus-scented. Even the 36-degree noonday heat is bearable; you hardly seem to perspire, so unlike humid Singapore, where you’re sweat-soaked within minutes. From far across the water drift the happy cries and laughter of families paddling, swimming, leaping off the pontoon – I can almost pick out the voices of my own.

It’s almost cool in the shade, even at 36 degrees Celsius

Wandering (lonely as a cloud) along the 3km trail around the lake in the midday sun – mad dogs and South Africans, you know – I can physically feel the Bush starting to creep into my heart.

It hasn’t had much opportunity so far to do so. We’re living 30km north of Perth city in Iluka, exactly a kilometre from the beach; so, when I do get out and run, it’s along the coast.

(I seem to spend the rest of my free time trawling suburban supermarkets and malls, while desperately avoiding visits to Bunnings – like the UK’s Homebase or B&Q. Roy, being of the masculine persuasion, is a big fan. As for me, all such DIY places make me yawn so hard I’m afraid I’ll swallow my own head, or spontaneously combust, or both.)

Grass trees – previously known as “blackboy trees” and understandably renamed

I never got his name, but he’s cute, right?

Ptilotus exaltatus (joey), or lambtails or pink mulla, add touches of exquisite prettiness here and there

So, what will I discover next week, when we head off on our road trip, east from Perth to Wave Rock and Hyden, and then south to Albany and Denmark? Whatever it is, I promise to get out there, be it running or walking, and to let you know.