The Crabbing Trip That Wasn’t
Trip Report
Trevor and Liz had again organised their annual crabbing trip at Heron Point so I decided to head down a couple of days early for a bit of R & R.
Well didn’t things change quickly?
We all know about the devastating Waroona fires that started on Wednesday 6 January.
I had no problems heading down there in the morning as the fire had not really affected any of the roads etc.
There were quite a few people at the campsite when I arrived but plenty of campsites still available.
After setting up camp we heard that the Forrest Highway was being closed as the fire was heading south west quickly. The camp hosts were in contact with the rangers from the Shire of Murray and we were advised that they didn’t think the campsite was in any danger so we were allowed to stay.
I had a great time swapping stories with the campers remaining in the campsite over a couple of drinks
Overnight (Wednesday night) the fire escalated with the Forrest Highway remaining closed.
Trevor & I were in contact to ensure that the campsite was still accessible in the hope that the trip could continue. Even though the highway was closed up to late Thursday campers were still being allowed to travel down to Herron Point. I even managed to get a trip in to Pinjarra to pick up some ice and a pie from the bakery.
Unfortunately on Thursday night, as the fire spread, all access down the highway was blocked and no one could get to Herron Point. After talking with Trevor he made the decision to cancel the trip and I decided to return home. I never had a feeling that we were in any danger during my stay at the campsite but I certainly had family and friends who were.
I had only just finished packing up when a short thunderstorm (with plenty of rain and lightning) hit the campground.
It was a strange feeling watching the spectacular skyline over the couple of days that resulted from the fire and knowing the devastation that was being placed on people, property and animals.
Andrew Phillips.
