South West Life

Some time back I had need of a weekend away.  Not being immensely cashed up, I looked around for something pleasant, that would be different from every other moment away I’d had, and not break the bank.

Checking out the local directory introduced Yelverton Eco Resort.  Sounds interesting, lets give them a call.

Basically what I found was 40ha of bush, south of Busselton on the way to Margaret River.  So far so good, but nothing special.  There are half a dozen very nicely appointed cottages and they’re spaced so you can have a bit of solitude…. things are sounding better.  The place is full of Kangaroos and other wild Australian creatures (possums, woylies etc).  Pretty cool so far, especially if you come from another country, but still alright if you’re a local.

Then the piece de resistance, the whole show is surrounded by a predator proof fence.  Foxes, dogs, cats, and anything else that has been making Australia such a tough place to live for our marsupials have been fenced out.  I’m reliably told that the last fox on the property was very cagey, but is now safely in the freezer as a memento.  Things are good for skippy and her mates.

The weekend was a treat.  Tired as I was, a chance to lie around late was appreciated, and hanging around on the verandah for dinner with birds and roos looking on was very calming.  Later, sitting in the spa with possums for an audience was absolutely fantastic.

Forty hectares (100 acres in the old money) isn’t huge, but especially with our smaller wildlife it’s more range than they use, so at different points of the block there will be different animals to see.  Remember, they’re not tame, so there are no guarantees they’ll come out and pose for photos, even if you know they’re there.

The bush itself is worth a look.  The soil here is quite sandy, so there is more of the banksia type woodland, not the massive Karri of Pemberton, and it’s easy to see how the larger animals have more room to range this way.

There have been times in my life when I’ve had the opportunity to idly speculate on things I’d like to do.  I know I’m not the only one in the South West who has entertained the thought of setting up a venue where the wildlife can just be allowed to reproduce and return to the way things must have been before we introduced all of the predators.  It’s not often that you get to see what that must have been like.  This visit was a blessing as there were two things on show…. A patch of Australian bush that is going some way toward supporting it’s original inhabitants, and a pair of people who’ve seen something they wanted to do, and just went on and did it.

My dream has probably been a little less inclusive.  I’ve always thought of how cool it would be to secure the space, but haven’t put much into how to share it with others.  The cottages are how it works.  They’ve been put together carefully and with an eye on sustainability.  Just the same, they’re comfortable and well worth staying in, they may even contain some eco lessons for our own places.

Twenty years since the dream started, Joy and Simon at Yelverton Brook eco retreat are starting to receive the recognition that following through on a good idea should bring.  Apart from the fact that they have now grown the property to six cabins, and apart from the fact that bookings are becoming more common, the Yelverton Brook Eco spa retreat and conservation Sanctuary was recently named as a finalist in the Banksia Foundation Environmental awards.  The awards are in their twentieth year and have drawn a level of respect across the Australian community which has led to some very significant companies and people lending their names as sponsors.  The award eventually went to someone else, but a quick look at the awards link will show you, this is good company to be compared with.

We all know that a great experience is more important than an award, but as things get ever busier I find that I might look more often at the bottle of wine with the awards on the label to help my decision.  Just the same, I found Yelverton Brook by myself, but knowing that groups like the Banksia foundation approve, can’t hurt.