Rave about Arts

A Walk on the Wild Side with Sabrina Hahn

Hopetoun Ravensthorpe Railway Heritage Walk Trail

The sun was out. Yes siree, after days of wind & rain, and after digging out our wellie boots the weather miraculously turned a wonderful shade of sunshine for our proposed bush adventure.

The Hopetoun Ravensthorpe Railway Heritage Walk Trail is rich in natural beauty, plant diversity, geology and history. 20 walkers were as keen as mustard to get on the trail, and to enjoy the great company of Sabrina Hahn, patron of the Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show and a wealth of practical information, horticultural knowledge and in general a lot of fun.

Walkers gathered at Kundip town site, then travelled north to Mine Road to meet up with the track where the wild walk began. This part of the Heritage trail runs parallel to the Steere River, towards Hopetoun, Later Site and Cottage Ruins. Old ruins were sighted, as was a biodiversity of plant life which required reference to booklets featuring local botanicals. Did you know that the Fitzgerald Biosphere is host to over 60 plant species, which are unique to the area, and more than 40 that are rarely found elsewhere?  The Hopetoun Ravensthorpe Railway Heritage Walk Trail is alongside the Fitzgerald River National Park which is the one and only Biodiversity Hotspot in Australia and is internationally recognised.

Apparently the adventurers also came across the Separation Plant. With Sabrina announcing “I found a Separation Plant“, she had everyone scurrying to see this rare species. However, the Separation Plant had even the professionals stumped. This find remains controversial because minorities of us are not so good with directions in the bush. Luckily Sue Leighton (local Horticulturist, Designer and Advisor) & Ainsley Foulds were qualified to be on the case. And anyway, what happens on the trail stays on the trail, isn’t that right?

A much deserved yummy morning tea was provided by Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council along the trail, which really topped off the morning and added value to the experience. An entertaining morning of flora, fauna, discovery and friendship.

 

After the official walk participants were offered to follow Sue down along Horner Road to view the wildflower wonderland, then on towards Dunns Swamp where the variety of species was awe inspiring. Every colour of the rainbow!

Sabrina Hahn was a pleasure as always, and participants soaked up knowledge and inspiration delivered in her down to earth approach. We thank everyone one who joined us for a great morning of culture and outdoor adventure. Let’s do it again sometime.

Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council receives core funding from Country Arts WA, which receives funding from the State Government through the Department of Culture and the Arts and Lotterywest.