My sister Diana and her husband John live in a small community called Sawyers Valley with a population of around a thousand people. Sawyers Valley is sited on the Great Eastern Highway about 40 kilometres east of Perth in the Shire of Mundaring. The community began as a sawmill and railway siding to process timber from the forest surrounding the Helena River to the south. Local employment originally included forest and Goldfields Water Supply Scheme maintenance, small orchards, and the Midland Railway Workshops. Now most of the inhabitants commute to Perth and the surrounds to work.
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| A marks the spot |
Di and John have lived here for around 32 years after an overland trip from England in a Land Rover. They were originally intending to end up in Sydney, but arriving in Perth with little money they rented temporary accommodation in the city. They liked it so much that the never got to Sydney, but instead bought a block of about two acres in the bush in Sawyers Valley and subsequently built their own house where they live to this day. The house is a single story structure with 3 bedrooms with a veranda at the front, situated at the rear of the plot and is surrounded by natural bush.
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| Front of House with Veranda |
They have a small lawn at the front and at the rear they have a paved area with a pergola covered with a number of vines, which provides a shaded area for sitting out in. There is a small pond and some native plants here as well.
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| Patio at rear with vine cover |
The house is located in an east west orientation that has allowed them to put panels on the roof to heat their water. More recently they have added Photovoltaic panels to the roof, which generate electricity that they can use and also export back their excess to the grid. This was helped by fairly generous government subsidy.
To the east side they have some fruit trees and their vegetable garden with a chicken run with a few chickens that provide a steady supply of fresh eggs. To the west they have built a two bay open garage and also a large workshop.
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| Egg Factory |
To the east side they have some fruit trees and their vegetable garden with a chicken run with a few chickens that provide a steady supply of fresh eggs. To the west they have built a two bay open garage and also a large workshop.
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| Garage & Workshop |
In front of this is an old railway carriage which has been refurbished, re-roofed and fitted out as a studio for Di to do her mosaic work.
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| Old carriage studio |
From the garage the drive follows the western boundary of the property to the public road, Helena Terrace that leads down into Sawyers Valley about a kilometre away. The rest of the block consists of a wide variety of gum trees and a natural under-storey. To the rear of the property is natural bush with a firebreak at the boundary. This is part of the National Park and provides a host of walks through the natural vegetation.
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| Firebreak with natural bush beyond |
There are a number of other properties nearby all strung out along Helena Terrace, but probably no more than about twenty. However John's and Di's house number is 1095, which makes sense when you realise that the numbering system, in common with rural WA, is the distance that their entrance gate is from the start of the road, not a count of dwellings along the road. I suppose this method of numbering is most useful for the emergency services when trying to find the property. A factor which could be important in this area where forest fires can be an everyday occurrence in summer when temperatures climb to over 40C.
In the gardens at both front and rear they have a number of bird baths which attract the local native birds, so these are always worth watching. Currawong, Magpies, Bronze-wings, Kookaburra and various Honey-Eaters are seen regularly.
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| Australian Magpie |
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| Bronze Wing Pigeon |
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| Paper Wasps |
Well the first week has passed in a twinkle of an eye, I have got out my bike and have been trundling down the old railway line that is just below Helena Terrace. The railway has been converted to a Heritage trail for walking, horse riding and cycling. There is a circular route from Sawyers Valley through Mundaring down to Swan View and then returns up through the John Forest National Park, Parkerville and on to Mount Helena and then loops back to Sawyers Valley. This is a distance of about 40Km and I am gradually working up to doing this complete circuit. This week I have started by doing a short ride daily from Sawyers Valley through Mundaring and on to Mahogany Creek and then back again which is a distance of about 20Km.
I had my old car in for a service and check up in the local garage in Mundaring this week. No major problems other than fluids change and replacement fan and air-con belts. I now feel confident to take it down south when Pat comes out here next month. It is a 1993 Mitsubishi Magna Estate. When first bought it in about 2001 on my first trip out here I took it into the garage for a checkup and it was pronounced good, imagine my surprise when driving home the second day I had it, the engine seized up. It was a pitch black night and I was about 2 km from home in a strange land not really knowing where I was. I left the car and walked home in the direction I hoped was correct. I managed to find my way home eventually and my sister and her husband were asleep.
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| My old Magna |
The following day the garage took my car in and discovered that a core plug in the side of the engine was leaking and all the coolant had drained out. I immediately assumed that the engine was a total write off buts as luck would have it, once the cylinder head had been machined and a new gasket fitted the car was as good as new. It has been going good ever since so hopefully still has a few more Ks in it. To date the speedo shows just over 250,000 Kms. Great Japanese engineering!
Well next week we are off down to Dunsborough which is about 279 Kms from Sawyers Valley for Christmas with Di and Johns Son and his family. We are borrowing someones house for a couple of weeks so more to come on that later...............
Thought for today
Happiness is the ability to recognise it!
