Located on the south west coast of WA, approx. 418km drive from Perth, Denmark is tucked away in the Great Southern Region, along the Rainbow Coast. Yep, the Rainbow Coast – where lush green forests fuse with pristine sandy beaches, the magnificent Southern Ocean teases ancient colossal rocks, and unicorns graze the magical shimmering coastline… Okay, okay so I made that last bit up – but there’s no doubting Denmark truly is a very magical place.

As part of our Epic Easter Adventure™, my gorgeous bestie Sam and I packed up the car and headed down to the amazing south coast for a long weekend of exploring, culture and giggling at stupid shit only we could find funny. We stayed in amazing Albany and arranged a couple of fun excursions out, which you can read all about in the coming months (sqweee!)… The first adventure? A day trip to Denmark and (almost) Walpole on Good Friday.

Even before moving to Perth four years ago, I wanted to visit Denmark – the Elephant Rocks and Valley of the Giants tree top walk were two iconic standouts I couldn’t wait to visit, and needless to say, the wait was totally worth it… Denmark has a wonderfully friendly small-town vibe and it’s easy to see why it’s one of WA’s most iconic destinations for tourists.

The Valley of the Giants tree top walk is located in the heart of the Walpole-Nornalup National Park wilderness,  halfway between Denmark and Walpole. The 600m tree top walk is an internationally recognised attraction, with a spectacular walkway suspended 40m above the ground, yet still immersed within the vast heights of the 70m high tingle forest. The gradual climb into the treetops is breathtaking – and the tranquil views from the top were just incredible, as were the #FWIS (from where I stand, duh) views – although a little scary at times! You could literally look out for as far as the eye could see.

Upon descending the walkway platform, we followed the Ancient Empire trail which wandered across the forest floor around, between, and even through the giant ancient red tingle trees. Much of the luscious plant life in the Tingle forest is unique to WA’s south-west and some of the trees are over 400 yrs old! Oh, the stories they could tell… Trekking along the boardwalk in and out of dappled sunshine, you can almost hear the branches whispering in the soft breeze as they shaded us from the surprisingly toasty autumn sunshine. Looking up, you’re just in awe of this incredible, magical forest. Birds call from above and little rustles in the bushes are dead giveaways – the forest is alive, and if you’re lucky you’ll spy the wildlife lucky enough to call this magical place home, like the red-winged fairy-wrens. These sweet birdies were flitting all around the forest – little fun fact: during the mating ritual, the males pick yellow flowers to give to their crushes! Level of adorableness? 100%. This unique trail was very special, really offering trekkers a glimpse into what once was.

Unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy some of the ‘cultured’ places we’d hoped to visit in Denmark because it was Good Friday. So that meant that Lakehouse Winery, Ducketts Mill Wines and Willoughby Park Winery were out because, well, we all love JC. It just meant that we were able to spend longer reveling in the abundance of spectacular scenery that the amazing south coast – namely Denmark had to offer. On our way to the Elephant Rocks, after a quick detour to Peaceful Bay,  we popped into Bartholomews Meadery for some sweet, sweet honey tasting – where we managed to taste around 15 different honeys, anything from chai to vanilla… beyond yum! You can totally see what all the BUZZ is about.

About a ten minute drive from Denmark’s adorable little town centre lie the Elephant Rocks – iconic landmarks huddled along the dramatic coastline of Denmark, that fall within the William Bay National Park. The moment you set eyes on these gentle giants is quite amazing – not only are you surrounded by people from all over the world also marvelling at these natural wonders – you’re just immediately instilled with a feeling of absolute wonder at how amazing mother nature really is.

Nestled within the secluded, oh-so-pristine white sands of Elephant Cove and surrounded by brilliant turquoise waters, we could have sat watching the rocky herd paddling in the shallow waters all day long… Our favourite view was from above, simply because the resemblance of the rocks to a herd of heffalumps was unmistakable – however we also checked out the views from Elephant Cove. This gorgeous, idyllic beach was accessible via a descending stone staircase between a cluster of giant rocks, which lead to a sheltered path between two towering boulders that led out onto the cove. It was hard to avoid a foot-wetting experience as the tide teases in and out the giant rock-crevasse – as Sam unfortunately discovered… but not before we’d done most of our adventuring (scrambling?) along the rugged cove to the west of the Elephant Rocks, where we enjoyed an even more secluded view of the herd gazing out to the stunning Southern Ocean.

Just a short walk from these rugged stone animals was a well-worn track that ventured over rocky headland (views = beyond incredible) before we found ourselves gazing out over the wonders of Greens Pool. As we chose to go on a public holiday, the lagoon-like waters were jostling with families and kids, however the walk over the huge granite rocks and boulders was relatively kiddie-free and pretty darn incredible in itself.

All in all, Denmark was everything I expected it to be. We even managed to squeeze in a cheeky little trip to The (award winning) Denmark Bakery for some delicious pastries. My highlight of the trip? The Elephant Rocks, hands down. Seeing these natural wonders was a real bucket-list moment. But just a little word of warning if you do happen to visit – being in the presence of these immense rock formations is likely to leave you feeling a little… irrelephant.

Thanks to The Amazing South Coast for sponsoring this blog.

Stay tuned for my next (sky-high) adventure from the Amazing South Coast – blog coming early May! xo