Once upon a time… some 65 million years ago, a magical land in the south-west of Western Australia stood tall as extreme climate change drastically altered the world around it. Holding its ground to emerge victorious from a battle that raged for thousands of years, this ancient empire formed a collaborative relationship with the fledgling human species. Nowadays, adventurers with a green heart can enter this mystical land to float on the shoulders of giants and explore the enchanted world hidden beneath their colossal green canopy.

Welcome to the Valley of the Giants. Here a Tree Top Walk in Walpole-Nornalup National Park provides a larger than life experience among towering timber. Grab a bird’s eye view walking 40m above ground atop the 600m of airy steel bridge as the lush environment ushers you through the tree tops.

The canopy reaches up to about 80m in height and includes the attractive red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii), yellow tingle (E. guilfoylei), and karri (E. diversicolor) trees. This Walpole Wilderness Area has an annual rainfall of between 1000 to 1200mm, with well-drained gravelly soil that has low nutrient content over a hilly terrain with only minor seasonal change. It’s because of this that species have survived in the forest for tens of millions of years.

The first high-flying visitor traversed the tops of the giant tingle trees in August 1996. The structure was built to allow visitors an up close and personal tingle tree experience that does not damage the tingle trees. The shallow roots mean they are super sensitive to soil compaction from people and vehicles traversing their bases.

Thoughtfully designed to resemble the local tassel flower (Leucopogon verticillatus) and sword grass (Lepidosperma effusum), the bridge’s supporting pylons blend with the surrounding forest – the spans reminiscent of the shape of the sword grass leaf. Constructed off-site, then transported and built on-site, every attempt was made to minimise impact.

Walking along the tree tops is the ultimate way to encompass the magnitude of your breathtaking surroundings. You’ll hear birds singing and feel invigorated by the crisp breeze hitting your skin. Areas along the walkway provide opportunities to stop and capture that perfect picture or feed the kids or just pause to take it all in. You’ll eventually wind your way through the canopy and back below where a fascinating primeval underworld filled with weird and wonderful nature awaits along the Ancient Empire Walk.

Built at the same time as the Tree Top Walk, the Ancient Empire Walk provides a whole new and enchanting experience on the ground level of the tingle forest. More than 70 per cent of sunlight is filtered out, never to reach the forest floor. This cool, moist environment is home to many invertebrates and a variety of birds and animals. Follow the interpretive signs around the bitumen paths and jarrah decking to meet the local flora and fauna characters up close. Much of the plant life is unique to the south-west of WA, with the majestic tingle trees only found in a small area of 6000 hectares. Native animals feast on the abundance of seeds, nuts, fruit, nectar, fungi and insects.

The red tingles are easily identified by their rough fibrous bark of a grey-red colour and large base circumference of up to 20m. This makes it the largest buttressing eucalypt. This tree has an extremely restricted range and can only be found in the area between the Deep River in the west, the Bow River to the east and within 10km of the coast. The flowering cycle starts after 30 years of age when the tree produces small white flowers once every four years in the late summer and early autumn. This can continue for the life of the tree, which can live for more than 400 years and reach a height of 75m.

The distinctive feature of the red tingle is its large, hollowed-out base. The hollows have been created over a long period of time by fire, fungal and insect attacks. Unlike other eucalypts, red tingles do not have a taproot. They have a shallow root system that spreads as they grow older, causing the trees to buttress. This gives them more stability and also allows them to absorb extra moisture and nutrients from the shallow soils. Its shallow root system and reliance on surface humus for nutrients makes the tingle base vulnerable.

Yellow tingles grow to a height of about 40m and do not buttress like the red tingle. The timber is a rich yellow colour and the hardwood is hard and straight-grained. Karri is WA’s tallest tree and the third tallest tree in the world. Guide Justine pointed out that: “Karri trees are the tallest in the forest, shedding their bark yearly in March and April, an indicator for Aboriginals that salmon are running along the coast.”  They can reach heights of up to 90m and have a long straight trunk with bark in varying shades of pink, orange, yellow, white and grey. The smaller karri she-oak (Allocasuarina decussata) has needle-like leaves and is almost entirely confined to the karri forest. It has a corky bark and can grow to a height of 15m. There are separate male and female flowers on the same plant.

The inspiration for the Tree Top Walk design, the tassel flower, has green, pointed leaves that are arranged in whorls and small, scented flowers which hang from the bush-like tassels. It grows to between one and four metres in height. Flowers bear small, edible, cream coloured fruits that are a favourite with the native birds and mammals.

The leaf blades of the sword grass are razor sharp but quokkas move silently through sheltered tracks or ‘runnels’ hidden from predators like feral cats and foxes. Introduced pests impact the area’s vulnerable wildlife, resulting in widespread 1080 poisoning in an attempt to combat their devastation. The sword grass grows prolifically throughout the wet tingle forest, with the seeds providing a food source for small birds.

Somewhat surprisingly, Justine said: “The density of the sword grass means there are no kangaroos or emus in the immediate area. They are more likely found in the surrounding farmland and some of the less dense National Park.”

The quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is native to WA and is fast becoming the ‘it’ animal of the state. Many do not know that the quokka is not only found on Rottnest, but on the mainland too, and in particular in the Southern Forests and the Valley of the Giants. There’s even a “push for the cute native mammal to become WA’s State emblem,” said Justine.

Some of you may have seen the photo with Chris Hemsworth holding a quokka, well, that has a lot to do with it. But they are amazing animals, along with other locals ranging from possums, wallabies, bats and frogs to rosellas, robins, parrots and wrens. Many species are secretive and only come out at night. Quokkas emerge from the undergrowth at dusk while possums wait until dark to climb down from their hollows in the tall trees. Nine native species of microbats live in the tree hollows, growing to the teeny size of a 50c piece.

Red-winged fairy-wrens (Malurus elegans) are small, charismatic birds which can be seen during the day as they flit and hop through the undergrowth in search of tiny insects. The males are distinguished in the breeding season by their bright blue and chestnut plumage. They sing to advertise their territory and remarkably distinguish each other by their songs. During the mating ritual the males adorably pick yellow flowers to give to the females.