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I only needed to hang around with a local for a week and a half to pick up the cosy name of Badgy in lieu of the official, but equally enjoyable, longer name of Badgingarra. Badgy smacks you delightfully in the face with its triple C community rating: caring, creative and committed. The spirit of this community was easy to find and it bubbles through the surface as you drive round the district or join in with local activities. This is a community that takes it in turns to produce the local newsletter. As a past editor and publisher of a community newsletter, and knowing the effort that it takes to produce each edition, this struck me as a great way for a broader range of people to share the load. You can see the three Cs when you deposit your recyclables at the primary school where there is a bin for all the possible recycling options and not even a tiny shard of glass is out of place. You ‘C’ them again when you take the Vern Westbrook walk, with the refreshingly crafted and hand-drawn interpretive signs that lure you from Walk #1 to Walk # 2 and then to the higher lookout along Walk # 3. One of the signs promises that you will see a Wedge-Tailed Eagle soaring high in the sky – and I’ll be damned if there wasn’t an eagle soaring overhead as I crested the ridge. The rust-red kangaroo that blended with the rocky outcrops was not so obliging but you can’t have everything presented easily for your eyeballs. The walk finishes with the opportunity for a drink of rainwater from a tank donated by a 14-year old local who had also thoughtfully provided a cup for the thirsty walker: when I saw this I experienced another friendly community slap on my shoulder – don’t you miss this caring gesture, Karen! Creative and quirky sculptures were located along the walk and larger versions could be found on the back roads around the district: sculpture in unexpected places is always enjoyable but especially so when it’s made from discarded items. Then there’s the tennis club who were so welcoming and generous in their encouragement of my tennis efforts: teasing from me skills that had remained frozen in time since I left school many decades ago. Badgy has many attractions, in addition to the locals. It is located in Dandaragan Shire Council, which boasts more than 40% of its area under parks or reserves – courtesy of relatively late settlement and low levels of clearance. Passing through in December, I was far too late to experience the full wildflower display but there was sufficient flowering for me to get a sense of how beautiful this area would be from August through September. “Welcome to Badgingarra” said the sign … I certainly felt welcome.