Pemberton is another old timber mill village. Houses are thus cottage style and mostly built of wood. Some are very pleasant while others in disrepair.
There are several lovely restaurants and coffee shops and the two shops are well stocked.
I stayed for three nights, for one day off and then to do the last 25km into town.
I also met up with Peter for a coffee catch up and some information sharing.
Day 28
22 km
Cum 575 km
Camped: No camping- Pemberton
Today was still a pretty hilly day, not as bad as yesterday, still a good workout. The weather was great though- sun out and just a few clouds.
Lots of fallen trees, much like yesterday, so made for extra obstacles.
The karri trees are pretty impressive, when you can spot them through the undergrowth , which is fairly thick.
I got to the Beedelup waterfall before midday and checked it out from the look out. Decent amount of water- as can be expected with the rain.
From here I back tracked to Karri Valley Resort, where the plan was to meet Lucy for a pick up. However no sign of her, and she was due there an hour before I got there. So I order lunch at the restaurant, ate, and still nothing. I had messaged her with my progress and got nothing back. Maybe she just headed home?
By 13h30 I decided to make my way to the highway for a hitch. I got a hitch to the highway, as it was a bit of a walk, and then luckily , the guy who was fixing the coffee machine in the restaurant appeared and gave me a ride to Pemberton! Yay!! When there I got a call from Lucy explaining all the fuck around with her not having had signal and driving to the pick up twice!!! Oh no!
All this was for me to miss the next 2 days of heavy rain that’s coming. I also missed the last section between Beedelup camp and Pemberton , which I’ll try and do as a day walk and get a ride back or vice versa.
In the afternoon I had a shower, did the washing and picked up a few groceries. Lucy and I then drove to Big Brook Dam, lovely little spot.
Day 27
21.1 km
Cum 553 km
Camped: Beavis
Another warmer night, so that was good! Outta camp by 06h15 again after saying goodbye to Lucy. Will probably see her again in a couple of days as she may pick me up from Beedelup before big rain hits again.
Today was tough hiking! Colloquially known as the “roller coaster” there were a few steep descents, followed by river crossing then straight up steep ascents. Big, long lasting hills and most depressingly, without any views.
So pretty hard work for not much scenic value!
Arrived at camp at 11h45 and was only joined at 15h15 by an older South African couple. ( Susan and Steve)
There are lots of mosquitos here, probably the little pond of standing water that’s here…who’s idea was that?? They bite through your clothes and socks too!
Day 25
19.2 km
Cum 507.7 km
Camped: Tom Road
This morning I was up at then usual time. Well actually it gets earlier as the sun rises earlier and the birds start singing . Currently this is about 04h50.
I took the opportunity to do the 3km loop, to see the King Karri. It is the 4th largest tree on the Significant Tree Register. It has a diameter of 3m and height of 76m. A very impressive tree indeed!
The cafe only opens at 08h30. So there was plenty of time to relax in the morning. This being pretty unusual for me 😉 .
Lucy, who I met yesterday , had a coffee while I had savoury and sweet scone and a coffee. We decided we would walk together today. We left DRV at 09h20.
The day was so nice and warm, quickly rook off my long sleeve and was left with a t-shirt. This hasn’t happened in over 2 weeks! Blue skies and sunny all the way!
The forest was very pleasant- karri trees and followed the Donnely River most of the day, though sometimes it was more a stream than river.
We saw a male emu, looking after two chick’s, walking along the track. We were often impressed by the size of some of the remaining old karri trees.
We arrived at camp at 14h20, to find such a nicely positioned hut. It is on the bend of the river, in the karri forest. Lucy went for a very cold swim, I just enlisted my washcloth and did a quick clean. The water is definitely too cold for my liking!
AND I reached my 500km mark!!! Wooohooo!! I think the official half way marker is tomorrow but I have done a few extra side trips!
The Achilles has been a bit more sore…so let’s hope it holds up ok!!
Day 24
22.5 km
Cum 488.5 km
Camped: No camping; Donnely River Village
Today started extra early as Alan, Mr walk 50-60km a day easy, wakes up at 04h00. I personally believe people like that should sleep in a tent and not wake everyone up!
Most of the day was relatively unexciting as there was plenty of kilometres of walking through overgrown plant tunnels.
A few hours out of the hut the track does go past the first lot of karri trees. These are eucalyptus trees that lose their bark and have a ghostly grey, white appearance. The forest floor is littered with their bark! Anywhere in the proximity is covered by long shreds !
A little while later I came across Wilson camp, not really an official Bibbulmun track camp, it is a small 4 person shelter, tank and toilet.
Most of the track from here was on wider track and with more karri trees. I also spotted new orchids- snail orchids I believe-growing on a mossy, decomposing log.
Walking into the village was pretty cool. The village used to be a timber mill based village. Now the timber mill has been closed since 1978 and the town turned into a holiday village. The old timber houses are used as holiday rentals, in a quiet little place surrounded by forest. The village is also well known for having tame emus and kangaroos as well as “28” lorikeets. They are to tame for my liking and love to steal people’s food!
First things first I had a beef lasagne and coffee for lunch, booked my place at the old school house bunk room and had a shower! Then did laundry.
Feeling much cleaner I noticed that the others that had stayed in camp with us last night, had also arrived and so chatted to them before their lift arrived .
Peter will be doing a double hut day tomorrow, so will be a day ahead of me, but will see him in Pemberton.
Rusty will probably catch up as he isn’t resting in Pemberton but here in DRV with some mates.
I found out that there was some mobile phone signal behind a few cottages in the village and went there to try sort accommodation for Pemberton. Took a while but got there in the end!
Day 23
18.2 km
Cum 466 km
Camped: Gregory Brook
Woke up this morning to the whole valley filled with mist…and my whole tent near dripping with condensation.
The view was pretty good; especially as the sun tried to break through.
The walking started with a steep downhill, then a short flat past some farms. One of the farmers actually is lovely and leaves out fresh fruit for the hikers in a cooler box. A sign on it reads …Weary hikers help yourselves. How nice!? I grabbed an apple.
After the Southampton bridge there is a long, dirt road uphill.
I must say that there wasn’t really too much in terms of scenery today. Lots of plant tunnels that are overgrown that you need to push your way through, some bushes being fairly thorny.
I was the first into camp at 11h20, followed by the other three from Blackwood. Then two guys came in all the way from Balingup and another couple from the south.
So the hut was very busy, and all this with a full toilet!! Late in the afternoon though, I was standing near the hut and heard vehicles, then saw a 4WD and a truck behind it that looked like a shit truck. We were all very happy that in a while we would have a toilet that is usable again!!! How lucky!?! Hahahaha… I know , its the small things.
Day 22
18 km
Cum 447.8 km
Camped: Blackwood
Can’t say that I slept very well, despite having the whole place to myself for another night.
After watching some news in the morning , I was off a little before 06h45.
The first attraction enroute today was just a couple of kilometres out of Balingup. It is the Golden Valley Tree Park. The walk through very old trees was pretty awesome. There are oaks planted by the Cleveland Family in 1898!! The location of where they first camped and ended up settling. It is the largest arboretum in WA. Due to the fact that it has many European species it would look amazing in autumn, with changing colours.
As I made my way down south, the track was fairly uneventful. At one stages it joins part of the Greenbush loop track. These tracks take us to the location of an old mining ramp where tin ore was dumped from 20 ton trucks. Funny cause 20 ton trucks are super super small!! The mine was called Vultan Tin Mine.
Mining started in the late 1800s. The track also took me past Mt Jones Dam. The water from here was used for processing of the tin, using gravity sluicing.
There were a good few climbs today. One of them opened up to a great view of farmland . This was going to be a taste of what the latter part of the walk would hold.
Coming out of the forest there is a walk alongside farm dirt roads and then through Southampton Farm. Had to walk past a bunch of cows. Luckily they moved away from me and not towards me….hehehehe…phew!
The views from the top of this paddock were pretty good, before turning into a forestry road- pine plantation. This was the last 2km or so before the hut.
Blackwood hut is situated on top of a pretty high hill. It has great views but is quiet exposed.
I had read online that there is a mouse problem here, so I set up my tent straight up, won’t be sleeping in the hut. There is also a re-vegetation project happening, so lots of green protective boxes around young plantings.
Glad that I didn’t hike yesterday through the rain; as I would have likely missed all of today’s views.
I was joined in the hut many hours after my arrival by Dave and Katie and then an hour later by Peter. Peter is doing an E2E and the others just a short section.
Day 21
23 km
Cum 429.8 km
Camped: Balingup Post Office – no camping
Had a very restless night of sleep, partly to the cold and partly to who knows what?
Lewis was leaving early and so was up and about shortly after 5am. He was out of camp at about 06h15, and I was close behind him.
Today was fairly uneventful, a few views of farmland and some flowers to brighten up the walk.
A highlight was definitely walking into the very cute village of Balingup. Very quaint timber cottages line the streets and there are a few cafes to full up in…which I definitely did!
I stayed at the Posthouse, which is an addendum to the post office. Four bunks per room, lovely living area, kitchen, dining and great bathrooms.
I was alone in my room, so that’s great !
With it supposed to be a rainy day tomorrow, I have decided to stay another night and miss the up to 10mm of rain.
Took the opportunity to check out the Avenue of honour , planted in 1932. There is a name plate with, date of death and age of each soldier that died in WW1 from this region.
Day 20
23 km
Cum 406.8 km
Camped: Grimwade Campsite
I must say that I had a really good nights sleep last night! Only woke up at 4am.
Was up and ready to go at 06h20.
Today was very much a day of up/down/up/down/up/down/up/down. You get the picture.
There wasn’t anything to exciting on trail really. Just going through jarrah and marri forests.
As I walk and hear black Cockatoos I am reminded to explain what Honky nuts or gum nuts are. They are eaten by black Cockatoos and then strewn over the forest floor to become nature’s version of Lego! They are very uncomfortable to walk on and are ankle busters!
I walked in to camp, knowing that I had completed 400km today!! Yay!
Done for the day at 12h45, got onto having a wipe down and change of clothes as I knew Lewis was probably close behind me.
Lewis was having a shorter day today, not his usual double hutting 40km plus, so we will share the hut again today. It was sooooo good in that it didn’t rain last night nor today-so could walk through a drier forest!!
I must also add that this toilet is a) nice and close to the hut and b) has a great view when you leave the door open 😉
Day 19
20.2 km
Cum 383.8 km
Camped: Noggerup Campsite
Today was a slow start… despite waking up up 4am and just listening to my audio book.
The pub only opens at 11h30, and there was only 13km to go.
I left camp at 07h15 and walked slow and steady and took several breaks.
The Glen Mervyn Dam was pleasant , with clean looking water, but very cold I’m sure!
I reached the pub at 10h30 and had to wait for an hour…
Ordered salt and pepper squid and a cider…then finished it off with an ice cream .
I then left the pub at 12h45 to finish off the final 8km or so. A nice section out of the pub, followed an old railway line. It was lined with many wildflowers and orchards and farmland around.
Then came the hill that I had been warned about. But it wasn’t bad. It was a dirt road, steady gradient and kept going for a while.
Another few kilometres through Preston National Park and I arrived at camp before 15h00.
There was an overnight family of 4 who were in their tents. Fire starters too…so we had a fire going before dark. Lewis then walked in , he had walked over 40km from Collie! Last in was Jess, who is just doing a short section.
Day 18
20 km
Cum 363.6 km
Camped: Yabberup Campsite
Why do I keep waking up at 3am??? Probably going to sleep at 9pm doesn’t help! Even earlier in camp, mind you.
Anyway, had a shower this morning and went across the road to McDonald’s to get a bacon and egg Mcmuffin and cappuccino for breakfast.
Was packed and off again at 07h05, to an overcast morning .
The walk was good, pretty flat and most of the day was walking in a sea of yellow flowers.
I tried very hard to spot the few orchids that I have not yet seen, but , alas, no cigar today.
The sun broke through a few times today, but not for long. I did make it to the hut at 12h20, just before a light shower hit. There is supposed to be a higher chance of rain as the day progresses.
It did indeed start raining a little before 15h00 and continued steady for a while, with showers until 10pm. Maybe best that I didn’t push on to the pub today as I thought I might. Something to look forward to tomorrow 😉 .
I stayed in Collie for 2 nights. Have a day off, resupply, have some good food and needed to get a pair of long johns as these nights are not getting any warmer!! Last night was 0C, felt like -2C according to the weather!!! Brrrrrr!
I also wanted to go through see the Wellington Dam mural- largest mural in the world! So I organised a trip with a local guide- Simone- and another lady . Very cruisy day, following lovely scenic drives and checking out the dam!
The mural is painted by Guido van Helten and is 8,000 square metres!!! He was the only artist who put in a submission without saying what he was going to paint. He planned that out after lots of community engagement.
This huge mural is part of the Collie Mural Trail- street art all over the town, that is getting a makeover from it’s dirty coal mining history and reputation.
I must say, that I did enjoy my time in Collie- very pleasant town ! There are signs that several businesses have closed, but also of money spent to renovate the old buildings.
Day 17
23 km
Cum 343.6 km
Camped: Collie- NO CAMPING 🙂
I was pretty keen to get into town again today after not having showered for 7 days! But I digress…
There were quiet a few rain showers during the night which means it wasn’t as cold as before. I also hoped that, that would mean it was all rained out… hahahaha…or not!
Lots of wet overhanging plants, meant no rain but still wet during the morning !
There was a section of forest, coming near the dam, that had very much a fairy feel to it. The fern undergrowth and soft lichens and mosses made it so. Apparently others agree with me as they created fairy gardens- see pics.
First point of interest for the day was Harris Dam. A very cool construction, the dam wall being the granite bed rock !
Today’s walking was also very much a maze, having to find your way between many 4WD tracks and even more mountain bike tracks! Lots of turns, so had to stay awake.
There was a bit of drizzle today, but not too bad.
Coming into town my first stop was the visitors centre, to sign the log book and find out if there was a way to get to Wellington Dam for the mural.
Then the most important stop- pub for a scotch steak lunch special and cider . Very good indeed!
I ended up booking at the same place as Carmal, and just caught her before she did her laundry. So we joined loads. Washing clean, then jumped in the shower so that I could be fresh too!!! Soo good!
I also popped into the library to start on the blog.
Day 16
14.8 km
Cum 320.6 km
Camped: Harris Dam Campsite
Got out of camp at the usual 06h30, with the hope that I can make this short section before the afternoon showers that were forecast! It was so good to get into dry clothes for a change!
There were lots of spider, enamel, cowslip orchids around and some jarrah trees with the odd paperbarks.
There was a previously burnt off section that has been taken over by pink pea flowers, looks glorious!
When getting to another track/ road intersection the track on the other side was danger taped and a diversion notice was in place to go around the prescribed burn that had occurred on 23 Sep as it turned out. The diversion was fairly well marked too and added only 0.5 km to the trail. It was along this diversion that I met Glen, who is attempting to do the trail in 14 days!! That’s over 70km per day on average!! He is also raising money for charity. Wow!!
Got to about 3km from the hut when it started to drizzle… and continued to do so until 10h15, when I reached the hut, then the rain stopped! Bummer! Did the weather not read the weather forecast of AFTERNOON showers???
Carmel came in about an hour and a half later, for what will be our last night on the track.
The real afternoon showers came in at 12h40…a more appropriate time for afternoon showers 😉
Day 15
19.3 km
Cum 305.8 km
Camped: Yourdamung Campsite
After a longish rain shower at night we woke up to SUNSHINE! Could it be for real? Could it last the whole day???
It actually did!! How very exciting!! First day in a while without a drenching!
Near the start of today there were some very low hanging, tunnel creating , very wet plants that meant the rain jacket was coming in handy straight up!
Luckily this was just for a few hundred meters. Much of the track was 4WD to start with.
Today was actually very diverse: sandy, wet plains that had new wildflowers and orchids. Low lying wetlands and the Plonkhole all added to the variety!
Loads of different coloured flowers inside and out of the water. It felt like a flower safari! Spotted many spider orchids, purple enamel orchids, blue sky orchid and the orange and bright orange stars! Some areas were just covered in cowslip orchids too! I also spotted one kangaroo paw, a green one.
It was a very diverse day, which made it pleasant for sure!
Also, when getting to the top of the hill I got some phone signal after none or very poor for a few days. So I took a break on a big log and checked out what was happening- and the weather. And, yes, it’s going to rain for the next few days!!
Got into camp at about 12h15 and got everything out to dry, with the hope that I will actually have dry clothes tomorrow!
Day 14
19.5 km
Cum 286.5km
Camped: Possum Springs Campsite
Putting on my still pretty wet clothes , was not fun this morning. I was a little excited though in that after a good shower before sunrise , the sun was actually out!! Yay!
Unfortunately, this didn’t last long and the whole day was deceptive sunshine followed by strong showers.
The track today was a little more interesting than yesterday, the highlight being crossing of the Murray River on the suspension bridge. The last bridge was burned down by a bush fire in 2015.
The soles of my feet have become rather sensitive due to being in wet shoes the whole day. I couldn’t wait to get them dry!
There were many huge puddles of water that had to be traversed on the 4WD tracks we were on.
I did see a couple of new orchids and wildflowers.
Going down one of the hills, I saw something strange…three piles of emu crap…and stranger still, they were all different colours: purple, brown and olive green! You can’t miss emu shit… it’s actually pretty large!! Just a bit of an interlude there . Hahahahaha
And, as luck would have it… a shower 1.5km from the hut to get wet…ALL OVER AGAIN!
Arrived at the hut at about 12h45. Got wet clothes off and into the dry… business as usual now.
This shelter is a rammed earth construction, and is very open . I expect a cold night then!
It has rained often since I got in.
Day 13
19.5 km
Cum 267 km
Camped: Dookanelly Campsite
Today was much the same as yesterday in terms of getting out of camp.
Though I don’t think the dry spell lasted very long. I was hopeful though in seeing some sunlight at first. It was quickly taken over my rain clouds and rain. Today was predicted to be 100% of 20-30mm!!! Luckily I don’t think that much fell- well not yet!
And more rain…and more rain during the day. I was drenched quickly and then remained wet.
It wasn’t a very exciting day in terms of scenery either, we just walked through tunnels and tunnels of plants. You can hear the river and very rarely catch glimpses of it. Not only do the plant tunnels block and view, they also remain wet after the rain and rain all over you when you walk under them!
I walked into camp a little before 11h30, and started to take everything off and hang it up. Not sure how it will go for drying as it is soaked!
Luckily my dry bags have worked, gotten wet, but kept everything inside dry. I’m glad about that!
We shared the camp with four other women, so it was quiet a full house. The others put up tents inside the shelter- a bit overkill if you ask me.
Day 12
19.2 km
Cum 247.5 km
Camped: Murray Campsite
Actually didn’t have too bad a rest. I was up at 05h45 and out of camp by 06h20.
It wasn’t overcast, which was great considering the forecast!
I had two big climbs today , and both were a little disappointing as there weren’t really good views to see clearly. Also, unfortunately, it started to rain just before each climb, so it was very sweaty inside the rain jacket and wet from outside rain.
As I was resting on a log after one of the smaller climbs of today, I sat and enjoyed the birds. Very small birds were very active around here and some popped in to say hello too. Also spotted at Blue Wren, a little closer than before.
Not too far from here I also spotted an echidna, right alongside the path. When it realised I posed no threat, it carried on foraging. Very cute bundle of quills 😉
I was only some 1km away from camp when I strong shower came down. Of course, enough to wet me quite well! Why not wait 15min rain???
Came into camp at 12h10. Just in time for lunch. Then changed out of the wet clothes in an attempt to dry them before tomorrow. Luckily a couple of hours later the sun did come out!!
I was alone at camp for a while and sat to watch the birds again. I noticed blue wrens here too and tried very hard to get a picture… but not great ones.
This camp is on the Murray River and so there is quiet a variety of birdlife.
Day 11
13.3 km
Cum 228.3 km
Camped: Swamp Oak
After my last night in a bed for a week or so , as well as a good breakfast and shower it was off from Boddington to Dwellingup. Luke was nice enough to drop me off in town and then take the boys out for the day. I had gotten my second Pfizer yesterday and wanted to make sure I didn’t have any side effects. All was good in the day and overnight.
I know I’m going to miss this bunch and being fed such lovely meals and good company!
I started on the track a little before 10h00. I had my raincoat on as it was supposed to start raining soon.
The first section was through natural forest , and was fairly flat. The sun stayed out and I had to stop to remove the rain jacket.
The scenery changed when we headed into a pine plantation. Then the effort level changed when the trail hit a 200m elevation change. It was a good effort.
Fairly shortly after hitting the flat , about 3km from camp, I bumped into Carmel. She is doing the section I’m on now, at the same pace. So we walked the last few kilometers together.
We arrived at about 13h15 and met up with people who are headed north.
We had a little, tiny rain shower, then sun again.
Another fire starter at camp, and we had a fire going by 16h00 after a lot of effort in wood collection.
A grandfather, father and son also walked into camp, to complete our ensemble for the night.
Exciting times in Boddington- being fed like a queen for breakfast, lunch and dinner .
Main event for the weekend was the quilt show -and we were lucky to know the winner- Heather’s Mom -Robyn! Some great examples of quilt work too.
Heather also took me around the region to have a look past the mine and the local community- nice look around 🙂
Day 10
22.8 km
Cum 215 km
Camped: stayed at Heather’s in Boddington!! No camping!
I think I’m glad that I slept in the tent as it was warmer than outside. Not much sleep though with the coughing and nose blowing.
I hit the trail just after 06h30- it remained cold for a couple of hours.
The track was flat , except by the railway line.
I took a wrong turn, even though I checked on the nav app…but the location didn’t seem to update quick enough. So I ended up following the now disused Pinjarra Narrogin railway line. It was somewhat overgrown in places, but passable.
Then it sort of went up and down and in between very overgrown bush. Why it didn’t simply follow the forestry road, I don’t understand?
I got to the Etmilyn station, which is the end of a narrow gauge railway from Dwellingup. I was hoping to catch the train up actually…but luckily I didnt wait for it as it only passed me when I was some 1 hour to Dwellingup.
I had found a cidery on the way into Dwellingup, and even a big sign by the tracks. I did follow my nose to try and find it, but it felt that I was in someone’s back yard. So , not to get done for trespassing, I decided I would just get some cider at the pub!
It was only a couple of kilometers into town from here. I headed straight to the Blue Wren Cafe , which I have heard about from many on the trail. I ordered a cappuccino and chicken burger. When it came out, it would have been the biggest burger ever!!! Over 45min of eating I still didn’t finish most the chips and the roll.
I let Heather know that I was in town, as she was picking me up from Dwellingup, to stay in Boddington. Heather and I are friends from years ago in Whyalla!
I bought us some cakes from the cafe for everyone and headed to our meeting point, via the pub J
As there is a quilting competition in Boddington this weekend- a long weekend- Heather’s mom, dad and aunt also came over from Perth. We had a delicious dinner of lasagne, vegetables and even beef stroganoff!! Soooo good!! Yummy!
And to top it off… a bed for the next few nights and fully showered and scrubbed after 10 days on track!
Day 9
15 km
Cum 192.2 km
Camped: Chadoora
It was warm in the closed off Mt Wells shelter, luckily as the night was a cold one. I didn’t sleep much as my cold and cough deteriorated.
I left camp at 06h30 and made the longish descent through burned bush. The descent is not technically challenging, just downhill and mainly straight for most of the day.
Spotted some pretty orchids and flowers and was good to walk through some forest that had not been burned.
Walking with a cold isn’t much fun though, with my nose running badly and me just stuffing toilet paper into each nostril and breathing through my mouth.
Luckily today and tomorrow are flat sections, cause a hill would cause much discomfort for sure!!
I arrived at the hut at 11h30 and took out my mat and sleeping bag for an afternoon nap. Didn’t sleep too much but at least a little.
At about 14h00, Paul arrived, all the way from the previous hut and we had a little chat. I told him that I would put up my tent though, so that he doesn’t have to hear me cough and splurge the whole night. He appreciated this as he had just been sick too. He had mentioned that the next week will be rainy , which is not fun!
He was also nice enough to go out and try his Sat phone to see if I could get a ride out earlier.
I explained that if I wasn’t well, I would hitch or try and catch the train back into town. There is a little narrow gauge that runs on weekends.
Had dinner at 17h00 and went into the tent to keep warm as a cool night approached.
Day 8
16 km
Cum 177.2 km
Camped: Mt Wells
I’m so confused by this weather: hot day followed by cold as night, followed yet again by a hot day and then last night was pleasant !?! I can’t figure out if I should leave my spare pants or not?
The three others at camp were up early and gone by 06h30. They were going to have a 30km day, whereas I was just doing about half of that. I’m not keen on the 30s!
I left camp at 07h00. This whole section was very burned by a fire , and there is still a lot of black trees and stumps everywhere. It was a bit bleak.
Shortly after leaving camp there is a decent climb up to granite boulders. It wasn’t too bad, being the morning.
There is then a long stretch of flat before a fairly long climb up to Mt Wells, where the only fully enclosed hut on the Bibb is. The climb up, in the hotter part of the day did kick my arse! But was glad to have made it up by 11h30!
I took the opportunity of early arrival to dry things out in the sun for once!
There is also remnants of an old water tower, which you can climb up part way, so I checked it out for sunset.
The flies were a right royal pain in the butt!
When I was already in bed, and it was dark, Stacey walked in. She had come from Gringer Creek and was in a rush to get to Dwellingup to pick up her food drop from the post office. She didn’t take into account that it is closed on weekends- and this weekend is a long weekend too!
Day 7
19 km * extra for garage return
Cum 161.2 km
Camped: White Horse Hills
After a terribly cold night- confirmed feels like -1.3C- without much sleep it was time to head to the North Bannister Garage to pick up my food drop that a lovely trail angel dropped off for me on the weekend.
Before we left though, I noticed a small tick on my hand. We decided to try Tom’s tick freeze on it. One spray, but it didn’t fall off. So we decided to wait a bit. 1 hour later at the petrol station, still nothing. So we sprayed again. It wasn’t coming lose though, so I tweeted it out with my tweezers and got it all out!
Tom and Maddy came along to the station too, to grab snacks and a coffee. We each had a pie for breakfast! I also grabbed some chocolate and jelly snakes- my first this trip .
We were lucky enough to bump into Frank T at the station. He has done the track 15 times! So he gave us some tips and we chatted for 20min or so.
Speaking of track setters, there is a man who lives on the trail and has done the track 28 times now!!
It was a little after 09h00 that we were back at camp to head off through the track, as the highway was very busy. So we weren’t going to short cut along it.
Tom and Maddy were patient enough to walk with me today and we exchanged travel stories- especially South America. They moved quicker in the afternoon as they realised they were running low on water.
Today consisted of two decent climbs, which were done in the heat of the day, due to our late departure.
It was pretty heavy going, though the hills were at approx 1:10 gradient, so not too bad. Much of the walk was fairly exposed to the sun though today, and not many good logs to sit in the shade on!
The view from the second peak was billowing smoke from a prescribed burn a couple of valleys away.
I arrived at camp at 15h15.
Gillian, a 71 year old lady, whom was at camp with us yesterday, was also here. She has already done her end to end, she is just doing a section to check out the wild flowers . She said she marked out an orchid on the trail for us but none of us noticed L.
Day 6
30 km
Cum 142.2 km
Camped: Gringer Creek
Left Mt Cooke camp at 06h30 and hit the uphill trail straight up. The climb up the mountain was steady and rewarding . The view from the top was great with the continued blue skies. A few times that I lost the track and bundu bashed to find it, but didn’t waste much time.
The descent was a little tougher but not bad at all. The rest of the way to Nerang camp was pretty flat and I got there by 10h45. My shoulders were already sore from the pack. I had a slightly longer break and left at 11h30.
The second session of the day was another 16km, flat but between the shoulders, feet and chaffing in the groin I was pretty over it. Many breaks later I got there at 16h30 , exhausted but happy. Also definitely going to be losing the big toe nails and I have a blister on my little toe…man oh man!
Cam and Macca rolled into camp about an hour later and set up a lovely campfire, this after a 50km day!!! Every day!!! 21 days to complete the whole Bibb!! They had just met up with Rick who got them some pizza and met them for the short walk into the hut from the highway.
Day 5
30 km
Cum 112.3 km
Camped: Mt Cooke Campsite
Tom and Maddy were out today at a quick
06h30, followed by me 15min later. I think last night was the best sleep so
far- got a few hours. This was good as I
needed the energy!
The day was to be split in 2 parts- the
first to Monadnocks Campsite. This was
just over 12km and just a few hills to climb,
otherwise flat. I got here at 11am, and met with Tom and Maddy as they
were just about getting ready to leave.
As they left, a lovely trail volunteer came
on her regular walk to check out her section of trail and also bought in a roll
of toilet paper- how nice!
I left after lunch, at about 11h30.
Part 2 of the day included hiking up and
down 2 peaks: Mt Cuthbert and Mt Vincent.
Both their summits at around 500m and both had really good views,
especially Mt Cuthbert! The ascent and descent were both fairly steep, probably
the roughest part of the track so far- but we have been spoilt, and it wasn’t
too bad. The fact that it was entirely blue skies all day also helped with the views
for miles!
About half way down the descent of the 2nd
peak is the 100km mark!! Yeah!!! 10% of the trail done! Took a commemorative
selfie.
From here it was about 6km to get to the
hut… and a pretty long lasting 6km it seemed to be.
I have struggled with a lot of chaffing in
the groin area over the last 2 days and this last stretch just bought this
home! Apparently no amount of nappy rash cream is helping or soothing and I
must watch not to get an infection. That
would be nasty but possible with no showering for over a week! Tomorrow we see
if no underwear helps… TMI – I know!!
I got into camp at 16h15 and set up my tent
as the hut was very busy, and there were several tents up too!
Day 4
18.9 km
Cum 82.4 km
Camped: Canning Hut
The night was uneventful in terms of critters visiting, though we had some passing drizzles.
I left the hut a little after 7am and was delighted to find that most of the trail was flat to Brookton Hut, 8km away.
Met up with a school group of young kids who were there overnight , many hiking for the first time. Also ended up borrowing them my tweezers as a few had ticks on them… note to self AGAIN!
Just before I left Tom and Maddy arrived for their morning tea and I caught up with them.
On one of my breaks I got a message from Bruce, the trail angel, that he dropped off my food package in North Bannister. So that is good to know!
I think the highlight of the walk today was a huge granite rock outcrop , that was a dramatic change in scenery and lead to an interesting, water logged marsh type of an area. A few new types of wild flowers popped up . It was definitely something different.
It was around this time that Tom and Maddy caught up to me , not far from Canning.
We met up there, me knowing that I will overnight here and them still debating. At the end of the of the discussion, they decided to stay the night.
We were joined a little later by Allan, who is right at the end of his walk. He was a good egg to have around as he made us a great fire! So that’s my 3rd night in a row with a fire! How nice 😉
Day 3
20.3 km
Cum 63.5 km
Camped: Mt Dale Hut
Another night of not sleeping much. Woke up to the valley filled with mist, which was pretty.
Got up at 6am and was off by 7am, but then walked around for 15min trying to find the right way out and finally spotted the marker!! How frustrating!
The day’s hiking was a bit easier than yesterday, with less up and down but still some steady climbs!
I stopped over at Beraking Hut for brunch. I had just about finished and packed up when another hiker rocked up. We started chatting and another 20min went by. Lewis is trying the squeeze the 1,000km, or as much as possible, into 3 weeks! He has done several thru hikes before, including the Te Araroa and PCT. And with his miles he could get pretty close!
The afternoon stretch was more challenging, mainly due to the backpack, so I took several 10min breaks, with it off.
After one of these breaks I bumped into a group of 4 young guys, who had committed to hiking the whole trail within our 5 min chat…easy done! 😉
Just around the corner after having met them, I realised that I had stepped on a small snake and it was trying to squirm out form under my shoe! Luckily it was small!!
Not long after, during my first break without pack I was busy stretching and saw a tick crawling up my gaiter! I squashed it one shot! In between the midgies and tick I was outta there!
It was at 3pm that I reached the hut and met Lewis again on his way to do the afternoon shift, so to say. He walks until just before it gets dark.
Just as I was settling in, Rein, whom I met at the Mt Dale parking , and who got very lost today rocked up to camp too.
This was to join a father, his 2 sons and one of their friends.
Just on 4pm Tom and Maddy arrived and we chatted a fair bit about life after graduation, as they had just graduated. I also question them on their ultralight gear as their backpacks were less than half of mine! Granted though , they can put in 50 km days!
Had a fire in the evening and the dad brought
marshmallows- so that was a winner! What was less than I winner was the giant
rat thing that we heard in the bush and wasn’t shy in coming out! All the food
is packed up…let’s hope it doesn’t visit later as I’m in the hut tonight!!!
That is open!!
Day 2
21.3 km
Cum 43.2 km
Camped: Waalegh
The kookaburras were awake before 5am this morning…and so was I. Not that I had much rest during the night! Again!
So I packed up the pretty wet tent. Wet mainly due to internal condensation with the huge temperature variance. I estimate that it was approximately 3C at a minimum, based on forecast.
It was misty when I got out the tent and pretty chilly. I had everything packed up and was off by 06h40 .
I was at Ball Creek hut by 07h15, to find a still sleeping hiker inside. I kept walking. The black Cockatoos were flying and screeching. They have very bright red and orange tail feathers- pretty spectacular! While we are on birds, also spotted many small pretty birds, some all green, others red and black and even a blue wren!! But it just flew past very quickly and didn’t sit nearby.
After a fair bit of up and down I got to Helena Hut just after 10am. So I had my standard brunch of wrap, cheese and salami. I decided not to do breakfast on this trip as I never felt like any before when hiking in NZ. Its also no messing around in the morning then. We will see how this approach goes.
I still had about 8km until the next hut and could definitely feel the back pack…my hip joints are pretty sore , as are my shoulders. So I take 5-10min breaks every hour or so as I do this next very hilly bit. Its very up and down and I’m just thinking…man! I’m so pack and hill unfit!!! Let’s hope that changes soon!
I got to Waalegh Hut just after 3pm to find a lovely mother and daughter (Claire and Ruby) and we chat throughout the afternoon and make a small fire in the evening.
I took my tent out upon my arrival but it didn’t fully dry as there wasn’t much wind and no sun. So I decided to do the night in the open sided hut. With the food bags hung up, hopefully the critters won’t get in!
PS The toilet here is so far away!! Its a mini trek to get there!
