William Bay campsite (897.6 km) to Denmark (917.6 km)

Mileage: 20 km/12 miles (+1.8 km side trail to town).

Today was a day when I was glad to have done the longer km yesterday. The highlight of the day  was climbing Mt Hallawell which would have been difficult on top of the beach walk of Mazoletti Beach yesterday which is the longest beach on the trail.

We left William Bay campsite around 6.40 AM with the aim of arriving in Denmark around lunchtime (for obvious reasons). The trail after the campsite was fairly easy being along ridges and being generally undulating rather than the demanding ups and downs of yesterday.

The trail then dipped down to Lights Beach which was a very short walk. The ocean had calmed down a lot after the storm of two days ago and yesterday’s wind and rain. There was still rain on or off but nothing like the last few days. The wind was also steadily decreasing as the day went on.

After Lights Beach, it was a fairly long climb up to the top of Mt Hallawell. There was an information sign at the start of the climb which indicated it was 4.6 km to Ocean Beach Rd which is on the other side of Mt Hallawell. We probably only averaged 2 to 2.5 kph over this section as the ascent was steep with a tree fall to negotiate. In addition, the descent was tricky in places with a couple of large rocky sections to negotiate around. However, the views towards Denmark and the inlet were fantastic.

After the descent down the other side if Mt Hallawell, it was a fairly routine walk into Denmark which is not actually on the trail itself. Therefore, there are a few more km to negotiate which are not official trail km. The trail follows a mixture of roads and nature trails along the inlet.

Tonight is the Blue Wren hostel which is hiker friendly accomodation. After being on the trail in poor weather, a hot shower, nice bed and laundry facilities is really welcome.

The next few days on the trail will be fairly long with another three days to Albany. Tomorrow will be a boat trip across Nullaki Inlet and a 31 km day in total (including the inlet crossing of 3 km) to West Cape Howe.