Day 5: Beach walking

April 24, 2019April 24, 2019Leave a comment

Conto Campground to Deepdene Campground

Mileage: 30.0 km

Cumulative: 110.6 km

I slept very well last night and fell asleep almost as quickly as I turned off the head torch. Not before I caught a glimpse of a possum which was checking out the table at the campsite for scraps.

The morning started with a beautiful walk through Boranup Forest. The section has lots of Karri trees which provide a lot of shade to the forest. This meant it was quite cool in the morning air. It reminded me of the long Karri sections on the Bibbulmun Track around Pemberton.

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Day 4: Past Margaret River

April 22, 2019April 22, 20192 Comments

Ellenbrook to Conto Campground

Mileage: 28.6 km

Cumulative: 79.8 km

It was a very cold night last night at Ellenbrook. The campsite is in a valley so all the cold air sank making it pretty cold. I woke up at 5 AM after a pretty restless night ready for a 6.30 AM start.

It was a big climb up out of Ellenbrook to get the heart pumping but was then a nice walk along the cliffs which was straightforward underfoot.

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Day 3: Making Progress

April 22, 2019Leave a comment

Moses Rock to Ellenbrook

Mileage: 18.7 km

Cumulative: 51.9 km

Last night was quite cold but fortunately it was also dry. After hot chocolate and blueberry granola, it was time to head off on our southward journey. There were some beautiful views as we walked along the cliff tops.

We were lucky enough to see dolphins as they swam south through the ocean. They would follow the line of the swell and then jump up through the wave just as it was breaking. A beautiful start to Easter Sunday.

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Day 2: Yallingup and beyond

April 20, 2019April 20, 2019Leave a comment

Mt Duckworth to Moses Rock

Mileage: 23.2 km

Cumulative: 33.2 km

It rained on and off most of the night and, despite having a relatively sheltered spot, the wind howled in off the ocean. I woke up around 6 AM before first light and quickly got the stove going for a morning hot chocolate. It was then time to pack up the wet tent and head into Yallingup.

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Day 1: South from Cape Naturaliste

April 20, 2019April 20, 2019Leave a comment

Cape Naturaliste to Mt Duckworth

Mileage: 10.3 km

Total mileage: 10.3 km

It was a good decision to head down from Perth today as it meant the roads were less hectic than yesterday as the whole of Perth heads south for Easter. However, there was still plenty of traffic on the roads as I drove down south to Ben’s house.

The weather started to hail strongly as we were getting ready to set off which is unusual for April in WA. I dropped my car at Ben’s house and we headed down with Lisa and the kids for the hour and a half trip to Dunsborough.

Arriving at Cape Naturaliste, we said goodbye to Ben’s family and began the walk up to the lighthouse. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is under renovation so we weren’t able to touch it which is the traditional way to start this trail. Instead, we made use of the beautiful view of the Indian Ocean as the rain rolled in.