Tag: bibbulmun track

Day 40: Into Denmark

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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.


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Day 39: A wild day to William Bay

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Quarrum Nature Reserve (864.2 km) to William Bay (897.6 km)

Mileage: 33.4 km/20.9 miles

It was quite stormy last night with some strong winds, a couple of intense rolls of thunder and frequent lightning during the night. The Hexamid stood up reasonably well and I had a fairly low, taut pitch. That also meant some condensation though it was quite manageable. The rain continued this morning so a lie in was called for to wait out the rain. The forecast was rain this morning then clearing by 10 AM as the cold front cleared through. It is unusual to have cold fronts in WA in summer as they are considered more of a winter phenomenon but at least it’s cool.

The day began wandering through Quarrum Nature Reserve which was impressive. It is also known as the Showgrounds and I imagine the wildflowers are really impressive in the right season. There were lots of kangaroos, most of whom were very tame. The scenary was almost English-esque with only the Australian fauna giving things away.


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Day 38: Irwin Inlet by canoe

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Peaceful Bay (854.2 km) to Quarrum Nature Reserve (864.2 km)

Mileage: 10km/6.25 miles

Today was a long day.  Not just because of the drive but due to a difficult day yesterday.  We had to take my daughter to  the emergency department yesterday as she took a tumble and hurt her back. I didn’t leave the hospital until after 1 AM and Nicole ended up staying all night. Lauren turned out to be fine but, unfortunately it meant a long day today on next to no sleep.

Peaceful Bay is a 450km drive from Perth but a fairly pleasant one going through some nice little towns on the way such as Balingup and Walpole. We arrived at Peaceful Bay at around 3pm and got going shortly after.


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Days 10 to 20: Dwellingup to Donnelly River Village

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This is a lengthy section of 272km from Dwellingup through to the start of the karri forests around Donnelly River Village. The first part of the trail from Dwellingup heads past Swamp Oak campsite and alongside the Murray River to the campsite of the same name. This is a great spot although damaged by fire in recent years.

From Murray, the trail heads further south until it hits the trail town of Collie which is a welcome break and place to rest up. After Collie, the trail has a beautiful little section through to the trail town of Balingup. The walk into Balingup is quite special along a nice little brook through some pine forest.

After Balingup, the trail heads further south through farmland in parts and through the arboretum to Blackwood Campsite, which has a nice view but has also been hit by fires in recent years. After this, it is into one of the worst campsites on the track in my view at Gregory Brook before finally reaching the old timber town of Gregory Brook.

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Days 1 to 9: Kalamunda to Dwellingup

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This section is from the Northern Terminus in Kalmunda to Dwellingup which is a distance of around 200km. The track starts in jarrah forest through Piesse Brook and heads to Mundaring Weir crossing the wall and providing spectacular views. The track then heads towards Waalegh with extensive views across the valley and beautiful morning mists.

From here, the track heads due south past Mt Dale and the Monadnocks Conservation Area. After climbing Mt Vincent and Mt Cuthbert, the track crosses Albany Highway towards White Horse Hills. From here, there are further climbs up Mt Wells and then the track heads on to Dwellingup along old railway formations.

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