But be warned, this is not a stroll in the park. I want to walk the Bibbulmun Track, I said confidently when my turn came. There are many free shelters and towns along the way, so this trail is welcomed to many whether they be end-to-enders, weekenders, or day hikers. It will come in very useful when I finally get to do my own E2E. Im just getting the blog off the ground so its good to hear somebody is finding it useful. I also maintain a rigorous stretching routine when Im on multi-day hikes, to keep my legs from seizing up and to protect my knees. Thanks for the reply. If youre walking the whole Track in one go, transport is not an issue you can catch a bus from Perth to the northern terminus of the Track in Kalamunda, and get a bus back from Albany when you arrive at the southern terminus a month or two later (or vice versa if youre walking from south to north). In August of 2018 after 2.5 years of planning I started my thru-hike of the 1005km Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia. Megan, I find this very good sharing, especially on the resupply considerations that included supporting local businesses. Well be sending a second pair of each ahead to one of the Track towns in case they are so worn we need to replace them (gulp!). Required fields are marked *. A combination approach really worked well for me. As with all long distance hiking, the lighter your pack the better your journey will be. If you have a car, you can drive to an accessible place on the Track, walk to a certain point then retrace your steps back to the car. Nowadays, I use an ultraviolet wand which doesnt affect the taste of the water. It will probably be very uncomfortable sleeping on the ground but you might be able to cope for two nights. Your email address will not be published. Therefore, if my boots fit well at the heels, my second toes end up getting battered on hikes and eventually, the nails turn black and drop off. Doing it sandals should surely count for more than a regular end-to-end. Bibbulmun Track Video December 29, 2021. This creates a logistical nightmare. Cheers, Andrew. The most important item on any hike is a pair of comfortable, well worn-in boots. Matt. To help you get started on overnight walks the Foundation also has a range of items for hire. I used a pyramid tarp which gave me good all round protection although next time I would choose something with a smaller footprint. I took water purification tablets on my first hike, but the treated water tasted so foul I couldnt drink it! Water is available from tanks at each of the 48 campsites along the. I was really happy to be a trail angel for one of your re-supply days. Bibbulmun Track Food planning & resupplying on the Bibbulmun Track! The Group page. How much water youll need to take will depend upon the time of year. As were planning on doing the entire 1,000 km in 45 days, well need to skip some of the huts and plan carefully so we can resupply and rest where possible. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This series will show you what it's like to thru-hike the 1002 km (623 mile) Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia, including the terrain, life in camp, the b. Embrace it, and figure out what works for you. Those that walk every step of the way can be registered as end-to-enders. Its become an obsession. Thats literally just a petrol station with very basic, expensive options, although it does have an attached cafe so you can have at least one decent hot meal. If you want to experience the geological features, biodiversity and scenic beauty of this long-distance walking trail, the Section-by-Section guide on the excellent Bibbulmun Track Foundation website is a great place to start. Erika Lori sets a new record on the 1,000km Bibbulmun Track. May 4th 2016 It is the night before (it actually isn't but I am now writing this all in retrospect) and I am so very excited. The best word to describe it is pleasant. The Pingerup Plains between Northcliffe and Mandalay Beach are usually inundated in late winter and spring, but many hikers believe its worth a few days of wading to see their magnificent wildflowers in full bloom. Food planning & resupplying on the Bibbulmun Track! I also occasionally use my phone. Awesome write up thank you! Hello Andrew. If an access point is not shown here, then it is likely that it is not a permitted vehicle access point. They cost nearly $700 and dont look like much, but theyre probably the best money Ive ever spent on hiking gear. Pemberton to Walpole The section from Pemberton to Walpole is exciting. The facilities are world class compared to most long-distance trails around the world. With that decided, training should have been next on the list, but I was pretty fit so figured I didnt need to do much of that. Northcliffe had a great food cooperative selling bulk and local food that I wanted to support. Photos featured on this site are courtesy of Tourism WA, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Doug Coughran, Colin Ingram, Peter Nicholas, L-A Shibish and Nature Play WA. ), while still leaving opportunities to add to my lunch & snack supplies. Track Angels are locals that support hikers on the track - whether they be end to enders like us, or just doing sections of it - with food drops, accommodation, advice and lifts. You get to experience the famous (or infamous!) During the summer months (December to February) very hot weather, low water supplies, and abundant flies can make long walks very uncomfortable and even dangerous. Lines in his book A long walk in the Australian bush.. It is roughly 1000 kilometers in length. Im quite an experienced hiker, and find your blog post very usefull. It may not have the most spectacular scenery for most of it, but it somehow wins the heart of everyone that hikes it for the pleasant experience. We have been planning in earnest for a few weeks now and we have been using a huge excel spreadsheet to help us battle the logistics one step at a time. You may be able to ship a resupply to the cafe, called the Three Ways Road House. One of many shelters with covered tables and water tanks. By Ben Dickinson. It is a great community of enthusiastic Bibb Track hikers, supporters and the Bibbulmun Track Foundation. In the end I came away with the resupply plan: Kalamunda Sullivans Rock: Pack everything, dehydrating my own food & carrying from the start to reach Sullivans Rock, Sullivans Rock Dwellingup: Pack everything, dehydrating my own food & organise a trail angel to drop off near Sullivans Rock to reach Dwellingup. The Bibbulmun Track takes hikers through the Karri trees of the southern forests | credit: Bibbulmun Track Foundation. Food can add considerably to the weight of one's backpack, significantly affecting the level of enjoyment experienced on the walk. Besides a 5,000-litre rain water tank, each campsite has a sturdy three-sided timber hut with a tin roof, a bush toilet, tent sites, and a picnic table. Copyright 2023 Bibbulmun Track Foundation. Should just bite the bullet and get one! Definitely not perfect but I was trying! Our current plan involves only restocking at the towns, although we are also exploring the option of calling upon the Tracks Trail Angels to drop off food on some of the longer, 7+ day stints to reduce our pack weights. Best time to hike the Bibbulmun track is between April and October. Therefore, we will put "30 day fixed", "7 day auction", etc in this column. A checklist is great way to start. The Bibbulmun Track, Western Australia Ranging from inland planes to beaches, limestone ranges to damp gullies, the 965-kilometre Bibbulmun Track, spanning from Perth to Albany, is one of Australia's great walks. The WA Parks Foundation is running two prize draws online throughout March to encourage membership to help support the Foundations, Dark Sky Festival celebrates total solar eclipse, The Dark Sky Festival from 19 to 21 April will take place in the Shires of Ashburton, Carnarvon and Exmouth, Signing up to protect endangered black cockatoos, Murdoch University is working closely with Main Roads Western Australia on projects to minimise the impact of motorists and road. Dwellingup Collie: Pack everything (except breakfast), dehydrating my own food & post to Dwellingup accomodation to reach Collie. I tried to allow at least one rest day in each town to stock up on supplies, do my washing, shower, eat and, most importantly, rest. To walk the whole track is an adventure in contrasts, where the reward for your hard work is to see the world change before you at the speed of a human being. How much food you need to take will depend on your metabolism, how long you are walking for, and which section of the track you are doing. Sharing the journey. This occurs on the first stretch (on a north to south hike) between Kalamunda and Dwellingup and involves walking for at least 10 days with no opportunities to resupply. What my heart chose surprised even me. Track so, if you walk in the spring when water is plentiful and temperatures are not too high, you could get away with carrying about two litres of water. Im trying to cut down on as much weight as possible. The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world's great long distance walk trails, stretching nearly 1000kms from Kalamunda (Perth Hills) to Albany (South Coast) through the heart of the scenic South West of Western Australian town of Denmark, Western Australia. If youre not walking alone and have two cars at your disposal, a good strategy is to park a car at each end of the section. Reflections from the reality & how it all worked out. Hi! 55 days on the wallaby -- the Bibbulmun Track 55 days on the wallaby - an unauthorized guide to the Bibbulmun Track (Text by Ian McAuley, photographs by Helen McAuley) In October and November 2008, three of us walked the 966 km length of the Bibbulmun Track, from Albany to Perth. Im passionate about the Bibb, and am forever encouraging others to give it a go. How big were the towns and what were their supermarkets/food stores/cooperatives like for resupplying? This is a very rewarding and quite remote expeditionary hike. My basic gear, not including food and water, weighed about 13 kilograms (see the list at the end of this blog). Still buying from towns did provide some good flexibility. They generally only have one brand of everything though, and fresh items are often very limited. From Perth, there are a couple of public buses that will take us straight to the Northern Terminus of the Bibbulmun Track in Kalamunda. Everyone looked stunned. It also provides schools with the resources to participate in the WACE endorsed end-to-end program and students to attain the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Although well be walking in Australias winter and rain is a distinct possibility, weve opted for lightweight trail shoes which will offer the tread we need without the weight and (hopefully) the blisters and pressure points on the feet. I might end up with a couple of 40km+ days I think but the majority should be around 30km. In my humble opinion, the Australian outdoor gear industry is still stuck in the 1980s, when heavy packs were a source of pride and durability was the biggest concern. For example: Kalamunda to Dwellingup was approximately 11 nights, which was too far to carry food the whole way. I have a question about the resupply in towns.. if you dont mind. Many Different Landforms. A range of tasty Back Country Cuisine meals are available in select stores along the Track. It was another early settler who arrived a year later, Pemberton Walcott, who gave the town its name. Bushwalking is a natural tonic, providing a balance between enjoyable, low impact physical activity and a wellbeing workout. If youre on a tight budget, its still possible to put together a kit with gear from AliExpress and sale items watch this space for gear reviews on how to make that happen! Unless you can talk friends into bringing supplies to you, which could be difficult to coordinate, youll need to do a food drop before you go. I vividly remember the day I committed to walk the Bibbulmun Track. Cooking for two, I prepared and dehydrated batches of 8-12 serves (4-6 days) of 11 different dishes, once or twice a week during our preparation time rather than all at once at the end, so the task wasn't too overwhelming. This includes how to get there, highlights, interesting places, weather forecasts, Track conditions, the Track towns and photos. Im okay with sleeping on a hard surface (we are sleeping in a tent) but would you definitely recommend bringing one? The towns on the Bibbulmun Track are pretty spread out, with the greatest distance between two towns being 202 kilometres. Ive got a Wilderness Equipment Discovery 1 (medium), but I bought it in 1998 so things will have moved on since then! The next most important consideration for a long distance hike is your pack. Of course, equally valid pursuits enjoyed by many visitors are eating, drinking and relaxing in nature! The most well-known is the Gloucester Tree, which is located only a couple of kilometres out of Pemberton.Despite not being very confident about heights, I climbed the Gloucester Tree once in the late 1980s so do not feel the need to climb it again. Solar chargers arent up to the job, especially on the Bibb where theres so much tree cover. Glad you found my post useful. Thanks Kelly! The Bibbulmun is on my list of possibilities. I took water purification tablets on my first hike, but the treated water tasted so foul I couldnt drink it! Many of these groupies were British ex-servicemen who had returned from WWI to find there were no jobs for them. While I had mapped out many of the places to shop along the way, where I planned to buy certain items, sometimes that didnt work out. You should always use this calculator in conjunction with the Bibbulmun Track maps and guidebooks as whilst the distances are a good guide, they are rounded to the nearest 100 metres. Somewhere in the world: Youll be carrying your whole life on your back, so youll need to make sure you have the right equipment and supplies to make it work. Im all about lists & planning for a hike. In Pemberton purchase two days worth of food to reach Northcliffe. Bibbulmun hikes: Harvey-Quindanning Road to Harris Dam, Dreaming of the Next Adventure Introducing the Bibbulmun Track Lifeone big adventure, Tent (for emergencies, and in case the shelter is full), Compass (some say optional, but I always take one in case I get lost), A personal locator beacon (PLB not optional for any responsible hiker), Dishwashing cloth (I can get by without detergent, but you may prefer it), Trowel (for digging holes for #2 between campsites), Water containers for at least three litres, Some method of water treatment (filter, UV lamp, chemical), Trekking poles (optional, I swear by them), Breakfasts (pre-made oat sachets are a good option here), Lunch (generally cold food that doesnt need too much preparation), Dinner (dehydrated meals are popular for dinner). Your email address will not be published. Just read your article, brilliant! There are eight towns along the way, where well be able to buy supplies, but other than that, well be relying on what we carry to keep us going. You can add to this if you like, but remember you will have to carry whatever you take! The rest includes a teeny, tiny cooker and gas canister, down jacket, one change of clothes, basic hygiene kit, first aid kit and basic electronics. Right now Im hiking the Via Dinarica trail through the Balkans, beautiful!! Your email address will not be published. The Bibbulmun Track is a 623mi/1,002km trail that runs near the Southwest coast of Australia from Kalamunda (near Perth) to Albany. If you are not sure then please contact us. Full-day walks average about 16 km. Some hikers drink straight out of the tanks without treating the water, but I wouldnt take the risk. Tank water should be treated, either with a filter, a UV lamp or some chemical treatment method. The track is officially measured as 1003 kilometres long, divided into 58 sections, each ending in either a town or a campsite. Rain and flooding can be a problem that time of year, but its generally nothing that cant be overcome with good rain gear and a positive attitude. The website also carries excellent suggestions for itineraries ranging from two to six days, with each itinerary including suggestions for day-walks on the Track, as well as sights and attractions to visit. Unless you can talk friends into bringing supplies to you, which could be difficult to coordinate, youll need to do a food drop before you go. It is situated in Western Australia starting in the beautiful suburban town of Kalamunda and stretches 1000 km's south down to the historical coastal town of Albany. The following list is what I take on multi-day hikes on the Bibbulmun Track. Distinctive yellow triangles displaying a waugal symbol (a rainbow serpent spirit-being from the Aboriginal Dreaming) are nailed to trees along the way to mark the Track. Good luck choosing one! For me, that meant getting a pair of custom orthotics from my podiatrist after experiencing some serious arch pain on multi-day hikes in the Darling Range. This occurs on the first stretch (on a north to south hike) between Kalamunda and Dwellingup and involves walking for at least 10 days with no opportunities to resupply. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. The first thing I needed to decide about was when to start the journey. I hope to do this one day soon. For a thru-hike or multi-day section hike youll need: The key difference between hiking equipment and regular camping equipment is its size and weight. Since I started using this I havent had a blister. Pictured here is an impressive Heath Goanna (Varanus rosenbergi). Northcliffe Walpole: Pack everything (except breakfast), dehydrating my own food & post to Northcliffe Visitors Centre to reach Walpole. This well blazed trail travels through many national parks and state forests with various terrain that ranges from dense forest to beautiful coastland. Two of the original fire lookout trees can still be climbed by daring visitors. The $270,000 structure was designed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in consultation with the Bibbulmun Track Foundation and has been constructed using fire resistant products such as rammed earth and steel. Personally, I would take one. If you ever come this way let me know so I can return the favour If youre of average fitness, you could expect to finish the Bibbulmun in somewhere between 40 and 65 days, depending on your pace and how many rest days you take in towns. If you want to get the most out of your Bibbulmun Track walk, use it as an opportunity to explore the South Coast of Western Australia . my partner and I are planning to do the Bibbulmun Track starting ~14th of September (we're arriving 10th of September in Perth from Europe) and we're looking for some advice. However, although I couldnt live in a country town full time, I enjoy getting out of the city and spending time in the country. My basic gear, not including food and water, weighed about 13 kilograms (see the list at the end of this blog). On my first attempt at hiking the Bibbulmun Track end to end, I was thwarted by very nasty blisters, caused by my boots being slightly too loose and rubbing on my heels. We will be able to top up our food supplies (and replace our worn out shoes!) Visitors can go four-wheel driving or mountain biking or fish for trout and marron. Each of the towns on the Bibbulmun has at least a mini supermarket, but the range is often limited and the prices are high. Choose a section of the Track for a day of amazing scenery or challenging walks or, if you're game, tackle the whole Track. Walking the Bibbulmun has been one of the best things Ive ever done not only because it whipped me into shape after years of being overweight, but because it gave me an appreciation for adventure and the natural world. However, we went there last weekend to hike on the Bibbulmun Track a 963km walking trail that stretches from Kalamunda in the eastern suburbs of Perth to Albany on the south coast of Western Australia. Unfortunately, Ive been nursing a small injury in my hip so our grand plans for training has gone out of the window, but we are now walking to and from work whenever possible, as well as planning longer walks in the Peaks and near London as well as the Lakes in the coming weeks to build up our strength and endurance. As you become more experienced you will get better at knowing what gear works for you. If youre an experienced long-distance hiker, you could aim to finish in as little as a month. Travel from Perth Airport to Fremantle for $4.50, Take a walk on the wild side walking the Bibbulmun Track, What to take on a multi-day Bibbulmun Track hike, Follow Local Travel Tips on WordPress.com. Summer is not recommended as Western Australia has extremely hot dry summers, making it a high-risk fire season. Shane Johnstone, who set out to break a record of WA's Bibbulmun Track, has finished the gruelling run well ahead of schedule.. That way the cooler areas in the south would be warming up, but were unlikely to be too hot, by the time I got there. The towns on the Bibbulmun Track are pretty spread out, with the greatest distance between two towns being 202 kilometres. Premier Partner of the Foundation and the Bibbulmun Track maintenance volunteer program. Do you keep your phone on you? Thats it. If youre picky about what you eat or you have specific dietary requirements, you can make dried meals with a dehydrator and vacuum sealer, and ship them to yourself along the way. Required fields are marked *. This well blazed trail travels through many national parks and state forests with various terrain that ranges from dense forest to beautiful coastland. Therefore, if my boots fit well at the heels, my second toes end up getting battered on hikes and eventually, the nails turn black and drop off. The Bibbulmun Track Foundation hires out dehydrators to Western Australian locals for a fortnight. Ever since I got them, my arch pain has been a non-issue. I created a spreadsheet which recorded, for each date, the starting and finishing points and the number of kilometres between them. A great option to have when the rain hits. Its a good idea to split your food into two parcels and bury them in different places to reduce the chances of losing everything. I love that people do that just for the love of helping. This Bibbulmun Track FB Group page was started by David Baird in mid 2009. Wildlife abounds on the Bibbulmun Track. It was originally envisaged by keen bushwalker Geoff Schafer, in 1972. The other participants spoke of travelling to exotic places or going on extravagant cruises. While cooking and dehydrating meals took extra time & energy, this allowed me to enjoy meals that were more delicious, full of veggies & legumes, lighter & cheaper than many supermarket options. Notes for Potential Hikers of the Bibbulmun Track Introduction. There are also taxi services and tour operators who can help you to co-ordinate your walk, and some B&Bs near the Track offer drop-off and pick-up services. In the past, Ive hiked with a mix of homemade meals and supplies bought in towns. In my defence, I find it difficult to get well-fitting boots because my second toes are longer than my big toes. The Bibbulmun Track is generally well graded and relatively easy to negotiate. It is situated in a valley surrounded by karri forests, so its history is inextricably linked to forestry and logging.