Wednesday October 12, 2011
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| Sunset |
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| Sunset |
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| Free camp in Tuart Forest |
wildcamp Tuart Forest
Thursday October 13, 2011
Checked the view from a lookout
Visited the Bunbury Art Gallery
Checked the view from a lookout
Visited the Bunbury Art Gallery
wildcamp Tuart Forest again (same spot)
Friday October 14, 2011
wildcamp Dunsborough, Marri Reserve
Saturday October 15, 2011
wildcamp Yallingup on Cape to Cape trail
Sunday October 16, 2011
Conto campsite
didn't see ranger (otherwise $7)
Walked to the Bibbulmun track from the campsite for sunset
Monday October 17, 2011
Alexandra Bridge campsite $7
Tuesday October 18, 2011
Wednesday October 19, 2011
Windy Harbour caravan park $11.50
The shire run caravan park manager who also does things like manage the town water supply, tells me if I wake up early he'll drive me around while he checks on the new pipes that were layed that day for leaks and check the tanks for exclusive access to the best views of D'entrecasteux. We arrange to meet at 6.30 am next morning.
After checking in I quickly set up my tent amongst the marshland-like tent area (it rained heavily the day before) and with unloaded bike quickly rode to the end of D'entrecasteau road for sunset.
Thursday October 20, 2011
I wake up at 5 am. I pack up the tent, have a shower, eat breakfast and then head over to the park office.
Got in the caravan park managers ute and he drove to the jetty. Here someone starts waving and I'm thinking its someone the manager knows so I wind down the window and then I recognise Shane from Perth. Small world eh? I shake his hand and he's going fishing. I tell him I'm on the "tour".
We leave Shane to it and drive off towards the water tanks. He unlocks the gate and checks the tanks then he tells me the best views are from the lime quarry pit further up. He tells me if I just either climb up that pile of stones or climb up that pile of rocks I'll get a great photo of the coastline. I see the pile of stones and think I'll just get lost in there so I climb the rockpile over the lime pit (a dirty big hole).
I take some snaps from the top and then climb down but about 1 metre off the ground I step in the wrong spot of a large white rock and it falls and I with it. I land on my arse with the big rock that fell hitting me in the back. I sit there for a while breathing heavily through the pain. All I get is a bruised back.
After we drive to all the different lookout points for more photos, he drives me back to the caravan park and I head off. On the way I stop at the Mount Chadalup lookout where you walk about one kay up this really large rock basically to lookout over the wetlands. I'm extremely careful climbing over the slippery rock surface after the mornings fall. The Mountain rock has lichen and moss and things called Cryptogams (not cryptograms) growing on it.
I ride to Northcliffe and eat, use a computer at the telecentre. I head off about 2 pm towards Shannon National Park, via the rural cow paddocked (flies everywhere) Middleton Road. There are a few hills.
At the end of Middleton Road it's on to the Southwestern Hwy which doesn't really have a shoulder but isn't too busy, and a few more kays to the Shannon National Park campsite which is $14 ($9 with hot woodfired shower + $5 "motorbike" national park entry -- they have no category for pushbike).
I find a spot in the "quiet area" away from the caravans and motorhomes and buses passing as motorhomes with their generators and their bad music blaring; the quiet area ironically is closer to the highway, but as I said it's a pretty quiet highway, comparatively at least. It's only me and a family of four with a small car, trailer and 4 person tent in this area. I want to shake their hands for actually camping; I see so many families on the road in truck sized winnebagos or double-axil caravans. That's not camping. That's just a smaller house. And that just breeds the kind of kid who cries on national television when he has to sleep on a camp stretcher or has to get clothes from Vinnies. STFU.
The kids who are both under 10 are the most well behaved, quiet kids I have ever seen on holiday during this trip. No fighting over a game console probably. (I sound like an old fart "kids these days", but really it's important to grow up with a real camping experience).
Got in the caravan park managers ute and he drove to the jetty. Here someone starts waving and I'm thinking its someone the manager knows so I wind down the window and then I recognise Shane from Perth. Small world eh? I shake his hand and he's going fishing. I tell him I'm on the "tour".
We leave Shane to it and drive off towards the water tanks. He unlocks the gate and checks the tanks then he tells me the best views are from the lime quarry pit further up. He tells me if I just either climb up that pile of stones or climb up that pile of rocks I'll get a great photo of the coastline. I see the pile of stones and think I'll just get lost in there so I climb the rockpile over the lime pit (a dirty big hole).
I take some snaps from the top and then climb down but about 1 metre off the ground I step in the wrong spot of a large white rock and it falls and I with it. I land on my arse with the big rock that fell hitting me in the back. I sit there for a while breathing heavily through the pain. All I get is a bruised back.
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| Cathedral Rock, D'entrecasteaux National Park |
After we drive to all the different lookout points for more photos, he drives me back to the caravan park and I head off. On the way I stop at the Mount Chadalup lookout where you walk about one kay up this really large rock basically to lookout over the wetlands. I'm extremely careful climbing over the slippery rock surface after the mornings fall. The Mountain rock has lichen and moss and things called Cryptogams (not cryptograms) growing on it.
I ride to Northcliffe and eat, use a computer at the telecentre. I head off about 2 pm towards Shannon National Park, via the rural cow paddocked (flies everywhere) Middleton Road. There are a few hills.
At the end of Middleton Road it's on to the Southwestern Hwy which doesn't really have a shoulder but isn't too busy, and a few more kays to the Shannon National Park campsite which is $14 ($9 with hot woodfired shower + $5 "motorbike" national park entry -- they have no category for pushbike).
I find a spot in the "quiet area" away from the caravans and motorhomes and buses passing as motorhomes with their generators and their bad music blaring; the quiet area ironically is closer to the highway, but as I said it's a pretty quiet highway, comparatively at least. It's only me and a family of four with a small car, trailer and 4 person tent in this area. I want to shake their hands for actually camping; I see so many families on the road in truck sized winnebagos or double-axil caravans. That's not camping. That's just a smaller house. And that just breeds the kind of kid who cries on national television when he has to sleep on a camp stretcher or has to get clothes from Vinnies. STFU.
The kids who are both under 10 are the most well behaved, quiet kids I have ever seen on holiday during this trip. No fighting over a game console probably. (I sound like an old fart "kids these days", but really it's important to grow up with a real camping experience).
Friday October 21, 2011
Slept in. If I'm paying $14 I'm sleeping in! Left camp around 9 am.
Riding along the Southwestern Highway. I had 60 kay to ride to get to Walpole, up and down hills all day through forest. About 20 kay into it my rear gear cable snaps - the default gear when this happens is 9th gear (smallest sprocket) which is the worst gear for climbing hills. There isn't anywhere to stop to repair so I ride the 40 kay into Walpole by standing on my pedals and I probably got off to push for three of those kays when I just didn't have the legs for it.
At Walpole I replace my rear gear cable and re-tape the right hand side handlebar while I'm at it. I'm just on friction shifting as I'm too lazy to re-index.
I rode the Knoll Drive which takes you around a scenic loop between Nanalup and Walpole Inlets.
Got back on the highway and then after Nanalup took Station Road (a corrugated dirt road), at the end of which the Nanalup rail trail starts. This is a sandy car-width track mostly. I made camp on a bit wide enough that I could get off the track with the tent as I think it might also occasionally be used as a bit of a road.
wildcamp on the railtrail
Saturday October 22, 2011
Woke up to a mother kangaroo with joey with head and feet hanging out of pouch inquisitively staring at me not far away. We stared at each other for a while before she got bored and hopped away.
Attempted to ride this rail trail but its too sandy and I ended up just walking the bike most of the time to Nut road where I got back onto the highway.
Rode to Bow Bridge roadhouse where I grabbed some breakfast. Then road onto Denmark. The highway has no shoulder but the road is not too busy.
From Denmark took Lower Denmark Road (the scenic route through countryside) where I managed to get to Youngs Siding for a softdrink when the wind picked up suddenly and a thunderstorm grumbled its approach. I rode onto Bornholm Hall, slowly because of the strong headwind. It was only about half an hour from a downpour by the looks so I set up camp here hiding behind the fire station.
As the thunder and lightning started getting closer I was sitting in my tent thinking is it a really stupid thing to be camped next to a big tin shed in a thunderstorm? The thunder was rattling the walls of the firestation. I was waiting for the ground to shake, but the storm must have been out to sea. It rained heavily all night.
As the thunder and lightning started getting closer I was sitting in my tent thinking is it a really stupid thing to be camped next to a big tin shed in a thunderstorm? The thunder was rattling the walls of the firestation. I was waiting for the ground to shake, but the storm must have been out to sea. It rained heavily all night.
wildcamp behind the Bornholm fire station
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| Bunbury to Albany |
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