Cape to Cape October 2009

Day 1

We were a group of 10 happy hikers and one enthusiastic guide, as we embarked on our 135 kilometre journey in good spirits and under sunny skies. After sharing the fascinating history of Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, where I also work as a tour guide, we gradually watched it fade away in the distance as we made our way past Sugarloaf and along the limestone ridges to Yallingup. Everyone was keen to get to know each other on our first day and thus there were lots of interesting conversations took place as we hiked along. We soon discovered a shared interest in orchids and whales, which were spotted numerous times on this day.

Nearing Yallingup, which I call home with my husband, Simon, the group was interested to see the stone cottages where we lived, so after a section along the beach, we took a short detour to have a look at my home and the stain glass windows. Alf was happily waiting for us and we headed back to Augusta to hot showers at Sheoak Chalets. Di provided us with a warm welcome and never ending feasts of delicious and healthy meals each night, along with treats for on the track as well, so we were well looked after for the entire trek.

Day 2

This morning we admired dolphins surfing the waves and Pam joined us at Smith’s Beach and hiked with us to Injidup. Mark seemed to have an amazing ability to walk on the water, for the moment I blinked, he was across Gunyulgup Brook, with a big grin on his face! A delicious lunch was served up at Injidup and my friend Renee, who is also a guide and lives locally, joined us for the afternoon session to Moses Rock. Greg, our bird expert, as he was the one carrying the excellent bird guide, spotted a Pacific gull and an elusive fairy wren and was always gazing to the skies in search of a winged friend. Meanwhile, others in the group were always looking for whales and we were in luck today too, with several located off shore as we hiked along.

Everyone was amazed by Quininup Falls, which was a sight to marvel at due to the heavy winter rains. We pondered the idea of a swim but no one was that keen! As we finished the day, the rare Moses Rock orchid was discovered by Pauline, who cried out loudly in excitement and before we knew it, there were orchids everywhere! They were absolutely incredible and we all attempted some close-up shots with our cameras.

Day 3

We strolled through a garden of wildflowers to start off our hike today and it was a highlight of the day as we marveled at Nature’s beauty. Willyabrup Brook proved to be a challenging crossing, but with some great team work, we all made it across. Jennifer impressed us with her slow motion leaning motion towards the water and elegantly fell in as she crossed the brook, just as I started to move towards her to try to help. She remained in good spirits about it and her only complaint was that her knickers did not try out fast enough!

One of several bobtails was spotted along the way, and Anne shared a story of bobtail friend coming into her house – not a welcome guest! We admired the magnificent Willyabrup Cliffs, the playground for rock climbers and then made our way up to the top. Heather had been sick and reached a point where she did not feel well enough to continue, so with the help of the satellite phone and Greg doing some scouting work, I managed to get in touch with Pam and she came to pick up Heather. Anne, a kind hearted soul, was very helpful and as she had done the hike before, volunteered to stay with Heather until Pam arrived. We left Heather in good hands and continued on our hike.

We marveled at the wonderful coastline and the crashing of the waves on the rocks as the afternoon hike took us towards Gracetown, where we ended yet another special day on the trail.

Day 4

Leaving Gracetown, we passed by Left Handers, a popular surf location and were amazed at the number of surfers in the water. Pauline let out more yells and whoops at the stunts of the surfers so we all knew she was a surfing fan too! After morning tea at Ellensbrook House, we marveled at Meekadarabee Falls, then hiked through the peppermint trees and up over the ridge. We were all excited to find our first forest mantis orchid along the way.

Lunch is eaten in a lovely grove of trees before we hike along Kilcarnup Beach, then up over Cape Mentelle and to the mighty Margaret River, where Pam is awaiting with a canoe to deliver us across. The river is not too high, so a few of us hardy crew take off our boots and wade across. I could not believe how cold the water was and it reminded me of the numbing waters in Canada, my home land. But we made it across and Alf whisked us away back to Augusta once again.

Day 5

The long day of 26 kilometres and Jane Scott joined us for most of the day. Her presence really opened our eyes to the bush around us as she was a wealth of information on the wild flowers and ecosystems we hiked through today. We relished a lovely morning tea by Boodjidup Brook and then headed down to the coast and Redgate beach. Hooded and red-capped plovers were spotted on the sand as we made our way along.

Alf met us at Redgate for lunch and I administered first aid to Greg, with Jennifer’s help. He had blisters and then managed to bang his toe on a rock on the beach. I think he enjoyed all the attention as we put on the band-aids! Crossing Calgardup Brook was easy for some, but others, myself included, got caught in the ocean surge as we pondered whether to take off the shoes or not and ended up with wet feet! Oh well, it was a warm day and the feet dried quickly and on we went. An adult and a juvenile Heath monitor lizard were encountered along the way, and they stayed still in the hopes we would not see them.

The hills were awash with colour as the wattles and wild flowers were in full bloom as we hiked onwards. We admired the views from Contos cliffs and then had a break at Contos campground before heading into the karri forest for the last 7 kilometres for the day. I rescued Mark from stepping on a snake – you get a good eye for snakes when you are walking out front!

To end the day, Peter got the sack from the Tail End Charlie position. I told her the news and she looked at me innocently, from the middle of the group and asked, “Why?” It was a good laugh and she admitted it was a good idea. Finally the bus appeared in amongst the trees and the long day was done and we could rest our feet again.

Day 6

Peter was amazed that, within a few hundred metres of leaving the bus this morning and heading into the forest, I stopped the group to listen to the beautiful song of the Golden whistler. Ah, the well kept secrets of guiding. As we stopped for a water break, Sally discovered she had been wearing her new water bladder upside down in her pack, which provided a good laugh to us all.

Soon we left the beautiful forest and headed down to the coast, but not before the guide walked right past the biggest snake on the trip. Mark spotted it in the bush and I was relieved it did not seem interested in hassling us, so we took some photos and continued on our way. After a re-fuel stop with morning tea, we were rearing to go and headed off on the long beach walk to Hamelin Bay. The sand was fairly soft, which made it more challenging, but the prospect of lunch awaiting us proved to be the carrot on the end of the stick and we made good time.

After lunch at Hamelin Beach, we tackled Foul Bay beach, then the hills, admired the puny Foul Bay Lighthouse and then finished the day with a walk down to Cosy Corner road.

Day 7

The last day on the track brought up mixed feelings of excitement to be nearing the attainment of our goal and sadness to know this was our last day together on the track. We had all become close in the short time and shared laughs and tales and it was soon to end. But what an amazing last day it was! The blowholes at Cosy Corner were active and we admired the rugged beauty of this section of the track. Then Deepdene beach appeared as we rounded a corner and we prepared for the long haul on the sand. It seemed to pass by quickly enough as we chatted away and everyone was in good spirits.

A new section to the track took us up off the beach and into the sand dunes and although there was just as much sand, it was a nice change of scenery. Then the track took us up into the headlands which wove their way towards our ultimate destination, Cape Leeuwin. It always amazes me how close the lighthouse seems to be, yet, like a mirage in the desert, it teases you and never seems to get any closer! But eventually, we did get closer and it reared up into view. Reaching the end of our 135 kilometre trek, we gathered at the base of the lighthouse to celebrate the achievement. It had been an amazing experience for us all, filled with many happy moments on the trail and to top it off, we set a new record – not one drop of rain for the entire trip!

For more photos click here