So we decided to walk the Bibbulmun track - a walk we’d never heard of just a few weeks before. 600 miles from Perth to Albany across the bush of Western Australia. A mixture of things drew us to it - being on the right side of the equator to mean that is was in condition, long enough to be a challenge and really well set up with free shelters to stay in on the way.
Flights booked a few weeks beforehand, we only ended up having 48 hours to prepare for the trail after returning from a trip to Holland. As well as packing for Australia we also needed to cram in lots of loads of washing, a job interview, arranging a wedding caterer and dropping the Puff (our cat) off with L+J for a few months.
The flights were as you might expect - reasonable food and movies given it was Emirates but no real opportunity to sleep. Arriving in Perth at 1am we promptly lapsed into unconsciousness, only to wake into the daze of seven hours of jetlag. Having eventually dragged ourselves out we then spent a day in Perth - a mixture of sightseeing and picking up necessary bits and bobs. King's Park botanical gardens were great and the ridge on which they were bad provides a lovely view over the city. We caught our first glimpses of Australian wildlife in the raucous, rainbow-feathered parrots. Back down in the city centre, the old courthouse museum revealed a little of the (occasionally dubious) history of Australia, including amongst the difficulties of settling the land some gems about enslaving British children and Aboriginies. A colorful past, to be sure.*
We managed to find everthing we needed in Perth: a snake bite bandage for the inevitable venomous predators we are sure to encounter, camping gas and we then popped into Woolworth's (Australian supermarket, not failed British newsagents) for enough food for the next 8 days. Unfortunately the first section of the trail is the longest without resupply so backpacks started out the heaviest they were ever going to be whilst we were least used to getting them (just imagine planning and them carrying your next 24 meals with you!). It also took us a lot of time to decide what to buy with new Australian food on offer (Timtams: yes, vegemite: no). Just a short journey by bus to Kalamunda the next day to start the trail.
*not that British history of the period is a cauldron of loveliness either, mind.
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