The track goes through every resupply town, which is also rare to find. Many people undertake this journey as a section hike, doing pieces of it over a period of months and even years. Since I started using this I havent had a blister. 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. Pick one itinerary or join several together to customise your Bibbulmun Track holiday adventure. It was originally envisaged by keen bushwalker Geoff Schafer, in 1972. I ate out in town more than I had originally planned, and so a few of my homemade meals were repacked for the next section. Thanks for the reply. 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. Charting my travels around the world, one adventure at a time. The Bibbulmun Track passes through some remote areas of Western Australia, so once youre on the Track you need to know how to stay on it. It was quite a process!! Once we reach Albany, its a long six hour bus back to Perth and then onwards. Hey Ben! This is a very rewarding and quite remote expeditionary hike. Just read your article, brilliant! 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. Western Australia generally doesnt experience snow or extreme cold, although it can get a little chilly at nights and in the early mornings, so warm clothes and sleeping gear are a must. 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. If youre only walking a section of the Track, planning a walk can be trickier as vehicular access points and public transport are limited. He was also a pretty good breeder himself, fathering nine children! Top-line results of the planning so far: 8 resupply towns + two possible food drops, Having been brought up hiking in the bogs of Dartmoor, the Peak Districts moorlands and the soggy Scottish Highlands, Ive always owned hardcore walking boots, with hard soles and waterproof casings. Download the app on Wi-Fi and then open the Bibbulmun Track and make sure you have downloaded the maps for offline use. Best time to hike the Bibbulmun track is between April and October. BT Day 33: Nerang to Monadnocks 855.9km (25km) June 19, 2021. You can add to this if you like, but remember you will have to carry whatever you take! Im trying to cut down on as much weight as possible. I took water purification tablets on my first hike, but the treated water tasted so foul I couldnt drink it! 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. Life on the Bibbulmun is pretty simple: You wake up each day, walk as far as you can, camp, and repeat. The majority of this comes from the big four: pack, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and tent - most of which we already had and are heavier than we might like. If youre more tech-savvy than me, a GPS could also be invaluable, though youll need to take a solar charger too as there are no power points between towns. I think the more packs i try the more i go crazy. 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. Walking the Bibbulmun takes some preparation, but its something that anyone of average fitness and mobility should be able to achieve. Thank you so much for the quick reply! I have done many day walks, 2 overnight walks and one 4 day/3 night walk on the Bibb. Cate. Country towns in Western Australia are spread out throughout this massive state; small pockets of civilisation with miles of bush in between them. It will probably be very uncomfortable sleeping on the ground but you might be able to cope for two nights. Im passionate about the Bibb, and am forever encouraging others to give it a go. BT Day 34: Monadnocks to Mt Dale 889.5km (33.3km) June 21, 2021. The Bibbulmun Track walk would technically take more than two months to finish at an average walking pace. The Bibbulmun Track is a 623mi/1,002km trail that runs near the Southwest coast of Australia from Kalamunda (near Perth) to Albany. 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. Know that most who hike this track choose to hike hut to hut in almost double the time that I chose to do this track, and enjoy a relaxed experience of not having to hike full days. The best word to describe it is pleasant. The Bibbulmun is on my list of possibilities. March 27, 2018 Bibbulmun Track Planning - Spreadsheets and an obsession with weight In May this year, Tim and I will be flying to Western Australia to take on our biggest challenge yet; we'll be hiking the Bibbulmun track, 1,000 km through the remote Australian wilderness. This was just so I could purchase my muesli there in bulk & support their local business. Looking at starting mid September, I hope thats a good time. 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. Celebrate our 25th year with an adventure! One thru-hike at a time. My basic gear, not including food and water, weighed about 13 kilograms (see the list at the end of this blog). I also occasionally use my phone. However, walking with too heavy a pack will also be uncomfortable. The karri tree is one of the tallest species in the world, reaching heights of ninety metres, and some of the tallest karri trees in the area were used as fire lookouts from the 1930s to the 1960s. Your email address will not be published. Cheers, Andrew. 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. Thats it. Open the map and click on a hut and then there is a button to download photos - so do that on Wi-Fi too. It doesnt do much to help the toe nail situation though! Read More. Let's see how we go! Have booked to complete it later this year. The Archer family became trapped in their remote cabin when floodwaters rapidly rose last month After three days they hiked out, with three young children, including a baby, to their neighbour's place They are now rebuilding and say they look forward to moving back to their 'rainforest homestead' Is there anything else less essential you can leave out of your pack? If you take this option, be warned you WILL get sick of the food you make yourself, so be prepared to improvise. Once youve bought or borrowed everything necessary to hike the Bibbulmun Track, the next thing is to plan your walk. It is situated in a valley surrounded by karri forests, so its history is inextricably linked to forestry and logging. If youre an experienced long-distance hiker, you could aim to finish in as little as a month. 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. Im just getting the blog off the ground so its good to hear somebody is finding it useful. There are about 50 open sided shelters along the track, most a very easy day's walk . Do you keep your phone on you? If youre attempting an end-to-end for the first time, youll inevitably develop your own way of living on the track that will probably vary a little from the directions in this guide. 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. I am hiking only a section of the Bibbulmum (two nights) during July (not the best time, Im sure) but I was wondering if you think I really need a sleeping mat? There are buses from all the main track towns to Perth or Albany in case we get injured and need to bail. Bushwalking is a natural tonic, providing a balance between enjoyable, low impact physical activity and a wellbeing workout. So far, our base packs come to approx. Make a note of where youve buried the food in your journal because youll be desperate for it when you eventually get there! The towns on the Bibbulmun Track are pretty spread out, with the greatest distance between two towns being 202 kilometres. Keep up to date on our projects, our supporters, opportunities for involvement and more. The Bibbulmun Track is a long-distance walk trail in Western Australia.. The facilities are world class compared to most long-distance trails around the world. If some of the forums are anything to go by, people have hiked the APT and PCT - much longer trails than we are planning for - with as little as 5 kg base-packs (the weight of your bag before any food or drink is added). Ive got a Wilderness Equipment Discovery 1 (medium), but I bought it in 1998 so things will have moved on since then! An Australian owned one-stop-shop for outdoor and adventure equipment! I waited for my turn, not knowing which of the places on my bucket list to choose. a long weekend) its best to take a tent with you. I hope to do this one day soon. My kneecaps tend to rub against their track if I allow my IT band to get too tight, so I make a point of stretching it and rolling it out whenever I get the chance. Overall my resupply plan worked out better than I could have imagined along the track. Everybodys body is different, so do some training hikes to work out any physical issues you might have, and how to manage them. I love that people do that just for the love of helping. We wont be reaching anywhere near that kind of weight but does make sense to keep it down to the bare minimum with a combination of our existing kit and, where affordable or where it makes sense, new, super lightweight bits and pieces. Thanks Ben. It traverses the Darling Range and has inspired reflections about the state of the Western Australian environment by William J. Luckily, the huts along the way collect rainwater, so well always have a supply of drinking water once we have purified it. The Bibbulmun Track is one of the longest continuously marked trails in Australia, stretching 963 kilometres from Kalamunda, 20 kilometres east of Perth, to Albany on the southern coast of Western Australia. These pages provide youth group leaders with the necessary tools to plan, lead and complete a successful expedition on the Bibbulmun Track. Good luck! Its designed to help decide which part of the 1000 km Track youd like to walk and to give you all the planning information you need. I really wouldnt change much. I packed too many teabags and sugary lollies (things I never would normally eat! The solitude and peace on this trail is incredibly unique for one so near civilization. This is intended as a guide for the absolute beginner. It may be several weeks before you arrive there on foot, so make sure your food parcel is water- and vermin-proof by packing the food in plastic bags, inside plastic boxes, inside another large plastic bag. Embrace it, and figure out what works for you. However, even if you walk regularly, its surprising how much difference carrying a heavy backpack makes. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Metal rungs were hammered into the tree trunks to form a spiral ladder leading up to a look out in the canopy of the tree. Donnelly River Village Northcliffe: Pack everything dehydrating my own food & post to DRV accomodation to reach Pemberton. Its a good idea to split your food into two parcels and bury them in different places to reduce the chances of losing everything. During the workshop, Susan asked everyone to talk about what their dream trip would be. Nowadays, I use an ultraviolet wand which doesnt affect the taste of the water. Bushwalk Australia and contributors 2007-2013. Leave No Trace is all about promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor travel and recreation through education, research and partnerships. If you are doing more than a day walk on the Track, you will need to take a lot of equipment: sleeping gear, cooking equipment and food, a change of clothing, basic toiletries, a first aid kit and maybe a tent. 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. A "horrifying" attack on Perth's world-famous Bibbulmun Track has left two hikers in hospital after one was allegedly run down by a car before both were allegedly set upon by the driver wielding a . Answering these questions helped me map out how manybreakfast, lunches, dinners & snacks I would need across the hike, & where they would potentially come from along the way. The other participants spoke of travelling to exotic places or going on extravagant cruises. 4WD campers have the luxury of an engine with a few hundred horsepower to lug all their gear around, while hikers only have their own two legs. Each town has its own distinct character, and the offerings of each are there to be savoured by walkers who have spent a few days in the bush. Western Australia, AU Distance 992.8 km Vertical Gain 17,500 m The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world's great long distance walk trails, stretching 1000km from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills, to Albany on the south coast, winding through the heart of the scenic South West of Western Australia. You can get some pretty light self-inflating mats so Id explore that option if you plan on hiking regularly. The Bibbulmun Track passes through Pemberton and we did two walks, totalling 7 hours. Copyright 2023 Bibbulmun Track Foundation. This would create the best variation and flexibility, encouraging me to explore the track towns and purchase local foods, while still predominately enjoying the same meals I would eat at home everyday!! The track is one of the world's longest walking trails stretching from Perth to Albany. What my heart chose surprised even me. Your email address will not be published. Cheers! Water is available from tanks at each of the 48 campsites along the. 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 . Ive lived in Western Australia all my life, but it wasnt until I walked the Bibbulmun that I really appreciated what a rich and incredibly diverse landscape were blessed with. If youve got a decent budget, Id recommend looking at equipment made by speciality manufacturers in the US like Zpacks, Enlightened Equipment, ULA and others (detailed gear reviews coming soon!). . Again, thank you and happy hiking! BT Day 35: Mt Dale to Helena 918.6km (29.3km) June 21, 2021. The Bibbulmun Track is one of the longest continuously marked trails in Australia, stretching 963 kilometres from Kalamunda, 20 kilometres east of Perth, to Albany on the southern coast of Western Australia. Dwellingup Collie: Pack everything (except breakfast), dehydrating my own food & post to Dwellingup accomodation to reach Collie. Traditional camping equipment is rarely suitable for hikers, so youll need to buy equipment thats designed for hiking. 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!). Make a note of where youve buried the food in your journal because youll be desperate for it when you eventually get there! In 1913 timber mills were established in Pemberton to supply half a million sleepers for the Trans-Australian Railway line. The Track is popular with locals, interstate and overseas visitors alike.