Actually, back to Margaret River! Yes, for those keeping
track, this is our third trip to Margaret River (MR) + area since we’ve been in
Indo. And yes, as has been explained to us by a few sharp minds, Australia does
have other things to see and do. Ahh, we’re just not done yet with this place!
Sun, surf, and wine…what’s not to like? Not to mention the 4-hour direct flight
from Jakarta, and, well, it’s quite simply our quickest and easiest fix of
western culture. You know…clean water, sidewalks, fresh air, blue sky, people
who speak English, things that actually work and make sense, you know, things
like that J
So adding to our checklist of “things we have done in
Margaret River” (see previous posts: mission 1 was cycling Perth to Augusta via
MR; mission 2 was mountain biking based out of MR), the current mission was a
hiking route we discovered on a previous trip known as “The Cape to Cape Trail”
– a 135-km hiking route that follows the beachline along the extreme southwest
tip of Australia, and links the lighthouse of Cape Naturaliste (north end),
with the lighthouse of Cape Leeuwin (south end), and hence the moniker “Cape to
Cape” (I know, you put that together, but hey, just making sure). Check it out: https://trailswa.com.au/trails/cape-to-cape-track
A fun sidebar to this mission was the guest appearance of
our dear Nelson friend, Grant Burns. Grant was living in Sydney for a spell, so
when we mentioned we were doing this, he looked at the sched and said “I’m
coming!” So ya, Grant meet us at the Perth airport upon arrival, and it was the
3 amigos from then on. Fun times! J
Doing the entirety of the track is rated as a 5 to 8-day
mission on various websites. I don’t know who these Aussies are kidding. We’re
no slouches, and 5 days would have been next to impossible for sane people
(i.e., those, like us, wanting to have fun while doing it). During the planning
stage, we gave ourselves 6, thinking we would have time to lounge and drink
wine in Margaret River because we are of sound Canadian stock….wrong! 6 days is
the eco-challenge version. Everyone we bumped into on the trail said the same
thing, and had underestimated the time allotment. Some just bailed altogether.
It’s a total sand bag at even 6 days. If we did it again (which we might!), we
would give ourselves 8 full days of hiking + a few drinking-wine days in MR.
Now that’s the 2-thumbs-up holiday sched J
So ya, full disclosure: after the first couple days of
sweating it out till near sunset, we realized that being on the 6-day
eco-challenge sched would edge out any potential for drinking wine in Margaret
River. What?! That just won’t do! So on Day 3, when the trail veered to within
a few enticing kms of MR…..we busted out to the highway, stuck our thumbs out
and hitched into town! Ha! It was a delinquent 24-hrs of wineries, good food,
comfy beds, and hot showers. We loved every minute of it. J
But, obviously, our little indulgence completely destroyed our
eco-challenge hiking sched. Now we had to make an “adjustment”. To get us back
on sched, and make up for the missed hiking time, we time-travelled down the
coast in a taxi the next day, and jumped back onto the trail about 30 kms down
stream. Et voila! Back on sched, and heading south for glory! Who says you can’t
time travel?
The route is strikingly beautiful. One of those places where
you just can’t take a bad photo. If you like wild sand beaches, dunes,
wildflowers, coastal elfin forest (aka dwarf forest), whales, dolphins, horizon
to horizon sunsets, and things like that, the Cape to Cape is for you! The
trail itself is a great mix of beach hiking intermingled with stretches of
coastal heather, rock, and trails through upland forest areas. You are never
far from the water, and usually right beside it or on the beach. At first we
thought the dreaded beach sections – like, 8 kms of sand – were going to be
unbearable. But really, they were fine and
just added to the variety. Amy and I use poles, which I think make a huge
difference (totally recommended!). It actually felt, and looks, a lot like ski
touring across a glacier. The difference being the stops to shake the sand out
of your hiking boots J
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| Dugite snake - highly venomous, and, in our camp! |
Another added bonus is that the trail weaves in and out of
civilization here and there, meaning you are almost always in wilderness, but
from time to time you can restock supplies at a store or coffee shop along the
way (or, for example, hitch into Margaret River and go to a winery J). Best of both worlds!
Nothing like a mid-morning Aussie meat pie to hit the spot.
We were self-sufficient for camping, which was fantastic
given the designated (and free!) campsites along the way. The campsites are
cozy and tucked away back in the elfin forests behind the dunes – very Middle
Earth-esk. We were waiting for Bilbo Baggins and the gang to appear J Seriously though, it
was so nice to be camping again, and using the gear. And, thankfully our gear
still works! (which is a concern for
gear storage in 100% Indo humidity).
Funny (i.e., dangerous) thing about Oz though, is having the
bulk of the world’s most venomous snakes and spiders. And, as luck would have
it, it was snake season! In fact, no word of a lie, the first 3 Aussie guys we
ran into as we stepped out of our cab at the trailhead, gave us this little
piece of advice: “watch out for snakes, there are lots on the trail, and assume
any snake you see is venomous and potentially fatal.” Er, uh, OK, thanks!….we think. It’s OK
though, Grant carried a stick the whole time just in case J (we did see our fair
share of venomous snakes…which was a bit freaky, I must say).
On Day 6, right on sched (OK, the “adjusted” sched J) we spotted the Cape
Leeuwin lighthouse…like a beacon, as it were. After a round of high fives we
caught yet another cab to the nearest pub to enjoy a fine pint of Aussie Pale
Ale. An overnight in Augusta of fine wine and good food, and we all caught the
8-am TransWA bus heading back to Perth, and back to base.
Amy’s only complaint about our sojourns out this way was
that we never spend any time in Perth. To fix that, we hit up an Airbnb within
walking distance of downtown, and put in a 24-hr shift before our flight back
to Jakarta. Yep, more good wine, more good food, more spectacular sunsets…and yet
again, keeping up the tradition, Amy did NOT want to get back on the plane J
But alas, next day, back to base it was, and the Big Durian
(aka Jakarta). Indeed a whirlwind action-packed trip. Nine nights, nine
different beds, 3 flights, 2 buses, 8 cab rides, 4 campsites, 2 hotels, 3
Airbnbs, and 100+ kms of wilderness hiking thrown in just for the hell of it. I
think if we do this again, we’ll spread it out a bit more J
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