Once we approached Perth, the time had come to move out of our camper. We cleaned and packed before driving to the rental office in the city and dropping off the unit that has been our home for two months. Then we checked into The Witch’s Hat, a backpackers hostel.

Our backpacks are stuffed and very heavy. Part of the problem is that we keep finding wonderful books. We bought an iPad specifically so that we could have lots of books without the weight. The problem is not so much that we don’t like reading on the iPad, it’s that we don’t come across good books online. We find them in campgrounds, in second hand book stores, on shelves in the youth hostel, etc. So they pile up.

But now it’s down to just us and our backpacks. We are embarking on a long-distance hike along the south west coast.

Leaving the hostel in Perth, we drag our luggage to the central train and bus station to catch a bus to Augusta, the southern most tip of Australia’s mainland. he bus ride takes 5 hours of driving like a bat out of hell, down narrow winding roads. I never get car sick but I did this time...

It was a short five minute haul in Augusta to our motel. We have a nice, self contained room with a kitchenette. Augusta is very blustery - a storm is howling through town right now. Getting here was a total climate change from the 30+ weather we had been having. It was 19 when we arrived.
Now we are starting our next adventure: hiking the Cape to Cape Walk, 135 km from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste!
Check out: http://www.capetocapetrack.com.au

We booked the hike through a special agency. This way we did not have to do any of the research and accomodation bookings, figure out where to eat etc. They book everything, sent us a big book of the trail, step by step, with hotel information, dinners booked, and our luggage transported to the next place.
We are in Augusta for 3 nights so we can wash clothes, and make our own lunches here.

We started off at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, by touching the corner stone. As the plaque states, the Dutch ship Leeuwin (Lioness) reached the southern most point of Australia in 1622 and the land was mapped as ‘land of the Lioness’. Having been born and raised in The Netherlands, it’s fun to see all of the Dutch connections here.

The trail today was not easy. 25 km of bushwacking, clambering over boulders, trying not to step into deep blowholes, plowing through kilometer after kilometer of soft, sloped sand on the beach. Once in a while there was a nice section which made for easier hiking. But the Pieterspad long-distance hike in The Netherlands was a piece of cake compared to this. The scenery is glorious, but a strong wind (thank goodness it was in our back) whipped up sand that pelted us.

Day 2 was more glorious scenery, great weather (hot sun and no shade anywhere!) but also more very strenuous hiking. Whenever there’s a real path in the woods, it is wonderful. But much of the time it’s heavy slogging along the beach in very soft sand that gives way with every step. Sometimes like quicksand, it pulls you down with every step. Try that for 2 hours... And then it was up the headlands, climbing quickly.
I decided that I was not enjoying this and so I am skipping Day 3. I don’t have anything to proof. by doing this hike. The option of spending the day in a resort on a glorious beach, with a pool and wifi, was just too tempting. Kees, however, is bravely trudging along. He loves the challenge.
The wildlife we see here includes kookaburras, a very large kangaroo on the trail and two very large (1.5 meters long) black snakes!