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Collie to Balingup
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The walking is wonderfully varied out of Balingup with a few small country roads, a delightful arboretum, farmland and Greenbushes Reserve, rich in wildflowers and orchids. You finish the day in pine forest and a hut with expansive views across the valley.
Another longer day again but with more elevation gain, including the infamous Cardiac Hill, which we are fortunately descending, followed by a few kilometres along the Blackwood River and long, steep climbs on forestry tracks near Millstream dam. But, as always, the terrain is always new and the flowers amazing.
This section takes you through masses of wildflowers and then on into your first taste of the amazing Karri forests. Donnelly River Village is a delightful family-friendly, relaxing spot to stop for rest day. And you can easily split the section in two to create a leisurely journey to the village.
The day from Donnelly River Village to Tom Road is dominated by our first extensive karri forests. It’s hard to convey the scale of these trees, but they can reach 90m (295ft), making them one of the two tallest flowering hardwoods in the world. They are spectacular!
Boarding House to Beavis is part of the infamous “Rollercoaster” section of the Bibbulmun. Our previous short days have been partly in anticipation for this section, but walking through beautiful Greater Beedleup National Park the entire day eases the journey!
Beavis to Beedelup is another top 10 ranked day for difficulty, back to back with yesterday: no wonder our legs are getting tired! More steep ups and downs, but the fantastic trees keep increasing in height and the plant diversity in Beedleup National Park is astonishing.
Beedelup to Pemberton is a long 25 km day with modest elevation gain which we had planned to split in two. But it’s so wet today, we shelve our plans, forget about the long distance, and head for the warm shower and hot food instead. And there are still sections of picturesque scenery despite the rain.
Tom Road to Boarding House would have been long if done in one day, but we split the section in two by staying at Greens Island. Greens Island is around halfway between Tom Road and Boarding House, so perfectly placed. This makes for two comfortable days with plenty of time to enjoy the amazing forest scenery.