A Promise Carried South: Finding Strength on the Bibbulmun Track

Janet is taking a well-deserved break at camp

Janet set out from Kalamunda with a promise in her pack.

She had made it just months earlier, after losing a close friend. “She was someone who truly lived life to the fullest,” Janet says. “And just before she died, she told me ‘Janet, you have so many dreams… stop with the ‘buts’, don’t ask for permission… just go and do it.’ I made a promise to her that I would. This trek was part of fulfilling that promise.”

From Melbourne to the forests of the south-west, Janet—known on track as “Jdawg”—arrived with a clear goal: to walk the Bibbulmun Track end-to-end.

“For me, it was always about walking it end to end,” she says. “There’s something epic about pushing your limits completely, and doing the full journey felt like the ultimate test.”

She began on 1 September and, despite an unexpected interruption, reached Albany on 5 November. Along the way, a knee injury forced her off the track at Dwellingup. “I was devastated,” she says, describing bursitis and a Baker’s cyst that made continuing impossible at the time. To stay close to her planned schedule, she made the difficult decision to skip a section.

But stopping altogether was never an option.

“I’m incredibly proud that I found the courage to continue and reach Albany,” she says. “I didn’t ring the bell there… instead, I’ll return next year with my grandson to complete that missing section.”

Xanthorrhoea preissii, known as balga, is a widespread species of perennial monocot in Southwest Australia.

Finding something deeper

Ask Janet about her favourite stretch and she pauses. 

“It’s hard to choose as every section had its own unique beauty,” she says. Still, a few moments stand out. Walking through the towering tingle forest in Valley of the Giants felt “like another world”. And then there was the coast.

“The first time I saw the ocean… it was magical,” she says. “I lost my mind in the bush and found my soul at the ocean.”

There were lighter moments too. Paddling longer than planned at Peaceful Bay, discovering “the freedom of skinny dipping”, and chance encounters along the way. “The amazing people I met… especially Cam Bostock (twice!) and the wonderful trail angels along the way.”

Tested on the Track

Not every day was magical.

The section between Gardner, Maringup and Dog Pool pushed Janet further than she expected as conditions were rough. “I was hiking through thigh deep black water, climbing over freshly fallen trees, and battling mud,” she says.

It was the mental challenge that cut deepest. Much of her previous hiking had been in groups. Here, she was alone.

“I had to trust myself entirely. I was nervous, but I finally told myself to just get on with it.”

Nine hours later, she reached camp. “Exhausted and emotional, I also felt incredibly boss!”

Other challenges came in less predictable forms, including “a bull ant bite in a… very sensitive place,” and the quiet pull of missing family back home.

There’s a time and a season for all sorts of moments on the Track.

Lessons carried forward

Janet is quick to share what helped. Her Aarn Featherlite Freedom balance pack was, she says, “a total game-changer—it revived my love for backpacking.” If she were to do it again, she’d swap her boots for water-draining shoes in Northcliffe. “And no, Crocs would not have survived that mud!”

But it’s her advice to others that lingers longest.

“‘Hike your own hike’ really comes to life on this track,” she says. “Whether you go hut to hut or tackle multiple sections at a time, do it your way and at your pace. Completing the track end to end is an enormous achievement, no matter your experience level or how long it takes.”

For women considering going solo, her message is clear:

“There’s more to fear on Perth’s main street than out here. There are no bears, tigers, lions, or crocs waiting to ambush you… just a few curious kangaroos. If you carry fear, you attract reasons to be afraid. So don’t fear.”

This story is part of Voices from the Track, a series celebrating the people who make the Bibbulmun Track come alive. Each month, we share stories from walkers — from end-to-enders to section hikers — highlighting their challenges, triumphs, favourite spots, and top tips.

Have you recently completed your own end-to-end of the Bibbulmun Track?

Register your walk with the Bibbulmun Track Foundation to feature in our End-to-Enders Gallery — and share your story in Voices from the Track!