Wagga Wagga Waugals
- Start date: 12 March 2011
- Age When Completed: 59
- Direction Walked: North to South
- Others in Group:
Gary Foley.
General Comments
Even though we spent an unhurried ten weeks doing our End to End we can’t believe that the time went so fast. The Track is far from easy in places but you get rewarded along the way with such wonderful views, as well as meeting a bunch of interesting people both on the Track and in the towns.
Food/Supplies Comments
We planned our meals and menu very carefully as we didn’t want to get culinary boredom by eating packet pasta and tuna every night. Maureen cooked, dehydrated and vacuum sealed six different night meals (with lots of veggies) which we cycled through and loved. We split the trip into 12 sections and made up packages of food and other non perishable times that we then dropped off at our
pre-booked accommodation in each town. We purchased any other fresh food that we needed in the towns.
Favourite Section
We didn’t really have a favourite section as the Bibbulmun continually revealed little treasures along the way. We loved everything from the tall trees to the tiny fungus to the spectacular coastal views.
Highlights
Valley fog at the Blackwood campsite. The multitude of fungus (Maureen). Being snuggled up in a shelter at night as a thunderstorm rumbled over head. Friendly kangaroos on the south coast obliging with a pose for the camera. Ice cold soda water when you get into a town. So many come to mind.
Personal Reactions
Strapping on a 16kg packpack and walking a half-marathon every day allowed us to attain an amazing level of fitness, with the added bonus that we both lost more than 10kg of weight. It has given us a kick start to a new lifestyle. We also spent quite a bit of quality time together - just the two of us - and not a harsh word was spoken. We guess we were to busy tackling the Bibbulmun together to worry about minor issues.
Wildlife
Kangaroos, wallabies and emu were the most common but we also saw quendas, possums (and yes rats) around the campsites. There was a very cheeky possum at Schafer that prodded Gary on the calf to let him know he was there and then proceeded to show off his acrobatics in the rafters. The most thrilling sighting was a pair of Mopokes near the Track close to Chadoora, and the most bizarre was a white domestic chicken that we saw walking along the Track just past Gloucester tree (couldn’t get the camera into action quick enough to get a good photo). The smaller end of the spectrum comprised the thirsty bees and the bitey pepper ticks that were sent to annoy us in the northern section but surprisingly, we didn’t really encounter any of the hordes of mosquitoes that people assured us we would have to deal with “further south”.
Your Best Equipment
When you’re out on the Track for so long, personal hygiene comes really important (and it was really hot and sweaty through March this year in particular). So some of our best equipment was our wash gear - a compact package that we put together comprising a Sea-to-Summit 5 litre kitchen sink, environmental-friendly Super wash (1-2mls is enough in 1 litre of water), a square of shade cloth big enough to stand on and keep the dirt off your feet, chux, baby wipes, deodorant and micro-fibre towel. It is amazing how good you feel after a wash in a litre of water. It requires technique, but it really revives you after a 20km walk (followed by a hot cuppa).
Second place was awarded to our walking poles - the 4wd equivalent to walking. They give added stability, especially when going downhill on a layer of honky nuts or pea-gravel (or both!)
Your Worst Equipment
Gary had trouble with some of the straps constantly slipping on his backpack and he had to keep readjusting the tension - annoying to do but painful if he didn’t.
Advice for Others
Plan, organize and did I mention plan. If you plan well we found that the walk will just about take care of itself.