Carol Lingard (Carol Lingard (Track Name was Monte Carlo))

Track Towns and Supplies

• How many days did you stay in Track Towns? 9
• Did you have any issues finding food/supplies? No
• I booked my accom in the Track Towns before I started my trek and posted all my food supply boxes (from Melbourne) to my accom, except for Northcliffe where I posted it to the Visitor Centre as the accom did not accept food supply boxes. I did however have to re-stock in Walpole as unfortunately my food supply box was stolen from the accom (which they said had never happened before). Fortunately, I stayed 2 nights in Walpole and there were ample places where I could get food for my next section. The $3,000 in the question below includes food I purchased on the trek, eg: my pub meals in Track Towns etc plus food in Melbourne I purchased for the trek for my food supply boxes which included vegetables I dehydrated for my meals as well breakfasts, snacks, beverages, etc,

Particular Track Towns that you would return to:

• Dwellingup
• Balingup
• Donnelly River Village

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Your Story or Advice for Others

General Comments
All Track Towns were great and would visit them again. The majority had ample food options to re-stock if required. All the accom (mostly pubs/hotels) where I stayed o/night (sometimes 2 nights if I was ahead in my walking schedule) were helpful, friendly, reasonably priced, and the pub food was delicious. There were some that catered very well for trekkers, eg: Crown Hotel in Collie. The washing machine & dryer were free, also outdoor clothes lines (on the deck), very large kitchen with any appliance you could wish for to cook with/use, a large dining table, large fridge etc - you could really cook up a storm if you wanted. Even a bath robe in your room!

Your Best Equipment
Luv my home away from home - tent, sleeping mat, pillow and sleeping bag. Plus (a present from a friend) ... my new Nitecore NU25 400 lumens head torch with 3 brightness options plus the red light of course. It's so bright you would not have any difficulty walking at night or pre-dawn if needed. It is charge only (not batteries) so need a power pack to recharge.

Your Worst Equipment
Failed items - poncho. The band with the press studs tore away from the body of the poncho but I managed to repair it with duck tape that I bought at a Track Town. So I would invest in a better quality but lightweight poncho next time AND also find a solution to attach the bottom hem at the back of the poncho to the back of my pack so it doesn't fly up around my neck / head in wet / windy weather ha ha! It was fun & games to say the least. Note - a poncho won't keep you completely dry (ie: from your elbow or knees down) in horizontal rain / wind. My body remained dry though which is enough. For me, wearing wet weather pants would be too hot, unless at altitude or in snow.

Advice for Others
PACK AS LIGHT AS YOU CAN - but always consider your safety and what "you" need for comfort. For instance, I don't like being cold + wet. Being wet during the day when walking doesn't bother me as while walking I'm usually warm anyway, but making sure I have something dry/warm (thermals or whatever) when I get to a shelter is necessary for me. Note - I take very little in the way of clothes - just the absolute minimum essentials. You can always wrap your sleeping bag around you if very cold until you do warm up if required. If you're worried about getting lost, don't worry as the Waugals will get you there. If you need more reassurance, use a Tracking App. I used the Organic Maps App. Use the Guidebooks & Maps for reference if that's what you prefer. I only used Map 8 once I got to the coastal sections so I could see where the inlets were and of alternative routes if needed. However, I did still pack the maps for each section so I could get the big picture of where I was - in the event of an emergency. If you don't need or use some item in your pack, you can always post it back home from one of the Track Towns that have a PO.

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Trip Details

How you completed the Bibbulmun Track:

• All at once

• How many days did it take you to complete the Track? 55
• Who did you complete the Track with? Solo (primarily)
• Was undertaking your hike the PRIMARY/MAIN purpose of your TRAVEL from where you currently live? Yes
• What first prompted you to walk the Bibbulmun Track? Word of mouth/friends
  

What did you use to navigate the Track?

• BT Maps
• BT Guidebooks
• App (please specify)
• - Mostly relied on the Waugals plus Organic Maps App, BT Guidebooks, and Map 8

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Your Experience

• Availability of information: Excellent - BTF website is very thorough. enjoy reading the newsletter and the staff are very friendly and helpful. A BIG THANK YOU.
• Amount of Wildlife Encountered: Good - I mostly saw kangaroos, a mob or two of emus, and the odd snake (4) which I think is pretty low for snake numbers. Most other trekkers that I spoke with said they hadn't really seen many snakes either - so we were very lucky. Plus plenty of different types of cockatoos, and other colourful birds too.

Favourite Section
Wow that's a very difficult question to answer. And my friends have asked me this too. I stumbled with my answer, but probably Northcliffe to Walpole plus the coast sections. Truthfully, I luved it all. Each section had something different to offer, see and experience!

Highlight of your trip
Being in nature for 2 months, walking solo during the day and experiencing what the bush/forest/farmlands/coast had to offer, and sometimes if lucky having company at night with fellow trekkers and hearing their stories, where they've been travelling, and why they were on the track.

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