November 26, 2024 • 38 mins
Sue-Maree hikes the cape to cape and shares with us what it takes, what it means and how to do it.
My favourite quote of the episode is "We know that hiking really promotes mental and physical health and wellbeing. And I think not just for me, but I think for everyone who does hike, that must be quite a large part of it. And there's that natural ebb and flow, I think, when you're hiking. And I think we spoke about it earlier, where there are the really good moments of hiking and that, that joy and wonder, but also the times where you're doing a little bit more soul searching. And when you're walking with friends, that is a lovely connection piece as well. There are times when you're walking along chatting about anything and everything. And then just naturally there'll be other times where everyone's sort of walking alone in their own heads and that's okay too. And it's a very comfortable place to be, I think."
Links Cape to Cape Track (Western Australia) group on FaceBook
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
I'm your host, Paul van der Mey,and in today's episode we're
talking with Sue-Maree Wilks aboutwalking the Cape to Cape Trail.
During COVID times, parkrunwas stopped for a little while.
(00:28):
And at that time, Sue-Maree and a friendstarted hiking the trails around Collie.
And they hiked around for at least a yearbefore they had to repeat the trails.
The trails that they were hiking onjust shows how many trails there are
around Collie, which is fantastic.
When parkrun returned, they loved it somuch they kept on hiking, just changed
(00:52):
the day from Saturday to a Sunday, andthen looked for bigger challenges, and one
of those challenges was the Great OceanRoad, and the other was the Cape to Cape.
Welcome to Forrest.Chat, Sue-Maree.
Thanks so much, Paul.
It's great to be here.
Great to have you here.
Hiking.
So you can hike all over the place andyou've done quite a lot around Collie.
(01:14):
You probably know that placelike the back of your hand.
But we're here today to talkabout the Cape to Cape Trail.
What is the Cape to Cape Trail?
So the Cape to Cape Trail is ahiking trail that goes from Cape
Naturaliste down to Cape Leeuwin.
So it starts out of Dunsboroughand basically finishes in Augusta.
It is 123 kilometers accordingto the books, although we found
(01:38):
that it was a little bit furtherthan that when we did it.
It's mostly on trail.
There are a few sealed parts to it, buta lot of it is on rocky single paths or
on beach sand or up in the sand hills,which is also a little bit different.
Yeah.
And it's beautiful coastline there.
It is absolutely stunning.
(01:58):
I think that's what we really noticedis You see some beautiful pictures of
different spots down south, but what youdon't realise is that it's all beautiful.
Every time we went round anotherheadland, there'd be another
beautiful beach in front of us, oranother stunning rock formation, or a
gorge, or something else to look at.
So it was just consistently beautiful.
(02:21):
Amazing.
And I gather there's also a coupleof river crossings along the way?
There are.
So, we had two rivercrossings that we had to do.
There were a few more that werea little bit weighty but we
didn't need to take shoes off.
You could sort of rock hop across.
But I think it dependson the time of year.
But you'll definitely get wetat least a couple of times.
(02:41):
So when we talk later on, there'llbe something about when's a
good time to do that, exactly.
Exactly.
I think there are certainly times whereyou're going to stay a little drier
than others, so we can chat about that.
Excellent.
So 123 kilometres and you're hiking,like how far do you go in a day?
So that depends on what you plan for.
So, we did it over six days, so lookingat between 20 and 25 kilometres a day.
(03:06):
You can do it, um, in as few asfour days, or some people will
take up to ten, depending on howfar you do want to go each day.
Right.
So that's a speed, endurance,and, uh, time availability.
That's right.
Thing that you'll needto work out for yourself.
That's right.
Yes.
Sue-Maree, what does it take you todo a hike like the Cape to Cape Trail?
(03:28):
Well, I think you've got to start off witha reason to be doing the bigger hikes.
And for me, that tends to be curiosity.
I always want to know what's out there.
Um, so that level of curiosityis a good starting place.
You also want to have like minded friendsif you're going with other people.
So people who have the sameidea about hiking as you do.
(03:51):
If you have friends who are happyto take that time out of their busy
lives, because it does take some time.
You want to have similar goals.
So you're going to be walking at thepace of the slowest person in your group.
So it helps if you're all at asimilar pace, or if not, that
you're happy to slow it down.
If you've got someone who wants to rushthrough in a few hours and then someone
(04:13):
who wants a more leisurely stroll.
It could be a bit difficult.
That or I guess you meet upwith them at the end of the day.
Well there is that, but it doeskind of defeat the purpose a little
bit if you stretch out too far.
You do also need areasonable level of fitness.
It's quite hard I think to backup day after day, so being able
to go out and do a hike of 15 to20 Ks in one day is really good.
(04:35):
But having to do that over and overagain, and often on quite different
terrains, you want to know that youare prepared for that, at least.
So I would recommend that.
You'd need to be getting somekilometres in under your feet
before you, before you head off.
And is there a bit ofpsychology around that as well?
(04:56):
There can be.
I think hiking is quite differentin that you do go through a lot of
emotions when you're out on the trail.
So much of it is beautiful and stunningand awe inspiring, but at other times
it can be quite a drudge as you're, youknow, trudging along through the sand and
wondering how long this beach is gonnalast or up through another sandhill.
(05:17):
So it's not all roses and it'snot all that feeling of euphoria.
A lot of it is, but you do need thatmental ability, I think, to be able to
push on when things are, you know, isthat a blister that I'm getting is that,
oh, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Gee, it's hot to workthrough those and then enjoy.
The beautiful side of hiking.
(05:38):
I think the other thing that you needto have in your head before you start
is what you want to get out of it.
So for us, for this time, wehad friends from Queensland
who came and hiked with us.
Some of the same friends who'ddone a previous hike with us.
So this was, for one ofthem, her first time to WA.
So we wanted to balance ourhike with a bit of tourism.
So we didn't want to do too much hikingeach day and not leave enough time.
(06:02):
in the afternoon.
But if you wanted to push on further,if you were a local and didn't want
those tourism options, then I guessthat's something to consider early on.
So knowing what you want to getout of the hike is important.
Yeah, sharing it with others, andespecially when they're on a voyage of
discovery, never having been there before.
(06:23):
Yeah, very important to be able topick up those little bits that you
wouldn't normally do on your own.
That's right.
And we were able to, so weaimed to finish at about 2.
30 most days.
We'd start hiking at eight in the morningand aim to be finished mid afternoon.
So we were able to do a cave tour,some wineries, the lighthouse tour,
(06:44):
all questionable things to be doingafter you've already walked 20
Ks to throw in another 600 stepsor so, but it was worthwhile.
And we went to Simmos a few times.
I did a few other of the, anafternoon down at Canal Rock, so it
was nice to be able to fit those in.
And Simmos is an ice creamery, right?
It is the most amazingice creamery in the world.
(07:05):
And it's right there, partway along the
Absolutely.
I think we made it three times to Simmos.
Fantastic.
We liked it so much, so.
I guess something else it takesthen is to be able to be flexible,
it's really hard, regardless ofwhat time of year you plan for, to
know what the weather's going to do.
And they always say that there's nobad weather, there's only bad planning.
(07:27):
But it is much nicer, obviously, tobe walking on days that are not too
hot, not too cold, and not too wet.
I think the other flexible whereyou need to be flexible is with
the Margaret River crossings.
We spoke briefly about the fact thatthere were a few river crossings.
There are some times in the year wherethe Margaret River is not able to be
crossed, so you need to take a detour.
(07:47):
So you need to be flexible and keep an eyeon that part of the hike and be prepared
to change plans, even at the last minute.
If you're out there doing stuff,you've got to account for the weather.
And things can happen quickly, weatherwise, particularly in the southwest of WA.
Did you get all good weather on your
We were amazingly lucky.
(08:09):
So it rained pretty heavily.
the week before, and then it wasfine for our entire week, and then
it rained again the week after.
The Margaret River we've been watchingreally closely because we did want
to cross that, that was part of thehighlight, and a lot of people talk
about crossing the Margaret River, and itonly became crossable two days before we
crossed it, so we just made it in time.
(08:30):
We were most of the week planningon doing the alternative route.
And then we'd check it each dayand decided at the last minute
that it would be okay to cross.
And it was.
Great to have that, uh, opportunity.
Was that the highlight or was theresomething even better about that?
It was definitely one of the highlightsand I'll hope to talk about it a little
bit later, but we actually finishedat Margaret River on that crossing.
(08:52):
So that was our last few steps werethrough the water and up the other side.
But I think the other highlightswere the wildlife that we saw.
So, we saw a lot of dolphins,quite a few whales, lots and lots
of lizards of all different sizes.
Luckily, only one snake,so we were happy with that.
(09:12):
The other highlight I think I had wasjust the different terrain and geography.
So, walking down past Cozy Corner,you reach a spot called the Blowholes.
And I have never in my lifeseen anything like that.
I've seen blowholes in otherplaces, but this was very different.
And you're walking along the edge of,I think it's granite, I could be wrong
(09:33):
because I am not very geologicallyminded, but the way that the water has
eroded those out and then the soundsof the water coming in underneath you
and as you're stepping across sort ofalmost stepping stones with the water
each side it was, it was really special.
I don't think I've heard of that soone day we hope to be able to get along
(09:54):
and walk the Cape to Cape as well sobe interesting to to find and see that
ourselves that'll be fantastic to do.
It was like nothing I've seenbefore so it was really worth it.
We've heard about what it takesto walk the Cape to Cape Trail.
Let's have a break now and after thebreak we'll talk about what it means.
(10:20):
We've heard what it takes todo the Cape to Cape Trail.
Now we'll look at what it means.
Sue-Maree, what does it mean to you,your family or the community that you're
able to walk the Cape to Cape Trail?
I think for me, it brings that connectionwith nature and the awe and wonder that
(10:40):
I always find when I'm out in nature.
I love looking at the small details ofthings sometimes and finding unusual
views on very everyday type objects.
So it might be a really interestingleaf, it might be a tree that's
growing in a really unusual way.
Or even the fungi.
(11:01):
A flower or a cool rock that we might see.
So I really enjoy that connection andthat moment in time to step away from
the busyness of everyday life that weall experience and just to breathe.
We know that hiking really promotesmental and physical health and wellbeing.
And I think not just for me, but Ithink for everyone who does hike,
(11:23):
that must be quite a large part of it.
And there's that natural ebb andflow, I think, when you're hiking.
And I think we spoke about it earlier,where there are the really good moments
of hiking and that, that joy and wonder,but also the times where you're doing
a little bit more soul searching.
And when you're walking with friends,that is a lovely connection piece as well.
(11:45):
There are times when you're walking alongchatting about Anything and everything.
And then just naturally there'llbe other times where everyone's
sort of walking alone in theirown heads and that's okay too.
And it's a very comfortableplace to be, I think.
And I really, that means a lot to me tobe able to share that with other people.
Going through that process of beingtogether when you're seeing amazing
(12:07):
stuff, but then also being togetherwhen you're working your way up that
hill and we're up that sand dune andit seems like it's again and again,
those are very connecting for peoplewho are going through that as a group.
That's right, that shared experienceI think really is something, um, and
we found that previously, it's sonice to be able to look back on that.
(12:29):
Together, occasionally a photowill pop up on Facebook as a memory
and you can all chat about it.
It brings it all back.
So it is.
It's that connectedness that'sreally, really valuable, I think.
How much of a record didyou keep along the way?
Well, I take a lot of photos, Paul,potentially not as many as you
do, but I do take a lot of photos.
(12:50):
Uh, I was creating reelseach day, which was nice.
So I'd just pop up at the end ofeach day, a mixture of videos.
and photos from that day.
And I did go back and have another lookat those quickly before I came down here.
And it was really lovely to seeall of those special moments
that we had together on those.
It's so special that you've got a record.
(13:11):
That's amazing.
When we go out, like for a Sundaymorning walk, you take the keys,
but you leave the phone at home.
So you've got nothing to take aphoto with or anything like that.
You know, while it's a beautifulenvironment we've got to walk in.
To go and do a walk that's insomewhere, I'll say, a bit special
and a bit different, then takinga record is, is really good.
(13:34):
And it sounds like youhave a great record.
And I think when you're doing a longerwalk, so over those five days, it's easy
for everything to get a bit blurred,because everything is different, but it's
also kind of the same on a walk like that.
And so being able to differentiateand remember, oh, that's right, that's
the day that we did Bob's Hollow, orthat's the day we did this crossing, or
that's the day we saw that huge monitor.
(13:56):
It is really lovely.
Very special part of your life thathopefully there's a record there for
your family in the future as well.
Yeah, I hope so.
I really do hope so.
So as for what a hike like the Capeto Cape brings to the community,
I think it's so important thatpeople can connect with nature.
And we're so lucky to have that diversityand such accessibility, uh, here as well.
(14:20):
There are walks like the Bibbulmunthat are amazing, but can be
a little bit confronting anddifficult for people to access.
Whereas the Cape to Cape, generallythere are so many access points you
can come in and out at any time.
So if you just wanted to do an houror two of hiking, you could do that.
If you wanted to do a dayor two, you could do that.
If you want to do the whole lot,obviously that's an option too.
(14:42):
So I think that's a beautiful thingfor the community to have access
to, but I think it also openspeople's eyes to the bigger issues.
So the things like we were quite shockedand a little bit horrified by how much
plastic rubbish was on some of the beachesand obviously brought in by the tides.
(15:02):
So these are beaches that have very littleaccess other than the hikers and they were
literally littered with bottle caps thatwe would fill our pockets with, there were
toothbrushes, there were other very randomold plastic that's obviously washed up.
So I think being aware of that gives thecommunity more of a reason to be concerned
(15:23):
or to be active on topics such as climatechange and protection of the environment.
So I think that's a good thing that can bebrought to the community through hiking.
I think there needs to be that balancethough of not over populating an area
and it's really difficult because welove hiking so much and you want to
(15:47):
share that love with other people,but getting that balance right by
not having thousands and thousandsof people tramping through a day.
And it's difficult.
I don't know how, how you manage that,but that need to prevent habitat loss.
Particularly, I think one of the thingsthat's big on the Cape to Cape is
making sure that you're walking belowthe high tide line because there are a
(16:10):
lot of little birds that actually nest.
along the beaches and the damagethat can be done to them by hikers,
but particularly four wheel driversas well, um, up and down the beach
because they're very hard to see.
So I think from a community perspective,it's about getting that balance right.
Isn't it about making it availableto everybody but still protecting
(16:32):
the environment that we're living in.
And I think that's really important.
Yeah, there's some importantbalances there between the,
I'll say, the volume of space.
So we talked earlier about Collie andhow there's so many trails out there
that a lot of people can be out thereand not necessarily even see each other
(16:54):
because there are just so many trails.
So that gives you a biggercapacity for people to be out there
because the Cape to Capes on arelatively narrow strip, isn't it?
It is, although it was interesting thateven though we were in quite a busy
time when we were hiking, we didn'ttend to come across too many people.
(17:15):
I think the fact that the large majorityof people do walk from the North end
heading South meant that everybody'skind of going in the same way.
So you're not crossing a lot of people.
And when we did meet hikers whowere coming up from the South, it
was actually really pleasant to sitand have a little chat, you know,
stop for a moment and then move on.
So even though it holdsquite a volume of people.
(17:39):
You do tend to be walking mostof it on your own unless you're
near one of the busiest spots.
So like Gracetown or Yallingup orone of those more populated areas.
I'll bring it back to parkrun.
Everyone at the start is quiteclose together, but the further you
go, the more spread out you get.
That's right.
Travel at different speeds.
(18:00):
Yeah, that's right.
So I think even though it could bequite popular, it's very different.
If people have done hikes up around Perth.
Sort of in the John ForrestNational Park and things like that.
I find there are so many peoplethere and you see them every step
of the way, whereas the hikesdown here are quite different.
And I think because of whatyou've mentioned, people are
(18:21):
sort of all going on the samedirection, but in different speeds.
So you do tend to space out a lot more.
It's a practical thing that you space out,but it's an important consideration for
the community to ensure that those placesare available and they're of a suitable
size that the number of people who want toaccess it aren't tripping over each other.
(18:42):
That's right, that's what we getout into nature to do, isn't it?
To have a bit of time to ourselvesand space to ourselves, so definitely.
Absolutely.
So there's a lot of meaning that can begained from Hiking the Cape to Cape Trail.
We'll have a break now and after thebreak we'll look at how you do it.
(19:06):
There's a lot of positive meaningin hiking the Cape to Cape Trail.
We'll now look at how you do it.
Sue-Maree, if someone wanted to do this,how on earth would they go about it?
So I think with many things.
So much of it is in the planning and Ithink with the Cape to Cape 95 percent of
it would be in the planning and probably5 percent if that would be in the doing.
(19:29):
So we started planningprobably about 12 months out.
As I'd mentioned, or as you had mentionedbefore, we had a group of friends
who had met up for a hike previously.
So it was from that same group of friends.
So we'd done.
We'd hike together.
We knew what was involved with that.
So that did help.
(19:50):
On our last hike, there were the 10 of us.
This hike, we only had four of us.
So in some ways, four was a little biteasier to organise than 10, particularly
as we were more self managed this time.
So we did it all withoutany tour guides or support.
The Cape to Cape is really well supportedin that there is an app that you can
(20:13):
purchase, which is not too expensive.
I think it's under $30.
And that has pretty much everything you'llneed to know about the Cape to Cape.
It has all of the maps.
It has access points.
It has recommended thingsto do along the way.
So we purchased the App, and thenyou can also get guidebooks and maps.
(20:33):
So between the four of us, we had all ofthose things covered, which all of them
came in use at one stage or another.
The other thing that you will need ifyou're planning on doing the Cape to Cape
or any hiking really is obviously theright equipment and the right safety gear.
And the equipment is going to dependvery much on how you're doing the hike,
(20:55):
and what you're used to walking in.
So we all walked in trail shoes,which are much lighter than boots,
but we saw people walking in awhole range of different things.
So from boots to regular running shoesto hiking sandals to crocs on one
(21:15):
certain part of it I probably wouldn'trecommend the crocs, but if that's what
works for you, then go right ahead.
We also made sure that we had a PLB.
So a personal locator beacon.
Most of the trail is covered byphone coverage, but not all I believe
about 20 percent has no coverage.
So it's very important particularlythe because there are snakes out there,
(21:39):
it's not that difficult to imaginea situation where you could roll
an ankle and not be able to get outor hurt yourself in some other way.
So I think the PLB was a really usefuladdition and an essential addition to
have and then just a really basic firstaid kit is necessary too, just with a
snake bandage, something maybe to dealwith a sprain or two and a blister or two.
(22:02):
I'm pleased to say that we actuallydidn't need to use our first aid
kit except on one section, whichwas a more populated section.
And we actually came across a littlefamily who were heading to look at
the falls and their four year oldhad fallen over and hurt his knee.
So I was able to be super prepared, whipout my first aid kit and gave them some
(22:24):
antiseptic swabs to clean off his knee.
He was less excited about the antisepticswab being put on his knee, and the poor
kid, when his mum was saying, say thankyou to the lady, you could see that in his
mind the last thing he wanted to do wasthank me for making his knee feel worse.
But pleasingly, that was the onlytime we needed to use the first
aid kit, but it was good to have.
(22:45):
So just coming back to thePersonal Locator Beacon.
You had one amongst the group?
We just had the one.
Usually that's enough, particularly ifyou are staying together as a group.
And where do you get them?
I think most hiking shops,you can get them online.
My husband actually brought memine online, so I'm not completely
sure, but it's about, I thinkthey're around 300 dollars.
(23:08):
And you can have a wholelot of different options.
So some will send texts, some willjust send the emergency signal.
Some you need to have linked up asan ongoing subscription service.
The one I've got is literally justa use when you need it sends a
signal to the emergency services.
And again, pleased to say I haven't had touse it, but there's also no subscription
(23:31):
and I don't need to turn it on andoff as far as when I want to use it.
It's just there in my bag.
I just put the aerial up,press the button if I need it.
So hopefully that will beenough to keep us safe.
Or at least make the call forhelp when you, if you need it.
That's right.
Absolutely.
So it is that added peace ofmind for not just for us, but
(23:52):
also for our family, I think.
Alright, so if someone wants to, there's awhole world of research they can do on it.
Absolutely, I think there's a lot thatyou can look into, or just handball
that off to your husband like I did.
So, if you're planning on doing theCape to Cape, the other thing to really
consider is when you're going to do it.
So you can walk at any time of theyear, although there are obviously
(24:15):
considerations to be made aboutthe temperature, about the weather.
Most people do tend to walkit either in autumn or spring.
We chose spring for a few reasons.
It fitted in with the timingthat we could all get off work.
It also fitted in with a runningevent that was coming up.
supposed to be happening in Collie thatmy friends were going to come over and
(24:37):
do, and it was the wildflower season.
So if you have any interest in orchidsor wildflowers, it's a good time to
be down on the track to look at that.
As we mentioned before, though, youneed to take into consideration what
the rivers are likely to be doing.
So obviously through winter,they're going to be a lot higher.
(24:57):
With one of the rivers, there'snot an alternative route.
So if you can't cross the river there,you basically can't continue on.
But I think generally that can befairly crossable most of the year,
but potentially be aware of that ifyou're looking at going in winter
or after there's been a lot of rain.
And as I said, Margaret River, itdoes get very fast and very deep,
(25:20):
and so you need to be watching that.
There is a Facebook page purelydedicated to the Margaret River
mouth, and lets you know each dayabout whether it's crossable or not.
And when we crossed it, it was probablyjust under hip height, uh, so, but it
was still quite fast, uh, and we probablywouldn't have wanted it to be any deeper.
(25:43):
The other thing you need to considerwhen you're going to walk the Cape to
Cape is how you would like to do it.
So as I've mentioned before, most peopledo tend to walk from north to south.
We decided to do it a littlebit differently in that we
still did walk north to south,but we started at Preveley.
So that's where we'dbooked our accommodation.
(26:03):
So we'd booked an Airbnb for the week.
So we decided to start in Preveleyand walk down to Cape Leeuwin.
So that was three days of walking.
And then we circled backup to Cape Naturaliste and
walk back down to Preveley.
So as I mentioned before,we actually finished.
At the Margaret River mouth.
There are a few reasons that we didthat, including the fact that as you
(26:26):
would, I dare say, agree, Paul, parkrunbeing on a Saturday was something that
we didn't want to miss and MargaretRiver parkrun is pretty amazing.
So we didn't want to be trying tofit in parkrun on our last day and
then still have a 25 kilometre hikeand a 40 minute drive to get there.
So by finishing at Margaret River.
We had a shorter walk on our lastday, could easily fit in parkrun
(26:47):
and make it the later startand enjoy our day in that way.
It also meant that we couldget to Ellensbrook House on
a day that it would be open.
So that's a historic house onthe northern end of the walk,
and it's only open certain days.
So we wanted to make sure that aswe were walking through, that was
a day that it was open, becauseas I've mentioned, my friends were
(27:08):
visiting and they were only having oneshot, really, at getting to see it.
So.
I think plan how you want to do thewalk and what you want to fit in.
Don't feel like there'sonly one way to do it.
I was of the impression that it wasbasically walked from south to north.
And I don't know why, I've justsort of got that impression.
But clearly there's multipledifferent ways to do it and there's
(27:31):
a lot of flexibility there aswell with so many access points.
There really is, that's right.
And some people do walk south to north.
I think the wind is oftenbetter if you do that way.
So you're walking againstthe wind, not into it.
But having walked the way we did, I'mfully aware that there are 365 steps
(27:54):
down into one of the valleys and nosteps coming up if you go that way.
Whereas if you're coming up the other way,that's a lot of steps in front of you.
We also found that there were quitea few really deep sand dunes that we
felt we were going down, and we, oneach of those, would comment, we were
pleased we're not going up these.
(28:15):
There seemed to be, there werestill a few that we did have to
climb, but there seemed to be less.
So my preference, I think,would be heading southbound,
but everybody's different.
Depends on what you want to get out of it.
Like, if you just love that challengeof getting up soft sand dunes, then, uh.
That's a challenge nobody needs, Paul.
(28:37):
So, as I mentioned,we'd booked at Preveley.
Now, you can camp on the Capeto Cape, and many people do.
They consider that to be part of thecharm, is to be carrying a full pack.
I'm a little more precious than that.
I don't fancy carrying anything morethan a day pack, if I can avoid it.
And I do like a bed.
So, as I mentioned, we had rentedan Airbnb for the week in Preveley.
(29:00):
We had two cars and a support crew.
And that support crew was my parents whovery kindly came down and stayed with us.
My friend's mother had also come overwith them, and, so she did sort of
five to 10 kilometers each day withus, and then she'd get picked up.
And being Margaret River and the region,it meant that there were so many things
(29:21):
that they could go and do themselvesin that time while we were hiking.
So they would drop us off at thestart, leave the second car where
we'd planned to finish and thenthey'd go and enjoy their day.
That worked really well.
But you don't need to do that.
We ran into a few people who were justhiking on their own with two cars.
So they would both drive to the end, leaveone car there, drive back to the start,
(29:44):
walk down, pick up the car and drive back.
So there's a little bit moreshuffling, but you can certainly do
it if you don't have a support crew.
And then there's also a lot of options,I think, for people to do shuttles and
things in Margaret River and again onthe Facebook page, you can find out.
How to access those services, butthere are definitely services that
(30:05):
will pick you up and drop you off eachday, if that's how you want to do it.
On some of our drives up to Perth, upthe Forrest Highway, there's definitely
a Cape to Cape tour bus that goes fromBusleton or Yellingup or somewhere
up to Perth and back on a, at leaston a somewhat regular frequency.
I think so.
(30:25):
And I think there are a lot of tours thatyou can do and they're guided tours often.
We did come across a few of thoseand I suppose that's a nice option
if, particularly if you don'thave a group of friends who are
wanting to do it, if you're wantingto do it and aren't comfortable
doing the whole thing on your own.
Then a tour would be a great option.
(30:46):
And I think there are a lot, there'sa lot of variety in the tours as
well, as if in regards to if you arestaying on track or if you are staying
in slightly nicer accommodation.
So there are options out there.
Just do your research.
But so much of it is on thatFacebook page, or in the books.
So in reality.
(31:07):
You can pretty much make the hike andall the logistics around the hike,
whatever you feel suits you best.
You really can, that's right.
And as I mentioned, my friend'smother walked with us most days.
There was only one day that we couldn'tfind an access point about that
five to 10k in to get her picked up.
So there was only one day she didn'tdo at least part of the walk with us.
(31:30):
So there are many, many optionsand you can make it work for you.
So each evening we'd sit down as a groupand we'd pour over our maps and our books
and we'd see what we were going to dothe next day and make sure that we could
fit in all of the points of interest.
And I think it's importantto consider your timing.
(31:50):
So we probably allowed an extra hourand a half to two hours on what we would
normally do in just a morning hike becausethere's going to be a lot of times where
you just want to sit and take in the viewor stop and have a lovely morning tea.
with whatever you've packed, lookingout over at the beach or sit and have
half an hour for lunch, whereas when wenormally would hike just on a regular
(32:13):
weekend, we wouldn't allow for that.
So allow time to soakit in and not be rushed.
I think that's important.
And then, as we mentioned before,deciding on how many days that you've
got and you want to allow, I thinkallowing an extra day in your schedule
is probably a really good thing incase there is terrible weather, or in
(32:33):
case for whatever reason you just feellike you need a break midway through.
So we had allowed an extra day, whichin the end we were able to use as just a
pure touristing day through the MargaretRiver region, which was nice, but I think
it is important to give yourself options.
Yeah, allow that flexibilityat least to adjust on the fly
(32:53):
if needed and relax, I guess.
That's right, and it's such a beautifularea that you'll find something to do if
you don't need to use that day hiking.
So for each day, what did youactually take with you from
an equipment perspective?
Sure, so each day we would haveour day pack, which is just a
really light little hiking pack.
(33:15):
We would make sure we had enough water,so you want at least two litres of water.
Probably a little moreif it's hot weather.
We were getting throughwith about two litres.
We would then make sure that we had enoughsustenance because we would As I mentioned
previously, the sitting down and eatingand taking in the view is very important.
So we'd learned from our previoushike that generally a muffin or a
(33:38):
biscuit, one of those decent ones,not just a little biscuit, but one of
those nice big ones for the bakery.
Um,
not a baby one, a
big one.
No, no, you need, you need a little bit ofsustenance and a piece of fruit is great.
For morning tea and then generally we'djust take a roll that we'd make up in
the morning for lunch and then sortof some dried fruit or some nuts or
(33:58):
something else just to keep us going.
Equipment wise, we made sure that we allhad hiking poles and I think that's a
really important option for this hike.
As I mentioned, the terrainis so different and there is
quite a lot of scrambling upand down over rocks and things.
And it's often really nice just to havethat extra little bit of stability.
(34:21):
So I definitely recommendthe hiking pole, poles.
And then the first aid kit,the PLB, and we would also take
an extra layer of clothing.
So usually just a jacketto throw over the top.
We had sunscreen in because it'ssurprising, even though it was September
and it was very mild, the weather.
(34:42):
It's amazing how quickly you canstill burn, particularly down
along those exposed clifftops.
So make sure that you've got plentyof sun protection, be that long
sleeves, hats, um, and sunscreen.
And I think that is probably thebasics, and of course our maps and or
phones because we did use those a lot.
(35:02):
The Cape to Cape's quite wellmarked, but there are a few spots,
particularly going off the beaches.
It's difficult to see because obviouslywith erosion and things like that, some
of the markers can get lost and buried.
So definitely take a phoneand or your map with you.
I'm sort of picturing there, um,climbing up a sand dune in the
(35:23):
desert and they all look the same.
Some of it wasn't far off thatat times, absolutely it did, and
it's, some of the beaches weresort of six kilometres of walking.
And you're not quite sure exactlywhich point you're exiting.
So yeah, it can, it can be usefulto have a map particularly.
Yeah, absolutely.
And potentially, well, the phonewould have a GPS for most of it.
(35:47):
So the app on the phone is actually,unfortunately, it took me two days to
realise this, but once you're on thetrail you can click on any point and
it will let you know how far you arefrom that point, how many kilometres
you still have to go, and it willshow you if you go off track as well.
But also if you've got anapp like AllTrails, I know
(36:08):
a lot of people use that.
That has the Cape to Cape andwill keep you on track as well.
There's a whole world of appsout there that you can explore
as well by the sound of that.
Allegedly so.
I know from a campingperspective, there are things like
Wikicamps and things like that.
And there's a few other ones that helpyou explore the area that you're in.
(36:28):
It sounds like hiking hassimilar options available.
Yeah, there are many optionsout there if you go looking.
It's a bit of a deep dive sometimes.
Well, thank you very much.
, Sue-Maree for coming and having a chatabout hiking the Cape to Cape trail.
Nice to have you on the podcast.
It's been an absolute pleasure.
Thanks so much, Paul.
Thank you.
And all our Forrest.Chatlisteners wish you all the
(36:51):
best in your future endeavours.
Pretty sure you've got a, uh, anotherhike in the planning somewhere.
Well, we're thinking aboutheading out to Larapinta next,
which is out from Alice Springs.
So we'll see how that one goes.
That sounds like another entirelynew adventure in the desert.
It will be different.
You've been listening to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
(37:13):
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
In today's episode, we talkedwith Sue-Maree Wilks about
hiking the Cape to Cape Trail.
Remember, there are four ways toget involved with Forrest.Chat.
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(37:34):
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Forrest.Chat slash advert.
I'm looking forward to joiningyou with our next episode.
Until then, enjoy making it happen.
Welcome to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
I'm your host, Paul van der Mey,and in today's episode we're
talking with Sue-Maree Wilks aboutwalking the Cape to Cape Trail.
During COVID times, parkrunwas stopped for a little while.
(00:28):
And at that time, Sue-Maree and a friendstarted hiking the trails around Collie.
And they hiked around for at least a yearbefore they had to repeat the trails.
The trails that they were hiking onjust shows how many trails there are
around Collie, which is fantastic.
When parkrun returned, they loved it somuch they kept on hiking, just changed
(00:52):
the day from Saturday to a Sunday, andthen looked for bigger challenges, and one
of those challenges was the Great OceanRoad, and the other was the Cape to Cape.
Welcome to Forrest.Chat, Sue-Maree.
Thanks so much, Paul.
It's great to be here.
Great to have you here.
Hiking.
So you can hike all over the place andyou've done quite a lot around Collie.
(01:14):
You probably know that placelike the back of your hand.
But we're here today to talkabout the Cape to Cape Trail.
What is the Cape to Cape Trail?
So the Cape to Cape Trail is ahiking trail that goes from Cape
Naturaliste down to Cape Leeuwin.
So it starts out of Dunsboroughand basically finishes in Augusta.
It is 123 kilometers accordingto the books, although we found
(01:38):
that it was a little bit furtherthan that when we did it.
It's mostly on trail.
There are a few sealed parts to it, buta lot of it is on rocky single paths or
on beach sand or up in the sand hills,which is also a little bit different.
Yeah.
And it's beautiful coastline there.
It is absolutely stunning.
(01:58):
I think that's what we really noticedis You see some beautiful pictures of
different spots down south, but what youdon't realise is that it's all beautiful.
Every time we went round anotherheadland, there'd be another
beautiful beach in front of us, oranother stunning rock formation, or a
gorge, or something else to look at.
So it was just consistently beautiful.
(02:21):
Amazing.
And I gather there's also a coupleof river crossings along the way?
There are.
So, we had two rivercrossings that we had to do.
There were a few more that werea little bit weighty but we
didn't need to take shoes off.
You could sort of rock hop across.
But I think it dependson the time of year.
But you'll definitely get wetat least a couple of times.
(02:41):
So when we talk later on, there'llbe something about when's a
good time to do that, exactly.
Exactly.
I think there are certainly times whereyou're going to stay a little drier
than others, so we can chat about that.
Excellent.
So 123 kilometres and you're hiking,like how far do you go in a day?
So that depends on what you plan for.
So, we did it over six days, so lookingat between 20 and 25 kilometres a day.
(03:06):
You can do it, um, in as few asfour days, or some people will
take up to ten, depending on howfar you do want to go each day.
Right.
So that's a speed, endurance,and, uh, time availability.
That's right.
Thing that you'll needto work out for yourself.
That's right.
Yes.
Sue-Maree, what does it take you todo a hike like the Cape to Cape Trail?
(03:28):
Well, I think you've got to start off witha reason to be doing the bigger hikes.
And for me, that tends to be curiosity.
I always want to know what's out there.
Um, so that level of curiosityis a good starting place.
You also want to have like minded friendsif you're going with other people.
So people who have the sameidea about hiking as you do.
(03:51):
If you have friends who are happyto take that time out of their busy
lives, because it does take some time.
You want to have similar goals.
So you're going to be walking at thepace of the slowest person in your group.
So it helps if you're all at asimilar pace, or if not, that
you're happy to slow it down.
If you've got someone who wants to rushthrough in a few hours and then someone
(04:13):
who wants a more leisurely stroll.
It could be a bit difficult.
That or I guess you meet upwith them at the end of the day.
Well there is that, but it doeskind of defeat the purpose a little
bit if you stretch out too far.
You do also need areasonable level of fitness.
It's quite hard I think to backup day after day, so being able
to go out and do a hike of 15 to20 Ks in one day is really good.
(04:35):
But having to do that over and overagain, and often on quite different
terrains, you want to know that youare prepared for that, at least.
So I would recommend that.
You'd need to be getting somekilometres in under your feet
before you, before you head off.
And is there a bit ofpsychology around that as well?
(04:56):
There can be.
I think hiking is quite differentin that you do go through a lot of
emotions when you're out on the trail.
So much of it is beautiful and stunningand awe inspiring, but at other times
it can be quite a drudge as you're, youknow, trudging along through the sand and
wondering how long this beach is gonnalast or up through another sandhill.
(05:17):
So it's not all roses and it'snot all that feeling of euphoria.
A lot of it is, but you do need thatmental ability, I think, to be able to
push on when things are, you know, isthat a blister that I'm getting is that,
oh, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Gee, it's hot to workthrough those and then enjoy.
The beautiful side of hiking.
(05:38):
I think the other thing that you needto have in your head before you start
is what you want to get out of it.
So for us, for this time, wehad friends from Queensland
who came and hiked with us.
Some of the same friends who'ddone a previous hike with us.
So this was, for one ofthem, her first time to WA.
So we wanted to balance ourhike with a bit of tourism.
So we didn't want to do too much hikingeach day and not leave enough time.
(06:02):
in the afternoon.
But if you wanted to push on further,if you were a local and didn't want
those tourism options, then I guessthat's something to consider early on.
So knowing what you want to getout of the hike is important.
Yeah, sharing it with others, andespecially when they're on a voyage of
discovery, never having been there before.
(06:23):
Yeah, very important to be able topick up those little bits that you
wouldn't normally do on your own.
That's right.
And we were able to, so weaimed to finish at about 2.
30 most days.
We'd start hiking at eight in the morningand aim to be finished mid afternoon.
So we were able to do a cave tour,some wineries, the lighthouse tour,
(06:44):
all questionable things to be doingafter you've already walked 20
Ks to throw in another 600 stepsor so, but it was worthwhile.
And we went to Simmos a few times.
I did a few other of the, anafternoon down at Canal Rock, so it
was nice to be able to fit those in.
And Simmos is an ice creamery, right?
It is the most amazingice creamery in the world.
(07:05):
And it's right there, partway along the
Absolutely.
I think we made it three times to Simmos.
Fantastic.
We liked it so much, so.
I guess something else it takesthen is to be able to be flexible,
it's really hard, regardless ofwhat time of year you plan for, to
know what the weather's going to do.
And they always say that there's nobad weather, there's only bad planning.
(07:27):
But it is much nicer, obviously, tobe walking on days that are not too
hot, not too cold, and not too wet.
I think the other flexible whereyou need to be flexible is with
the Margaret River crossings.
We spoke briefly about the fact thatthere were a few river crossings.
There are some times in the year wherethe Margaret River is not able to be
crossed, so you need to take a detour.
(07:47):
So you need to be flexible and keep an eyeon that part of the hike and be prepared
to change plans, even at the last minute.
If you're out there doing stuff,you've got to account for the weather.
And things can happen quickly, weatherwise, particularly in the southwest of WA.
Did you get all good weather on your
We were amazingly lucky.
(08:09):
So it rained pretty heavily.
the week before, and then it wasfine for our entire week, and then
it rained again the week after.
The Margaret River we've been watchingreally closely because we did want
to cross that, that was part of thehighlight, and a lot of people talk
about crossing the Margaret River, and itonly became crossable two days before we
crossed it, so we just made it in time.
(08:30):
We were most of the week planningon doing the alternative route.
And then we'd check it each dayand decided at the last minute
that it would be okay to cross.
And it was.
Great to have that, uh, opportunity.
Was that the highlight or was theresomething even better about that?
It was definitely one of the highlightsand I'll hope to talk about it a little
bit later, but we actually finishedat Margaret River on that crossing.
(08:52):
So that was our last few steps werethrough the water and up the other side.
But I think the other highlightswere the wildlife that we saw.
So, we saw a lot of dolphins,quite a few whales, lots and lots
of lizards of all different sizes.
Luckily, only one snake,so we were happy with that.
(09:12):
The other highlight I think I had wasjust the different terrain and geography.
So, walking down past Cozy Corner,you reach a spot called the Blowholes.
And I have never in my lifeseen anything like that.
I've seen blowholes in otherplaces, but this was very different.
And you're walking along the edge of,I think it's granite, I could be wrong
(09:33):
because I am not very geologicallyminded, but the way that the water has
eroded those out and then the soundsof the water coming in underneath you
and as you're stepping across sort ofalmost stepping stones with the water
each side it was, it was really special.
I don't think I've heard of that soone day we hope to be able to get along
(09:54):
and walk the Cape to Cape as well sobe interesting to to find and see that
ourselves that'll be fantastic to do.
It was like nothing I've seenbefore so it was really worth it.
We've heard about what it takesto walk the Cape to Cape Trail.
Let's have a break now and after thebreak we'll talk about what it means.
(10:20):
We've heard what it takes todo the Cape to Cape Trail.
Now we'll look at what it means.
Sue-Maree, what does it mean to you,your family or the community that you're
able to walk the Cape to Cape Trail?
I think for me, it brings that connectionwith nature and the awe and wonder that
(10:40):
I always find when I'm out in nature.
I love looking at the small details ofthings sometimes and finding unusual
views on very everyday type objects.
So it might be a really interestingleaf, it might be a tree that's
growing in a really unusual way.
Or even the fungi.
(11:01):
A flower or a cool rock that we might see.
So I really enjoy that connection andthat moment in time to step away from
the busyness of everyday life that weall experience and just to breathe.
We know that hiking really promotesmental and physical health and wellbeing.
And I think not just for me, but Ithink for everyone who does hike,
(11:23):
that must be quite a large part of it.
And there's that natural ebb andflow, I think, when you're hiking.
And I think we spoke about it earlier,where there are the really good moments
of hiking and that, that joy and wonder,but also the times where you're doing
a little bit more soul searching.
And when you're walking with friends,that is a lovely connection piece as well.
(11:45):
There are times when you're walking alongchatting about Anything and everything.
And then just naturally there'llbe other times where everyone's
sort of walking alone in theirown heads and that's okay too.
And it's a very comfortableplace to be, I think.
And I really, that means a lot to me tobe able to share that with other people.
Going through that process of beingtogether when you're seeing amazing
(12:07):
stuff, but then also being togetherwhen you're working your way up that
hill and we're up that sand dune andit seems like it's again and again,
those are very connecting for peoplewho are going through that as a group.
That's right, that shared experienceI think really is something, um, and
we found that previously, it's sonice to be able to look back on that.
(12:29):
Together, occasionally a photowill pop up on Facebook as a memory
and you can all chat about it.
It brings it all back.
So it is.
It's that connectedness that'sreally, really valuable, I think.
How much of a record didyou keep along the way?
Well, I take a lot of photos, Paul,potentially not as many as you
do, but I do take a lot of photos.
(12:50):
Uh, I was creating reelseach day, which was nice.
So I'd just pop up at the end ofeach day, a mixture of videos.
and photos from that day.
And I did go back and have another lookat those quickly before I came down here.
And it was really lovely to seeall of those special moments
that we had together on those.
It's so special that you've got a record.
(13:11):
That's amazing.
When we go out, like for a Sundaymorning walk, you take the keys,
but you leave the phone at home.
So you've got nothing to take aphoto with or anything like that.
You know, while it's a beautifulenvironment we've got to walk in.
To go and do a walk that's insomewhere, I'll say, a bit special
and a bit different, then takinga record is, is really good.
(13:34):
And it sounds like youhave a great record.
And I think when you're doing a longerwalk, so over those five days, it's easy
for everything to get a bit blurred,because everything is different, but it's
also kind of the same on a walk like that.
And so being able to differentiateand remember, oh, that's right, that's
the day that we did Bob's Hollow, orthat's the day we did this crossing, or
that's the day we saw that huge monitor.
(13:56):
It is really lovely.
Very special part of your life thathopefully there's a record there for
your family in the future as well.
Yeah, I hope so.
I really do hope so.
So as for what a hike like the Capeto Cape brings to the community,
I think it's so important thatpeople can connect with nature.
And we're so lucky to have that diversityand such accessibility, uh, here as well.
(14:20):
There are walks like the Bibbulmunthat are amazing, but can be
a little bit confronting anddifficult for people to access.
Whereas the Cape to Cape, generallythere are so many access points you
can come in and out at any time.
So if you just wanted to do an houror two of hiking, you could do that.
If you wanted to do a dayor two, you could do that.
If you want to do the whole lot,obviously that's an option too.
(14:42):
So I think that's a beautiful thingfor the community to have access
to, but I think it also openspeople's eyes to the bigger issues.
So the things like we were quite shockedand a little bit horrified by how much
plastic rubbish was on some of the beachesand obviously brought in by the tides.
(15:02):
So these are beaches that have very littleaccess other than the hikers and they were
literally littered with bottle caps thatwe would fill our pockets with, there were
toothbrushes, there were other very randomold plastic that's obviously washed up.
So I think being aware of that gives thecommunity more of a reason to be concerned
(15:23):
or to be active on topics such as climatechange and protection of the environment.
So I think that's a good thing that can bebrought to the community through hiking.
I think there needs to be that balancethough of not over populating an area
and it's really difficult because welove hiking so much and you want to
(15:47):
share that love with other people,but getting that balance right by
not having thousands and thousandsof people tramping through a day.
And it's difficult.
I don't know how, how you manage that,but that need to prevent habitat loss.
Particularly, I think one of the thingsthat's big on the Cape to Cape is
making sure that you're walking belowthe high tide line because there are a
(16:10):
lot of little birds that actually nest.
along the beaches and the damagethat can be done to them by hikers,
but particularly four wheel driversas well, um, up and down the beach
because they're very hard to see.
So I think from a community perspective,it's about getting that balance right.
Isn't it about making it availableto everybody but still protecting
(16:32):
the environment that we're living in.
And I think that's really important.
Yeah, there's some importantbalances there between the,
I'll say, the volume of space.
So we talked earlier about Collie andhow there's so many trails out there
that a lot of people can be out thereand not necessarily even see each other
(16:54):
because there are just so many trails.
So that gives you a biggercapacity for people to be out there
because the Cape to Capes on arelatively narrow strip, isn't it?
It is, although it was interesting thateven though we were in quite a busy
time when we were hiking, we didn'ttend to come across too many people.
(17:15):
I think the fact that the large majorityof people do walk from the North end
heading South meant that everybody'skind of going in the same way.
So you're not crossing a lot of people.
And when we did meet hikers whowere coming up from the South, it
was actually really pleasant to sitand have a little chat, you know,
stop for a moment and then move on.
So even though it holdsquite a volume of people.
(17:39):
You do tend to be walking mostof it on your own unless you're
near one of the busiest spots.
So like Gracetown or Yallingup orone of those more populated areas.
I'll bring it back to parkrun.
Everyone at the start is quiteclose together, but the further you
go, the more spread out you get.
That's right.
Travel at different speeds.
(18:00):
Yeah, that's right.
So I think even though it could bequite popular, it's very different.
If people have done hikes up around Perth.
Sort of in the John ForrestNational Park and things like that.
I find there are so many peoplethere and you see them every step
of the way, whereas the hikesdown here are quite different.
And I think because of whatyou've mentioned, people are
(18:21):
sort of all going on the samedirection, but in different speeds.
So you do tend to space out a lot more.
It's a practical thing that you space out,but it's an important consideration for
the community to ensure that those placesare available and they're of a suitable
size that the number of people who want toaccess it aren't tripping over each other.
(18:42):
That's right, that's what we getout into nature to do, isn't it?
To have a bit of time to ourselvesand space to ourselves, so definitely.
Absolutely.
So there's a lot of meaning that can begained from Hiking the Cape to Cape Trail.
We'll have a break now and after thebreak we'll look at how you do it.
(19:06):
There's a lot of positive meaningin hiking the Cape to Cape Trail.
We'll now look at how you do it.
Sue-Maree, if someone wanted to do this,how on earth would they go about it?
So I think with many things.
So much of it is in the planning and Ithink with the Cape to Cape 95 percent of
it would be in the planning and probably5 percent if that would be in the doing.
(19:29):
So we started planningprobably about 12 months out.
As I'd mentioned, or as you had mentionedbefore, we had a group of friends
who had met up for a hike previously.
So it was from that same group of friends.
So we'd done.
We'd hike together.
We knew what was involved with that.
So that did help.
(19:50):
On our last hike, there were the 10 of us.
This hike, we only had four of us.
So in some ways, four was a little biteasier to organise than 10, particularly
as we were more self managed this time.
So we did it all withoutany tour guides or support.
The Cape to Cape is really well supportedin that there is an app that you can
(20:13):
purchase, which is not too expensive.
I think it's under $30.
And that has pretty much everything you'llneed to know about the Cape to Cape.
It has all of the maps.
It has access points.
It has recommended thingsto do along the way.
So we purchased the App, and thenyou can also get guidebooks and maps.
(20:33):
So between the four of us, we had all ofthose things covered, which all of them
came in use at one stage or another.
The other thing that you will need ifyou're planning on doing the Cape to Cape
or any hiking really is obviously theright equipment and the right safety gear.
And the equipment is going to dependvery much on how you're doing the hike,
(20:55):
and what you're used to walking in.
So we all walked in trail shoes,which are much lighter than boots,
but we saw people walking in awhole range of different things.
So from boots to regular running shoesto hiking sandals to crocs on one
(21:15):
certain part of it I probably wouldn'trecommend the crocs, but if that's what
works for you, then go right ahead.
We also made sure that we had a PLB.
So a personal locator beacon.
Most of the trail is covered byphone coverage, but not all I believe
about 20 percent has no coverage.
So it's very important particularlythe because there are snakes out there,
(21:39):
it's not that difficult to imaginea situation where you could roll
an ankle and not be able to get outor hurt yourself in some other way.
So I think the PLB was a really usefuladdition and an essential addition to
have and then just a really basic firstaid kit is necessary too, just with a
snake bandage, something maybe to dealwith a sprain or two and a blister or two.
(22:02):
I'm pleased to say that we actuallydidn't need to use our first aid
kit except on one section, whichwas a more populated section.
And we actually came across a littlefamily who were heading to look at
the falls and their four year oldhad fallen over and hurt his knee.
So I was able to be super prepared, whipout my first aid kit and gave them some
(22:24):
antiseptic swabs to clean off his knee.
He was less excited about the antisepticswab being put on his knee, and the poor
kid, when his mum was saying, say thankyou to the lady, you could see that in his
mind the last thing he wanted to do wasthank me for making his knee feel worse.
But pleasingly, that was the onlytime we needed to use the first
aid kit, but it was good to have.
(22:45):
So just coming back to thePersonal Locator Beacon.
You had one amongst the group?
We just had the one.
Usually that's enough, particularly ifyou are staying together as a group.
And where do you get them?
I think most hiking shops,you can get them online.
My husband actually brought memine online, so I'm not completely
sure, but it's about, I thinkthey're around 300 dollars.
(23:08):
And you can have a wholelot of different options.
So some will send texts, some willjust send the emergency signal.
Some you need to have linked up asan ongoing subscription service.
The one I've got is literally justa use when you need it sends a
signal to the emergency services.
And again, pleased to say I haven't had touse it, but there's also no subscription
(23:31):
and I don't need to turn it on andoff as far as when I want to use it.
It's just there in my bag.
I just put the aerial up,press the button if I need it.
So hopefully that will beenough to keep us safe.
Or at least make the call forhelp when you, if you need it.
That's right.
Absolutely.
So it is that added peace ofmind for not just for us, but
(23:52):
also for our family, I think.
Alright, so if someone wants to, there's awhole world of research they can do on it.
Absolutely, I think there's a lot thatyou can look into, or just handball
that off to your husband like I did.
So, if you're planning on doing theCape to Cape, the other thing to really
consider is when you're going to do it.
So you can walk at any time of theyear, although there are obviously
(24:15):
considerations to be made aboutthe temperature, about the weather.
Most people do tend to walkit either in autumn or spring.
We chose spring for a few reasons.
It fitted in with the timingthat we could all get off work.
It also fitted in with a runningevent that was coming up.
supposed to be happening in Collie thatmy friends were going to come over and
(24:37):
do, and it was the wildflower season.
So if you have any interest in orchidsor wildflowers, it's a good time to
be down on the track to look at that.
As we mentioned before, though, youneed to take into consideration what
the rivers are likely to be doing.
So obviously through winter,they're going to be a lot higher.
(24:57):
With one of the rivers, there'snot an alternative route.
So if you can't cross the river there,you basically can't continue on.
But I think generally that can befairly crossable most of the year,
but potentially be aware of that ifyou're looking at going in winter
or after there's been a lot of rain.
And as I said, Margaret River, itdoes get very fast and very deep,
(25:20):
and so you need to be watching that.
There is a Facebook page purelydedicated to the Margaret River
mouth, and lets you know each dayabout whether it's crossable or not.
And when we crossed it, it was probablyjust under hip height, uh, so, but it
was still quite fast, uh, and we probablywouldn't have wanted it to be any deeper.
(25:43):
The other thing you need to considerwhen you're going to walk the Cape to
Cape is how you would like to do it.
So as I've mentioned before, most peopledo tend to walk from north to south.
We decided to do it a littlebit differently in that we
still did walk north to south,but we started at Preveley.
So that's where we'dbooked our accommodation.
(26:03):
So we'd booked an Airbnb for the week.
So we decided to start in Preveleyand walk down to Cape Leeuwin.
So that was three days of walking.
And then we circled backup to Cape Naturaliste and
walk back down to Preveley.
So as I mentioned before,we actually finished.
At the Margaret River mouth.
There are a few reasons that we didthat, including the fact that as you
(26:26):
would, I dare say, agree, Paul, parkrunbeing on a Saturday was something that
we didn't want to miss and MargaretRiver parkrun is pretty amazing.
So we didn't want to be trying tofit in parkrun on our last day and
then still have a 25 kilometre hikeand a 40 minute drive to get there.
So by finishing at Margaret River.
We had a shorter walk on our lastday, could easily fit in parkrun
(26:47):
and make it the later startand enjoy our day in that way.
It also meant that we couldget to Ellensbrook House on
a day that it would be open.
So that's a historic house onthe northern end of the walk,
and it's only open certain days.
So we wanted to make sure that aswe were walking through, that was
a day that it was open, becauseas I've mentioned, my friends were
(27:08):
visiting and they were only having oneshot, really, at getting to see it.
So.
I think plan how you want to do thewalk and what you want to fit in.
Don't feel like there'sonly one way to do it.
I was of the impression that it wasbasically walked from south to north.
And I don't know why, I've justsort of got that impression.
But clearly there's multipledifferent ways to do it and there's
(27:31):
a lot of flexibility there aswell with so many access points.
There really is, that's right.
And some people do walk south to north.
I think the wind is oftenbetter if you do that way.
So you're walking againstthe wind, not into it.
But having walked the way we did, I'mfully aware that there are 365 steps
(27:54):
down into one of the valleys and nosteps coming up if you go that way.
Whereas if you're coming up the other way,that's a lot of steps in front of you.
We also found that there were quitea few really deep sand dunes that we
felt we were going down, and we, oneach of those, would comment, we were
pleased we're not going up these.
(28:15):
There seemed to be, there werestill a few that we did have to
climb, but there seemed to be less.
So my preference, I think,would be heading southbound,
but everybody's different.
Depends on what you want to get out of it.
Like, if you just love that challengeof getting up soft sand dunes, then, uh.
That's a challenge nobody needs, Paul.
(28:37):
So, as I mentioned,we'd booked at Preveley.
Now, you can camp on the Capeto Cape, and many people do.
They consider that to be part of thecharm, is to be carrying a full pack.
I'm a little more precious than that.
I don't fancy carrying anything morethan a day pack, if I can avoid it.
And I do like a bed.
So, as I mentioned, we had rentedan Airbnb for the week in Preveley.
(29:00):
We had two cars and a support crew.
And that support crew was my parents whovery kindly came down and stayed with us.
My friend's mother had also come overwith them, and, so she did sort of
five to 10 kilometers each day withus, and then she'd get picked up.
And being Margaret River and the region,it meant that there were so many things
(29:21):
that they could go and do themselvesin that time while we were hiking.
So they would drop us off at thestart, leave the second car where
we'd planned to finish and thenthey'd go and enjoy their day.
That worked really well.
But you don't need to do that.
We ran into a few people who were justhiking on their own with two cars.
So they would both drive to the end, leaveone car there, drive back to the start,
(29:44):
walk down, pick up the car and drive back.
So there's a little bit moreshuffling, but you can certainly do
it if you don't have a support crew.
And then there's also a lot of options,I think, for people to do shuttles and
things in Margaret River and again onthe Facebook page, you can find out.
How to access those services, butthere are definitely services that
(30:05):
will pick you up and drop you off eachday, if that's how you want to do it.
On some of our drives up to Perth, upthe Forrest Highway, there's definitely
a Cape to Cape tour bus that goes fromBusleton or Yellingup or somewhere
up to Perth and back on a, at leaston a somewhat regular frequency.
I think so.
(30:25):
And I think there are a lot of tours thatyou can do and they're guided tours often.
We did come across a few of thoseand I suppose that's a nice option
if, particularly if you don'thave a group of friends who are
wanting to do it, if you're wantingto do it and aren't comfortable
doing the whole thing on your own.
Then a tour would be a great option.
(30:46):
And I think there are a lot, there'sa lot of variety in the tours as
well, as if in regards to if you arestaying on track or if you are staying
in slightly nicer accommodation.
So there are options out there.
Just do your research.
But so much of it is on thatFacebook page, or in the books.
So in reality.
(31:07):
You can pretty much make the hike andall the logistics around the hike,
whatever you feel suits you best.
You really can, that's right.
And as I mentioned, my friend'smother walked with us most days.
There was only one day that we couldn'tfind an access point about that
five to 10k in to get her picked up.
So there was only one day she didn'tdo at least part of the walk with us.
(31:30):
So there are many, many optionsand you can make it work for you.
So each evening we'd sit down as a groupand we'd pour over our maps and our books
and we'd see what we were going to dothe next day and make sure that we could
fit in all of the points of interest.
And I think it's importantto consider your timing.
(31:50):
So we probably allowed an extra hourand a half to two hours on what we would
normally do in just a morning hike becausethere's going to be a lot of times where
you just want to sit and take in the viewor stop and have a lovely morning tea.
with whatever you've packed, lookingout over at the beach or sit and have
half an hour for lunch, whereas when wenormally would hike just on a regular
(32:13):
weekend, we wouldn't allow for that.
So allow time to soakit in and not be rushed.
I think that's important.
And then, as we mentioned before,deciding on how many days that you've
got and you want to allow, I thinkallowing an extra day in your schedule
is probably a really good thing incase there is terrible weather, or in
(32:33):
case for whatever reason you just feellike you need a break midway through.
So we had allowed an extra day, whichin the end we were able to use as just a
pure touristing day through the MargaretRiver region, which was nice, but I think
it is important to give yourself options.
Yeah, allow that flexibilityat least to adjust on the fly
(32:53):
if needed and relax, I guess.
That's right, and it's such a beautifularea that you'll find something to do if
you don't need to use that day hiking.
So for each day, what did youactually take with you from
an equipment perspective?
Sure, so each day we would haveour day pack, which is just a
really light little hiking pack.
(33:15):
We would make sure we had enough water,so you want at least two litres of water.
Probably a little moreif it's hot weather.
We were getting throughwith about two litres.
We would then make sure that we had enoughsustenance because we would As I mentioned
previously, the sitting down and eatingand taking in the view is very important.
So we'd learned from our previoushike that generally a muffin or a
(33:38):
biscuit, one of those decent ones,not just a little biscuit, but one of
those nice big ones for the bakery.
Um,
not a baby one, a
big one.
No, no, you need, you need a little bit ofsustenance and a piece of fruit is great.
For morning tea and then generally we'djust take a roll that we'd make up in
the morning for lunch and then sortof some dried fruit or some nuts or
(33:58):
something else just to keep us going.
Equipment wise, we made sure that we allhad hiking poles and I think that's a
really important option for this hike.
As I mentioned, the terrainis so different and there is
quite a lot of scrambling upand down over rocks and things.
And it's often really nice just to havethat extra little bit of stability.
(34:21):
So I definitely recommendthe hiking pole, poles.
And then the first aid kit,the PLB, and we would also take
an extra layer of clothing.
So usually just a jacketto throw over the top.
We had sunscreen in because it'ssurprising, even though it was September
and it was very mild, the weather.
(34:42):
It's amazing how quickly you canstill burn, particularly down
along those exposed clifftops.
So make sure that you've got plentyof sun protection, be that long
sleeves, hats, um, and sunscreen.
And I think that is probably thebasics, and of course our maps and or
phones because we did use those a lot.
(35:02):
The Cape to Cape's quite wellmarked, but there are a few spots,
particularly going off the beaches.
It's difficult to see because obviouslywith erosion and things like that, some
of the markers can get lost and buried.
So definitely take a phoneand or your map with you.
I'm sort of picturing there, um,climbing up a sand dune in the
(35:23):
desert and they all look the same.
Some of it wasn't far off thatat times, absolutely it did, and
it's, some of the beaches weresort of six kilometres of walking.
And you're not quite sure exactlywhich point you're exiting.
So yeah, it can, it can be usefulto have a map particularly.
Yeah, absolutely.
And potentially, well, the phonewould have a GPS for most of it.
(35:47):
So the app on the phone is actually,unfortunately, it took me two days to
realise this, but once you're on thetrail you can click on any point and
it will let you know how far you arefrom that point, how many kilometres
you still have to go, and it willshow you if you go off track as well.
But also if you've got anapp like AllTrails, I know
(36:08):
a lot of people use that.
That has the Cape to Cape andwill keep you on track as well.
There's a whole world of appsout there that you can explore
as well by the sound of that.
Allegedly so.
I know from a campingperspective, there are things like
Wikicamps and things like that.
And there's a few other ones that helpyou explore the area that you're in.
(36:28):
It sounds like hiking hassimilar options available.
Yeah, there are many optionsout there if you go looking.
It's a bit of a deep dive sometimes.
Well, thank you very much.
, Sue-Maree for coming and having a chatabout hiking the Cape to Cape trail.
Nice to have you on the podcast.
It's been an absolute pleasure.
Thanks so much, Paul.
Thank you.
And all our Forrest.Chatlisteners wish you all the
(36:51):
best in your future endeavours.
Pretty sure you've got a, uh, anotherhike in the planning somewhere.
Well, we're thinking aboutheading out to Larapinta next,
which is out from Alice Springs.
So we'll see how that one goes.
That sounds like another entirelynew adventure in the desert.
It will be different.
You've been listening to Forrest.Chat,where we talk about individual
(37:13):
endeavour in Western Australia.
What it takes, what itmeans, and how you do it.
In today's episode, we talkedwith Sue-Maree Wilks about
hiking the Cape to Cape Trail.
Remember, there are four ways toget involved with Forrest.Chat.
Share the domain Forrest.Chat with yourfamily and friends and people you meet.
(37:34):
If you subscribe to the emails, youget advance notice of the episodes.
To listen to the episodes, goto Forrest.Chat slash episodes.
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(37:55):
Forrest.Chat slash advert.
I'm looking forward to joiningyou with our next episode.
Until then, enjoy making it happen.
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