Blogs from Donnelly River, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania

So far during this vacation we have experienced many different aspects of this great country. We’ve experienced the urban scene in Melbourne and Adelaide. We’ve been on the bus with locals who may not have showered for a while. We’ve slept under the stars, hiked with young folk 50 years our juniors, we’ve been in the desert and in rough Outback towns, in the tropics where’s felt the 95% humidity, came within a foot or so of killer crocs, been on the beach at 6:30 AM with young and old. And much more. Now we’ve experienced the bush. After stops in Mandurah and Bunbury, we head for Donnelly River, way inland. April told us about this place deep into the karri forests, more than an hour away from civilization and cell phone coverage, and that includes ... read more

Day 28 Gregory Brook Shelter to Donnelly River Village 22.5km Super cold, damp night. Super cold night time toilet visit - damp uneven, slippy, tortuous route ... damp toilet. Up at 06:45 - numb fingers packing up makes for a slower pack up. Hot porridge warms them up (briefly). I note that my gas bottle seems a bit depleted- still got 1/2 can left, maybe the cold? maybe using it without a wind guard? Head off at 08:15, it takes a full 2.6km to thaw out. The trail to Karri Gully (Brockman Highway) is very easy-nicely cleared yesterday by Di, there's a little tunnel of bush, flowering wattle and thick waterbrush and a bright blue sky. Start to hear the highway long before reaching it. The tall trees emerge as do a couple of small creeks ... read more