the Bibbulmun Track

[andy.d]

Lucy Ridsdale, who has walked to Santiago and is working on a fascinating thesis on pilgrimage and gratitude, is just starting on the Bibulmun Track in Western Australia.

She is blogging on it at:

http://wildgoosewalking.wordpress.com/

Andy

 

[jl]

This walk is reputed to be very beatiful Andy. If she is walking (we call this type of walking bushwalking) at present she should be seeing some magnificent wildflowers. The west is famous for its flowers at this time of the year. Janet

 

[camino07]

Thank you Andy for this blog. I shall definitely follow it . I have walked the odd day on the Bibbulmun Track and can't wait to hear how Lucy gets on as an "end to ender" .
Heather

 

[CaroleH]

Yes, I'll be watching this as well . .. . walked a little at the beginning from Kalamunda. It's fascinated me for a few years, tho very different from Spanish camino, nearly all bush walking, not many towns, food drops or collections necessary, accom in basic 3 sided huts or tents. Plenty of space for solitary contemplation.

Good luck Lucy and thanks Andy.

 

[newfydog]

We biked that route in 1998, and even with the range of a mt. bike had some days where water was a concern.

Wonderful range of ecosystems in a small area, from dry to some of the worlds largest trees. Thanks for the link.

 

[jl]

Apart from the wonderful diversity of fellow pilgrims, the extraordinary villages one walks through, the immense sense of history, and the wonderful bomardment to all our senses (in food and culture) I think that one of the reasons that Australians are attracted to the Camino is that they are able to travel light! When I walked 10 day trip on the Overland Track in Tasmania 40 years ago at the start of the journey my pack weighed just under 20 kilos - and that is one track where carrying water is not a necessity! If one bushwalks here you are generally committed to taking food for the entire trip if it is a three - seven day hike, and water for 24 hours - including for cooking. Hiking in South Australia in summer is a no-no - too hot and dry - and indeed most tracks are closed due to bushfire risk. Hiking in winter will mean that there is every chance that water can be found. I have been on hikes where we have had to dig for water in the evening and allow the hole to fill with water overnight - and share it with the nocturnal animals like Kangaroos. Indeed, we usually use the signs of digging animals for a guide as to where we should dig for water. Longer bushwalks require massive organisation for food and water drops.

Another very appealing thing about the Camino for us is the fact that it is safe to walk "alone" - although of course on paths such as the Camino Frances one is rarely alone, but we are able to be solitary if we wish. Here, bushcraft lore is that we never go bush alone and generally in small groups of 3 - 4, for safety reasons. Thus, as as the years go by, I do less of bushwalking and more of pilgrimage! Janet

 

[AJ]

I think that one of the reasons that Australians are attracted to the Camino is that they are able to travel light!... If one bushwalks here you are generally committed to taking food for the entire trip if it is a three - seven day hike, and water for 24 hours - including for cooking.... Longer bushwalks require massive organisation for food and water drops.

Janet

I completely agree

 

[hel&scott]

Australians are attracted to the Camino is that they are able to travel light!

Yes but at least it doesn't rain every day like it does in the NZ bush.... and I should provide a definition here as when our Aussie cousins talk about going walking int he bush it usually means just that "a bush", as opposed to a forest, a point worth remembering after one has spent days with search and rescue looking for tourists that have got lost over here.

Its always worth respecting the local conditions and don't assume that it's like back home, as I am sure many a thirsty traveller has found out on the messa - or in the out back.