Alarming the home and locking up house. My daughter and her partner, plus next door neighbours, are all keeping an eye on the home so I can relax.

One pink and grey (galah) weatherboard home will no longer be where I roost. Robert takes the photos with his camera, before giving me a half-hour lift up to the starting point - Kalamunda. No passports, injections, visas, foreign languages or foreign foods. All you have to do is plan

An almost barren area to start from, although there is a supermarket across the road! I just want to get going, as it has been a long wait after five months training.

No smile in this shot as I had not expected so many pictures. Robert wanted to make sure it was well documented - thought he might not see me again!

On goes the backpack - it was 8kg heavier than planned. 28kg in total. The only way I could have lightened it was to have more than four food drops. I had eleven days of dehydrated tucker on board.

Backpack buckle does up OK. Even carried a spare one, as it is a critical part of the pack, being constantly used. I went to a planning course at the "Bibbulmun Track Foundation" to learn some of these points.

The first yellow "Waugal" (rainbow serpent) sign to follow. The immensity of the task ahead was just sinking in. I had never walked more than 20kms in training, yet I was about to do that day in, and day out, for around fifty five days with a few breaks. I had told so many people that would make it - now to prove it!

The "Kalamunda Terminus" of the northern section of the "Bibbulmun Track" at 8.21am on September 3rd 2007. Robert Scanlan a good friend dropped me there and took the initial photos of the start of my solo trek. Thanks Robert.

It dawned on me that I had over one million steps to take to reach "Albany". The realization of the challenge ahead suddenly hit me, but there was no turning back now. It was just another spring 27C day and all I had to focus on was the NOW and where I put my boot down for my next step.

You can tell it's a good Guinness because of the head residue on the sides of the glass after drinking.

The second pint of Guinness on day one at 2.30pm. Time to get going again before we settle in.

Sprung having just finished breakfast of "Swiss Muesli" already pre-mixed with dried milk powder - just add water and you have a meal. After my thermo lightweight mug of tea, it is time to pack up and hit the Track again by myself. You tend to leave at different times, sometimes only bumping into each other at the next hut.

Checking out the clouds as the sun burns off the early morning mist. After a while you get a feel for the next day's weather without any official forecast.

The tripod and time delay helps me take these shots, but as you can see it takes a while to get them right. Using a Fujifillm FinePix model S9500 camera that weighed 1kg with spare batteries. Don't take rechargeable ones as they weigh too much. Use the high energy ones that take 600 shots and are then thrown away. They are much lighter. My advise is to take a much lighter smaller camera that you can put in your pocket. Mine had to go in my backpack whenever it rained heavily.

"Mt. Dale" 6pm and my wet clothes are drying on the bush line in the background. Only took two sets of lightweight quick drying pants and two similar long sleeve shirts. Having my evening meal in my thermal tee shirt which was my clean hut shirt. The importance of getting to a hut in the early afternoon is that you have a chance of drying your sweat soaked clothes or rain soaked as well. Cooked in the billy and ate out of it too, so reducing the washing up.

"Mt. Dale" having dinner. After walking all day in boots with thin and thick socks it was really good to air the feet by wearing these Crocs shoes. They gave more protection than thongs and were very light. You could also wear socks with them when it was very cold and the socks stop any mosquito bites. Just remembered I double hutted passed "Beraking" so it was a 19.9km walking day.

Stopped to eat some trial mix that I made up myself before leaving "Perth", plus have a rest. Carried too many bags of trail mix snack food and gave alot away later on. Once I started walking I never felt like eating, or perhaps it was always too hard to take it out of the backpack. Eventually made smaller bags of it to put in my pocket.

"Canning" campsite on 6th September. First job is to light a fire for a mug of tea plus the smoke keeps the flies and mosquitos away if you sit nearby. I loved the fact that the northern section of the "Bibbulmun Track" allows camp fires. It is certainly a central point at night to sit around - keeping you warm and allowing clothes to be dried.

"Canning" campsite. The grime and the dirt of gathering semi pre-burnt wood from the bush was always worth the effort once the fire was going. The only risky part was going bush in these "Croc" shoes when there were snakes around. Often you heard them moving away rather than saw them. You felt very unprotected without boots and gaiters on to stop snakes getting your ankles. You needed to kick logs before attempting to pick them up, as you can get bitten on the hand or arm otherwise.

I suffered hypothermia the previous night, through cold wet clothes. When I started shaking uncontrollably, I got into my minus five degre sleeping bag to warm up and go to sleep at 5pm.

These rock cairns (piles of stone) are used to signify the top of the Mount. Otherwise they are used in small quantities to mark the track over rockfaces. Spectacular views across the country I just transversed. I really had a feeling of achievement.

"Mt.Cooke" is the highest point in the "Darling Range", at 582 metres above sea level. The white mist in the distance gets burnt-up by the morning sun.

Must have been a bush fire with so many dead small trees. Early morning mist in background with a near clear blue sky.

I think this is "Mt. Cuthbert" rather the one next door "Mt. Vincent". The view was spectacular from both.

As you can see by the puddles on "Mt. Cuthbert", there have been plenty of heavy showers recently. I know because I walked through them all!

"White Horse Hills" campsite with an afternoon billy of tea - tea bags, powdered milk and water from the rain water tank. The mug is aluminum but thermo, so it keeps drinks warm with a lid on for 20 minutes. No shortage of firewood, although you have to drag it 100 metres. Always look out for snakes when gathering firewood, as you can see the protective boots and gaiters are missing. Not bullet proof any more!

"White Horse Hills" campsite has no views, but the country is more open, and the layout is good. Also it was dry and the sun was shining, which made such a difference as to how I perceived a campsite.

A cooling dip in the "Glen Mervyn" irrigation dam between "Yabberup" and "Noggerup". "The Guide to the Bibbulmun Track norther half" lets you read about what you can do, before you get there. I looked forward to this morning swim in cold water.

Nobody on the far shoreline so I went skinny dipping to cool down. Allowed to swim as it is not a scheme drinking water dam.

The "Forrest Tavern" bar is a must stop place at "Mumballup". The Track goes right passed the front door! Read the journal entries in the huts beforehand to find current opening hours. Every day is different and it does not stay constant either. I got lucky. Drank Tooheys Old as they did not have draught Guinness. Stout in any form has iron in it. The burns unit in "Royal Perth" hospital gave me Guinness to help my recovery many years ago, from a motorcycle accident!

A small face cloth helps make a few litres of water go along way when bush washing. This collapsible PVC five litre wash bowl was very useful, with it's two side handles.

"Noggerup" campsite Saturday 22nd September 2007. After just having a full bush wash, I return to the campsite feeling like a new man. Amazing relaxing scenery.

Just upstream from "Tom Road" campsite are some amazing granite boulders, located when I went exploring late in the afternoon. Frank anothe trekker took this picture, as there were no places to put my tiny tripod down. "Murray River" flowing quickly with all the rain in the last few days. It was damp and cool, as can be seen by the hat and jacket, plus tee shirt and long sleeve shirt.

A break beside the "Murray River", between "Tom Road" and "Boarding House" campsites. Places like this it was difficult to drag yourself away from as there was so much to observe.

Tripod on a rock gives me ten seconds delayed time to get into the picture, of my watching the rapids on the "Murray River".

Steve eating trail mix at the viewing platform on "Hilltop Lookout". Just walked up a steep hill throug a Karri and Tingle forrest, as part of the climb to "Douglas Hill".

Left "Walpole" at 6am after waking at 4.30am. I knew I had a climb in front of me, and wanted to get to the top of the hill before it got too hot. The sun already had a bite to it, as I ate some more trail mix of seeds, nuts and raisins.

My fourth skinny dip, this time in the ice cold waters of the "Franklin River" while at the "Franklin River" campsite. Lots of slippery rocks to slowly walk over to the deeper water. One mistake here and I could easily finish my journey!

Not a soul in sight and it's a warm to hot skinny dipping day. Got my toes in to feel how cold the water is, before total immersion. Was not sure what might be living in the water, but had spent half an hour just sitting and watching beforehand. Note the red worn sore on my hip from my backpack. This can be seen in previous photos too.

With a tripod and time delay, plus all the running around and set-up, I did not always get myself fully into the picture. Here you can see that the drier weather has encouraged me to hang my camera case where I can quickly reach the camera, to take more photos than earlier in the journey.

Well the bush behind me is in focus, as it is more still than I am!

Thought I might have a quick breakfast while waiting for the sun to eventually rise.

My short walk into "Peaceful Bay" suddenly becomes a long hot one, as I skirt around the coastline, crossing beach after beach. I kept telling myself that I was not lost, just mis-placed!

Did not take the boots off for the beach walking, as there were so many rocks between the bays to climb over.

I scored a very old caravan to myself at the "Peaceful Bay" caravan park. The benefit was cooking on a gas stove, with running water and a comfortable bed for the night. No insects either. Shot taken early morning on 16th October. I felt refreshed and ready to tackle more sand dune walking. Friendly owners and they made a good burger for late lunch.

The canoes are in good condition and used frequently at this time of the year. That's why they are not in the shed.

Terra firma - well sort of as it is quite muddy. Once I had decided where I was going to beach the canoe, I just paddled quickly to run myself up on to the shore. Probably would have been better with my boots off, but that takes time to complete.

I really enjoyed the canoe crossing, although it chews up lots of time, as you cannot rush it.

I arrived to take several shots, until off-loading my backpack and going back again, with a paddle, life jacket and spare canoe. If I had been half an hour later, I could have handed everything over to a German hiker going "South to North".

Here you can see the diametres of the sleeping bag (yellow) and the (orange) Thermarest full length mattress weighing 680gms. Both had their own waterproof bags. Inside the pack I had a 70 litre -98gm Ultra-Sil Pack liner, with special double top closure, so that no water ever got in at all (highly recommended). A belt and braces approach.

On the right side is my self-inflating ProLite 4 very ligh and most compact mattress, with a long webbing strap and pull pressure buckle keeping it together. The yellow compression bag on the left is my small waterproof, too warm sleeping bag - it only weighed 800gms and went down to -5C. I was determined to get a warm nights sleep and I sure did!

Do not do what I did - walking along the beach towards "Anvil Beach", because of the cliffs in the distance. The Track wa inundated on the southern side of the Inlet, so I decided to walk along the beach instead. I had to climb crumbling limestone cliffs which was really quite dangerous, and cut my own track though the bush at the top using my compass for direction. Very silly as it also cost me around 15kms extra for getting lost again!! (the last time). All of this was written-up in the next hut's Journal. Nobody would have found me if something had gone wrong.

Suddenly noticed that my leg muscles had grown with all the exercise.

Around 1001 kilometres of walking had cost, or lost me around 10 kgs, and I was not fat to start off with!!

The very last shelter or hut at "Hidden Valley". I understand other walkers saying that the just wanted to turn around and keep walking. It becomes a way of life, with it's little routines and state of mind. I never knew what was around the next corner, so every experience was new and thought provoking. Could I live back in the "Big Smoke" again?

An emotional moment as my camera tripod balances on my backpack for this finishing shot. Five months of training and fifty one days on the Track and I had arrived.

Back to civilization, hot showers, non-dehydrated food and no more walking. It took more than a day to come back to Earth. I stayed in "Albany" for two nights before catching a coach back through "Denmark" to "Bunbury", then caught the "Australind" train back to Perth. Lots of leg room on the train and good to get off the road and away from traffic.