"Crown Hotel" kitchen in "Collie" (20/09/07) where I started dumping excess food from my 10kg food pick-up. Heavy items like home-made trail mix, alongside the raisins in the front row, salt and pepper and cuscus block, plus mash that I never got round to using, etc. This was an inexpensive hotel, but very helpful and friendly. I slept through the bar noise downstairs. Used their hotel laundry too, although it was not included.

Crazy self potrait without my mini tripod in the bathroom mirror of the "Crown Hotel" in "Collie".

Self portrait via a reflective window, outside the "Crown Hotel" on leaving "Collie". Misty morning. Some books happen to be reflecting on my pack.

After walking 2.7km out of "Collie" on the spur-track, I arrived back on the "Bibbulmun Track" to continue south.

With "Waugal" signs and written signage, you cannot miss this "Collie" spur townsite turn-off.

Thousands of spider webs get highlighted by the early morning mist moisture. Some were more spectacular than others, but I took dozens of shots and then cleared the good ones later by accident. No signs of the spider that ever made them.

Almost every photo had tiny flowers in it, even under this spider's web.

When it looked like rain, the camera case was burried deep inside my backpack, therefore limiting the number of photos, because of constant showers in the early part of the journey. I always had to find a log, stump or rock to off-load the pack therfore making it easier to lift up again.

Notice the moss on the tree on the left. When the mud and water was on the Track, you could usually find a detour to make life easier.

At least I could walk under this small fallen tree, always allowing for the extra height of my backpack as I ducked underneath! If you click on the centre of the picture, you will find a yellow triangle marker on the log over the Track.

I always appreciated what other hikers or "Volunteers" had spent time and effort in creating. Here we have a ramp of logs and branches to make it easier to walk across a fallen tree.

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.

A cool skinny 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.

The Track crosses the "Glen Mervyn" dam wall and then the "Collie Preston" road where I bumped into tourists with parked cars.

Good to see a full and overflowing "Glen Mervyn" dam just south of "Collie".

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!

The "Forrest Tavern" friendly Great Dane guard dog keeps an eye out for any more Bib Track walkers, heading for the watering hole! The tavern was getting a major interior upgrade which should look good.

A Pink and Grey Galah is part of the menagerie of the "Forrest Tavern" when you sit outside. It was let out of it's cage, and enjoyed climbing around as it could not fly. Watch out for it nipping you with it's beak as I experienced when it climbed my arm!

Loved these outside bar stools and the stage for bands on the far right. This tavern is 100 years old. Check out the wooden plank on the inside bar, as it is spectacular. Frank in the foreground is a 73 year young ex-engineer walking the Track - shared many huts with him, and the other guy is a biker- crane driver, with his Harley parked out front. We talked, drank and ate for over an hour. Everyone wants to know what the Bib is really like.

A small face cloth helps make a few litres of water go along way when bush washing. This collapsible PVC 5 litre wash bowl was very usefu,l with it's two side handles. Having a hair wash to help me feel human again!

"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.

The scenic tree view outsdie the dunny (toilet). "Noggerup" campsite. If you click on the picture the sign reads -" please shut the door and the pedestal lid on your departure".

Frank Coning another walker that I shared many huts with. We walked into "Collie" together, but he was fitter than me - walked faster on the flat and never stopped when climbing hills, although at 73 he climbed them slightly slower than me. We walked singularly on my request afterwards. At least you can stop and start when you want to, especially when taking photos.

A flash picture of a fast moving Possum .. notice it's back claws and big ears... three Possums came through the campsite at "Noggerup", while "Frank" and I sat around the campfire. They only stayed for 3 minutes.

Trying to see the Possum in the dark and then trying to photograph it was a challenge.

Yet another fallen Jarrah" tree across the Track. I think the bush fires weaken some of them, then several years later the wind or lightening brings them down.

The first Termite mound spotted around 1.5 metres high. These termites destroy all fallen timber, but serve their purpose in cleaning up the bush. They are often found in the outer parts of living trees too.

Cleared bush is used for farming (vines on left) and planting forests for commercial use. Heavy rain approaching in the distance.

You can only ask how and why a living tree should grow like this!! There is just so much to see, if you can spend the time and really look.

The view from "Blackwood" campsite with pine plantation in the distance. No campfires allowed here because of all the pine trees and logging. Very wet showers and a freezing cold wind. I could image it on a sunny day. 25th September 2007.. 423kms walked in 22 days in hilly country averaging around 19kms per day. Slow but steady progress.

"Blackwood" campsite. Notice the clothes blowing horizontally on the drying line! Hut surrounded by "Pine" trees (no campfires allowed), and the views were fantastic. My space blanket is wrapped around me under my jacket to try and create heat!

A sudden moment of sunlight between heavy showers at the "Blackwood" campsite. Rolling views.

My nylon rain tarp taken to protect me if I needed to use my lightweight hammock (rather than take a heavier tent)- found a use. At "Blackwood" campsite the wind and rain was driving in and soaking the table and benches. This very strong tarp solved the problem for all 10 of us in the hut (school kids outing).

My spare thin stong line and tent pegs helped keep this protective tarp from blowing away at "Blackwood" campsite.

You can see the table and bench seat is wet, but the tarp reduced the cold draughts all night. It is interesting what you can rig-up when necessity demands. Frank arrived and is setting up his bed.

"CALM" - "Conservation and Land Management"" or now "DEC" - "Department of Environment and Conservation" staff have cut a section out of this fallen tree so that hikers can get through. The backpack give an idea of how big the tree is. Climbing over them was to hard, so you would go bush and walk around them. (click and then click again to see the rings on the tree trunk). Heading for "Gregory Brook".

A totally different straight part of the Bibbulmun Track. Next shot I zoomed into the distance, using my camera as binnoculars to see what was ahead. Trying to spot Tiger snakes amongst all this leaf litter and twigs was difficult.

A zoom shot to the end of a rare straight half kilometre of Bibbulmun Track. I constantly had to lift my feet or I could trip over small fallen branches.

Another all wooden bridge with different shades of grreen moss on the log support

I really appreciated that the Track had so many quality bridges across creeks, that were no doubt dry 6 months of the year.

Pipes under the road caused a roaring watefall as the valley levels dropped.

When you have to walk a few 100kms on a dirt bush road, you cannot miss the signage of when to go back on the bush Track. Tourists also see 100's of these signs too, which encourages a few of them to wander down to experience the Track.

If I had not been very present in my thoughts, I could have broken an ankle on this bridge. I should have reported it in the Track Register so that it gets fixed. One reason for not walking at night or at dusk.!

This is not native Wisteria, but it grew in hundreds of climbers, for 500 metre along this sections of Track, causing a real splash of colour. A purple climber or shrub, so my "Wildflowers of the Northern Bibbulmun Track and Jarrah Forests" tells me. Not an easy book to find flower names, if you know very little like me.

1.5m Termite mound with my walking stick alongside to give an idea of it's height.

I learnt not to curse when I saw yet another tree trunk blocking the Track. Instead I looked at it is as a challenge rather than an obstacle. Definately cannot go over or under this one, so it's a bush detour.

On backing up the Track, I could see that other hikers had taken a detour off on the right.

The detour leads to a slippery climb through the base and roots of the fallen tree. Not fun when it is wet.

Having navigated my way through this lot, I understood why my walking speed was not as fast as in training.

I balanced in the rain on the branches on the right, that another hiker had placed to cross the puddle. Some of the few shots taken in showers. I can tell the really heavy long rain days I had, because no pics were taken at all. They were mainly in the first month.

I sometimes missed these Track markers through in-attention, or very infrequently they were missing - tree had fallen over, or they were hidden by hanging wet leaves - more common. With many of the ones hidden, I would make a point of clearing the new leaf growth, so they were more visable. You all help each other to not get lost.

This Waugal track marker had been burnt to a blank triangle by bush fire.. Sometimes I would count 800 to 1,000 steps and if I did not see a marker, I would retrace my steps, finding I had often taken a wrong track by missing the sign. Sometimes I walked back only to find I was on the Track anyway!

Emu and chicks at "Donelly River Village". Most Emus when you met them in the bush, would take off at high speed. One ran around a clearing and then rushed out of the only exit where I stood - very still. Thought it was going to flatten me! It moved so fast I could not get a pic.

Wet Emu and chicks in the grounds of "Donally River Village"

A Roo nibbling grass at "Donally River Village". The owners feed them which encourages them out of the bush for tourists to view. The ones in the bush don't hang around for long, except at night when they feel safer.

"Donelly River" has free shelters, no showers or kitchen. Unlike this biker with his heavy swag, I chose to pay money and sleep on a matress bunk, with hot showers and a proper kitchen. Constant showers on Thursday 27th September. Managed to wash all my clothes and put them through the tumble dryer. I felt so fresh on leaving this campsite, although I started to feel sick with a headache and stomach upset as the day went on.

A Ford across the fast flowing "Donnelly River" for vehicles doing maintenance, which fortunately I didn't have to wade across. Opened my second guide book and maps " A Guide to the Bibbulmun Track - southern half"...... goodbye north. Tom Road campsite was right beside the river and very scenic. Over 478kms walked so far - nearly half way there!!

A four wheel vehicle came down the dirt track and two "DEC" employees jumped out with a chain saw and axe. It had been reported that a tree was blocking the entrance to the camping site, so they were about to cut a section of it out to allow easy access. They said it had been over 25 years since a bush fire, or any controlled fire had been through this area. My thought was that the local Noongar group of Aboriginal peope would be shocked at the lack of white man's care of the land here. They never let it get so overgrown. Lightening will cause a major fire one day soon.

The chain saw shatters the bush peace, but guys like these make the track easier to walk, so I appreciate their work. They even chopped some of the bush firewood log sections, into smaller pieces for us to put on the fire. We made sure it was out before going to bed, and that the area around the fireplace was cleared of all sticks.

It is not a five minute job to cut a section of fallen tree away, even with a chain saw.

Just upstream from "Tom Road" campsite are some amazing granite boulders, located when I went exploring late in the afternoon. Frank anothe treker took this pic, as there were no places to put my tiny tripoid 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.

These well worn boulders beside the "Murray River", appear out of no-where in this bush setting.

Looking upstream from "Tom Road" campsite, but you had to walk up to really appreciate their size and shape of these boulders.

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".

The vivid green of this rock slime caught my eye, as it was the only piece there.

"Beavis" campsite where there is a swimming pool, although I arrived there too late and too wet to go in. Just walked 42kms as a personal best - to see what was possible with a 28kg pack. Between "Boarding House" and Beavis" it was hilly country. Double hutting passed "Boarding House" was never in the plan, just felt like walking! Met track volunteers sleeping at this hut. They were doing a fantastic job and very interesting to talk to.

The only Track waterhole, especially designed to cool you down. If I had not arrived at the campsite so late, I would have had a swim. The disadvantage of double hutting!

"Beavis" campsite with the waterhole or small dammed creek, off on the right. One of many Karri trees in the foreground.

"Beedelup Falls" is quite some distance from Beedelup campsite on "Beedelup Brook". (up) means "place of" in local "Noongar Aboriginal" language.

I was lucky that the "Beedelup Falls" had so much water, from the wettest spring in the last four years.

Not eveything on the Track survives! A walker's sense of humour makes me smile.