Emu Point to Ellen Cove Walk

 Thursday 24 September - 182116

Today we walked from Middelton Beach to Emu Point and back. I wore my hiking pack as part of my physio rehabilitation for my calf.  While this walk does not give continuous views of the beach, it is on a nice path with no traffic and through the coastal bush, with opportunities to look at the beach along the way. 

The most dangerous snake we saw today

Emu Point itself was quite picturesque.  

We stopped for a break at Middleton Beach and had morning tea.  I then put my pack back on and we walked up the Ellen Cove boardwalk towards Port Albany for a bit over a kilometre. We did not go the full distance to Port Albany, based on advice from the physio. This was the first time I have tried going uphill with my pack on and no heel lift in my shoes, and I was pleased with how my calf went.  Total ascent today was a bit over 100m, so still very mild.  Our timing was great as we had the opportunity to watch two tugboats guide a bulk carrier into Ataturk Channel.

Emu Point to Ellen Cove and Port Albany Walk

Middleton Beach

Ellen Cove Boardwalk

Ataturk Channel

We followed this with a swim at Middleton Beach. While this was still very cold, it was warmer than first thing in the morning with a noticeably warmer top inch or two of water.  A late lunch picnic in the park was the perfect way to conclude today’s adventures.

The afternoon was boring but necessary stuff – groceries, collecting stuff from the post office and general life administration.

Back to Bushwalking!

 Tuesday 22 September - 182045

Again, I started the day with a swim at Middleton Beach. Today I learnt from some of the other ladies there about thermal swimming caps – apparently you wear the normal swim cap underneath and then this on top to keep your head warm, like a beanie for swimming.

Middleton Beach

Today’s physio visit resulted in an increase in the exercises I am to do, and a reintroduction to bushwalking. So, this afternoon we headed out to walk the Luke Pen Walk. This travels along the bank of the Kalgan River. I saw more wildflowers that I had not previously seen. I enjoyed having my SLR camera with me, rather than my phone camera. The walk was undulating, but not overly steep in any spots. My calf seemed to handle it well but was feeling tired when we finished. (Distance 11.53km, Time 3h 18m, Ascent/Descent 200m)

Trails WA Luke Pen Walk

Last up for the day was the Oyster Harbour Fish Traps. These need to be viewed at low tide. They were used until the end of the 19^th Century, but have since fallen into disrepair. Despite this it is still easy to visualize how effective they would have been.

Oyster Harbour Fish Traps

Lake Seppings (Tjuirtgellong)

 Monday 21 September – 182022

This morning I tackled the freezing water of Middleton Beach again, this time in a spring suit rather than togs. I also discovered there were warm showers in the surf club bathrooms. I took a thermos of hot water to drink straight after my swim. Between these things I managed to be able to get warm enough to drive myself home. In the meantime, Drew went for a long run, which I would very much have preferred to be able to do.

Today’s adventure was to explore Lake Seppings (Tjuirtgellong). This is a freshwater lake just behind Middleton Beach with an amazing quantity of water birds – thousands of them! It also is the home of Long-necked Tortoises – I didn’t get to see any of those, and King Skinks – saw lots of those. The water looks beautifully clean, probably because the reeds have been allowed to remain in place all the way around. I saw a variety of reptiles and insects, as well as some new to me flowers.  Lake Seppings/Tjuirtgellong

This evening we had an early dinner from an African takeaway – Fried Rice with Chicken Legs, Ghana Meat Pie and a Coconut Donut. Really enjoyed it! Moda Africa