Bibbulmun Track Day 14 - Dookanelly Campsite to Possum Springs Campsite

 Monday 7 September

https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/

Dwellingup Section of Bibbulmun Track

Overnight Drew could hear the conveyor belt, I didn’t notice it until he mentioned it at breakfast, but it was easily heard. This morning’s walk was much nicer than yesterday’s; more open forest and less slippery. There were some definite slippery patches but not the unrelenting slipperiness of yesterday. Sprinklings of various wildflowers this morning, with plenty of donkey orchids. The suspension bridge over the Murray River was an impressive structure and more stable than most suspension bridges I have walked on. 

Bily Djena Bidi

Murray River

82m long. Drew is at the other end if you look closely!

Beautiful wood

Cowslip Orchids

Cool Fungi

It must have been a long time since the last fire - I don't think I have ever seen a grass tree with a skirt to the ground before.

The sound of the conveyor belt became progressively louder as we walked toward it. Today I saw clusters of Cowslip Orchids. We crossed a road bridge over the top of the Worsley Alumina Bauxite Conveyor Belt at the 14km mark. The conveyor is over 50km long. We could not see anything on the conveyor belt. Not long after we passed the conveyor belt it was stopped for about half to three quarters of an hour, before restarting briefly and then stopping again. Worsley Alumina Conveyor Belt  

Today I saw several new, to me, wildflowers. There were a few muddy, boggy patches just before climbing to the campsite.

We arrived at Possum Springs around 1:30pm. This campsite is the first of the rammed earth style shelters we have stayed in. Four other people arrived who are doing a short section, two stayed in the shelter with us and two opted to tent. We did our gym programs and had a stretch, and a wash. I explored the campsite and took some photos.

Statistics (Dookanelly to Possum Springs)

Distance                      22.79km

Time                            6h 8m

Ascent                         499m

Descent                       483m

Bibbulmun Track Day 12 - Swamp Oak Campsite to Murray Campsite

 Saturday 5 September

https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/

Dwellingup Section of Bibbulmun Track

We were up at 5:15am and away at 6:30am as has become our usual routine. During the night I disturbed a grazing kangaroo in the campsite when I went to the bathroom. This morning was very humid and still, with much less bird noise than usual. The weather included rain, sun and clouds. The first part of this section involved significant descent and ascent, some of it quite steep. It then became easier walking on leaf littered forestry tracks. The first half of the day had virtually no wildflowers, the second half had a good variety, but they were not prolific. The last few kilometres into Murray Campsite were very slippery, closed in and humid. Some areas were like ice skating. I twinged my left calf just before arriving at camp. 

Priceless shelter in heavy rain

The weather changes so quickly

In general signage was excellent, but this one was rather ambiguous

We arrived at Murray Campsite about 12:30pm.  We had a late lunch and then a quick (and very cold) swim in the Murray River. The remainder of the afternoon was spent reading and stretching and talking to our fellow hikers. There were four in the shelter overnight, the same group as the previous night.

Murray River

An hour after the previous photo in this spot was taken.

Statistics (Swamp Oak to Murray) Distance 19.35km Time 5h 24m Ascent 558m Descent 577m