Day 78 (The Wolery to The Valley of the Giants)

Day: 44km
Time on bike: 2hours 18minutes

This morning I woke up feeling great. I've felt great from the moment I entered the Wolery (name of community). I had a great feed with Bob and Marieke last night, I was very comfortable by my surroundings and the tram was incredibly comfortable to sleep in. Marieke put clean sheets on for me, making what appeared to be an already comfortable bed even more comfortable.

I woke up this morning around 6:30, only to realise it was pouring down outside. I was very relieved I wasn't in my tent. I went back in the tram and hopped in the warm bed listening to the rain outside. I have to emphasise on how good this was, to have the luxury of being indoors, warm and comfortable in a nice bed. I was especially happy that I didn't have to stress about having all my stuff wet and packing up a wet tent, sleeping bag etc.

I must also note the great wildlife diversity here. Last night as I walked outside to the tram a big tree frog jumped on my foot. I felt a big slimy thing on me and freaked out, only till I realised it was a native frog. This morning when I woke up a wallaby, or small kangaroo, was sitting maybe a metre or two away from the door. During this morning I have also seen a large black skink, something I have never seen before. In addition to this wildlife there has also been many birds flying around and chirping away. I credit this biodiversity to Bob, Marieke and the others in the community as they are doing a great job providing the conditions for the biodiversity to flourish. The presence of native frogs alone illustrate how healthy the system is here.

After a delicious porridge for breakfast, Bob had shown me around the village. As he showed me around my admiration for the community only grew bigger. Bob explained that the community is ran as a non-profit incorporated association. Once a month a community meeting is held in the community house in the middle of the block. In the community house their is a table tennis table, a projector for people who want to watch movies, a kitchen, bathroom and also a food co-op. The food co-op was really impressive. They buy large amounts of organic foods, such as spelt flour, almonds, grains etc and get it a cost price. The whole community will then go to the food co-op room grab any food they like and then write it down in the book, having an honour system type set up. At the end of the month the persons account is added up, and they then pay the community treasurer. The best aspect of this is that they can buy the freshest organic foods from their door step, and that they get it cost price as they buy it in bulk.

In the community room there is a big blackboard listing what foods each house have. They can then trade produce, buy or receive for free from other neighbours.

I met a few others in the community, all coming across as positive and friendly people. I thought in this community, being distant from mainstream pressures and having a tight bond, it would be hard for members, in particularly the youth, to go down the wrong path. In this community everyone knows each other, and it appears that there would be constant support from others if it were needed. It certainly isn't the same as your average neighbourhood in mainstream suburbia, when you don't trust your next door neighbour, that is, providing you even know them..

I must also mention how this community is reminiscent of those in non-western countries I've traveled to. It reminds me mostly of my time in Morocco and how people in tight residential streets would know each others names, sit down and enjoy lunch or mint tea together. It really makes me wander where we went wrong in structuring our society and how we've become so disconnected from this sense of community. Community can surely bring environmental benefits, but perhaps most importantly healthy lives and a reduction in many of the avoidable illnesses people in western countries now face.

After our walk around Bob and I went in for some lunch. We picked some fresh figs off his tree and also enjoyed some fruit that he had from his neighbours. I had a fresh yellow peach, possibly being one of the nicest I've ever had. I was really in heaven here. To top it off we also ate some Dutch cake that Marieke had baked her self.

I was outside looking at the surrounding landscape and it really felt surreal. The wind was blowing the tall Eucalypt trees (think they were karrie but not sure) and I had just stopped and inhaled the fresh air. No photo, and not even words can describe this feeling I had. I feel that this positive vibe was also aided by the great people surrounding the area. I have also been informed by Bob that Bill Mollison (one of the two founders of Permaculture) has spent time in the tram, which I slept in last night. This made my reverence for these surroundings even greater.

It was raining lightly but I was committed on leaving. Bob and Marieke had offered me to stay another night but I already felt indebted for last nights stay. The truth is I would have loved to stay for a few weeks- fresh produce, comfortable bed, good company and so on. I thought I'd get going and leave my self a few pleasures to look forward to when I return home.

I said my goodbyes and took off to the Valley of the Giants, a national park area containing giant varieties of Eucalypt trees. I took off with grey sky's and had light drizzle throughout the 40 odd km. The ride up to the trees was very beautiful, reminding me of home east of Melbourne around the Dandenong ranges. The climb was also similar to the Dandenongs, being around 13km consistently to the top.

I saw many beautiful farms and open areas that would have been good to set my tent up. I thought I'd check out the giant trees and then assess where I'll go. I walked around the trees for a few hours, reading all the descriptions from each tree and the role they play in the ecosystem. The day was getting dark and the weather looked ominous so I thought I'd go somewhere close by to camp for the night. The ladies in the information area informed me of a caravan park, at a crazy price of $30 a night. I managed to speak with a nice lady who said it would be alright for me to set my tent up in the bottom car park.

I've now got my tent set up under the valley of giant trees. I managed to find the luxury of a shelter under a patio for visitors. This is incredible, sleeping amongst so much biodiversity. The pure sight of the massive trees is certainly enough to make me in awe, but the added sound of all the wild life is really incredible. As I've sat down with my contained fire cooker going I have heard so many different animal sounds. It is pitch black and I am in the middle of a forest with ginormous trees, having the midnight moon glaring through them. Certainly an occasion I will remember for a long time.

Day 75 (Albany to Denmark)

Day: 60 km

This morning I folded up my freshly washed clothes, did my stretches and enjoyed the hostels free breakfast. Admittedly it was only bread and jam, but still enough to suppress my hunger.

It was raining most of this morning, so I spent this time inside getting all my gear ready. It's been very annoying with the weather as I haven't had a real chance to see much of Albany. As the morning passed the rain cleared up, or at least to a level tolerable for walking outside. The Taiwanese fellas and I headed down to another local farmers market. This farmers market was double the size of yesterday's and undercover. It was a great way to spend the day, enjoying few taste testers and sitting down listening to local music artists.

Following the market I went into the informations office to investigate information on the Aboriginal culture in the area. I received the same response as in Esperance, and the small towns on my way to Albany. They knew nothing, bar that "Surrounding towns are named after Aborigines", as if bearing some pride on this. Nobody could explain what the town names meant, and I realise just because every town ends in "up" they identify them as Aboriginal (Jeramunjup, Manjunup, Narrinup etc). I know from previous studies that many town names bear Aboriginal origins, but the origins sometimes originate as far as 500km away. These can be completely different Aboriginal nations to that of the towns traditional custodians. I would think that's not the case here but would be good to at least find some information on it.

I met up with the Taiwanese people again and said my farewells. I decided this morning I'd head to Denmark, 60 odd km's away along the tourist route. There is an inland route ten km's shorter but I have no time constraints and prefer to enjoy the beauty of the local environment.

On my ride to Denmark I have been in awe by how beautiful the landscape is. A lot of the landscape has been farmland, yet it's small scale enough to retain the beauty of the natural environment. Despite the fact it has been raining, and grey sky's, this has been perhaps the most enjoyable ride I've had on my trip so far. I was entertained by surprising and scaring the cows as I rode by, and also by the vast amounts of parakeets flying up above.

Pulling into Denmark I have been even more impressed. The town has a eco-friendly feel to it, perhaps spurred by stories I've heard from other travellers as well. I have no plans of paying for accommodation, so when pulling into town I kept my eyes open for a hidden area for my tent. I asked some locals and they couldn't recommend anything close by. I was selective with who I asked as I didn't want to inform the whole town that I'd be sleeping in my tent, in a public space. I saw a van parked in a park area and straight away identified it as some other travellers. I managed to find them, then asked where they've set up. They were sleeping in the park area and said it was hidden enough to not get caught. I've set my tent up at the back, on some discarded basketball courts.

Next to the park is a river, which contains much beauty for both its vegetation and bird species. I couldn't resist swimming here so I jumped straight in and had a good wash. The water was brackish, yet still quite clear, making me realise it possibly contained salmon and other tasty fish. Hopefully camp out around here for the next few days, spend my time making a spear and get some spear fishing in, whilst also enjoying the surroundings. This place really is incredibly beautiful. When gazing upstream of the river it looks just like a painting.

Day 70 (Esperance to Bush (on way to Albany)

Day: 107.62km
Time: 5hour 20min

This morning as I woke up the weather was looking ominous, but I was committed to leaving. I've had a good rest here in Esperance and feel now its time to go. I have 560 odd km's to Albany, which I'm hoping to do in 5 days or possibly less. I never under estimate the time, as wind, rain or any unexpected issue could prolong the riding time. In addition I do this so not to feel low spirited if I can't reach a certain distance. All planning I do is based on distances that I know I can complete in any weather, being head wind and/or rain. Having a tail wind for instance could push me double my expected distance, thus bringing me much joy.

Waking up this morning I felt a little bloated, possibly from the excessive amounts of white bread I ate last night. This morning having a big breakfast, for energy, I felt even more bloated when leaving.

As I got all my gear together a few of the people from the guest house came out to say goodbye. This was very nice, yet sad at the same time. It's crazy as only a few days ago I felt the same with the French people. It was very funny as a fella in the room next to me also came out to wave me off. He's an African man from Nigeria, living in Sydney and working for the Red Cross. He travels around the country, with an other Nigerian man, selling products and fundraising for Red Cross. Since I've been in the hostel he has literally been on the phone the whole time. During the night when we went to sleep he was on the phone, during the whole day that we saw him he was on the phone and in the morning when we first woke up we could still hear him talking on the phone. He explained he had two girlfriends. The other guys and I made many jokes about this with him. I often joked around saying that us Aussies cant meet any nice girls because fellas like him keep taking them all!! If we weren't joking about this we'd joke around that he's organising Internet scams with his mates. He had a great sense of humour and made for a humorous couple of days.

I left with a full stomach and plenty of food packed for the next few days. My plan was to do roughly 100km, or until I could find a descent area to set up my tent. The head wind was very strong today, making 100km feel very hard earned. In addition to the head wind my knee was also flaring up again, in the same area as it was a few weeks ago. As the km's went on the pain became more bearable, eventually feeling like it went away. I fortunately found a nice rest area around 110km in. I pulled in at around 17:00, having plenty of time to get my cooker going and set up my tent.

I still felt a bit bloated from last night but was keen to eat my lentils and potatoes to get required energy and proteins for the oncoming days. I've managed to read a few pages from the voyage of the beagle, do my stretches and also rest up in my tent. Hoping the winds aren't so strong tomorrow!!

Day 67 (Esperance -Rest Day)

This morning I got up nice and early. I had all my gear packed and strapped onto the bike before the others had even woke up. Although I was only moving 300 meters down the road I guess it was a subconscious feeling as if I was still out on the road, about to get on the bike. I was up early enough to head off, however I still feel like I need another rest day. I have decided that I will shoot off tomorrow morning.

I had breakfast while the others slept. I met a really nice Italian guy and we sat down drinking fresh coffee that he made using his Italian coffee steamer kettle. After this the others woke up and made themselves a big brekky. They offered me some but I was already full from my muesli and bread. They were very kind as they knew I didn't eat bacon so offered me something different. I find this very comforting when people acknowledge this fact, without making any issue about it. I suppose the matter that gives people ammunition to question my diet is the fact I occasionally eat kangaroo. Although I don't eat kangaroo often, and practically never compared to what I used to, I occasionally love it cooked over a flamed BBQ. I eat this meat predominantly for environmental reasons, ethical reasons, taste and definitely also because of health reasons. For someone who wants to limit meat intake for environmental reasons, yet on occasion do choose to eat meat, this to me seems a logical choice. I find it strange that I need to justify this to people and many can't just accept that it's each individuals choice. I certainly don't pester other people about what they eat, even if it is degrading our environment.

Following this I checked in to the hostel down the road. I said goodbye to the French family and felt as if I was all alone again. As I pulled into the hostel I thought I'd probably be in a big dorm by my self, as Esperance is only a small town and not many people would be calling through. The hostel is $1 cheaper then the caravan site so it was a no brainer for me to check in here.

When I arrived the lady at reception was marvelled about my journey. I was quite surprised how enthused she was as I have seen a couple of cyclist so far on my trip now. I explained what I was doing and that I am on a tight budget. She was very understanding and was very obliging. She offered me a few nights accommodation free of charge, explaining that I need the rest to recover. I had let her know that I was very appreciative and I'd probably leave tomorrow morning anyway. This was certainly comforting, especially after being alone again.

I met a young Maori fellow whose working at the mines in Kalgoorlie, 400km north of here. He was at the front of the hostel looking at the beach conditions. I asked if he was heading out for a swim and he said he was, but also for a fish. Straight away we clicked and decided to head out together for a swim and then a fish. I met another younger English fella in the hostel who is backpacking around Australia. The English fella decided to come along and it has ended up being a perfect day.

This evening we cooked up a big feast and I was able to show off some of my cooking skills. I cooked a meal that I learnt off a friend of mine. I took the stalk off some mushrooms, chopped the stalks up with some tomatoes and capsicums, mixed them together with some pasta sauce and cheese, then put it all in the base of the mushroom with more cheese on top. The mushroom acted as a type of pizza base, then I put them in the oven for 15 odd minutes. The Maori fella joked around saying he'd cook it next time his on a date, only realising he'd soon get caught out as he doesn't know how to cook anything else!!

Good rest tonight and I am now thinking I will take the lady from the hostels offer and stay one more night.