Day 80 (Shannon to Nannup (Organic Farm))

Day: 132km

Today was difficult riding. It was even more repetitive then yesterday.

I woke up feeling great after a good sleep in the hut. I went to sleep whilst the fire was slowly burning out, keeping the hut nice and warm. I woke up around 0630 and had a big bowl of oats (or big drink bottle full I should say) giving me enough energy to get all my gear packed and ready to go nice and early.

Despite the energy I had early on, I felt very heavy on the bike. The constant repetitiveness, up hill then down hill, made it very boring and monotonous. It felt much longer then what I actually cycled. The roads were so annoying that I thought if I wasn't riding towards the organic farm then I probably would've camped half way. On the ride I had many short steep hills, followed by even shorter and steeper descents. The first five or so times I was looking forward to the descents, but after this I started becoming frustrated. After a few hours I started cursing every time I come down a sharp descent, as I knew it would be followed by an even longer incline. I couldn't get any consistency with my speed up the hills, as the first half of a climb was spent getting momentum and the second trying to get a comfortable speed up the hill, before I knew it I was down hill again. The next hill I'd have to take a different approach. As every incline varied in length and gradient my legs and upper body were utilising many different muscles.

By late afternoon I ended up getting into Nannup. I had to ride about 3km away from the town to get to the farm. I was fortunate for this as I was so hungry I would've spent unnecessary money in the grocer in Nannup. I didn't want to eat the farm empty but figured they'd have a bit of food spare, being a permaculture property with plenty of produce.

The property didn't have any signage so I found it by chance. I pulled into a drive way and yelled out to a man close by. He didn't answer so I went went closer. I was literally standing behind him and asking even louder if it was the Merri-Bee farm. I figured he must of had hearing difficulties, so I waited for him to turn around and asked again. I did kind of realise this was the right place by noticing a few fruit trees around. It definitely has that typical first impression you get with most permaculture properties, disorderly from a conventional perspective.

He walked me down to the house and I put my bike along the back wall. I should mention there doesn't really seem to be a back or front of the house, as it is all surrounded by flora of some sort. The plants and trees disguise the house within the surrounding environment, giving it a very earthly feel.

Every one has been running around as they are collecting produce for tomorrow's market in Perth. Perth is about 350km from here, and is the biggest market the farm has each month. I felt useless a I saw everybody running around and didn't know how I could help. I didn't want to keep getting in the way by asking what I could do, so I put my bags inside and waited for the others to slow down a bit. The lady who runs the farm is named Bee and her partner Stuart. Bee asked me to collect some figs for the market so I went along and picked away. I was actually excited to do this as the whole trip I've kept my eyes open for a fresh fig tree yet haven't seen many. I suppressed my hunger a bit by picking one or two for my self.

I wasn't sure what to do for dinner, as nobody mentioned it and I didn't want to appear rude. Being quite hungry and the night getting on, I thought perhaps I should set my cooker up. I didn't want to insult Bee and Stuart, so I stayed patient and snacked on my remaining peanuts. Eventually Bee made up some fresh vegetable soup. This was delicious, perhaps made tastier by knowing how wholesome it was.

On the farm is two German wwoofers, Max and Julia. They have been volunteering here for the last two weeks. Bee also has a son here, Lee who is 13 years old and seems to be a character. Ive also noticed a tension between Lee and Stuart, with Stuart being the Step dad. It feels like I'm going to be in for an interesting few days...

Tomorrow morning the German couple will show me a few things around the farm, while the others go to the market.

Day 79 (The Valley of the Giants to Shannon National Park)

Day: 87.30
Time: 4hours 40minutes

Today was very hard on my body. I felt lethargic, dehydrated and also heavy. I cramped up on my inner thigh and didn't have the energy to keep pushing like I normally would. I felt a little like this yesterday, but as it was only a short ride I didn't pick up on it so much as today. The other night at the Wolery I had a few glasses of white wine with Bob and Marieke, and minimal water intake. I have reason to believe this is why I've been dehydrated the last two days and also contributing to the condition I've been in today.

During the night I woke up on a few occasions. The sound of the animals was certainly something different. I'm not sure what type of animals were making the sounds, but they were very unique. It was such a solitary experience, being alone amongst the giant Eucalypt trees. I surprisingly felt no concern at all, besides that of having a stray animal get into my bags, or tent. It's amazing to think how a human mind can work, as sleeping with my two metal chop sticks, for some type of self defence, provided enough comfort for me to fall fast asleep. I think the mini fire I had going may have provided some type of deterrent to any stray animals anyway.

I took off having a minimal breakfast. I had the last of my oats, perhaps a mouthful, and a few handfuls of peanuts. This wasn't the ideal breakfast considering the condition I was in yesterday. I thought last night being about 15km off Walpole, a small town with a few shops, I could camp with no food and load up in the mid-morning. Walpole was actually around 20km off and I felt pretty tired when I got there. I stopped there and loaded up on bread and also had an iron tablet. I haven't had any (or many) green veggies, or meat for the last few months and think my fatigue might also have something to do with low iron intake. I have felt great since having a non-meat diet so don't necessarily believe no meat has anything to do with my fatigue now. I figure having half the recommended dosage of iron tablets can't do me any harm, and may provide assistance with all my physical exertion.

I was hoping to get to Pemberton today, being around 120km away. I looked on the map and realised there was nothing in between Walpole and Pemberton, so had to be well prepared for this leg after my lunch break today. I asked in town if there were any spots to camp half way, just incase my body wouldn't hold up. I was informed of a national park about three quarters of the way in, so thought this would be a good back up plan.

The ride was hilly and difficult at times. I was pushing to make it on a few occasions, with my cramp making the climbing difficult. I stopped looking at my odometer, as I knew I didn't cycle as much distance as I had wanted. I wanted to keep pushing, as I have around 200km to get to Nannup. Nannup is the organic farm where I will volunteer for a week, in return for free food and accommodation.

The national park was about 80km in so I thought if I made that then at least tomorrow I could still reach Nannup, being only 120odd km's away. The day was getting late so I started keeping my eyes open for this national park, or any where to camp for that matter. I decided to have a look at the odometer and realised I was around 72km in. I saw a camp sign but realised it was leading down a gravel road. I thought I'd keep going for another ten or so km and hope to find another area for camping.

I saw a small turn off into the bush. I figured this would have some type of area for me to set up my tent. To my delight there were a few other campers around and the comfort of shelter under a few large trees. The weather looked ok but it's always reassuring to know you won't get your gear wet if it starts to rain during the night. As I pulled in a camper came up and explained he was the voluntary park ranger. He said it cost $9 to camp here, as they have a toilet close by. I started planning to get on my bike and continue riding into the bush to sleep free, until he explained cyclist camp free. I was very relieved. He then explained that I could sleep in a hut close by. I said I was alright and I'm fine with my tent.

I was informed campers weren't allowed to have any fires around their site. I was informed that in the hut you could make a fire inside. I thought in this case I'll go check it out, as it could be cosy to sleep in a hut with the fire going. I went into the hut and it looked like something off a horror movie. It was about a five minute walk from any of the other campers and situated amongst a few big pine trees. A lady had walked me to the hut to help show me where to go. I think she may have felt sorry for me so decided to give me a bag of potatoes, carrots and two minute noodles.

I took advantage of the free food and the fire place. I used my cooking bowl to boil the veggies on the hot plate on top of the fire. I've been sitting in the room by my self all night, listening to some music off my phone and enjoying a tasty and healthy dinner. I've had plenty of salt with my dinner, done a few stretches and now hope my cramp disappears tomorrow!!

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 77 (Green Pools to The Wolery (Eco community))

Day: 12km

This morning I woke up overlooking the ocean and beautiful coastline. As per usual, I also woke up to the sound of many beautiful birds chirping. I made my breakfast and enjoyed a hot cuppa green tea. I decided to read and relax most of this morning. I also thought this was a good opportunity to practice more on my didgeridoo. I'm working hard on the circular breathing technique, which I definitely notice I'm close to achieving. It is funny when practicing this, as usually passers by will have trouble comprehending what they see is real. At least here it is secluded, and I only have a few cars passing by on occasion.

I ended up back at Greens Pools to enjoy a morning swim. Here it was very peaceful. I ate some snacks that my Taiwanese friends gave to me from Albany. I may not have noted this, but the Taiwanese people in Albany also gifted me with a pair of unique Taiwanese chopsticks. I was very appreciative, as they are the second pair of chopsticks I've received on my trip so far.

I decided it was time to move on and find another camp spot a little further up the coast. As I was riding down I saw signs to a rural shop selling honey, mead, honey ice creams and a few other fresh goods. I rode past the property, then checked the time only to realise it was still early afternoon, so I did a u-turn and went to check it out.

As I pulled into the gravel drive way a screw came off my back pannier rack. The rack was rubbing on my wheel, making it near impossible for the wheel to spin. I had a quick look and realised the shop was closing soon, so I left all my bits and pieces at the front. In the shop I tried many nice honeys, meads and also treated my self to a honey banana ice cream.

As I walked out there was a man looking interestedly at my bike. He asked where I was from and where I've been. He explained he was interested in bikes as well, and by chance having one of his bikes at the shop with him. We started talking, only to realise we had even more in common. His wife's family are actually from the same town in the Netherlands as my family, in which I'd almost guarantee our older family members would know each other. His name was Bob and his wife Marieke.

Bob explained he had an old tram in his back yard that I could sleep in. I was curious as to what the tram would look like, and also very grateful for his kind offering. We both rode back up the hill I just came down and went into his place. Bob made comment as to the ease I did going up the hill on my bike, having such a heavy load and all. It made me realise that my condition at the moment is easily the best I've been in my entire life.

Bob and Mariekes place is incredible. They have built the whole place them selves, using all recycled goods and actually making mud bricks by hand by using the earth beneath their house. The house is situated in a small sustainable community village. It's ran by the community and receive no council services. All organic matters composted and any other waste is built up to then be taken into town. Bob has explained that every person in the community has a task there responsible for. It is not a job they have, but merely general duties that anyone would have when owning a property or house.

This little village is a real example of how living should be, and a perfect demonstration for other developments in the future. It's incredible to think that this community has been here nearly 40 years, and everyday people like Bob and Marieke have worked hard in setting it up. It's crazy that modern society, having so many resources and government funding, are so far from achieving this type of living. I believe greed and the desire to make money influence the restriction of this growth. As I have been informed by Bob, the only thing people own in the community is the house itself, not the land. For an average money driven consumer, I imagine many people would shy away from the idea of not 'owning' the land, or 'owning' under the western notion and idea attributed by marketing terminology and prospect of future profits.

I have enjoyed a beautiful dinner with Bob and Marieke, aided with some fresh veggies out of their garden. I am really in awe of this place. This feels very surreal and it's times like these that make this trip so worthwhile.

Tomorrow I want to explore the community, see what type of plants, namely edible species, are around and also meet some more of the people in the village.

Day 76 (Denmark to Green Pools)

Day: 20km

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and relaxed. I had some filling veggie burgers last night, with the French guys who camped out in their van. I spent a bit of time with them listening to their stories of travel and about there mission to find work here. They have driven to every farm since Perth, asking if any work is required. It makes you think that if there are so many desperate foreigners searching work, there should never be cries from our rural sectors for a lack in manual labourers. Most travellers I've met have even resorted to volunteering once they realise they can't get any rural work. The thing that gives me much respect for these guys, and other travellers I've met, is that they're prepared to live anywhere, even the most remote areas of the country, just for work. The incentive of retaining a second year visa, after three months rural work, is a real driving factor for them but I have also found many foreigners just desire rural work for the experience alone.

I have to admit I kept my time limited with the French guys as they smoked ridiculous amounts of cigarettes in the time I was with them. One was coughing and blowing his nose for half the night, I especially wanted to distance my self from him. I often think I'm dirty, by the fact I'm sweaty off the bike, sleeping in the bush or making camp fire etc. but when I think about the way Im travelling compared to others, I consider my self relatively clean. At least I'm not carrying any colds or other contagious illness.

Once waking up I took the time to catch up on some writing and also admiring more of the natural beauty. Many pelicans were fishing in front of me, giving me more indication of the quantity of fish in the river. I decided to get some fishing bait in town and spend the day relaxing. I also picked up some garlic tablets in the IGA, as I want to make sure I don't catch anything from breathing the same air in the French fellows van last night. Exerting my limits everyday and eating restrictive food I'm well aware my immune system could easily be attacked. That is certainly the last thing I want..

Later on I went up to an area called Green Pools and was marvelled by the beauty and clearness of the water. This is a small section surrounded by rocks and is perfect for swimming, snorkelling and I'd imagine fishing. I was surprised to see many tourists come down just to take photos and walk off. I wandered what they tell there friends when they show the photos. It would certainly be hard for them to say they enjoyed their time there, being so brief and all.

I lazed around here by swimming, resting, reading and enjoying a very humid and partly overcast day. A little later on I decided it was time to find a good area to set up my tent. I went down a dirt road, containing many pot holes and bumps in the ground. It was very painful riding on this road as I could just feel my bike copping a punishment. It's sort of like one of those dolls you see on movies, that refer pain to people when they get punished. The more my bike cops a beating I feel it too. I found a beautiful spot nestled on the top of a small mountain. I set my tent up overlooking the beach and having the beauty of the surrounding mountains next to me. This is really a sensational spot to camp. It makes me realise how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful country and that I'm also able to get out and do these things.

As the sun set on my right hand side, and the mountains on my left received the effects of the sun setting, I enjoyed some dinner of cous cous and chickpeas. I love eating food cooked off a small fire in front of me. I managed to find some rosemary leaves in the bushes, which I mixed in my dinner. I'm curious as to whether these are pests or a native variety, my thoughts being that it's a pest.

Tomorrow I'm planning on seeing more of this country and possibly camp a little further along the beach.

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 74 (Rest Day - Albany)

It was great having a sleep in a bed, after having a shower and being able to wrap my self in clean sheets again. After talking with others and scoping out the cleanliness of the hostel I had no worries about bed bugs.

This hostel has a very unique feel, being two stories yet having a tight town house type feel to it. Fortunately I am sleeping on the second floor, as last night there were plenty of crazy drinking games going on on the first floor. I met some great people from Taiwan and enjoyed dinner with them. It was a real contrast. On one side of the room was I, being the only white guy, sitting with a group of Taiwanese people drinking tea and having a good conversation. On the other side, every single western person in the hostel was absolutely wasted, or at least acted like it. Thinking on this now, if this had of been a few years ago I probably would have been with them, purveying the same actions as them. I can definitely see a level of maturity that I've developed from this trip, and a nature I wish to continue with once this trips completed. I thought, perhaps I need to surround my self with more East Asian people, as finding people of this nature is quite hard back home. I then wandered, what if the Taiwanese people had more social confidence to interact with westerners, would they themselves be drinking with everybody else? I know culturally they are very different in regards to alcohol consumption. I hope that they themselves can maintain the will power to not socially conform to the mainstream ways of western living. They can certainly integrate without getting pissed and turning into a bunch of savages like most others.

The weather has been dismal, having poured down the whole day. I haven't had any real opportunity to see anything so far in Albany, as it has literally been pouring down the whole time. I managed to have a quick look at the local farmers market this morning, but that's just about been it.

It costs $27 a night here, and if it weren't raining I definitely wouldn't be staying here another night. Because of the price I was planning on tenting it somewhere tonight for free. As the rain hasn't stopped, and it looks like it will continue tomorrow, I have booked in another night here.

The upside to another night here is the good company, but also the free food bin. I was in absolute shock as to the quality of food that people have discarded, or left behind. In the box was two quarter full bottles of olive oil, yellow lentils, three perri-perri flavoured sauces, natural citrus rock salt, jam, garlic cloves, a bag of natural confectionary lollies along with many other things. All of those items mentioned I have consumed or stored away in my bag for the oncoming days. I took advantage of the full bag of lentils, garlic cloves, peri-peri sauces and olive oil to cook up a big feed to share with my new Taiwanese friends.

The dinner was delicious and has been great to share it with other hungry travellers. I was also happy as I realised, most probably, nobody else would have cooked these lentils and the cleaners would've otherwise thrown them out. I would almost describe it as a fear I have, when realising food will be thrown out (especially without being recycled in some fashion). This is an inherent feeling, perhaps developed after living with my Oma and her teachings, but also aided by environmental understanding (of both food production and landfill pollution).

After the feed I played a bit of table tennis with the others. I'm hoping the weather clears up tomorrow as I have told my self I definitely won't be staying another night here, despite how much I'd like to.