The Bibbulmun Track - in 50 images

In the early part of 2021, I was living at my Dad's place in Albany, WA. I told him that I thought I'd like to go and see Mum who lives in Perth. He said he thought that was a great idea. However, when I asked if I could borrow the car, he said "No, you can walk." And so I did.

I walked the Bibbulmun Track, a 1000km (600 mile) bushwalk that winds its way from Albany to Perth. (The route is about 400km as the crow flies, but no crows were willing to give me a ride - they were about as helpful as my dad.)

The journey took me just over 50 days to complete. 

Here are 50 images (or videos or sound files) to give you a sense of the trek: that is, one per 20kms or one per day. 

Enjoy the spectacular beauty of the south-west of Western Australia - without the heat, the flies, the camping, or the walking!

Indian-Pacific train experience

Are we there yet?

Trains seem to have always been somehow magical: steam trains (how does a gigantic metallic beast like that get driven by steam?), the joining of east and west in the US, the Orient Express in Europe, Hogwarts Express, the marvellous but oftentimes sordid mystery of trains running underground in many of the world's major cities, etc.

In an age of plane travel, the idea of travelling on a train can hold even more appeal than in the past. And given Zach's youthful love of trains, we decided to do the Indian-Pacific train journey, one of the world's great train journeys (as rated by no less than the Society of International Railway Travellers).

It is called the Indian-Pacific which implies travel from west to east, but you can choose to go the other way, Sydney to Perth. That route is a little more expensive, presumably due to greater demand. Who knows why. Perhaps because it is going to be a couple of hours longer due to the time difference. Or maybe because there is something exotic about riding the Indian-Pacific in the wrong direction.

Riding the train is an Experience with a capital E. The key Elements of that most Excellent Experience were as follows: