Day 5: Waalegh to Beraking
We acknowledge the Nyoongar People as the traditional custodians of the land and waters along the Bibbulmun Track
Another spectacular sunrise with the mist rising in the valleys around Waalegh
This is a relatively short, recovery day with well-graded walking over lateritic gravel: nice after yesterday’s three biggish climbs. You’ll likely arrive in camp quite early: fast hikers will push on to Mt Dale, but leisurely hikers who want to spend some time at the summit tomorrow should single hut at Beraking and take the opportunity to do some washing and relax today. There are plenty of wildflowers and views to enjoy around camp, and you’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle tomorrow’s long climb.
The days details - 8.7 km long with only 160 m elevation gain
Breakfast with a view. Again. It’s been cold enough to wear down puffies over our fleece jackets in the mornings and at night: the moment the sun disappears, the temperature plummets.
A prosaic picture, but the long drop toilets at every hut make for relaxed travelling. However, this one was particularly aromatic, so just as well it was some distance from the hut and campsites!
The droseras are amazing, and early in the morning they sparkle in the sunlight. Here, D. erythrorhiza (top) and D. sp.
Small thoughtful track maintenance features like this make a big difference to hikers. Thank you, track vollies and Department of Conservation!
The track is well graded but gravelly. You can see the red ironstone around the Xanthorrhoeas. It’s obvious why this hungry country hasn’t been cleared for pasture.
There are so many spectacular shrubs and wildflowers that enthusiasts will scarcely know which way to look. Here, Dryandra praemorsa
And so many trigger plants! This was the tallest one we saw, S. affine. The flower bottom left hasn’t been triggered, but the one on the right has. When an insect lands on the flower, it gets ‘stamped’ with pollen by the trigger. The pollen is then transferred to the next flower the insect visits.
Jug orchid – an unusual shaped snail orchid with the petals and sepals fused and tilted up and back (hence the name, Pterostylis recurva).
A few fungi still lingering from winter, here Lentinus fasciatus. I want to hike here in autumn!
The aptly named Daviesia horrida and Diuris. You can see the orchid mimicry in action: Diuris provide no nectar, nor do they trick insects with mating pheromones like some other orchid species. Instead, they trick insects into thinking they’ll get a feed of nectar as they do from pea flowers. They attract pollinators through mimicry, which means they need expend no energy in producing either nectar or pheromones. There’s also a suggestion of synergistic effects where both species benefit by attracting more pollinators to the area for each other.
An unlucky moth caught in a sundew. Smaller insects are absorbed, turned into soup or fall to the ground to decompose there, releasing nutrients to the root zone.
There are so many new plants to photograph, and landscapes to absorb, we’re in no rush. We can take as long as we like, knowing it’s a short day.
And still more orchids to see; here Caladenia reptans ssp reptans (Little Pink Fairy).
Orchids so plentiful you’ll often see two species growing in close proximity (here, Pterostylis barbatus and P. recurva). About half a dozen new species every day so far. This will no doubt change as I become familiar with the common ones but, wow, it’s exciting!
An early arrival at 1 pm after just five hours of leisurely hiking and a relaxed lunch. Another wonderful campsite on the edge of a drop, with plenty of time to do some washing. Clean undies – YAY! You can also see that rough ironstone gravel. I hope our thin polycro footprint is up to the job because the ground is tougher than we expected. We use tyvek on limestone and perhaps it would have been the better choice here. You can also see the polycro vestibule triangle – these are great for keeping gear clean.
Geoff making the arvo cuppa. All of the huts are exactly right, from the smooth wooden sleeping platforms, to the lines for suspending food bags, and hooks for packs. They face away from the prevailing weather. You can see there’s a table under cover as well as one outside, which makes cooking during rain so much nicer!
The hut has a lovely outlook.
And a stunning sunset vista.
The thought of hiking 1,000km is daunting, but I’m finding that hiking each day isn’t at all, although we are not far into our hike and the distances thus far are short. Going for a walk every day is very doable. We just need to keep doing it!
