Day 6: Beraking to Mt Dale

May 19

We acknowledge the Nyoongar People as the traditional custodians of the land and waters along the Bibbulmun Track

small tent pitched amongst grass trees in forest with white sandy soils — *Our campsite at Mt Dale… amongst the* kingia trees

I was a little apprehensive about today’s steady sustained climb, but was pleasantly surprised. The distance is perfect for slower hikers, especially if you’ve been doing one hut at a time, the surfaces are excellent – particularly later with firm smooth sand – and the grades are even rather than undulating little ups and downs. However, the spur climb to Mt Dale would have been tough if we’d tried to squeeze it in yesterday.

Botanists will be excited by the first glimpses of Western Australia’s famous white acidic sands and the corresponding change in vegetation. We also saw many birds through this section, including red tailed black cockatoos, and the vistas from Mt Dale are expansive. Today is an absolute treat.

Satellite map of Bibbulmun track route in blue the section from Kalamunda to Dwellingup highlighted yellow todays walk is red — *Inching our way south!* Use the Bibbulmun Track Foundation Map 1 The Darling Range

Zoomed in satellite map of the day with elevation details — *The days details - 14.9 km with a solid elevation gain of 465 m including our side trip to the summit and its pretty much all in one hit - but the grade is not too steep.*

One car wide track in dappled shade through dense forest with recent wheel tracks — *Forestry tracks are so small and deserted we enjoy them as much as single track. It is much less tiring than rocky single track where you need to watch every step.*

hiker with green backpack and pink hat walking along side ironstone track in open forest with dense understorey in bright sunshine — *The weather is promising: sunny but not hot, perfect for walking.*

pale green ferns in bright sunshine — *Zamia* (Macrozamia riedleyi) is a striking member of the ancient cycad family. This is one genus we don’t have in South Australia and it is wonderful seeing this stunning palm-like plant in otherwise familiar dry sclerophyll forest.

hiker with green backpack walikg along single track in open forest with yellow flowers either side and grass trees — Xanthorrhoea, Zamia, Dryandra - overseas visitors will be gobsmacked. Hell, I am too!

close up of small white flower on sundew plant — Drosera macrantha

close up of orange triangle shaped seed pods — *As well as the flowers and pods, the leaves are astonishing. In this tough environment, they’ve developed all kinds of ways to prevent grazing and dessication. Here,* Daviesia decurrens with bright orange seed pods.

close up of flowers on trigger plant each flower has four white petals — *Reed Trigger Plant,* Stylidium junceum

hiker with blue backpack walking along single ironstone track in open woodland

close up of small yellow flowers shaped grouped to form spiral — *Drumstick Isopogon* (I. sphaerocephalus)*. Flowers are arranged in a classic Fibonacci spiral.*

two drumstick shaped flower heads in focus in foreground hiker with blue backpack in blurred background — *You can see why they’re called drumsticks!*

close up of bright yellow orchid flowers with donkeys ear shaped petals sticking up — *And a new Donkey orchid!* Diuris magnifica, *the Pansy orchid. Of course I don’t know its name today, only that it looks different.*

single white track through an open area of forest with a cluster of 40 or more grass trees — *These are not* Xanthorrhoea, but a completely different single-species genus, Kingia. The flower spikes are like drumsticks rather than long spikes, and some of the crowns are three metres tall. Spectacular!

single ironstone foot track on an incline through open forest with yellow and cream coloured flowers either side — *Acacia and* Trymalium sp under the smooth white trunks of wandoo.

close up of purple flower — *Purple coneflower* (Isopogon formosus).

expansive view across forests all the way to the horizon

We hide our packs behind a tree at the spur road to Mt Dale summit. The track has recently been re-routed so you’ll veer off to the left (if traveling south) and enjoy a pleasant loop on single track rather than an out-and-return up a spur road. Nicely done, Bibbulmun Foundation! Quite a few cars pass us. This picture doesn’t do justice to the view. There is forest as far as the eye can see, with just one small logged area. It’s quite deceptive, really, and part of the Bibbulmun sleight of hand: nearly all of this area is riddled with forestry tracks, but you can’t see them. It is the illusion of wilderness, rather than wilderness.