The Bibbulmun

[9zero]

Hey guys, I am headed off on the Bibbulmun track, we are going North to South. Have done a LOT of prep and have pretty much all of my gear, just thought I would see if anyone here has done it before and has any tips?

Cheers
Steve

[Fastgirl]

Awesome stuff Steve! Well done. Lolly and I are thinking of doing it as well. We've just done the whole Striling Range walk. Good luck!

[~starfire~]

Hey guys, I am headed off on the Bibbulmun track, we are going North to South. Have done a LOT of prep and have pretty much all of my gear, just thought I would see if anyone here has done it before and has any tips?

Cheers
Steve

I have walked parts with friends and all I can say is take LOTS of water, sunscreen, a hat and band-aids (also some barley sugars or glucose jellybeans) ... some parts mobile phones are useless.
I know people that have down the whole track and they prepared like crazy for months ahead, especially with the camping out overnight, they were surprised at how cold it got even though it was summertime.

[Mikeymikemike]

my brother is on the bibblemun track right now, if you see a bunch of 8th grade kids, say hi to them.

[shmoo]

havent done it but i have done the Munda Biddi (Munda Biddi Trail Foundation - Friends of Western Australia's Long Distance Off-Road Cycle Trail)

good sense of accomplishment when you do it.

[THE GODFATHER]

Did it once. Got hoplessly lost. Had a black and white map, you need a colour map for the 1st part. Make sure its colour. "Follow the yellow woggle road, follow the yellow woggle road. I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz" NO really, colour map, lots of water, a GPS or compass, maybe even a smoke flare just in case. Cant be to safe.

Have fun.

[reddog]

..and drop in for a beer at the Mumby pub. It turns 100 years old shortly.

[bibendum]

I saw the title and thought you were talking about me?

[Jonchilds]

Hexamine stoves and dehydrated food makes things lighter, and always good to have a warm meal in the evening.

Take enough water to get you well past the next water point (call CALM and see what water tank levels are like - should be good this time of year), and definately take chlorine tablets to treat the water.

I've done a section down near Myalup a few years ago, and I must say the biggest problem was blisters, rather than anything logistic.

[9zero]

Thanks guys, we have plenty of water - there are 2 of us going and we are planning on carrying 5L each, hopefully refill at each point where the tanks are, we have a MSR water purification pen. We have plenty of sunscreen and band aids and other first aid stuff. We didnt get a hex stove, we got a msr one that runs off damn near anything, sounds like a jet fighter too its mint!! Plenty of packet pasta, soups and noodles, dried fruit and nuts and muesli bars, we are going to mail the food down and pick them up as we get to the various towns, and pick up fresh stuff along the way.

Good to know about the cold, we have planned on it being quite warm, might pack something long to wear at night now... So hard keeping the weight down but we have some very good packs so hopefully wont be too bad

Thanks everyone!

[Jonchilds]

Oh yeah - watch out for planned prescribed burns, and smoke that may blow over from them.

[sathid]

I mad a mate who did it a while back. Not sure how far south he got. The plan was to go all the way to albany.

He got pretty anal about weight. Made his own stove from a redbull can, bought a smaller LED headband torch because it was lighter. Took one of those silver foil blankets, and made his own tent out of cloth and a pole of some sort.

lol.
I've never gotten past mundaring weir rd. lol
In fact, never past the bottom of the valley below Jorgensen Park.

[Mikeymikemike]

forgot to mention the ticks. you may want to invest in a tick remover.

[sathid]

They are out and about at the moment too. Mates GF had a school excursion in Mundaring today (she's a teacher) and apparently lots of the kids got ticks on them.

[Tenchi]

Hey man. Getting your fat arse in shape before you go will help too hahahah...

Ok, seriously, Condes crystals. They're used for a variety of things, but most people use them for fire starting (gylcerin + condes in hot weather) or water purification.
First aid kit. I reckon it'd be pretty stupid for you to forget this one, but to err on the side of stupidity is not out of the question. Just a basic one. You'd know better than I would on this one. Salve for comfort, pack something for burns too. Your honky arse might not get too sunburnt but Gareth's head might .
Compass & Map with each leg plotted out along the way. Silva compasses are best - most have a magnifying glass on them, as well as common distance conversions for common map scales. Mark major land features on the map where possible - it will help with reverse bearings. If possible, put the map in something waterproof - you're not expecting it to rain, but dew can form on it, as well as accidentally leaving your water bottles open a fraction.
Matches/Cigarette lighter. I prefer a cigarette lighter in this case because they don't suck when they get wet (see above).
Dried food - it's light and it's able to keep on hot days. Don't go overboard on it, since a human can survive for at least 3 days without food but will die after 4 days in the shade on a moderately hot day without water.
VEGEMITE FOR THE DROP BEARS!!!! Behind the ears. Stops em every time.

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL... tell someone where you're going and when you plan to be there. Make calls along the way whenever possible/reasonable and close to a point. Give an ETA before your next point of contact.

If you're running low on supplies or need someone to meet you along the way with additional stuff, you have my number, just buzz me and I'll buy whatever you need and meet you at the next way point accessible by road. If you are planning to use my services, make sure you give me a map so you can say which area you'll be meeting me in.

Kris