Prevelly to Contos
Cape to Cape Track
The Hike - Day Four on the Cape to Cape and after a long 30km day yesterday, I slept like a rock in my cabin at the Prevelly Holiday Park. While not the Grand Budapest Hotel, it was an upgrade over my sleeping mat and it meant I didn't have to spend time packing up sleeping gear in the morning. This meant extra time to rest before heading off and I put that to good use. With a much shorter day on the cards, I laid in bed listening to the showers as they passed through and also catching up on the socials. The previous night I had noticed that Michelle from WalkingTwoByTwo was in the area so sent her a message to see where she was. We organised a breakfast catch-up so I just had to be at the Sea Garden Café by 9am with all my gear. Packing and reorganising my gear into dry bags took a little longer than expected but I made it and met her just after 9am. Michelle was here scoping out the new realignment I was walking this morning for the next edition of her Cape to Cape guidebook, along with having a guiding trip in the near future. We spent time talking about her new business, Feed the Hike (use the code PY5 for 5% a great range of fresh, quality dehydrated soups and extras), along with how I was finding the track so far.
After a hearty breakfast, a nice fresh coffee and a good chat with Michelle, the table we were sitting at had reached its reservation time so we had to move on. Excellent timing as a strong shower had just passed, dumping a bit of rain on Prevelly but with clear skies in the distance, I was hoping it stayed that way for a while. Saying goodbye to Michelle, I headed back up the hill to the point where I left the track the previous day. As with every track town, the official route doesn't take you into the centre of town, in Prevelly this means it scoots the edge of Wallcliffe Road and heads off in an easterly direction along the footpath. It was fairly easy going up the hill thanks to the footpath and I got some nice shots looking out towards the ocean to the approaching weather that included a goodbye rainbow. Happily walking along the pavement, I thought it would be best to stop and apply some sunscreen if the sun was going to be out for extended periods between showers. As I was doing this, a cyclist passed me and came to an abrupt stop. Thinking they wanted to offer some advice or ask what I was up to, it turned out to be an old family friend that I'd known since I was born.
Brian and his family were enjoying a holiday in the area and he was out on his e-bike getting in some exercise for the day. What a random coincidence this meeting was given this section of path doesn't last very long and it was a fun way to start the walking for the day. We chatted about what they were up to, walks on the Cape to Cape they had done this trip or were planning on doing and how we'd both been. Brian and his wife Eileen were due to stay with my parents the day after I ending up leaving Funbury after this trip so it was at least nice to see Brian, albeit only for a brief moment. Wishing him well for the rest of his holiday, we parted ways and I eventually found the point where the Cape to Cape heads into the bush and continues uphill. On my previous trip I had botched the navigation coming into Prevelly and had missed walking this section. Being on an old sandy vehicle track, the trail won't blow your socks off but with plenty of wildflowers lining the edges and the unmistakeable scent of wet Peppermint trees on the air, I was finding plenty to enjoy here. Having been mainly on the coast for the first half, I was looking forwards to spending some time in the forests, as I feel more at home there than I do in the dunes or on the beach.
As I ascended up the hill, I was very much enjoying photographing all the wildflowers and orchids that I could find. Vanilla Lily, Cowslip Orchids, Pink Fairy Orchids, Donkey Orchids, Golden Buttercups, Hovea, Pepper and Salt plus my favourite, the Native Rose could all be found along here. Taking a turn to the left, you are introduced to more of a mixed forest arrangement with Marri and Jarrah starting to become more prominent. There are some quite old examples of these trees located either side of the track and it's a really lovely area to walk through, especially still being damp from the morning rain. Knowing this day was broken up into two sections, the first being forest and inland heath walking and the second being beach and cliff walking, I was savouring my time in the forested section. There is something primal about walking in these green spaces with the busyness and noise of the modern world to distract you. The natural world is of course very busy and noisy with an entire ecosystem moving around you but it's a very calming presence to be around. Still climbing, you take a right turn and follow the track up to where the new realignment has been put in.
My big issue with this section last time was the exposed walking on the very soft sandy tracks coming into Prevelly and it appears something has been done to address this. The track no longer passes the town's water tanks but instead heads east just before you reach them. There is no distance added to your day because of instead of heading south then east from this point, you head east then south along the opposite side of an imaginary rectangle. The entry to the realignment is very pleasant with a single track surrounded by lush forest leading you into the distance. Running parallel to a vehicle track, it is very much an improvement over the previous route as the excellent wildflower display continued. Reaching the end of the single track adventure, you are placed on another vehicle track as you head south but with some mature forest surrounding you, this is no bad thing. Being so close a town, it certainly doesn't feel that way with a world that feels like you're in the middle of nowhere (vehicle track aside). The large Balgas, the increase in Banksias and even some fungi growing in the shaded areas brought a smile to my face as I soaked it all in.