The cape to cape walk follows the Leeuwin/Naturaliste Ridge for approximately 135kms. It starts near to Dunsborough and finishes at Augusta in WA’s South West. To walk the full length end to end will take between 5 – 8 days depending on fitness level, and how long you plan to walk each day. Some of the walk is definitely easy, and in parts, even suitable for wheelchairs and prams. Some of it is more difficult with a grading of level 4 and therefore only recommended for experienced bushwalkers. If you like walking, and love spectacular coastal and forest scenery, then this walk is worth putting on your list.

On Easter Monday we decided we’d make a start on the walk, and what better place to start than at the very beginning, at the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. It was warmer than we’d thought, and the beginning of the track was quite exposed with no trees. We hadn’t taken water, as we only planned on a short walk, but we had planned to walk a little further than we actually did. A good reminder to observe the first rule of being in the WA bush – carry water. We’ve since ordered water bottles that can be carried in a convenient waist belt. We’ll prepare for a longer walk next time.

If we had taken water the first 3.8 kilometres (plus the same in return) from the lighthouse to sugarloaf rock would have been a breeze. This first section is definitely all wheelchair and pram friendly, and includes boardwalks in sections that would otherwise be a bit tougher.

One of our friends completed the full Cape to Cape last year. He whittled away at it, section by section whenever a spare day gave him the time, posting some incredible photos on face book after each section. He definitely wet my appetite to give it a go, and I’d love to complete the whole walk in the same way – day walks. Section by section whenever time and weather allows, and coming home to my own bed after each days walking. I’m keen to get started beyond the wheelchair friendly beginning, but whether or not I’m capable of doing the soft sand sections remains to be seen.

I love beach walking on firm sand, but soft beach sand is hard work. From past experience, some of the grade 4 sections of this walk include several kilometres along the beach in soft, deep sand. I think I’ll manage most of the forest sections of the track okay, and once those parts are out of the way, perhaps I’ll just have to do the harder bits – just to be able to tick the whole track off my list.

For those of you who want to do the track end to end camping along the way, there are places to stay. There’s four campsites with pit toilets and rain water tanks spaced along the track, which are only accessible by hikers. There’s also drive in camp spots at Conto’s, Point Road, and Boranyup Forest, as well as privately owned caravan parks along the way. You can either pitch your hiking tent, or perhaps hire one of their self contained cabins in the caravan parks for a sleep in a real bed.

With our summer now over and the cooler autumn weather on the way, it’s perfect for bushwalking. Watch this space for some more photos and information on the track as we tackle some of the sections in the coming weeks.