The Cape to Cape track is a 135km hiking trail located in Western Australia’s south-west region. It extends from the lighthouse at Cape Naturalist (near the town of Dunsborough) to the lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin (near Augusta). The trail passes through dense coastal shrub, across pristine white and golden sanded beaches, canopied forest paths and over ocean-side cliff and rock formations. It’s considered perhaps Western Australia’s premiere long-distance trail and up there among the best in Australia. It had been on my to-do list for a long time and last week, I finally got around to completing it.

I think if I’m being honest, the reason I had put it off so long, was that I really didn’t expect it to be that amazing. I’ve been on hikes all around the world now, on 6 continents and I didn’t think something in my own backyard would compare.. turns out I was way off the mark. It is truly a spectacular hike, the views are incredible and the diversity of scenery and environments keep things fresh as you walk.

Friends of the Cape to Cape, the organisation that maintains the track, recommend taking 6/7 days to complete the whole thing. Being a somewhat cocky-smart-ass, I decided to try and do it in 3. I manged it in 4. Some sort of virus on day 1 and an over-heavy pack slowed me down, really though I’d just underestimated the track. There is a LOT of sand-walking. I’d estimate 25% is either along the beach or through sandy trails a few steps off the coast. This is really hard going. It’s slow-paced and causes havoc on your calves and Achilles tendons. Keep this in mind if you’re preparing to do it yourself.

What to Bring..

Water, water, water. The one thing the cape to cape track is really lacking is adequate water supply. The only options really available are the 4 campsites (rainwater tanks) or to buy it from small towns along the way. There are also a couple of small streams you can use, as long as you have iodine tablets or boil the water prior to drinking it. Ensure you can carry at least 3 litres at a time and refill these every time you get the chance. Food shouldn’t really be a problem.

Otherwise just standing camping/hiking fare; tent, sleeping bag, headlight, hiking shoes (be prepared to take them off regularly to get the sand out), adequate food & suitable utensils, bug spray and appropriate clothing. Rain gear is a necessity, for yourself and your pack. Warm clothes are only necessary through the colder months, probably May-August/September. I didn’t wear a jumper once on my trip.

You can probably get away without a tent even if you choose to stay in the towns along the way. There should be accommodation options at least every 20km or so. If you do decide to camp, I believe there are 4 or 5 official campsites with very basic amenities you can take advantage of. Otherwise you can do as I did and camp along the beach.. Technically this isn’t allowed but you won’t get to experience too much adventure in life if you stick to the rules.. If you don’t leave rubbish behind and don’t destroy any vegetation there is really know harm in camping on the sand.

Plus you get to experience the incredible sunrises and sunsets on display, such as this one..

Wildlife..

Another pleasant surprise was the diversity of fauna and flora. Lizards by the hundred, birds, bandicoots, kangaroos, feral cats, schools of salmon, shark warnings, a pod of dolphins 10m off-shore and 2 snakes, both of which I nearly stepped on. As I was walking through the thick coastal shrub on day 3, I was rounding a corner and nearly put my foot down on top of a yellow-bellied Tiger Snake. I was about 10km from the nearest town.. so needless to say if it bit me, I would’ve been in a little bit of trouble.

There were shark warnings at practically every beach along the way and the constant buzz of a helicopter could be heard overhead, keeping an eye out for them. The driver who gave me a lift to my car on the way back was telling me a story of a close-encounter a week earlier.

He had been with some friends at the beach, the friend and her daughter were swimming in waist deep water about 10 metres out. They eventually came in and were promptly passed a pair of binoculars to look at the area they were just swimming in. They saw a large grey shadow slowly moving through the waist deep water and were a little confused as to what it was.. The guy told them it was in fact a great white shark, at least 3.5m in length and they were very lucky to have come in when they did.. The coast guard was alerted and the beach promptly cleared. I doubt they’ll be going out in the water for a while..

The Views..

Caught me completely off guard.. I really wasn’t expecting the scenery I was confronted with over the 4 days. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves..

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