DIY tours in South Western Australia

Kojonup to Darkan, day 10, Wednesday 14 October. I left Kojonup shortly after 8am. The main cold front had passed through in the night so the showers were no longer continuous and there were periods of sunshine, but the wind varied from strong WSW to gale-force WNW and was very cold. I had to wear my spray jacket on top of my shirt.

Including shelter stops it took me nearly four hours to cover the 45km to Moodiarrup. One of the shelter stops was at a large deserted hall in a forest and was the only adequate one. At Moodiarrup I had lunch and talked with the shopowner. She and her husband had built the shop in 1954 and been there ever since.  ... Read more

Darkan to Collie, day 11, Thursday 15 October. Morning frosty but sunny for the first hour after sunrise, before a dull overcast set in and stayed. Breakfast was pre-packed cooked pepper steak, an entire swiss roll and a litre of milk.

Set off for Collie, first few km all uphill, thought I was done for. Somehow the kilometres got under the wheels, though, and the country was nice with the winds backing southerly and moderating. I kept thinking I saw steep hills ahead but they turned out only to be gaps of grey sky showing through the trees. There’s no such places as most of the places marked on the map between Darkan and Collie.

I arrived in Collie in the early afternoon and stayed at the Crown Hotel.  ... Read more

Collie to Perth, day 12, Friday 16 October. Left Collie at 7:35 am, day chilly and overcast with winds freshening from the west yet again. Anxious on this last day to avoid disaster so I allowed 7.5 hours to cover the 53km to Bunbury rail terminal. Very hilly for a long way, then suddenly I came to the top of a rise and had a glorious view of the coastal plain and the sea.

After that it was mostly downhill with Europe-like scenery, hills and valleys and fields and woods. The last few km to South Western highway I sat on the bike while it rolled on at 60-70 km/h. I reached Bunbury in a little over 3 hours and arrived at the rail terminal just before 11.  ... Read more

Busselton to Meelup Beach and return, day 5, Friday 25 November 1977.  The day was sunny and mild with a light southerly. I had slept without waking for about 10 hours (I can’t do that any more!) and felt heaps better. I had ordered my breakfast for 8 am – this was 1977, they still brought brekky up on a tray to your room. A knock on the door woke me up and I got up and got the tray from the floor outside the door. This was also the time before I started buying cakes and pies the day before to have breakfast in bed, saving time, energy and money. I think I started doing that in 1987.

Having decided what to do with the day I went down and booked my room for another night.  … Read more

Busselton to Bunbury, day 6, Saturday 26 November 1977.   I slept well again and enjoyed another breakfast delivered to my room. I left Busselton by the same way as I had come in, not knowing at that time about the other way through Wonnerup.

The road wasn’t hard, the wind was favourable and the day was mild, but as I pedalled on I decided I couldn’t face going back home the way I had come, and at that time I had never ridden even close to 100 km in one day, and believed that the 100 km from Bunbury to Mandurah, up the old coast road, was just not feasible. It probably wouldn’t have been on that heavy bike.

Even in 1979, there was nothing for 50km between Australind and Lake Clifton and I don’t think there was any accommodation at Lake Clifton in those days.  … Read more