Denmark

Cottesloe to Valley of the Giants 2002 – 10 days, 610 km cumulative distance.

The aim of this trip was to visit the Valley of the Giants again, and to see the tree-top walk built since my last visit in 1987. This time I would go by a reverse route and with some motorised assistance, but none from the Australind train.

Other days on this Tour:

Daily Locations for this Tour:

Albany to Denmark, day 3, Friday 18 October 2002. It was only 49 km from the Ace motel, Albany to Denmark, along the main road, so I didn’t rush. Besides, I assumed that the winds and rain would moderate as the day wore on.

I had my breakfast then packed up to get going, but decided to harden up the tyres a little before starting. Unfortunately the valve on the tube on the front wheel stuck and all the air hissed out when I detached the pump. This was a new tube and the valve had stuck when I had first fitted it, but I had oiled it and thought it was fixed. Anyway, I had to take off the wheel and replace the tube.  ... Read more

Denmark to Walpole, day 4, Saturday 19 October 2002. I started from Denmark at 8:15. The speedo read 1163 after a visit to the post office. The morning was cool and cloudy with spots of rain and a north-westerly headwind, though not as strong as the day before.

I rested at Pates Road, 1181, and at 1200. I reached Bow Bridge and took the right turn into Valley of the Giants Road at 1205. The country was very pleasant but hilly. I reached the turn-off to Tree Top Walk at 1217 and walked the bike up the steep hill to the entrance, 1218.

Entry to the Walk cost $6 and there was a shop and toilets. The Walk is 600 metres long and very satisfying.  ... Read more

Perth to Albany, 12 day 779 km bicycle tour 1987. This Great Ride of 1987 was a major departure from previous rides, those between 1977-1985, and contained the ‘Chesapeake Road’ episode which has become a life metaphor and was referred to in the 1998 ride story (Cottesloe to Windy Harbour).

This ride was not surpassed for total distance and nights on the road until 1996 (Kelmscott to Rocky Gully), and that ride had a lower number of kilometres per day.

This story was originally written into a clone of an Apple IIE computer and printed on a crude early dot-matrix printer. That computer failed in 1989 and the 1987 story was faithfully copied, from a retrieved printout, into an XT computer with a slightly better printer.  ... Read more

Day 5, Walpole to Denmark, day 5, Friday 9 October. I decided to make a detour, on the way to Denmark, through the Valley of the Giants. I intended to stop at the first picnic spot shown on the map, then return to the SC highway via Rate Road, thereby not adding much to the day’s journey.

I couldn’t find the first picnic spot on Rate Road and ended up in the main picnic area, having to return to SC highway the long way round via Valley of the Giants Road, emerging at Bow Bridge. Anyway I had a picnic in the picnic area then took the walk trail. The ‘giants’ were tingle trees, giant in girth rather than height. They didn’t impress me as much as the karris at Northcliffe but were interesting by being burnt into huge hollow caves at the base, yet still living.  ... Read more

Day 6, Denmark to Albany, day 6, Saturday 10 October. The morning was sunny and cool but as I feared a strong and freshening wind blew from the east – the direction in which I was heading. I left shortly after 8 and was under pressure on this day because I wanted to get to Albany and find a decent supermarket before Saturday closing.

The country was most pleasant in the spring sunshine but I was gradually developing a pain in the legs from which I was not to recover, night or day, until after the end of the trip.

I ground on to Albany, finally descended between the two hills into the town and arrived at a Coles New World supermarket at 11:57, to find they were open until 1.  ... Read more

Denmark is a town and local government area located on the south coast of Western Australia, about 50 km west of Albany and 423 km south-south-east of Perth, Western Australia. The mild climate, the restfulness, the space and the wonders of nature make Denmark a popular tourist destination. Nature lovers like Denmark for its pristine beaches, walk trails, undulating landscape, tall trees and wildflowers.