62.3km / 38.7 miles
81,412 steps
Day 3! It was an early wake up this morning – probably because of the early sleep and the exhaustion from yesterday. We woke at 6.15, had breakfast at 7 and left by 8.15. A few solo hikers had already left for their day, and most were packing away when we left.
We headed up to the lookout (where we had hoped to catch the sunset last night but had missed it by about half hour) and then straight down a soft sand dune trail… thankfully this turned to solid ground soon after and we weren’t walking on sand dunes all day like yesterday. After 1.5km we hit Wilyabrup Beach, with a short section on the sand and a shallow creek to cross, it was definitely manageable. Coming off the beach there wasn’t a marker but it was fairly obvious with the large opening on the left and following the fence line uphill! Shortly followed by a rocky downhill and then LOTS of steps back up towards a flatter more pleasant trail alongside the cliff edge. There was some overgrown low shrubs to battle through (where we saw a few big goanna’s) but after a few km we hit a nice lookout spot with a bench where we rested for a while, took boots off and ate snacks (later realizing if we had walked down towards the beach – off the trail slightly – we would have gotten an epic view of the side of the Wilyabrup cliffs – but I think at this point we were still tired/waking up and getting into the swing of the day!). A few groups passed us here but we were happy to start slow. We were still pretty exhausted from the previous day and knew today should be much easier.
After our lookout bench stop we headed down some sketchy steps and onto our favourite (not) dune walking. Thankfully not too much and we managed it fine. We were pleasantly surprised with our backpacks not causing too many issues for us (especially with our lack of pack training) We were already used to carrying the packs and enjoying them getting lighter by the day. About an hour and half later we reach “Whaleback Rock” where we found a spot on the rocks to have snacks and watch the waves hitting against the rock.
About 1.5 km’s later we are on the rocky downhill (and not very well signposted part of the trail) and then a sketchy rocky ledge to navigate that rounded the corner to Gracetown – we were happy to reach the boat ramp and walk into the small coastal town to get something yummy for lunch! We actually took no photos at our rest stop at the Gracetown general store – I guess we were too busy scoffing a sausage roll, a mexican wrap and chocolate into our mouths 🙂 We hung out here for a while, charging devices and talking to other C2Cers.
We probably left a little later than we should have – not hitting the trail again till 2pm and we had almost 8km still to conquer in the day. The next couple of km’s were pretty easy, having picked the trail back up at Cowarramup Beach and walking along a mix of hard gravel and some loose sand. Not far from picking up the trail we reach the site of the “Gracetown Tragedy” where Michelle told me what she knew about it (which we later googled) – a memorial space in memory of 9 people who lost their lives when the cliff collapsed on spectators watching a surf competition (read more here). It was hard to imagine – of course – that this could have happened, and was a moment for us to stop and reflect.
3km from Gracetown we hit Lefthanders car park – where we stopped for a toilet and snack break before walking along the coast for another couple of km’s until we hit Ellensbrook Beach. This section was full of wildflowers, however some overgrown sections and narrow paths, and also some sandy dune paths to head up! At Ellensbrook beach we enjoyed our last view of the ocean for today, before heading inland towards the campsite. Just shy of the campsite we got to the Ellensbrook homestead which was closed by the time we got there (we hadn’t intended to visit inside anyway), and some nice solid ground to walk on for our last 1.5km. We walked along a boardwalk to Meekadarribee falls (which was pretty non existent – overgrown and dried out I assume. We could hear water flowing in the distance but couldn’t see/find the source!) We encountered our second snake of the hike – a little baby one slithering across the boardwalk. Not long after the “falls” we reach the campsite. Others are setting up camp and starting to cook dinner. We unload our packs and actually walk back to the homestead as we had lost phone service and forgot to check in with family before going “off the grid” It was kinda nice to walk with no packs and just have a stroll. We got back just before dark, set up our tent, made our dehydrated dinner for the night and hit the hay early. Tomorrow was going to be our easiest day but we were exhausted and wanting to get started early so we could enjoy an afternoon relaxing!!
