In the Footsteps of Trailblazers Quiz

Answer: Albany

Albany is a little over 400 kilometres south east of the State's capital city Perth. The city of Albany sits on the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour (the picture shows a glimpse of the harbour) in the King George Sound. It was first settled in 1827 by the British who'd recognised its strategic value and were determined to beat the French to it. Albany, which was the original home of the Menang Noongar people, who'd called it Kinjarlin "place of rain", was initially called Fredericktown. Its primary importance to the State, at the time, was as its only deep-water port and this gave it a position of eminence. This changed in 1897 with the opening of Fremantle's Inner Harbour. Today the area is strong source of tourism and agriculture for the State and has a growing reputation as a region that produces premium wines.

Depending how you wish to look at it, Albany represents either the start or the finish of the 1,000 kilometre Bibbulmun Track, it's easier to simply say that it represents the Southern terminus. For us this was the start of a journey that we intend to do in gradual stages over the coming years. On this, day one, we would walk from the centre of the city to its edge, around Princess Royal Harbour, past the last of the residential areas before heading toward the ocean.

Answer: Whaling

Albany's shore based whaling station was the last in Australia. It closed down on the 21st of November in 1978 and, at the same time, closed the door on 178 years of whaling in the region. This was a significant event for Albany because, between the years of 1952 and 1978, whaling had been the major source of income for the region. John Bell, from the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company, recalled the last day "... the last day of whaling I only saw one whale. A huge bull sperm whale. We hadn't quite taken our quota for the year, but this monster was over 45 feet long. So we left him in peace."

To get to Sandpatch we were required to walk through parts of the Torndirrup National Park whose landscape provided little in the way of majesty. The foliage was dense and scrubby and little trees that barely rose above us shouldered our path. It wasn't until we'd reached the ocean that we saw Mother Nature turning on her glory.

(Extract from my journal) "...here the ocean was far more overt and it roared as it hurled its fury at the landscape for daring to stand in its path. As another of the sea's king waves flings itself against a cliff face it launches a salvo of spray, cutting furiously at the heavens with a scimitar of saline mist. The air, however, remains unperturbed and unmoved. It gazes at the ocean, as if it were an impetuous child, with an impassivity borne of ages. The sea's mighty samurai falls gracefully from its ascent, into its fold, and prepares to launch another assault."

Answer: Roaring Forties

These strong westerly winds batter the Albany coastline. In the days of sail they were of enormous assistance to sailors and these days provide a preferred option for Round-the-World navigators. Albany has used the resource to create wind farms bearing a number of eco-friendly turbines dotted along the Torndirrup Peninsula near Sandpatch. At the time that we trekked through, there were 18 giant turbines in place that were able to provide the city with 80% of its energy requirements.

(Extract from my journal) Away from the ocean and to our right nature's green belt stretched away toward the horizon but along the way it was dotted with giant wind turbines. This was the local wind farm and these alien beings with their three bladed fans stood as silent soldiers that watched your every move, waiting for you to step out of line... as if waiting for an excuse to attack. We baited them with taunts but they didn't bite, just kept turning their fans slowly, relentlessly in the face of the constant wind. We made our way back to base to prepare dinner. As evening approached we ventured back out to the lookout armed with cameras and a warming shot of scotch whiskey. Here we bore witness to a spectacular sunset. As the sun slipped to the other side of the world it left behind its golden rays to bleed at the edges of the clouds, turning them into fiery galleons sailing across a burnt orange skyline. The wind turbines began to lose their bleach white colouring and soon turned into solid shadows of the night and, apart from their constant revolutions, now seemed to blend into the skin of its surroundings. In this single moment man and nature appeared to be in sync. The whiskey was doing its job in warming the cockles of our hearts but the sunset had warmed the depths of our souls.

Answer: Rainbow Serpent

The Rainbow Coast is used to describe the area from Albany through to Denmark and onto Walpole. Summer days here are stunning without getting unbearably hot, autumn is the ideal time to come whale watching in the area and spring brings with it pleasant weather and a region in full bloom with a great array of the State's unique wildflowers. Winter, however, is not the time to go hiking or camping through this area (so why were we doing it at this time) as the cold winds from Antarctica make this the coldest and the bleakest area of the State. It does, however, showcase the awesome power of the ocean, provides a crispness to the air and highlights the warm earthy smells of the bush.

The Wagyl symbol is used by the Department of Parks and Wildlife to signpost the path along the Bibbulmun Track as a means to guide hikers on the right path. As mentioned in the question it is a dreamtime creature and it forms part of the Noongar culture in the area. Legend has it that it was responsible for the creation of both the Swan and Canning Rivers, the former being the river that flows through the State's capital city, Perth.

Answer: Tiger Snake

OK, the attached picture is not that of a tiger snake but of a Western grey kangaroo (and he's a decent sized specimen at that) but somewhere within that grass there is a tiger snake, I was convinced of that for most of the days of our hike... but more on the snake later.
This area that we travelled through is a haven for a wide range of fauna. There are numerous reptiles such as snakes and skinks that reside here and, aside from the kangaroo in the photo, other marsupials such as the brown bandicoot and common brush-tail possum can be seen. Many birds can be spotted here from, some as common as the Australian magpies and gulls, to emus, fairy wrens and the white ibis. There are campfire bans in this area but not purely for the damage that a bushfire can do. With very little timber in this neck of the country the fear is that any timber that is scavenged for that purpose will destroy habitats for many creatures, a number whose existence is endangered.
Now for that snake... you will note that in the picture there is a lot of low lying scrub. For a healthy portion of our hike we ventured through this sort of countryside, often on a trail only wide enough to walk single-file. It is the perfect hiding place for a snake. We chose to walk in winter because we felt that the snakes would be in hibernation. Sadly, we were informed on our first day, tiger snakes are an exception to this rule. They will move slower at this time of the year and, as a result, tend to be grumpier. They possess some powerful neurotoxins and a bite from one, if left untreated, will lead to localized pain, tingling, numbness, and sweating, followed by the fairly rapid onset of breathing difficulties and paralysis. The good news for hikers is that tigers are shy in nature and will (generally) only become aggressive in defence. They would sooner take flight than take to fight. Wear long trousers, gaiters and good sturdy boots, walk in the shadier areas and ensure you make some noise as you trek and you should be fine.

(Extract from my journal) We never got to see a live tiger snake but our nerves were not aided by the fact that every day of our journey brought with it a reminder that we were in "tiger" country. On day one a dead one lay in our path. Its head had been severed and Mother Nature's little decomposers were already at work. It was still enough to stop us in our tracks, have our hearts skip a beat and then, give it a wide berth as we moved on. For the rest of that day we were slightly more vigilant to the point that the sun escaping the swaying leaves of the trees, creating moving patterns on exposed roots, would cause us to question what exactly was up ahead. I had to remind myself not to yell "SNAKE!" every time I saw a stick. On the second day we met three hikers moving in the opposite direction who regaled us with the story of a tiger nonchalantly making its way up the steps at Cosy Corner, exactly where we were going to be that afternoon. As we crossed a high ridge on the third day I nearly stepped on a skin that one of our friends had shed (yes heart was briefly in my mouth) and on the last day my sister enquired... "Do these look like snake tracks Joe?"... Yes they were.

Answer: Shearwater

Mutton Birds are Shearwaters and the most common found off the south west coast of Western Australia is the Flesh-footed shearwater. There are about 42 islands from Cape Leeuwin to the Recherche Archipelago (near Esperance) that support their breeding programme. Shelter Island is about 25 acres in size and is predominantly granite with just enough soil and vegetation to support the birds.
Muttonbird Beach is one of Albany's most popular beaches and it allows four wheel drives access. The water here is sheltered, beautifully clear and ideal for swimming. The beach stretches for several kilometres past the Torbay Inlet toward Cosy Corner Beach.

(Extract from my journal) We had a stretch of seven kilometres along the beach... soft, sink into beach sand, which also included a channel crossing. The channel crossing wasn't as scary as we thought it might be. I made the first move in but soon backed out of the path I'd chosen - the current being stronger than it looked. Steve had found a calmer stretch of water ten feet to my right and we, wisely, opted to take that one.
The beach sand, however, took a fair bit of sting out of us and by the time we'd reached Cosy Corner we'd just about had enough. We were quite looking forward to getting the last two k's out of the way and getting to camp. Despite that, this beach stretch was awesome. I walked free of the threat of a possible tiger snake lurking in the bushes and the three of us, for a change, were able to walk side by side and chat to each other instead of each other's backside. The wind beat at us with friendly chatter and washed our skins with freshness and salt - and I'm starting to sound like a packet of chips - while the ocean found a balance of sound somewhere between a serenade and marching band.

Answer: Matthew Flinders

Torbay is a small town about 20 kilometres west of Albany and was gazetted in 1910. This represents the eastern fringe of the karri forest region, it has beaches made of fine white sand and its inland streams, whilst clear, are brownish in colour due to the high tannin content of the surrounding vegetation. Flinders named the area, after his visit here in 1801, after the home town of his close friend Admiral Richard Howe.

In its early days Torbay was seen as an excellent site for shipbuilding and also providing a base for whaling.

These days it is cattle, both dairy and beef, that provide the most solid industries for the town.

Answer: Southern

Torbay Head, which is part of the West Cape Howe National Park, is the most southern point of Western Australia and is almost completely covered in forest but, come springtime, it is aflame with wildflowers. This also, if we looked behind us, afforded us our last glimpse of the giant turbines that made up the Albany wind farms. This was the clue to us that we were beyond halfway, now leaving Albany behind us and drawing closer to Denmark. The easiest sites for visitors to get to here are the beautiful white sands of the granite bounded Shelley Beach and its surrounds. There are some remarkable cliffs to visit here but a high clearance four wheel drive is probably the best way to access these. The area also offers some excellent fishing spots and it is a prime location for hang-gliding enthusiasts. A great place for hiking but be warned there is very little flat track walking through here.

(Extract from my journal) This was one of those days where we had a happy miscalculation. Having trekked up so many hills our spirits were flagging when we reached a four wheel drive track. We'd calculated this spot being a kilometre away from our base camp... it wasn't, it was a mere 150 metres away (woo hoo). Despite being weary we'd made good time today and this gave us the opportunity to unwind. We found a picnic table on high point overlooking the ocean (see photograph) not far from the camp. We had lunch here while admiring the relentless coastline, bathed in beautiful sunshine and listening to the finches as they flitted between trees and fed on the nectar in the numerous banksia flowers around us.

Answer: Lowlands

Due to limited time available to us it wasn't often that we strayed away from the marked track. Lowlands Beach, on the recommendation of a friend, was one of those happy exceptions. This stunning beach is a little remote and sits between limestone cliffs in the gap between West Cape Howe and the Wilson Inlet.

It is a safe swimming area that can be accessed via a gentle descent that is surrounded by bush. The locals help encourage visitors by setting up some shade areas during the hotter months (November to April) but the waves will cover these areas during winter and, consequently, they're taken down at this point.

There are two bays here producing regular breaks that make for good surfing. The first bay has a nice right-hander coming in off the point and there's some awesome left breaks in the second. Anglers do not miss out here and the beach is a great spot for catching salmon when in season. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is an eleven minute epic from Bob Dylan that occupies the entire fourth side of his 1966 double album "Blonde on Blonde".

Answer: Wilson Inlet

For those who have enjoyed the television series "Home Improvement" you may have recognised the greeting in the question as the favoured one of Tim Taylor's neighbour, Wilson, and used it as a clue.
The Wilson Inlet is about 48 square kilometres in area and is mainly fed by the Denmark and Hay Rivers. There are also small contributions from Cuppup Creek, the Little River and the Sleeman River. The inlet discharges into the Southern Ocean through Nullarki Point at Ratcliffe Bay when the sandbar is open. This is a popular local fishing spot for tailor and mullet and the delicious King George whiting. It is also a key nursery for a range of juvenile fish including the pink snapper. A mussel and oyster farm was set up on the south side of the inlet in 2002. However, the main attraction here for hikers is the bird life. The silver gull is in abundance and there are good flocks of cormorants and pelicans to be found regularly on the inlet. Another frequent visitor is the State's emblem, the black swan, which is appropriate because the Noongar name for the inlet is Koorabup, which means "Place of the Black Swan".
For hikers on the Bibbulmun Track this is, technically, the end of the walking portion for this leg of the journey. From here trekkers will need to make arrangements for a ferry ride across the inlet to the Denmark town-site. The alternatives are; walk an alternate route the long way around the inlet and add a further 22 kilometres to the trip (or call a taxi/cab) or, hike south for a further 6 kilometres to the sandbar and hope that the sandbar is closed. If so the water is likely to be knee deep and safe to cross. If it is open, the water will be deeper and the current far too strong to cross - go back and call that cab. Should you be able to cross you will have another 8 kilometres to traverse through some marshy ground. However, this section does not form part of the Bibbulmun Track, is not signposted and there will be signs around warning you of a potential snake hazard.