Diane Eklund–Abolins

A revised edition of 45 Days:Walking the Bibbulmun Track was published on the 25th October 2023. The new edition has more images, the appearance has been updated and information, regarding Track alterations since 2015, has been added where necessary.

45 Days: Walking the Bibbulmun Track is about the 1,000–kilometre Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia, which crosses the vast and varied southern part of that state with its breathtaking views and hidden pockets of undisturbed beauty. The book weaves together the drama, the humour, the elation and the challenges of walking one thousand kilometres in all kinds of weather and through all kinds of terrain.

It is, of course, reasonable to wonder why anyone in their right mind would choose to walk one thousand kilometres through blistering heat, freezing cold and torrential rain; along seemingly never–ending, isolated, sandy beaches; over hills and boulders, many of them masquerading as mountains; through dense bush and forests or across open, windswept plains. The question as to why anyone want to remove themselves from all the warm and cosy creature comforts we normally take so completely for granted possibly does make sense.

My younger son, Jonathan, and I did the Walk in the autumn, beginning in Albany on the 19th March and reaching Kalamunda, just outside Perth, on the 2nd May – a total of 45 days. Andris, my husband, joined us at Walpole and then walked with us as far as Balingup – a period of about two and a half weeks. We experienced temperatures that varied between normal autumn temperatures, midsummer temperatures – well above 40°C – and midwinter temperatures that were only a few degrees above zero. However, in spite of serious fluctuations in temperature, the occasional electric storm, torrential rain that lasted for days and bushfires that caused diversions to the Track, we had an amazing time, and, had it been possible when we reached Kalamunda, we would have happily considered turning around and walking back to Albany.

Photos from the track have been divided into three sections;

1 – Albany to Northcliffe 2 – Northcliffe to Balingup 3 – Balingup to Kalamunda

If you have read the book, and you would like to write a review, you are more than welcome to do so. Simply click here.

REVIEWS

“. . . this is a most enjoyable read especially if you are adventurous and like learning about another country. The book is about the daily trek thru the Bibbulmun Track in southwest Australia. You feel like you are travelling with Diane and her son – I felt relief each day when they found their shelter for the night – and admired their perseverance thru all the challenges on the trek. The book took me away from city life and right into wild and raw nature. I learned so much about the habitat of Australia and it made me wonder how it would feel to be so engulfed by just nature. The trek made me think about what I could do to challenge myself. The pictures and maps included in the book were wonderful and added to the narrative.” MMP, USA

Ragnwei Axellie from Sweden wrote:

Boken 45 Days, är en berättelse om ett äventyr, av ovanligt slag! Mor och son, vandrar tillsammans i 45 dagar. I tiden nu! Bara det, är ett äventyr! Vi får dela stor glädje, men också fotsmärtor, och en del stunder av oro. Berättelsen, sprakar av liv! Det är en förunderlig, levande vandring. Naturen undervisar, så också djuren, och alla väder! Regn och rusk, solens hetta. All möda och all svett, men mest glädje! Följ med på vandringen! Allt berättas, med glödande intensitet!

45 Days, berättar om en annan sorts närhet! Boken ger stor behållning! Läs den, och dela glädjen!

Ann C from USA wrote:

I have now finished reading your book 45 Days:Walking the Bibbulmun Track and am both sad and relieved. Sad that the book ended and relieved that you made the trek safely. Getting lost would have terrified me greatly since there was no way to keep in touch. I enjoyed your vivid descriptions of the places along the track. While the photos were helpful, I was able to visualize and understand (a little) what you were experiencing. I admire your endurance. I don't think I could push myself that hard under the conditions that you and your family endured. I would have enjoyed the quiet and the scenery though. Thanks so much for the book. I really enjoyed it.

Ruth Coutts from Australia wrote: I have just finished reading 45 Days: Walking the Bibbulmun Track, which I enjoyed immensely (...) I was attracted to the book before I even opened it, both by the cover design and the softness of the actual cover. I loved (the) introduction and words of wisdom it contained, which put everything in perspective. In fact, the book is very 'reader–friendly', and it gives the reader the feeling that he⁄she is making the same journey. Missing so many Waugal signs must have been awful, even though I can understand that it would have been very easy to do so when your eyes had to be so focused on the actual track. For the duration of the walk, it was obvious that you were living in the present, whether it was enjoying the warmth of the sun on reaching a campsite, or your gratitude on receiving spare tomatoes and broccoli from another camper.

Your descriptions are brilliant, whether they are referring to the scruffy she–oaks, the troll–like grass trees or the giant red tingle trees. You really manage to paint with words. I especially loved your analogy with the car wash as you all ploughed through the drenching rain; I was also quite taken by the imagery of battalions of mosquitoes.

There was much interesting information regarding both the history of the area and the aboriginal names of plants and animals in Western Australia. I had never heard of the mouse–like marsupial (the mardo), or the marri tree with its honkey nuts, the wandoo tree or even soap bush. I was able to relate to your fascination with wind turbines, and I feel it is a pity that they have become so politicised. Finally, I enjoyed the quiet humour throughout the book, and all in all I found it to be an easy and enjoyable read.

Heidrun Rodach from Australia wrote:

I have enjoyed reading your book, 45 Days Walking the Bibbulmun Track, an excellent account of your personal experiences along this epic track. Most of all I admire your courage and determination to handle all the challenges, mosquitoes and ticks, carrying the heavy pack and enduring the pain after losing your toe nails.

Your descriptions of the bush, the beaches and vistas while plodding along the 1,000 km are vivid and spectacular but I could also feel your discomfort in the wet and damp during endless days of rain or the disappointment of yet again getting lost along the track.

Thank you for sharing with us such a great adventure.

Sue McCabe from Australia wrote:

Those who enjoy bushwalking love to share their experiences with other bushwalkers. Adventures while trekking are the stuff of stories told around campfires, the pleasure of the memory never dimmed by the retelling of the tale. Such a tale is Diane's account of her 1,000km walk from Albany to Perth, with her son, Jonathan. It is a joy to do this walk through Diane's eyes, to feel the pleasure and the pain, the challenge and the satisfaction, and to experience, albeit vicariously, the silence and the solitude in which nature reveals her wonders. For those who have yet to explore walking tracks, this book will surely awaken the desire to do so.

Along the track, Diane shares much information about the flora, the fauna and the history of the areas she travels through. Photos of the places visited fill in the details of the enchanting scenery, the giant trees and the awe-inspiring views encountered along the way.

Being a very personal account, it contains tips which bushwalkers and potential bushwalkers will be quick to note for future reference, such as, Fixomull, a must for the effective treatment of blisters. There are many other useful tips throughout the book.

With walking distances per day of from 14kms to 32.2kms over 45 consecutive days, in weather ranging through extremes of heat, cold, rain and wind, the trip is truly impressive and admiration for the walkers' perseverance and determination grows as the story unfolds. The walk would not be one for the inexperienced or the fainthearted. Jonathan's knowledge of his GPS, compass and maps was invaluable when the track was missed and cross–country trekking became a necessity.

Diane and Jonathan describe moments of awe, such as standing on a granite mountaintop, “millions of years old, the oldest area of granite anywhere in the world”, and moments of intimate meetings with wildlife, such as the raisin–eating mice, the visit from a curious bandicoot, encounters with emus and kangaroos, as well as less amicable meetings with ferocious ants, bloodsucking mosquitoes and hundreds of thousands of millipedes.

Completing this walk is a monumental achievement. It proved to be a life changing event for both Diane and Jonathan. For bushwalkers and non–bushwalkers alike, this is an absorbing and inspiring read.