granite rock with views down the valley. I was astounded by the diversity and beauty of our outdoors.
The club offers navigation and GPS training to interested people, which is a great help to maintain leader numbers. It might take a little while for new leaders to take the plunge to lead a walk. More experienced leaders generally take them under their wing and offer to co-lead a walk with them until they are comfortable navigating through the bush.
I was a bit apprehensive about leading a walk for a while. “Women are not good at following maps” was deeply ingrained in my brain. But when one of my favourite leaders unfortunately passed away and no one took over her walks, out came the compass, the map and off I went with a few bushwalking friends in search of Hopeful Falls. I haven’t stopped since. It is exiting to find yet another beautiful area in the Darling Ranges to explore. Unfortunately this is getting harder as suburbia is encroaching into our walking areas.
Our club was instrumental in helping to realign the Bibbulmun Track in 1998. We are still involved as maintenance volunteers to keep the Track in good condition for all to enjoy.
A group of us have an annual backpacking hike on the Bibbulmun Track. It is always a fun time, although maybe not while trudging up a hill with a heavy backpack. But arriving at the campsite meeting other hikers is always special, where stories are shared around the campfire. It’s amazing how far and wide people on the Bibbulmun Track walkers hail from. We’ve met walkers from all parts of Europe, England, USA and of course NZ, as well as from eastern Australia.
Our annual camping trips to our beautiful south-west region gives us the opportunity to explore new areas. This may be to King River or Denmark, Walpole or Northcliffe, closer to home to Dwellingup or the Ferguson Valley. The Wongan Hills or Coalseam National Park in the wildflower season are an absolute must.
The club gives us the opportunity to visit Kalbarri, Karijini, Kennedy Ranges, Mt