Prevelly to Point Road Campground, Cape to Cape Walk, Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park - December 2019

I got lucky with an unusual wildlife encounter on Redgate Beach.

With the hot weather predicted to dissipate a little for the next couple of days I slept in a little this morning….and then a little more while I waited for some showers to pass through. After the last four baking hot days I was just happy to see a little precipitation falling from the sky, hanging back for awhile waiting for it to ease off was a problem I was happy to deal with. My little fibro beach shack had proved to be a very comfortable and convenient place to spend the night and once again I think it had been a wise choice paying for the accommodation. With the next couple of days only forecast to reach the mid 20˚ range though, combined with a scarcity of accommodation options it looked like I’d be pitching my tent for the rest of the walk.

With a few showers coming through this morning I had a pretty relaxed start to the day.

The General Store and Café are right next door to the caravan park.

With the showers having passed through by around 8:30am it was time to set off on my journey south again. The first issue I had this morning was to find the C2C, I wasn’t overly keen to wander off in the wrong direction like I had last night. So, after studying my maps, guide book and phone I wandered out of town towards Point Road where I picked up a sealed shared path that a few minutes later intersected with the C2C which was coming up from the river mouth. Back on track so to speak, I followed the path up to Wallcliffe Road, passing a nice lookout over Margaret River along the way.

Looking back down towards Prevelly as I climbed the shared path.

There were a few views down to Margaret River on my climb first thing this morning.

Leaving Wallcliffe Road the walking was a little uninspiring for awhile as the C2C once again followed a series of sandy 4wd tracks meandering around the hills above Prevelly. Now even though I was well above Prevelly the views down to town and the coast were fairly infrequent along here, I was just getting the occasional glimpse through true trees, for the most part this was just a soft sandy trudge through the trees. I suppose the good news first thing this morning was that the early morning showers had dampened and compressed the sand a little so the walking wasn’t as tough as it could of been if it had been hot and dry. Passing the Prevelly water tanks (no access to water) I continued my meandering journey for another hour before the C2C started a fairly long descent down to Boodjidup Brook.

Leaving Wallcliffe Road the C2C was a little uninspiring for a little while.

It wasn't all mundane though.

Looking back down towards Prevelly Park.

The showers had mostly passed through now.

There were some very nice Grass Trees around this morning.

The C2C is about to drop down to Boodjidup Brook.

The 365 steps that drop the C2C down to Boodjidup Brook are a well known land mark on the C2C, to be honest though the descent is pretty straightforward (although obviously the climb would be tougher) and it only really took me 15 minutes to arrive at the Mouritz Bridge over Boodjidup Brook at the bottom of the descent…and that included stopping for a couple of photo opportunities to let my ageing knees recover. The large trees shading Boodjidup Brook made a pleasant spot to stop for awhile this morning, the showers had now well and truly passed through and while the day wasn’t hot it was still warm enough. After chatting to a couple of walkers heading north bound (the first I’d met on the walk) I shouldered the pack and set off again, dropping down beside Boodjidup Brook towards Redgate Beach. The C2C follows soft and undulating track beside the creek along here but I found it easier to complete the last half of the walk in the dry creek bed.

While this inland section arguably wasn't as nice as the coastal sections it still wasn't too bad really.

I even got some glimpses east over the rural land near Margaret River.

Arriving onto the beautiful Redgate Beach I could see that my immediate future would involve a bit of pain as not only was the stretch of sand long and scenic but it was also soft. It was while plowing along this beach though that I had my most notable wildlife encounter on my C2C walk. I have a habit on these soft beaches of heading for any low rock outcrops that exist on the beach in order to walk the rocks and give my calfs a break from the soft sand, it was while rock hoping one of these rock outcrops that I stopped for a minute to take in the scene around when something between the rocks caught my attention. Sheltering from the howling wind (which I was walking into…but that’s another story) was a Penguin, not just any Penguin but a fat and well fed specimen by the look of it. I didn’t even know they had Penguins in this part of the world.

The C2C heading west towards the coast again.

I was dropping down to the creek on the right of the photo.

The drop into Boodjidup Brook is steep and features a lot of steps...however it's pretty short.

The C2C crosses Boodjidup Brook on this substantial bridge.

Approaching Redgate Beach....

.... I walked the dry bed of Boodjidup Brook.

Boodjidup Brook at Redgate Beach.

Redgate Beach

Slogging my way south along Redgate Beach....

...I had a stunning wildlife encounter.

He (or she, I didn't check) looked well fed and was sheltering in a crevice in the rocks.

Reaching some firm ground as I passed through the Redgate Beach Carpark I straight away dropped onto an even more beautiful stretch of sand. After crossing the dry Calgardup Brook the C2C climbs easily up onto the cliff tops and starts a 3 kilometre cliff top walk that is one of the highlights of the C2C I think. With a howling south westerly wind I probably wasn’t seeing this stretch at its best today however it was still a very nice walk. Not only are there almost continuous views down to the rugged shoreline below me, but there is also a very rough and interesting section of track around Bobs Hollow to negotiate. The C2C drops down a steep set of steps approaching Bobs Hollow which then allows the the C2C to access the limestone overhang that is Bobs Hollow, before climbing steeply again back up onto the rugged cliff tops.

Leaving Redgate Carpark the scenery got even better.

Redgate Beach

I was climbing up through that wind pruned Tea Tree.

South of Redgate Beach.

The Indian Ocean was looking a little wild today.

Ok, it's time to climb onto the cliff tops again.

Once back on the cliff tops again the C2C continues down the coast towards Contos, the cliffs along here would have to be the highest along the length of the C2C I would think. After passing above a couple of idyllic castaway beaches the C2C left the coastline and headed inland towards the Contos Campground. While the thought of heading inland didn’t overly excite me the thought of picking up my food drop that I’d stashed along here did make me happy. With my GPS telling me that I’d reached the spot, I dropped my pack and headed into the scratchy scrub, sure enough after a minute or two’s searching I emerged with a dry bag full of supplies. Now, with a much heavier pack, I wandered another 10 minutes or so up to Contos Campground to sort everything out.

Once back up on the cliffs the long range views opened up again.

I've just dropped down this chain as I approach Bobs Hollow Grotto.

That limestone outcrop on the left of the photo is Bobs Hollow Grotto.

The view from Bobs Hollow Grotto.

The climb out of Bobs Hollow Grotto is short and steep.

He's braver than me!

The C2C follows the tops of these limestone cliffs for the next two or three kilometres.

The section of the C2C between Bobs Hollow Grotto and Contos has some stunning views.

Looking south towards Contos Beach.

I’d been thinking of taking the short side trip out to Lake Cave from Contos however the mornings showers and late start meant that I’d run out of time. So after sorting out my new supplies I once again stashed my dry bag in the scrub to be picked up at the end of the trip and then headed south again. I wasn’t planning to go far now though, I basically just dropped down a 4wd track for a kilometre until I met Point Road (another 4wd track). Turning left onto Point Road it was only a couple of minutes until I arrived at the deserted Point Road Campsite - my planned home for the night. Point Road Campsite proved to be a comfortable and quiet spot to spend the night, although it’s BYO water down here.

I might of been on the cliff tops but things were still pretty soft going.

High above the Indian Ocean on my way to Contos.

I'm thinking this little beach just before the C2C heads inland towards Contos Campground is Contos Beach

The C2C approaching Contos.

I used this marker post as a guide for the food drop that I'd stashed in the bush here before setting off.

After wading through the scrub for awhile I successfully found my supplies.

The picnic table at Contos Campground was a perfect spot to sort out my supplies for the rest of the walk.

The Dirt.
I walked 21.4 kilometres and climbed 757 metres on todays medium grade walk. Over the five days of my C2C adventure so far I’ve walked 115.6 kilometres and climbed 3,149 metres. The only water I found today after leaving Gracetown was at Contos Campground, Point Road Campground doesn’t have any water. As far as I know there are no convenient accommodation options on this leg of the walk. Camping is available at Contos Campground and Point Road Campground. The walking today was a little uninspiring heading out of Prevelly, however the day finished off with a bang scenery wise as I walked the cliff tops approaching Contos. I used the maps and notes out of the 8th edition of the Cape to Cape Guidebook by Jane Scott & Ray Forma as well as my GPS topo maps.

Relevant Posts.
Day 4, Cape to Cape Track, Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park, 2019.

Leaving Contos the C2C drops fairly steeply down to Point Road.

Late afternoon on the C2C.

Point Road Campground was virtually deserted this afternoon.

An old Peppermint Tree at Point Road Campground, just on sunset.