We woke early to an overcast day, After a slow start, Simon spent time putting the bikes together.  To check that all was in working order we headed north along the cycle path as far as it would go.  It was a pleasant ride, though you couldn't see the sea. We passed through a new canal development and Simon was swooped four times by a persistent magpie. 

We woke to a better day, and a leisurely start with a check in at midday in Dunsborough just 28km down the bike path.  We headed back to the jetty and picked up the bike path which wound along the coast.

There was 7 - 20mm of rain forecast for Margaret River today with showers increasing from late morning.  We decided that being on the road early would help minimise riding in the rain and we planned to leave by 8am.  It was closer to 8:30 by the time we were on the road, with a detour to the coast which was looking much calmer than previous days.

So nice to wake up to blue skies and a leisurely day to enjoy the fine weather.  Our sandals weren’t quite dry from the day before so we set them up on the heater whilst we had coffee and breakfast.  It was surprisingly cool when we left around 9:30.  The sun was warm but the winds were cool. 

Our check of the weather indicated a cloudy day with a chance of 0-1mm of rain.  We took our time leaving and it was overcast as we left Margaret River and picked up the Wandani track again.  But it soon started to drizzle. Following our experience earlier in the week, we didn’t delay donning our wet weather gear.  I was sure that we had our own dedicated rain cloud as we cycled to Witchcliffe, passing some interestingly striped cows on our way.

Another overcast morning and a leisurely start with our hostess’s home made bread and farm laid eggs.  There were glimpses of blue sky as we headed off around 10am with a loose plan to head to the Leeuwin lighthouse for the 12noon tour.  It was pleasant riding towards Augusta and we detoured onto the back roads to climb towards the coast.  Except there were many path options and all were equally unsuitable. 

As today was a 90+km transition day, we were up and out just before 8:30 to ensure we had plenty of time for rest stops along the way.  It was a beautiful morning and we were a little sad to leave behind the gorgeous Wisteria Cottage with its lovely gardens.

We took our time as it was a shorter day today, only some 35kms to Donnelly River.  My preferred cafe was unfortunately closed as the owner was having a medical procedure but there were at least four other cafes to choose from.  Nannup was a pretty little town with a pharmacy, basic supermarket and a bakery that did perfect chicken and salad rolls for lunch.

It was meant to be a full day on the Munda Biddi trail, so we made a reasonably early start to allow plenty of time.  The Village was very busy, with lots of kids on bikes and feeding the animals, and a group of Bibbulmun track walkers were comparing notes on the cafe verandah. 

It was a cold morning and we were in no rush to hit the road so treated ourselves to a second coffee at the Southern Roasting Co in Manjimup.  It meant a 2km cycle in the opposite direction but the coffee was so good that the effort was worth it.  It was doing a bustling trade and the coffee came in takeaway cups. We were tempted to buy some coffee but had already stocked up at the Providores in Margaret River. 

Finally a restful rest day - and a complete day off the bikes! We took our time and enjoyed the eggs, bread and jam provided in the cottage.  We strolled into town via the picturesque streets with their lines of single story timber cottages. These were built to accommodate mill workers at the Big Brook timber mill that was opened in 1913 by the WA government to provide sleepers for the Trans-Australian railway project. 

We took our time leaving, enjoying an extra slice of toast and homemade raspberry jam.  Turtle found his new home in Simon’s handlebar bag.  We detoured via the bakery to pick up some chicken and salad bread rolls for lunch as well as a treat for morning tea.

We had calculated the day at 74kms - predominantly on dirt, so wanted to make an early start. It was just after 7:30 when we were packed and ready to go.  The owner of the AirBnb came out to check we had a good night and seek our thoughts on the room, and was definitely in for a chat. Simon was happy to oblige but I was keen to get going as I anticipated it was going to be a long slow day. 

It was a beautiful sunny day when we woke at 6am ready for a big day of cycling and sightseeing.  By the time we left at 7:30 the clouds had started to roll in, though the sun was still shining.  We bid farewell to the alpacas that we had not met on our arrival and headed down the steep path to pick up the dirt road towards Walpole. 

An early start for our 62km ride to Denmark on a mix of road, rail trail, Munda Biddi and the Wilderness Ocean Walk (WOW) trail.  We cycled the couple of kms to the highway and enjoyed the quiet road, making quick time.  We crossed the Kent River and a little later took the turnoff to the Nornalup Heritage Rail trail but were dismayed to see how overgrown it looked. 

It was so nice to be able to sleep in, with no rush to be anywhere, and plans just to cycle out to a winery or two via Harewood Forest. 

Another early start so we could cover the 75kms to Albany - our final day on the trail.  It was cool and slightly overcast with light winds - perfect cycling weather.  We retraced our route back into Denmark even though Jonathan had shown us another faster route but it was much steeper so we decided to stick with what we knew. 

Today was an opportunity to cycle the local sights before the wind picked up, with 70kms gust forecast for tomorrow.  We took our time getting started, enjoying some more of the Top Shed sourdough toasted - this time with Vegemite, thoughtfully provided by our Airbnb hostess.

We enjoyed waking to wind and rain, knowing that we had nowhere to be and all day to get there.  We planned to see the sights of Albany, with our agenda depending on time and weather.  By the time we wandered out it was close to 10am and we slowly made our way through the town, popping in and out of any interesting shops before reaching Espresso One cafe that had been heaving when the cruise ship was in. 

We made sure we were at the bus stop a little early so Simon could remove the wheels from the bikes and I could visit the cafes we had found on our wanders the day before for lunch provisions.  The planned 30 minute lunch break at a Burk Truck stop did not appeal as a place to eat.  It was a 6 hour journey to East Perth and we were pleased with our lunch choices.

A perfect day for island touring!  We were on the 8:30am ferry and it was a quick 3km cycle to the B Shed Jetty.  The bikes were loaded on the Rottnest Fast Ferry and we made ourselves comfortable for the 30 minute journey. We were soon disembarking at Thomson Bay which was really busy as we made our way to the bakery for the recommended rolls and jam donut, as well as coffees from the nearby cafe. 

We awoke to a wet morning - well timed as we had planned a slow start and time for Simon to collect the bike bags from the Post Office.  The rain cleared as he left and soon returned with the bags.  We then make the short cycle into Fremantle to visit the markets and explore the local area.