22nd August

Day 13 - Possum Springs to Harris Dam

Heavy Showers during the night enabled me to sleep through the cacophony of snores and the dreadful background sound of the Worsley Conveyer Belt. This peace of architectural genius transports bauxite 50 km to the Worsley refinery. We could still hear the belt for up to 30 km. During the day there were many showers of rain which appeared heaviest after reaching Harris Dam Campsite. 

I was disappointed not to stay at Yourdamung hut but getting there at 10:30 am for morning tea added nearly another kilometre to the day as the spur trail is 300m long. The day was interesting with Bull Banksia (Banksia Grandis) dominated flats around the Harris catchment area, the first area of wading with water ankle deep and some sandy soils with a high water table obvious particularly an area known as the "Plonk hole".  I had trouble with my quads most of the day and this muscular or tendon related issue caused pain until a day or two after Collie. Likewise Rone was having trouble with a swollen Achilles tendon from Dwellingup until Collie. 

The base of a few huts have woodchip which keeps the hut itself neat and tidy as the soils around here tend to be a bit dusty and this dust builds up in huts without the wood chip. Over the day I saw a large amount of red tailed cockatoos and western grey wallabies. I picked up a book at the last hut by Leon Uris and found reading a necessary part of most days along the track particularly if on my own or arriving at a hut long before sunset. 

Day 14 - Harris dam to Collie Township 

Yourdamung special conservation area