A part of the 900km Bibbulmun Track

We do more urban hiking in Singapore than walking in The Great Outdoors. As a kid growing up, my idea of hiking was a loop around the Botanic Gardens admiring the flowers planted and a boardwalk constructed to mimic the rainforests of Singapore's past. We just do not have the vast landscapes of other parts of the world and for good reason. We have a population of 6 million people squeezed into a tiny island. An interesting fact: the number of people we have in Singapore per sq m, you could fit the entire world into the state of Texas...imagine that!

Going onto the adventure, the reason why I mentioned Singapore is that a 4 hour flight away is the beautiful city of Perth, Western Australia. Unlike Singapore, there are thousands of hikes and places to explore surrounded by untouched nature. One of the most amazing by daunting ways to discover the beauty of it all is the Bibbulmun Track. It stretches southward from the Northern Terminus of Kalamunda to the Southern Terminus of Albany, crossing some of the most breathtaking sights along the way. Most people drive the route but one day, I am going to hike it. The whole thing at one go.

I got a terrific sampler of it, 0.7778% of it to be exact, when I took 2 hours out of my recent trip to Perth.

We started off with great coffee and banana bread (you have to have banana bread when in Australia) at a little cafe in Kalamunda called Hayne Street Larder, to fuel up for the morning's walk. Another 15 minute drive to the Mundaring Weir Hotel and we were ready to begin.

It wasn't difficult to find the start as there were signs perched on top of water pipes just next to the Hotel which read 'The Bibbulmun Track' and all you had to do was follow the really easy-to-spot snake sign. After 10 odd minutes of following the water pipe that you would be oh so tempted to jump on and just slide down, you'd reach the Mundaring Weir. It's a fancy name for a dam which you can actually walk right on top of. Just feeling the wind against your face and blasting at your pants while taking in views of the lake, kind of washes all worries away. Just saying.

Then the bush walking starts, you walk on sandy paths following 'the snake' sign and occasionally have to climb over fallen logs. You do feel like for awhile you are in The Great Outback because all you see are the bushes Australia is so famous for. Eventually, you will reach the Golden View Lookout Point where the views of the area in its entirety is at its best. Think rolling hills, the lake, lots more bush, the occasional bird sighting and if you're lucky, a clear blue sky. Note that there isn't a sign for the lookout but you will know that it is one.

There's always an option to keep going past the lookout, which we did, and you can always turn back anytime. Upon reaching the Hotel, you might want to kick back and savor the day's work with one of many Australian craft beers. Beer is the best natural therapy for sore feet and maybe even dehydration right?

You'd be hard pressed to find a hike that's got so much to offer, so close to the city. Perfect for those needing a getaway from a 'holiday' that's got you taxed or a chill weekend with the kids. Maybe you too will be inspired to walk the whole 900km!