Posted on Thursday, 25 May 2017

Phillip Thomas heads to Margaret River to attempt Australia's newest Great Walk, but fantastic food and wine soon pose a threat to his schedule.

Most people head to Margaret River to sample the area's top surf and excellent wines, but recently a new pastime has surged to the top of the location's must-do experiences: hiking.

An 84 mile stretch of coastal wonders is now on the map, starting at Cape and concluding at Cape Track – depending on which end you begin! This trails' natural splendour and sheer scale has earned it a place in the Great Walks of Australia, which now numbers 10.

Located a few hours to the south of Perth, the route is also the first Great Walk in Western Australia.

Undulating down the length of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, this stretch at times feels more like a trek than a hike, such is the astonishing wildness of the surroundings: vast limestone caves and a hinterland blanketed in forests of red gum trees. It also takes in some of Australia's – indeed the world's – best surf breaks.

The start and end points of this epic route are easy to determine: each is marked by a pretty lighthouse – both over 100 years old.

While there are companies offering guided hikes along this route – which take four days to complete – it's entirely possible to complete by yourself, although it's best to pencil in around five days.

I chose the solo option, keen to absorb the maximum amount of tranquillity from this wondrous area. Naturally, I planned my route in great detail, beginning with a breath-taking clifftop tract stretching from Smith's Beach to Injidup.

I expect to see more life on this newly-baptised Great Walk – but see very few other souls. In fact, horses and bikes are not permitted. Not even a faithful walker's hound is allowed on this picturesque route.

I stare out at the ocean which comes at me in a vast blue curve and I marvel at the fact that I have the area to myself. Experiencing such aloneness in the UK would be rare indeed.

But soon my solitude is broken, as I encounter a pair of surfers below. I'm glad to see them, even at a distance, but equally glad to move on, into the embrace of nature: clean air and unspoilt vistas.

After several hours of full-power walking down to Contos Beach and then on to Boranup Karri Forest – complete with 60 metre trees – I am grateful to reach my bed for the night, provided by Injidup Spa Retreat. My amazing room – pre-booked – features a plunge pool. Later I enjoy an amazing foot massage before sampling a kangaroo steak. It was my first – and I have to say it was just the ticket after such a calorie-sapping day!

While kangaroo may seem a rather clichéd or even unrefined choice of meal, my fare would prove more tasteful as I move south. The next day, at a sprawling lodge, I enjoy a venison dish paired with a very decent locally-produced cabernet sauvignon. The day after, again in urgent need to replenish lost energy, I dine at a restaurant set among stunning vines.

Great food continues to be a theme of my trek and a night spent at an excellent eatery north of Augusta proves the undoing of my five-say target. Here I meet a pair of affable English hikers heading the opposite direction and the night becomes longer than expected. After an exceptional meal of crayfish washed down by fine wine (which tasted very much like champagne), I join my new friends in a local and rather salubrious bar for more wine-sampling.

Such is my enthusiasm for the wines of Margaret River that I end up staying at my guest house an extra night. But it's time well spent, as I enjoy the lovely coastline and fresh air as I get my walking legs back!

Heading down from Moses Rock to Wilyabrup cliffs proves to be the most exhilarating stretch of my trek. The route keeps me close to breath-taking ocean vistas, although not so close that I don't clap eyes on a troop of kangaroos in the afternoon sunlight. This incredible sight makes me feel a little guilty about eating part of one of their brethren earlier in my trip. But, as I end my trip near the mighty, crashing waves of Wilyabrup beach, my tummy rumbles and I wonder what next exotic mammal will form my next – extremely well-deserved – meal!

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