Continuing along the south coast, our next stop was at Albany, which predates even Perth in the history of Western Australia. The town was bigger than we expected, with a large centre featuring several buildings dating back to the 19th century.

The atmosphere had become increasingly heavy in the previous couple of days and we were rewarded with a thunderstorm one evening as we sat and ate our dinner. Luckily the camp kitchen was undercover so we didn't get soaked.

I've read a lot of books during this trip, most of them rubbish and only a handful anywhere near as good as The Time Traveller's Wife - a novel I came across a couple of years ago. I knew it would be a near-impossible task to make a really good film version, but as it had just opened in cinemas in Australia I thought it might be worth a look.

As anticipated, I was disappointed with the film - though Katy, who hasn't read the book, was more positive than I was. I felt it was too short with the minor characters in particular suffering from a lack of development. I also wanted the main storyline to 'breathe' more, a feeling which Katy identified further as a need to show more of the highs of the central characters' relationship to balance the inevitable sadness.

While planning this section of our trip, Katy had mentioned the Stirling Ranges a few times, but neither of us had anticipated much from them. Nevertheless, they were on the route north as we looped up and around on our circuit back to Perth so we decided we might as well stop off for a day or so and do one of the walks.

As we drove along the Chester Pass road we suddenly became aware of the ranges in front of us, mountains standing ruggedly proud of the surrounding flat countryside. It felt as if we were back in New Zealand. This was a nice surprise and we awarded it a whole series of 'ooohs' and 'aaahs'.

We drove to a peak called Bluff Knoll, which is the highest in the range. The guide leaflet said it was a three or four hour return trip, but two girls said they had just completed it in two. The leaflet had also described another walk as "steep for the first third" but hadn't mentioned any particular gradients for Bluff Knoll. We therefore assumed that this meant it would be a relatively moderate walk… Wrong!

We set off and almost immediately were confronted with a slope so steep it had steps cut into it to make it more manageable. We clambered on, sometimes scrambling up rocks as we continued to fight what felt like a 45-degree gradient. It was a good job that the view - of the other peaks and forest and fields of wheat below - were spectacular because it gave us the excuse to stop and rest. The first hour was torture though the final 20 minutes or so of the climb was better. We sat on the peak and ate our lunch as we gazed into the far distance, much as we had on the Tongariro Crossing in NZ.

The descent was also quite an effort. It was so steep we couldn't come down as quickly as we had anticipated. It took an hour and by the end our legs were suffering badly.

We chose to stay at a small camp site on a farm near Mount Trio. There was no formal check-in, you just found a spot and made it your own. The facilities were surprisingly good, however, with a well-equipped kitchen, perfectly adequate toilets and showers, and even table tennis in the games room. All that, plus a magnificent view of the ranges as a backdrop.

Most of the other residents were the usual middle-aged Australian couples in caravans. One of them built a fire and soon everyone was standing around it having a glass of wine or beer before dinner. As dusk turned to darkness, one of the men produced a guitar and started to play some Australian standards including - yes, you guessed it! - Waltzing Matilda.

The next day was meant to be another walk, but our legs felt like lumps of lead. This was further proof, if it were needed, that we aren't as fit as we were in New Zealand. So instead of more exercise, we spent the day on a scenic drive around the Stirling Ranges. On a couple of the peaks we could see the walking paths which made the gradient of Bluff Knoll look like a gentle incline, so it was probably a good job we stayed in the car..

That evening Katy took over the fire-making duties. This is a task she loves and she soon had a lovely blaze going. I could tell she was disappointed that she had to leave the fire when it was time to make our hot water bottle and head off for bed.

Richard