When I woke at 6:30 this morning the wind was howling and it began to rain again. I lay there with a cup of tea, trying to decide what to do if it continued storming like it was at the moment. (The house was freezing so I spent a lot of time under the covers while staying there). I figured that whether I walked or decided to bail I needed to be ready for 9AM, which is when Walk 91 said to have my bags ready, so I dressed as if walking, and made some breakfast and a sandwich for lunch, and by the time I had my bags packed the storm had passed and it looked like it might be a walking day after all.
So I set out, back up the hill and around the bend to the start of the walk and while it was still windy it was clear, and I was bundled up against the morning chill. The trail was on a cliff above the ocean, with low scrub and the types of plants that can only grow in sandy soil and windy spots — some pretty little white flowers and some little bells in pink too. And in the forest-y sections some strange prickly grass plants lined the trail. I hurried along because there was a section up ahead that ran on the beach, and it was important to get there while the tide was out.
I passed a couple on the section of the trail just as it led down to Johanna Beach, a descent involving many rock/stairs. Once at the shore I walked along the high tide line, hoping for good footing, and kept a wary eye on the surf. It was about an two hours after the low tide, but the storm and wind last night kept the ocean churning. I kept hoping that the pull of the moon would do what it’s supposed to do, and to keep my mind off the unlikely disaster of a rogue wave crashing me against the far dunes I looked for sea glass. It was a 2km trail and at the end you had to cross a little river — about ankle deep. Rather than deal with wet boots the rest of the day I took the time to wade across barefoot, then climb up the hill to a lookout spot and get my boots back on. Mark and Trish caught up with me there (they’d just walked through the river — intrepid souls from Brisbane), and we shared our maps to sort out the next set of turns. The beach was named after a schooner of the same name, which sailed from Tasmania and ran aground at this spot in 1843.
Only 10km more to go and the trail veered inland and along a farm track. It was hilly, but beautiful green grass and wheat and small streams weaving through the land. And a distant view of the blue sea, adding color to the setting. After a few farm gates the trail became a mixed use road of black dirt and rocks, running through a stand of trees. The notes I had suggested that I should come to an intersection after a short distance and when that didn’t appear, and a car carrying kangaroo-hunting tourists came by I took out my compass and was concerned to still be heading north. I turned around, walked about 5 minutes, hoping to find some sign of the intersection I missed when i met up with Mark and Trish, who had downloaded some google earth map of the walk and came to the conclusion that it was still up ahead — it was the notes that weren’t clear. So I walked with them, found the intersection, made the correct turn and we were on our way.
We stopped to eat our lunches and found a well-publicized “free water” station at an organic farm, and reached the end of the day by 2PM — an hour ahead of schedule. My notes said that if I arrived early to call the people at the accommodation — Andrew and Maria — and perhaps they could come earlier to collect me. So I made the call, left a message and was actually happy standing at that spot because there was cell service — LTE cell service! First time in 3 days! But Maria arrived shortly thereafter.
I’m staying at this accommodation — The Southern Anchorage — for two nights, and it’s lovely. Another cabin with full kitchen and self-catering for breakfast. The view is of a field and distant hills and just over them, the ocean. As promised a mob of kangaroos hopped out of the woods at dusk and grazed, and there were incredible bird calls, and a kookaburra perched on the tree just outside my window. I sat in the hot tub for awhile (ahhhh), and Andrew brought me dinner. Sunset was beautiful, and the room is warm and I will once again sleep well.
