Day 11 - Road trip to Melbourne

Up and about at 0700, breakfast and finished packing. Bus loaded and we left just after 0830. Quick stop at local bakery for coffees (not me this time) then on the road to Melbourne. 

 

We had a rock quiz on the way back, all songs were in some way related to or included Mary and walking (there was a lot of poetic license in it). Crossed the border into Voctoria at 0905. Went through Casterton, home of the Kelpie. Stopped for a leg stretch at the Kelpie Centre.

Hamilton just after 1100. There have been a few slow patches due to roadworks and a planned burn. Lunch in Dinkeld at 1135. Sandwich and coffee at Izzy's Cafe; great sandwich and talky efficient cafe.

Back in the bus and Greg , our lorriet, read his poem about our travels. On the road again at 1230. Slower to for a short distance due to a cycling event (road signs indicated the event and 60kph speed limit but didn't see any cyclists). Started to rain at about 1310, we have been lucky the whole trip to be in any decent rain and at least now we are in the bus. 

 

Stopped for fuel and a leg stretch just outside of Beaufort. It's really cold, 14°. We handed Gus back to Nick and Darren before getting back on the road. At the outskirts of Ballarat at 1430, the weather still raining (can't make up its mind). 

 

Back at NGV at 1610. Said the farewells and everyone scattered. I booked a cab through the 13Cab app, a driver was assigned but he didn't turn up (I was informed the trip was over and the app wanted me to rate the driver,  no chance). Managed to flag a cab and was was on my way at about 1630. Home at 1700 to an excited family (the dogs almost mugged me).

Job done and pilgrimage finished. Now to plan next walk. 

 

 

Day 10 - Penola

No walking today
I had a coffee at the local bakery at 0900 with Mark and Darren while the other pilgrims went to Mass at the local church.

Visited the Mary MacKillop centre at 0930. Great displays and information. We toured the area which included the old school room and wandered down Petticote Lane;  full of well maintained old pioneer cottages.

A volunteer at the centre knew my family, even knew my full surname. I told her my dad used to have a farm in Lucindale and once I told her the name of the farm manager she knew who my family was.  She used to work for the local council and could remember it from there (I think she may have phoned one of the managers sons for full details of my surname).  Small world and she has an amazing memory.

I handed over Gus to his new minder and then we were off at 1200 to Father Woods Park. The wooden sculpture were really well done. A large red gum there is apparently the tree that Father Woods sat under many times during his travels. We were trying to work out the age of it; if it was a tree when Father Woods sat under it in the 1860's then we reckon it would be at least 300 years old.

Next stop was Redmans Winery at 1235. We had a wine tasting for 25 minutes and then onto Zema Estate at 1303 for some more tasting. From there we continued onto Othello for lunch at 1340. Lunch included wine tasting and was 13 wines and 13 dishes (small servings). Great food and good wines. It was more than enough for a lunch and we are not likely to eat a lot at dinner.

We stopped by the old Coonawarra rail siding for the official end of walk photo and then back at the motel at 1620 for a S.C.A.N (Senior Citizens Afternoon Nap) before dinner. 

We all met at the Royal Oak Hotel at 1830 for dinner. The pub was really busy and quite loud. I had another meal of calamari and just 1 beer. We were all quite tired but we had many laughs. I was back at my room before 2100.

Day 9 - Kalangadoo to Penola

19.9km
Temp 21°

Today was divided into 2 walks. It was broken into 2 walks to avoid an overgrown and hazardous section of disused rail line (good call by guides).

Breakfast in our rooms (cereal, toast, juice and yoghurt provided) and then onto the bus at 0800 for trip back to Kalagadoo pub.

We had the normal walk briefing and hand over of Gus minder, my turn today to be his minder. I got Gus ready and we started walking just after 0830 along the road out off town.  It was bitchuman roads with a lot of large, old river red gums growing alongside the roads and in stands in the paddocks. They are magnificent trees and mostly over 100 years old.  At the 2.4 km mark we went onto a gravel road; still easy enough to walk on.

At 3.6km we turned down a track that parralelled the disused rail line. It had some long grass and we were all looking for snakes although there was still some funny banter.
Darren and the bus were waiting for us at 6.8km where we had morning tea next to the rail line.

All of us got back on the bus at 1100 and were driven to next start point to miss hazardous area. Really bumpy corrugated road (teeth chattering).

Set off walking again at about 1135 on a gravel road. We had a tail wind and made really good time on the easy to walk road. At 1255 (5.6km) we had lunch at the bus at the intersection of Campbell Rd and Kidman Lane.

Never a dull moment in this group as we were treated to football team songs by our musical minded while having lunch. 

We were off again at 1400 along Kidman Lane. This is a new section devised by Nick and Darren over the past couple of days to reduce the amount of time we spend on a busy highway. 

 
At 1500 we met the bus again on corner of Kidman Lane and Mt Burr Rd. Cathy send Trish met us there for the final section of the walk. 

 
The final section was along Mt Burr Road into Penola. Quite a busy road but a good amount of space on the side of it for us to walk on. The group stopped by the Penola sign for a photo then continued into town.

We crossed over the Riddoch Highway and continued along Riddoch Street until we reached the end,  The Royal Oak Hotel, at 1545. We all stayed for celebratory drinks and a good chat.

I got back to my room at about 1700 to get ready for dinner. We had dinner at Royal Oak at 1830. It was a great meal and again heaps of laughs. A bus load of tourists arrived and we later found out they were a religious group which is not that unusual here.

 

Back to my room at about 2145. No walking tomorrow but it will be a busy day. 

Day 8 - Carney Lake Rd to Kalangadoo Rd

14.5km

Temp 18°

Breakfast at 0730 in same room as yesterday. No toast but there was cereal and tea. The waitresses were really happy singing the orders and generally cheerful; good start to our day.

Loaded bags into bus and departed at 0830 to where we finished yesterday. Had pre walk briefing and Gus minder handover at 0855

Started walk just after 0900. It was on a limestone road to Dismal Swamp. The swamp was drained many years agoand the walk was reasonably flat. 

At 1050 (7.7km) we stopped for morning tea at the bus and it started to drizzle. Luckily the rain didn't last long. Another good setting by Darren.

 
Off again at 1140. Limestone roads again with a short section of bitchuman. There were passing rain showers but nothing that required wearing a rain jacket. 

 
Lunch on the side of the road at 1300 at the bus. My feet were shot so my walking today was over. The rest of the pilgrims walked the last 3km into town, I tended to my feet but they were still too painful for me to do the rest of the walk. I went with Darren to the pub where the group was finishing for the day.

Bought some stuff at the General Store for my feet and then a quick Darren guided tour of the town before meeting the other pilgrims.

 

We had a tour of the railway station (no longer a rail link to it) from the last station master; a great character and calls it the way he sees it.

It was decided not to drive to Penola to check into accommodation until after dinner so we went to the pub for our pre dinner drinks. 

Dinner in the pub at 1800. Good meal and a lot of laughs. Left the pub at 2010 for the trip to Penola.

 

Checked into accommodation just after 2045. Great room for the next 3 nights. 

 

 

Day 7 - Mount Gambier to Carney Lake Road

19.1 km

Temp 22°

Breakfast at 0730 in private function room.  No toast but there was cereal and tea which was ok.

Pre walk briefing at 0820 in the breakfast room and Gus minder handover.  Departed at 0830 from the hotel and walked through the suburbs. It was road bashing until morning tea 1042 at the 8.7km mark (easy enough walking and we set a good pace). We weren't expecting the bus to be at the morning tea area but it was there (we were stooged by the guides). Everything was set up as usual and it was a good location. 

Off again at 1135 along a 
limestone road which we nicknamed 'the yellow brick road'.  Similar to yesterday there was the song challenge and during a short break Mark broke into a dance routine. We all started doing the hokey pokey in the middle of the road (not a busy road) and very shortly after we finished a truck came over the crest, to quote Nick "we scattered like ravens off road kill".

We had lunch at just before 1300 (14.5km mark) in a pine forrest. Darren and Cathy had set it up again and it was a really good area to sit and relax.  A good feed and the usual brilliant banter.

We set off again at 1350 on the final leg for today. It started as a forrest track and then at the 16km mark it became a sandy track and very shortly after that it changed to a native forrest corridor. Easy waking and really nice to get into native bushland. 

A short while later (17km mark) we came to another limestone road. We turned left and followed this for about 2km. We passed a cottage which provided accommodation. Reached the finish at the bus at 1455; the last section was done at a cracking pace. 

The bus left at 1505 to the sunken garden. This is a sink hole that has been turned into a garden. It is an amazing place. We went down the stairs and walked around the garden. A group of possums lives in the small tunnels of the sink hole and a it is shaded they will come out looking for food (we didn't feed them).

We got back to the hotel hotel at about 1630 and we had nearly 2 hours to ourselves. We were back on the bus at 1815 and off to dinner at the Federal Hotel. Great meal and very good value. We got back to the hotel at about 2045.

 

Day 6 - Port MacDonnell to Mount Gambier

24.1 km

Temp 22°

Up early to finish packing as we are checking out today and moving to Mount Gambier. The bus left at 0800 to collect Nick.
We had a time zone change when we crossed the border into SA.

We arrived at the start in Port Macdonnell at 0817. A great day for a walk with a temperature of 15° and no rain forecast. One pilgrim, Cathy, injured herself yesterday and won't be walking today (sprained ankle that she had X-rayed at Mount Gambier hospital). We had the pre walk briefing and change of minder for Gus then headed off at 0825.

We stopped on the outskirts of Port Macdonnell for a group photo at the wave sculpture before continuing along sealed roads.

About 3.5km onto the walk we stopped outside a factory yard that was a "collectors" paradise. The stuff in this place was amazing and the long fence was topped with pairs of old shoes.

At 3.7 km we turned off into a laneway and started walking towards Mount Schack. The lane is a wide area between two paddocks and has public access. The track had sections of limestone pathway which was easy to walk on but very bright on the eyes.

We stopped for morning tea at 1055 (8.6km) and sat under a clump of pine trees. We headed off again at 1120. The temperature at 1200 was 22°, it was still a good walking temperature. Robert, ex music teacher, kept us amused with tunes that were from random conversation, very funny and a great way to walk.

We got to the Mount Schank car park at 1300 and we stopped for lunch (14.5km). Again Darren was there with things set up for us.

After lunch, at 1355, we did a walk to top of Mount Schank. Mount Schank is an extinct volcano which you walk into (we stood at the rim). It's an amazing place and intertwined to see how almost perfectly round the rim is.

At 1440 six of us started again. It started out as a limestone road which is good to walk on. At 18.3 km went through a gate and headed up hill on a dirt track, another lane between fencelines. This path turned left and continued along to Sinclair Road (23.3km). The laneway had some areas on it which were long grass and we were all concious of snakes, luckily we didn't see any.

We walked along Sinclair Road limestone road) for about 1km and met the bus at the finish at 1633. We got onto the bus and went to the ice cream shop, we all had ice creams before getting back on the bus for a visit to the Blue Lake.

We checked into the motel at 1735. This place is great, I have a large room and I had the best shower I've had since the trip started. We had dinner at hotel at 1830. We had phoned our orders ahead this morning so everything went well. I had King George whiting which was great (it's been a while since I've had that in SA). Back to rim about 2100 and preps for tomorrow.

Day 5 - Piccaninnie Ponds to Port Macdonnell

2 walks
Total 15.6km
Temp 30°

Up early again, 0530, to get ready. Today I am making my own breakfast and lunch as that service is unavailable here but that is ok.

On the bus at 0800 to collect Nick (he is staying in another location) and then off over the border into South Australia to the Piccaninnie Ponds. Quick look at the ponds and then off to the start of the walk.

The start of the walk was only a short distance away and we got there at 0830 (temperature was 11° which is perfect for walking). Todays start is not where we finished yesterday, it is a fair bit further on. We have cut out a 23km stretch of beach walking and some hazardous road walking. It was also difficult to get the bus into places along the big beach section if it was required in the event of an emergency.

 

We had the usual pre walk bridging and change of minder for Gus and then started the walk at 0840. The walk started with creek crossing, everyone else took off their boots and sox but I left mine on (I got wet feet buy that's ok).

The first leg of the walk was a 10km stretch of beach. The tide was at low water, the sand was hard and the walking on it was easy. We powered along really well and there was a beach hut at the 7km mark. 

We got into Brown Beach car park at about 1200 for morning tea. Darren had set it up again and it was great to get there. The temperature had steadily increased and was touching 30° with hot wind from the NNW. 

The next section was 8.5km of road walking. My feet were really sore and I knew the heat would not be good for me so I chose to do the 'hop on hop off' bus thing and not walk on road (one other walker, Trish, made the same choice).  The other walkers left at about 1230 and Trish and I helped Darren pack up the bus.  We were back on bus at 1245 and headed off on an inland tour and sights of Port Macdonnell.

We set up the lunch spot at 1355 at small picnic area and waited for the others to arrive. They arrived at 1430, they had made a very good time in hot conditions. 

During lunch I had managed to dry my feet and I was feeling pretty good so I decided to do the  last stretch, 5km with about 3km of road walking.  Only 4 of us and Nick left foot the final section at 1540 (the test went back on the bus). Robert sang school rymes while walking and we plugged away at it. After photos with the penguins we finished the walk at 1644. 

We were all back on the bus at 1655 and back at the cabins at 1735. Once again it was a quick shower and change and then onto the bus at 1820 for dinner at the pub at 1830. Another great night with lots of laughs and a good feed. I was back at my cabin at about 2030 and packed for the move tomorrow. 

 

Tomorrow will be a big walk into Mount Gambier.

Day 4 - Bridgewater Lakes to Telegraph Road

16.2km
Temp warm 22°

Awake early, 0530, to finish packing. As I should have expected I couldn't get my case closed so I had to use Clancy, the overflow duffel bag.

Breakfast at 0700 and on the bus at 0800. Visited All Saints Church to see the Mary McKillock stain glass windows; unfortunately the church was closed so we just took photos outside of it.

On the way to the start point the bus had a close up of a couple of large Eastern Grey kangaroos, they came out of the scrub on the left of the road and crossed close in front of us (Daren was on the ball and avoided them both).

Arrived at start, Tarragal Caves, at 0835. After the walk briefing and change of minder for Gus we started walking at about 0850.

Today we are walking inland and leaving the coast behind us. The walk started along the main road then into a paddock and up a hill for about 1.5km. It is a similar situation to the public footpath system used in the UK. The track runs alongside the fence line. There were great views of the lakes before the top of the hill.

There was a couple of stiles on the way to the top of the hill. At approximately the 2km mark the track descend into a native forest. This area is a nature reserve and is renound for it's wildlife, specifically koalas. We were searching the trees for koalas, not taking a lot of notice of our foot steps, and about 2km into the forest we saw a koala not far off the track. 

We met a group of 7 hikers going in the opposite direction to us; they were doing the Great South West Walking track (GSWW). The track came out onto a dirt road at about 4.8km and went for few hundred metres before meeting the sealed road. We walked for short distance along the side of the sealed road and then crossing the road to Tarragal Camp (5.5km mark). We had morning tea at 1045 at the camp area; as usual there was water, a toilet and table there. We spotted one more Koala at camp site.

We headed off again at 1120. The track ran along the edge of the native forest with a pine and blue gum plantation to the other side of track. The track was a bit Sandy through native forest but was not too difficult to walk on. There was very little breeze in this area which raised the humidity and made it a little unpleasant to walk in. The guide, Nick, as usual set a cracking pace but all was ok. We were gradually heading uphill to the summit of Mt Richmond. This area is also renound for Tiger snakes and luckily for us none were seen on or near the track. 

At the 12.2km mark we came out onto a fire access road which went uphill for 1 km. It was a hard slog for most of us but we all got there ok. The track then turned off to the summit which was the lunch location. Darren had set up the chairs and table in a shaded area of the picnic area which was really good to see. We had lunch at 1400 (13.5km mark)

We headed off again at 1510 and walked the last 3km without pack. 3 pilgrims decided not to do this section and helped Darren to clean up the lunch things. From here it was a down hill and sandy track with boardwalks. The scrub was low scrub and grass trees, lovely area.

We finished at 1540 and jumped on the bus for the trip to Nelson. We arrived Nelson at 1625 and checked into our cabins. My bags were already in there which was great. The cabins are self contained and whilst basic they are comfortable, clean and functional. It has free WiFi  and TV (I don't need much more than that as I won't be spending day time here).

 

We went to the shop (Darren's cabin) to get our breakfast and lunch supplied for the next 2 days (we need to make our own but that's ok). We all met at the bus at 1820 and we went to the Nelsol Hotel for dinner. The place was full and a typical country pub. I had a huge meal of butter fish and a couple of beers. It was a good night and we were back before 2100. 

 

Early start and a huge day tomorrow.