Waking up to cars, trucks and buses passing metres from my tent, I packed up and got on the road the earliest of the whole journey this I morning, by around 7.15 am. It took some time for my muscles to warm up, but I stopped again in a cafe to charge devices as I would be meeting Jan later in the day to stay with her family and wanted to be able to let her know when I was arriving.
This walk took me along Torquay’s esplanade, on dirt tracks past Impossible Point Nudist Beach (where I snuck in a cheeky swim), along bike paths and of course on sealed roadsides. It was a warm day, and although the km seemed to go by quickly it was only later in the day, around 5 pm that I arrived in Barwon Heads where I would spend the night. I snuck in another swim before leaving the foreshore (much needed in this heat!) and made my way to the house of Jan, Jason and Mae. Jan had spent a little bit of time at Wollangarra when I was a leader there last year and contacted me to see if I needed a place to stay on my journey. The 23 km of today seemed easy, like I was running an idling engine - it’s now been 18 straight days of walking and over 700 km travelled since I left Adelaide!
I arrived to a very warm welcome; I was even treated to a bath, which my tense calf muscles were very pleased about! After a delicious family dinner and dessert, we went to a Jan’s friend Lisa’s house and chatted with her kids about the project and about Wollangarra. It was great being able to relive memories from last year as we discussed how special Wollangarra is and why it is such an important place.
I’m now falling asleep while trying to type this on the comfy mattress I’ve kindly been provided, so I might call it a night.
Thanks so much for the hospitality Jan, Jason and Mae!
