Section 5: The In-Between Places

It's been a strange and difficult section, I feel like we swapped interesting places for interesting people. The scenery has still been beautiful, but lacking the striking qualities of earlier sections.

My feet are now regularly very sore, and the repetitive flat roads are doing nothing good for this. I've spent probably too much time looking forward to Tanunda, where I'll see Marlene and the kids for the time in over a month and also get a full rest day!

Dave and I have both had to dig deep mentally and physically and I think that those demands have pushed us to connect on a deeper level.

We've met people who have shared many wonderful stories, including ghosts, gradual migration out of Adelaide to the country, walks all over Australia and switching to a completely itinerant lifestyle. I've really enjoyed seeing people living happy and fulfilled lives in so many different and unconventional ways.

It has me reflecting on how I can keep a healthy balance when I get back to life after this, which is increasingly imminent.

Day 28 - Burra to Worlds End

My parents joined for breakfast at Tivers Row. It was great to catch up one last time, we packed up and got a lift to the supermarket to finish resupply. We farewelled and did our shopping.

It's weird that you forget how heavy the pack is at the start of resupply. We have no towns until Kapunda so this is a big one and it hurts!

Some of Dave's regular hiking crew joined us for the walk to Worlds End - Shannon, Paul and Annalise. They all had some connection to Burra which they shared as we left.

It was a short climb out, a steady descent and then a long day of straight roads. The hill line was pretty and weather great but otherwise not much to report.

The day passed quickly with conversation and they left us at the shelter to filter water and head back to Adelaide. I had some great advice from northbound hiker Chris the night before, he said the caravan site past the hiking shelter is much nicer.

The pack was extra heavy with overnight water and we got it done. Shannon had left some treats at the final stile and we arrived. Worlds End is a beautiful spot, there are many huge gums and prolific bird life. Equally prolific were caravans and 4x4s!

We found a good place to pitch, setup and relaxed. I was having a wash when a car pulled up asking 'Dave and Sim?'. It was Paul, he'd grabbed us some dinner and beers and dropped off on the way back to Adelaide - you bloody legend!

We ate, enjoyed an amazing sunset and I finally started a book on the Kindle. Alive is a famous story of a plane crash in the Andes and it is harrowing!

Day 29 - Worlds End to Huppatz Hut

We had a short day to Huppatz Hut so I took my time. It was cold overnight and there seems to be more condensation near a creek bed. I waited for the sun to dry everything out and set off.

It was another glorious day and a good walk out of Worlds End. I saw the defunct swing bridge then walked a section on the road shoulder.

This continued into a wildlife sanctuary which was a real treat. The trail in and out of a creek bed, with great fauna and many birds. It was a solid cure to the monotony of the previous day.

I came across Dave sunning in a field and stopped for morning tea. After the sanctuary we descended and crossed a valley of agricultural fields. On the other side was a tough climb over the range with some great views. From the top I could see Huppatz Hut, a large restored building.

The climb down was steep and stony and I saw another windmill which had been toppled by the wind - these always amuse me. You had one job to do!

It was lovely to arrive early, giving plenty of time to rest and read. We ate outside and enjoyed another beautiful sunset.

Day 30 - Huppatz Hut to Smith Hill

The day started sunny and a little cold. We left early with a long day ahead, walking through pleasant rolling meadows with many gum trees.

We climbed to the base of the mountain range for a steady up and down dirt track. I got a good zap from an electric fence crossing over - it's the first I'd encountered and wasn't looking for it crossing the stile. A warning sign for south bound walkers would be nice!

I was surprised to see cows grazing among the native scrub on the mountain side of the fence.

We crossed the range through a lower pass which was pretty. Then followed a long section of very hard packed dirt road. My feet were very sore by the end of it.

This led to Webb Gap where we intersected the Lavender Trail. The campsite looked nice. We passed over, walked more fields and climbed up to Smith Hill campsite.

The site is just below the ridge line which is great because already the wind was howling from the other side. It was a early one with dinner in the tent kind of night, and a storm howled through the night.

Day 31 - Smith Hill to Marschalls Hut

This was a hard day. I'm really feeling the accumulation of fatigue and damage in my feet.

The walk started with a straightforward descent, followed by long sections of road. I've come to dread the Dry Weather Only roads, they've always been damp and the thick clay sticks to your shoes. A layer sticks to that, and you get gradually taller and heavier feet, until a big clump falls off.

I crossed the 400km remaining marker which is amazing, then a deceptively long road into Marrabel. It's a small town with no services, but a great cast statue of a famous bucking horse named Curio who excelled at throwing riders. Apparently they still hold a large national rodeo here.

The afternoon took us along more fields, this time canola almost ready to harvest. I loved the sea of yellow across the field, and they're taller than I thought only seeing them from the roadside.

Marschalls Hut was a short detour off the trail and well worth it. It's a beautiful old stone cottage with a pond and a fantastic view.

Day 32 - Marshalls Hut to Kapunda

This was a day I was worried about, over 35kms, but in the end it was pretty good. It was fresh leaving the hut early but the sun rose and warmed us.

We enjoyed the view from the ridgeline and settled in to steady walking either on roads or on small easement between farmlands. These typically have a lot of native scrub and are nice walking, although a little slower with detours around trees.

Late in the day I got to enjoy some great views of Kapunda - I suspect the trail detoured up a hill for this - and the surreal walk through Kapunda. I realised I'm very tired and hitting a larger town for the first time was a little overwhelming, it had me wondering if I've forgotten how to human.

It didn't take long to figure things out and I was showered, had clean clothes and a schnitty. The Sir John Franklin was built in 1849 and we learnt some great stories from the publican including an artist painting a huge series of caricatures of locals to pay off his tab and stories of ghosts!

Day 33 - Kapunda to Greenock

It was all good news this morning - spring had arrived and we had a short day after the big push the day before. We took our time to get ready and made our way to the excellent Little Mo bakery.

Over multiple courses of breakfast we met another hiker Claire. She had taken a year off and done many of Australia's great trails, about 3300kms on foot and another 1000 by bike.

It was great to hear her experiences and we wished her well going back into working life. I've no doubt she'll be out exploring again soon.

Walking today was the usual fare, straightforward and pretty although a little cold. We stopped for lunch on a hill overlooking a meadow and saw grape vines for the first time.

Coming into Greenock we met the self appointed town greeter, a young girl jumping on a trampoline who asked 'are you doing that walk?'. It was sweet.

Greenock is lovely, we pitched on the cricket oval and made our way to the pub for beers and an excellent meal. A young and very experienced hiker Zac (aka Captain Hook) saw our tents and tracked us down, along with a Swiss hitchhiker he'd just met. At 25 he'd walked an impressive number of the world's great trails and had great stories and knowledge to share.

Between hikes he's living out of a van and makes custom ultralight gear which look amazing. You can check his work out at http://footfalcongear.com/.

Day 34 - Greenock to Tanunda

This was a short and exciting day. We breakfasted at the brilliant El Estanco - the homemade chorizo was incredible and the coffee and Campari breakfast shot worth trying, then made our way to Tanunda.

Dave was so eager to see Ali that he went into hard march mode, I held back to relax. It was a nice days walk with many vineyards and cellar doors.

Ali brought us an incredible from the central markets, and later I washed clothes and enjoyed a bath waiting for Marlene to arrive with the girls. It was wonderful seeing them again after such a long time!

Next entry - Section 6: Homecoming