A Dangerous Business

It’s been close to a week since I finished the Carnarvon Great Walk and re-entered civilised society. Let me tell you, proper food tastes spectacular after only eating freeze-dried meals and instant ramen. Although I would’ve downed a fat, juicy steak if given the choice, a big hearty bowl of mum’s chicken noodle soup did just the trick. Sleeping in a proper bed also really hit the spot, even if it did mark the end of my time out at this beautiful place.

But we weren’t heading home just yet. Like the journey out here, the decision was made to split the travel over two days, this time staying in Miles instead of Roma. Well, when I say staying in Miles, I really mean a place 20 minutes north of Miles called Possum Park. It’s hard to describe what kind of place it is. It’s built on an old WWII munitions depot, in which the bunkers used to hold bombs, shells and the like have been converted into what are basically square-shaped hobbit holes. There’s also a handful of more generic cabins and plenty of space for caravans. Then there’s the more unique options. The first of these is an old Trans Australia Airlines Vickers Viscount that they’re restoring (currently still in development, so you can’t stay in it just yet). Then there’s what we stayed in: old wooden train carriages.

The interior decor is, to put it mildly, very quaint. Lace everywhere, ancient appliances, large wooden bookcases. But I couldn’t care less. It’s a train carriage. What I could care about is what I found in my toilet when I went to use it.

So yeah… I ended up using my parents’ toilet in the carriage next to mine. The following day, I said goodbye to my amphibious friend and made the uneventful drive back to Brisbane where I could start reflecting on my walk in Carnarvon National Park. To start off:

The Good

– It was a breeze getting used to the tent, stove, and all the other items that I brought along for the first time. They all worked a treat.

– For the most part, I’m pretty happy with the food situation. Some of my dinner recipes could do with a bit of tinkering and I’d like to add a few more dishes to my repertoire before I jump onto Te Araroa, but I found them to be very filling and decently tasty.

– The fact that I was able to walk 25-29 km with a full pack on over some pretty dodgy terrain in a reasonable timeframe was great to see. Sure, I could’ve been a bit slower and just enjoyed the view (and probably saved my feet a battering), but there are going to be some long sections on the TA, so knowing that I can walk those lomg legs in my current physical state was really good to see.

– When I did force myself to slow down and appreciate what was around me, I was greeted by some pretty awesome sights. Seeing goannas, emus, and an echidna up close was really special.

Then there’s…

The Bad

– Once I left the main gorge track, my attitude sucked for basically the rest of the track. In my mind, I had this picture that this walk would basically be a New Zealand Great Walk with less facilities. When it quickly became apparent that it would in fact be much harder, I became solely focussed on completing the track as quickly as I could. Each day, I dreaded having to put my pack on. And I’m supposed to be doing this for 4.5 months…

– My feet got slaughtered and I don’t exactly know why. Well, it could be a multiple of reasons, each one probably playing a part.

1: I was wearing new boots that I had only done a modicum of walking in, so maybe they hadn’t been broken in enough. I also found out when I got home that they were half a size smaller than my previous pair, which would explain the crowding I felt around my toes.

2: the weather in Carnarvon National Park was significantly hotter than what I had dealt with in NZ and Tassie. More heat means more sweat which means more rubbing around my heal, leading to the huge blisters I got there.

3: I was walking a lot faster than I have done in the past and I wasn’t taking many breaks in between campsites. I was placing some pretty heavy demands on my feet, so I shouldn’t be surprised when they become more prone to damage because of it.

Without testing each theory further, it’s impossible to determine which of these are the predominant factors. Of course, I am doing more testing in the form of the Great Ocean Walk. The trouble is, I’m going into the walk with feet that haven’t had the chance to fully heal. Look, hindsight is 20/20, I really should’ve spaced out these two walks a bit more, but I’ve never had issues with blisters before and I had no indication that that was going to change.

In short, the Carnarvon Great Walk has taught me more about how to handle a long distance hike than all of my previous experiences combined. For that I am grateful, despite the pain I put myself through. Carnarvon Gorge is an incredibly pretty place and I hope one day I can get back there, this time without a large pack on my back.