Monday, September 04, 2006

Tops to Myalls - Part VI: The End of the Story

Footprints in the sand on our last day of walking

The double rainbow which graced our journey across Port Stephens


FINISHED!! On the back steps of the Hawks Nest surf club


On the ferry from Myall Shores "resort" to Myall Lakes NP

Days 11 and 12 were on the coast, walking through Myall Lakes NP - for the most part on roads, then the last 6ks or so on the beach.

day 11 was very short, we caught the ferry across the short stretch of water to the NP, and made it to camp by 11:30am. It was either stop, or walk another 20km... so we stopped, and spent a bored afternoon getting into and out of our tents every time it started to rain.

Day 12 - the last one! dawned with a sun shower, and we packed up camp in the rain (meanwhile thanking GOD I wouldn't have to do THAT any more!). We caught our firts glimpse of the ocean, and spent a fair distance on the beach, then a temporary misplacement of ourselves amongst the sand dunes, and then back on the ashphalt, doging passing 4WD and occasional rain showers.

By the time we were back on the last stretch of beach Skye & I were near hysterical, and Alan had hastened his peg-leg walk to be a mere speck in the distance. To his credit, he waited for us so we were all able to walk up to the Surf Club together, in triumph and victory... only to discover that we'd have to hike another 10ks or so to the next town, where the ferry left from! Luckily, just as it started to rain again, a passing car stopped and asked us if we'd like a lift - oh thank you mystery angel lady of Hawks Nest!

We ended up having a well-deserved meal of fish & chips at the pub as we waited for the ferry to take us across Port Stephens to Nelson Bay. As we crossed the water we saw dolphins, and a double rainbow - what a way to end a highly challenging, great but not always enjoyable, 200km journey!

(The adventure hardly ended there, though the story of leaving my wallet on the ferry and then waiting 4 hours for a cab to Fingal Bay can wait for another time...!)

Friday, September 01, 2006

Tops to Myall part V

Making full use of the facilities, we toast our wet clothes by the heat of the electric BBQ
Scribblybark gum

The clothesline at Myall Shores up-market caravan park. The wet clothes are all ours.


Jetty at Korseman's Landing

Day 9 was another full day of walking (our last, as it turned out), being frustrated by the vagueness of the trail notes and ending up at Korseman's Landing by a circuitous route which turned out to bear no resemblance to the "correct" path. menatlly composing rude letters to the Lions Club of Tea Gardens kept the mind occupied.

Korseman's Landing has an old jetty, which was a lovely place to view the world in the time we were there. Especially as it distanced us from our loud drinking neighbours, who had the music blaring until 2am, and then woke up hung over and noisy at 5 to attend the Anzac day dawn service...

day 10 was a brief trot into Myall Shores/Legges Camp, basically a glorified caravan park, charging outrageous prices for shampoo and accomodation. Given the fact that it started to rain torrentially and constantly as we walked into the encampment, we were happy enough to pay the requisite $72 to doss down in a cabin the size of a pantry, because it was DRY. And we got to have hot showers - hurrah!