Great South West Track, Day 5 – Moleside Camp to Pattensens Camp, 35km

A peaceful night was not forthcoming.  Electrical storms.  And a whole series of them.  The tent feeling alive with the cackle of the lightning. Not fun.

So it is on a modicum of sleep that I pack up, feeling exhausted already, for my 35km day.

The sun peaking through the clouds and into my tent gives hope for a dry day

The great news is that it has stopped raining.  And I’m really enjoying the walk. With the river, the views have opened up a little, and I look forward to my glimpses of the slow moving water.  I seem to do better when I can see further.

The track opens up a little
River views!

I hear a foul grunting in the bush, and turn, instantly thinking “emu”!  Instead, a burly koala stalks straight up a tree, defying his own weight and physique.

I’m very consciously splitting the day into 5km lots.  Taking my shoes off, and in most spots able to bathe my feet in the water.  I’m walking slowly and feeling good. I sit down at one of these break spots and pull a coveted chocolate and almond protein bar from my bag.  I bend over to take off my shoes.  Sit back up.  My bar is gone!  I look around in disbelief.  Stare accusingly at the fairy wrens flitting about.  What the hell?!

I delve into the backup supplies and head to the jetty.  On packing up, I see the culprit.  A currawong, lurking about on the jetty sucking up all my crumbs.  He looks at me and gives me a smirk.  Arsehole.

Lunch stop.  Unfortunately, a different lunch than intended…
Still….I don’t, don’t complain

With all these breaks and slow walking I realise I’ve misjudged my timing a little.  It’s already getting close to 5pm, and I still have 5km or so to walk.  Only one thing to do. Pull out my headphones.  It’s the first I’ve used them on the trip.  And oh man do they do what I need them to do.  I fang it.  But there’s so many fallen trees.  I’m pushing through, fighting, getting prickly acacia thorns stuck in my hands and scratches up my arms and legs.  And it starts raining.  Hard.

Echidna scurrying out of the rain
Captivating
I saw heaps of these scats and could never work out what they were from.  They were big (see my shoe for scale) and full of both vegetation and fur, sometimes bones.  I saw goats.  Goats maybe? Ideas?

I fang it.  But I still reach camp after dark.  It’s ok though.  With nobody else there, I set up the tent under the shelter, so I can get everything ready and changed into warm clothes under cover.  I’m tired, but happy with how I’m feeling.  Town tomorrow.  And all the good things that come with it.

3 thoughts on “Great South West Track, Day 5 – Moleside Camp to Pattensens Camp, 35km”

  3. Hi Mel. I met you near Cobbobonee Camp the other day, know the Griffiths from Norfolk. The scat you see all the time is emu, the white part being urea, much the same as chooks. Saw your blog address in a shelter book. Enjoy rest of your walk.

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