Great North Walk – Day 11

Warner Bay to Newcastle to Tunks Ridge Rest Area

Distance – 28km + a train ride

“I made it to the end! Well, sort of”.

Today was going to be an interesting day. Had all gone to plan, I would have marched into Newcastle, glorious in the victory of having succeeded in finishing the walk. Instead, I was going to march into Newcastle, enjoy the moment, hop on a train and travel south to pick up where I had left off all those days ago with the floods. Making this decision had been quite a difficult one. Try to finish the entire thing? Or just relax in Newcastle and enjoy the rest of the holiday? Things had been quite arduous after all. In the end, I found out that I am somebody that likes to finish what they set out to do. Despite the fact that there will be no cocktails at my campsite tonight.

With this in mind, I set off very early. Around dawn. I’m really glad I did. The streets were quiet and the sunrise was lush. The walk does an amazing job of wending through parks, trails and scrub, so that you feel a lot further from civilisation than you actually are.

I travel through the Glenrock State Conservation Area. I see a nice looking lagoon off in the distance and realise that I am mildly lost. My track notes say that I should be right next to the lagoon. Yet here I am. It doesn’t matter. The track I am on deposits me onto the beach. Right where I want to go.

I make my way up the beach. It looks like lovely walking doesn’t it? Cool breeze in the hair, the sound of the pounding waves, seabirds wheeling about. But the reality is that beach walking with shoes and a pack on can be pretty tough – often totally dependent on how hard the sand is, following the tide. In a little victory I had somehow jagged a decent tide and I was able to travel fairly quickly along the shore.

Eventually I round a corner, and there it is! Newcastle beach! It was a Sunday, so the footpaths were teaming with people. I could see a focal point off in the distance, and I realise that I am almost there. 3km. I’ll be there in 3km. Although I know I am not finishing here today, the sense of achievement is overwhelming. I did this! I’ve done this! I’ve never walked so far in my life….on my own. I see all the people around me. They don’t know what I’ve done. They don’t care what I’ve done. But I do. And I know that there is not a lot that I can’t do, if I want to do it. That feeling infuses me. Soaks in like a sponge. And I feel amazing.

Off I go. Clickety clacking down the pavement. Looking for all the world like somebody that shouldn’t be at the beach. I climb the final steps. And there’s the monument! I take off my pack and go and touch it, reverently. I sit with tears in my eyes and reflect on what it has taken to get there. My phone dings.

Almost there! You can do it!

Message from the head of my support crew

Now this is weird. Because I know that the head of my support crew has been following along with the GPS tracking at home – excited to see me reach my goal.

I’ve made it already! I’m sitting here now!

My reply

Oh, it looks like you still have about 3km to go…Congratulations!

Head of my support crew.

I look at my maps. I look at my GPS. I look at my track notes. And fuck it. I do still have 3km to go. What an idiot! All that pontificating, crying and self reflection and I’m not even there yet! I put my pack on, and eventually make it to the actual end.

I don’t stick around here long. I make my way to the train station and jump on the first one headed south. Destination Hornsby. 2 hours later, I get off the train and start walking. Pulling into an Asian supermarket, I pick up my first resupply of the trail. I couldn’t really tell what it was, but hoped that the container might contain noodles of some sort.

It’s nice being back in the bush. I cross an old military bridge, and snake along green paths. The day ends with a long climb back up to the top of the ridge. The campsite is expansive. And empty. I eat my dinner, which turns out to be vermicelli noodles in a super spicy soup which I dislike intensely. One more full day of hiking. I can do it.

“PS. I am very proud of myself for making Newcastle”. I’ve got this!”

From my journal.