Daily distance:19.8 km
Total distance: 94.7fm.....oh shit no, sorry km! ( I screwed up on our total distance on Day 6 so this is the correct distance...dumb ass!)
Walking time: 6h 30min
It was with nice smelling clothes and kit that Jeff dropped us off on the trail this morning in Belinda's car. We started early as it was going to be a long day and we were not sure of the lay of the land. With hard boiled egg's and sandwiches strapped to our packs we bid the Irishman farewell and headed off in a northerly direction down a dirt road.
The trail turned off the road about 500m from where we started and headed in a northwesterly direction down a barbed wire fence. This part of the trail is clearly not used that much as the path was not very well defined and overgrown. I think most trailists head through Victot Harbor and take the alternative route. We popped out on the Victor Harbor / Cape Jervois road for a very short section then back onto a dirt farm road. The walking was very easy so we made good time as we free wheeled downhill. That soon stopped as the track turned off the road, crossed over a stile and into a large paddock filled with cows. We circumnavigated the paddock and stopped at the northern side for some breakfast. This lightened my load by 6 eggs which helped big time! Not "yolk"ing.
The post breakfast session was mostly on secondary roads and farm roads as we travelled in open farmland country. The hills were gentle, or nicer to us today so we made excellent time. We walked down Keen Road, which I thought was ironic as I am walking in Keen boots...... I'm a "keen" walker...... we stopped on the top of Bald Hill for a bread roll Dee had prepared for us (lightening my load by another 2 rolls) ... I'm on a "roll" now..... I pulled out the map book to check how we were doing and just get a better lay of the land. The map said we were on the wrong road and should have been about 2 km to the west. We were super confused as we had not missed a turn and had followed the Heysen Trail signs all the time. In fact we had just taken a photo of one a few metres behind us.
The route we were on was going to the same place just in a more direct line than the map route so we decided 'bugger it' and carried on the way we were going. With only 2km to go till we reached our overnight campsite at Robinson Hill we decided to carry on to Inman Valley (small town) and see what they had to offer. Sure it was a longer walk but would make the following day a short one. Thats the way the "sheep roll" over here! Pulling the "wool" over your eye's now!
We crossed into Secound Valley (must've missed the first) and spent the next 2 hours walking through (I'm horrified to say) very pleasant plantations. Taking a pic of Dee next to the biggest Gum Tree I have ever seen, a Wedge-tailed Eagle flew over.....tick..... a first for me and unmistakable with it's huge wedge tail....... AWESOME........
Other birds seen today were Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Little Corella, Eastern Rosella, Magpie, Willy Wagtail, Galah....... and a whole host of others I know but without a bird book cannot be 100% sure of so wont put them down just yet. Jeff is looking for a small Ausie bird book for me to carry with me while he is in Adelaide this week.
We hit the outskirts of Inman Valley, I sneezed, and we were heading out the otherside..... No, it is small but not that small, there are 3 shops! We are now sitting in one of them, the 'Homemade Bakery', on our second mug of coffee, second round of cakes, first icecream and 2 pee's and just about to go put our tent up. We have permission to make camp next to the Inman Valley Memorial Hall across the road. It has proper toilets (luxury for Dee) and a rainwater tank for us to fill up tomorrow.
We have put the tent up under a bit of roof overhang behind the Memorial Hall (hope theres no function tonight) next to the public toilets. The public post boxes are between the his and hers (these Ausies are strange) and we have been visited by about 16 people so far already. They come to get their post and absolutly crap themselves when we say hello from the DARK CORNER. Some have recovered enough to chat, one had a heart attack, and the other went straight into the toilets?? Anyway we should escape most of the dew tonight although I did not take into account 1st world technology and efficiency with lights on timers in public toilets.... I mean, since when do public toilets work, never mind the lights, and, to be on timers. I ASK YOU? Well at least we can see!
It has been our longest walk so far but also our easiest. The hills were gentle, the roads empty, the map wrong, the towns close and we had a Dee-lightful packed lunch and dinner!
Sorry having problems downloading so pics will com later.....
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