Daily distance: 17.5km
Total distance:596.71km
This morning dawned bright and cheerful with not a cloud in the sky nor breeze in the air. Makes a change from the gale that was blowing for most of the night. We, however did not feel the wind as the shelter is deep.
We started early with the intention of heading all the way into Hallett if we were feeling good and the weather held. The country was wild, rugged and flat to start with and got a bit hillier as we headed further north. We passed the ruins of the old Thomas hut and turned west into the Tourillie Gorge. This is a natural creek bed through the hills where a road was made in 1850 to accomodate wagons. It is unbelievable to see and must have been a back breaking process in those days. Cuttings have been carved out of the rock the size of a wagon to get through, and a road has been made on the side of the cliff by stacking rocks. Amazing!
The weather through the gorge was brilliant, and we both sectretly thaught this was it, we would make it into Hallet tonight and be at the pub having a pint and some grub. Well we came out the western end of the gorge and as our heads showed themselves over the edge the wind nearly toke them off. It was an icy cold wind which means rain.... not to prove us wrong it started raining and by the time we got to the Mount Bryan East School we were both frozen and wet. Needless to say we did not carry on to Hallett but have made home here at the school. We have a fire going and are on our 4th cup of Mocha listening to the gale blowing outside.
The Mnt Bryan East School is the old school for the area, erected in the 1868. It was restored and opened again in 1988 for hikers of the Heysen Trail and cyclists of the Mawson trail to use as overnight accomodation on their respective routes. It has bunk beds to sleep about 20 people, a kitchen with a combustion stove and a lounge with a fireplace. We are putting everything to good use.
We are hoping that the gale force winds and horizontal rain blow away before we have to head off in the morning. We have no choice as we have a vehicle to meet 25km from here at 16h00 tomorrow afternoon! The route takes us over Mount Bryan which is a 1000m high peak just off to the west (cant see it now) and if the wind is like this I just hope we dont get blown off the edge! Jeff is busy doing the 'sundance'.......
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