Peninsula: Day 17, rest day at Archer River Roadhouse...

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Saturday  31May 2025

The plan: put the feet up; give ‘em a break!

We three talk a bit. I start to catch some of our thoughts in today’s poem-ish reflection.

I went to check out another Dunny block and met Marita Hird who was cleaning out the dunnies, “The coolest dunny cleaner in Cape York” she said, & talked with me for a fair while this morning. A former Jockey trainee, who broke her neck with a fall, and couldn’t walk, still loves horses and can get about with an  amazing smile.

Marita told (& showed me) about Barefoot shoes, from Facebook… (BarefootShoesAustralia.com.au). This could be helpful for me to express post to Weipa Post Office 4874, to be collected with appropriate ID (and she mentioned  authentic super-sox $25.00 made of something like? Kevlar?). She gave us a hand getting a bit of firewood, and on hearing that we were nearly out, and couldn’t replenish them, Marita gave us half a bag of good coffee beans, and was a neighbourly neighbour with advice and helpful stuff for charging our batteries, and getting drinking water for when we leave. Thanks heaps Marita for your openness, & amazing thoughtfulness. I feel like we are together “following the golden thread”.

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Lovely “..king breaky” up at the Roadhouse together for lunch….

Some thoughts after hearing some news from Scotland on WhatsApp.

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Afternoon around 4pm,  I was walking past one of the ~45-50 caravans that had arrived since 11am (when it was empty apart from us) and the bloke waved and we got talking… they asked about the walk, knew more than anyone would from just looking, e.g. my name was Paul Walker; they were Walker's too, Greg & Susan. They offered me a drink with them. 

Then Dave came looking for me and joined us, and their neighbours (Susan & Mark Blair - in the middle) joined in… all from the Whitsunday coast near Proserpine.

I got to have a go at drawing Greg & Mark. I ended up drawing their distant relatives. Oh well. - "One hole in the ground!"(As my support crew say)

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Swim? … Yes! And lovely too, in the clear, cool water running 1 or 2 foot (300-600mm) deep. Ethan was our "spotter" (armed with a short blunt stick). No crocs seen, & the locals say just now, just here, is safe to swim. We made it! Hurray. Might see you again.

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Peninsula: Day 16, from 26km past Coen, for ~25km towards The Archer River Roadhouse (with ~16km to go}

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Friday  30May 2025

The plan was to be up before 5am, , pack and drive, but a few mistakes and we were diving out of our camping site @6:50am, so we decided to wait till the General store opened at 7am to get coffee & fill up with fuel. But by 7:20 when the shop hadn’t opened, we decided to get going. And minimizing our stops we made it through the day. A grader driver and his mate up in the grader, stopped the grader 

and walked over to say G’day and give us a “wurthers original” caramel candy 

to suck and keep up energy. Thanks very much you driver, and mate who waved. 

Listened to an audio book or two,made and listened to some recordings, 

We got around 25 km walked, with both lunch and dinner bought at the Archer River Roadhouse. Tomorrow is planned for a rest day, then Sunday morning we plan to walk in before breaky, have breaky, pack up and move…

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Peninsula: Day 15, from Coen, for ~25km

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Thursday 29 May 2025

The plan: 

Up just before 5am, after toiletries and bandaids I’m on the road by 5:45am..

Dave came to join me for breaky around 8:30am., when I had done 10 km. then the plan is that I’ll walk from ~9:15 for 4 km till a water stop, then another 4 km till a lunch stop.  

Johnny from the other night who gave Dave & I the cold drinks the South side of Coen, stopped again going South, to see how far I thought I might get today…

At first his face looked familiar, but nowadays every second person does & the other night was in the dark, then I noticed the truck, and his sewn name on his work shirt, as he said “Don’t you remember me?”, and it all came back. Felt a bit silly. But thanks for your persistence and interest Johnny! His truck as he moved off (I keep forgetting to get the person, while I’m talking to them):

Johnny said too, that we might get reception 10 km further on with the airport coming up. Good to know. I’ll try those calls I need to catch up on, now then.

Dave is waiting [listening to a podcast (& taking notes) ]at the water stop after the coffee break:

Thanks mate!

We have a bit of a conversation, share something about what we’ve listening to/ thinking about; and I’m off again ~11am. Probably just walk until 12noon.

Back to base. A pie for lunch and cold drink, we do some shopping, the washing, go for a swim, then I wander off looking for something to make another layer in my sandles…

The publican (Fabrizio) 

& his pommie fiancée (Skye) at the Exchange Hotel were amazing helps… she got me cardboard and he got some scraps of outdoor carpet, and scissors & paint pen, to make 2 layers under the inner soles of my sandles. Thanks Fabrizio, & Skye.

And I had a go at drawing him at the bar; I’ll see if tonight I can get a picture of his picture to put here and let you judge it's worth…

Yup… 

Some times I have a real gift for doing people’s distant relations/ cousins…

Maybe this is one of them… oh well, thanks for your help mate, and for a great place to stay, food and drink, the chance to hear a little bit of your story, (and see some of those pics of Easter Island etc.). All the best in your travels after December…

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~4:40pm I’m having a last swig of water & I’m on the road again, @18.5 km past Coen. Dave is driving off another 5 km ahead, to wait so I can have a water stop there. Then do that again, and see if I can get 10km more in today. That will make the aim for today of 28km. (I am trying to add 1 km each day, from about 23km.)

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So with a bit of reception it's time to catch up with calls, emails, texts, voice-mails, and audio-book downloads. Nothing tomorrow, I assume. Though the Archer River Roadhouse is where we hope to stay tomorrow night, even if I don't make it walking there, in which case I’ll have to be dropped back to where I got to the day before on the following morning, & it may have wifi to share?

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Lovely walking with some shade from clouds & a bit of breeze. A lot of little creeks, (and at times cattle wandering over the road ahead of me) eg.

And looking left as I cross it:

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Big (2-3m tall) and small (<=1m tall) white-ant nests galore, for km after km, after km. (Often looking like big tomb-stones, or if they have many turrets, like little castles) e.g.:

Another ute stopped with a Fire Services fellow in it, (for a quick chat, seeing that I was ok) who had come from Weipa, after visiting Mapoon (North of Weipa) in the morning and Arakun (South of Weipa) afterwords. Thanks for tuning in ol’mate.

On my right looking back I found this sign:

And 50m down the Road while I was talking with a nephew who rang to catch up, on the left a similar sign had W240 (Weipa, 240 km). The next sign, about 2 km further, said “Weipa 207 km”  (That was either a quick 30km, or someone’s mistake??)

Then before 6pm I came to the end of the bitumen,

and later a road- side sign on the left:

The kitchen shuts at 7 (not 7:30pm) tonight… so we had to stop early at 26.1 km. But a lovely chicken burger, pack the big stuff that we can, fuel the car from a jerry can (the fuel stop shuts at 7pm) and bed by 10pm

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Peninsula: Day 14, from c to Coen (27 km)

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Wednesday 28 May 2025

Some time in the night to finish thinking about having troubles in this world, and playing with the thoughts in a poemish way, called "Bridge over troubled waters" (sorry Simon and Garfunkel, I was thinking of an old "Negro Spiritual" song we used to hear as kids)..

Didn’t get onto the road till about 5:45am. Dave joined me after he and Ethan had packed up the camp then driven to about the 5 km mark, then a further 3 or 4 for our breaky stop, Then we walked 2 lots of 4 km (talking, checking each other’s quotes, singing, and listening to an audio-book, before our Lunch stop, about 8km from Coen here:

We drove the 8 km into town to have a counter meal at the Exchange Hotel in Coen, booked in to have a camping site by the creek at the back of the pub, set up camp, did some shopping, got coins for the washing, and hung it out in time to hit the road again. Hopefully back in time to see the State of Origin starting at 8pm. In fact we did get back by 7:15pm, and Ethan had ordered dinner, chicken Parmies all round. Showers, State of Origin. Back to bed. Up early, to walk on.

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Peninsula: Day 13, from b to c (about 26 km)

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Tuesday 27 May 2025

Though I was up by 5am, it took an hour to make up for a mistake this morning, so I wasn’t walking on the road till 6:30am. Dave was planning to drive back, give Ethan a bit of a sleep in, then pack up camp, catch me for breaky on the road, and continue into Coen to look for a cabin in a Van Park, or a Pub room, or motel room. Then come back and either camp in our campervan tonight where I get to, or collect me & take me into Coen too.

They come by me around 8:30am.

Breaky… walk… water breaks every ~4 km, still every hour or so someone would stop to check we were ok. We took a 600ml water to share from the last bloke. Thanks everyone for your thoughtfulness of everyone-else on the road. A great morning walking, talking, listening to a small 10 hr. audio-book together by Dallas Willard. And lunch break at ~12:15pm when we reached here:

In Kulpa country. Then we drove a further 8 or 9 km to a spot where we put up the camper for lunch (& the night). Washed/ hung out clothes, had a rest, then after 4 pm we drove back to our last walked to spot to walk back to camp. Ethan has been offering to go 4 km further , where we can get another drink, drop off hats, pick up head torch, and then walk the remaining 4 km to camp, where Ethan would have the water in the kettle ready to put on . We must have had 5 or 6 folk slow down and check that we were ok. And Johnny, near the end offered us a cold drink each, which we eagerly accepted, and finished as we walked into camp. Thanks Johnny!

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Peninsula: Day 12, from a to b..

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Monday 26 May 2025..

Try to get back to spot we left off last night by 6:45am

Ethan Davies [a member of my 2 man walking buddies/ support crew, (who has been swapping those two tasks daily with Dave Holley) has somehow caught a cold/cough and he didn’t want to pass it on to us, so today he walked separately from me, on his own. Did our walk carry no pack, but support vehicle gives a quick break for water at around 4km, then drives ahead another 4 km and gets things ready for a coffee (breaky break). Then do all that again covering another 8 km. Today we got to our lunch spot around 12noon, having done ~16 km so far in the day. I am not pushing so hard, ambling along, talking, singing, trying Tarzan vines out, trying to get through the little creeks without soaking my bandaids - to let the blisters dry out a bit; and my legs are not blowing up as much. 

So now I am making 25 km each day, and might be able to add 1 km each day to the daily total (?) Thanks to creative love for the gentle breezes, cloud cover, and sometimes light rain that is pleasant to walk through & dampens the dust a bit.

Two of us had a swim in the creek close to our camp site….

Headed off after our big break at 4:15pm, and within 5 min met Thomas Boseun, who at first sped past me in a cloud of dust (obviously in a hurry?

he  thought I was a traffic bollard on the edge of the road, then when he got closer he saw it move), so he stopped and came back to apologize for dusting me up (to check I was ok & to talk for a bit. Come from Weipa. Wow, a thoughtful human eh. Thanks Thomas!

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Before 5pm I came across a little floodway over an beautiful creek. No need for new technology for creek crossing to keep bandaids dry. But look at this little creek! Left hand view:

Righthand view:

Oh, these views are so pathetic, when compared to the clear streams you actually see, and feel. That is wide clear water about 250mm deep, over sand, not muddy water.

On the way up the hill after walking over the floodway, I saw this little plant we used to play with in Rockhampton growing up: At first it looked something  like this:

After me lightly toughing the little lines of leaves, it would fold it's leaves up to look like this:

Quite a colour change. Then they open them up again after a few minutes… Interesting eh? (If you’ve read any of Brandon Sanderson’s novels, this and other plants like it probably sparked some of his planetary ecosystems)

Ethan pick d me up soon after 7pm, and we got back to camp looking forward to Dave’s cooking, but we had the gas burners in the car, so Dave then started cooking. And it started raining. Ethan was already in bed, and ate about half of of his dinner. (& at breaky he had only  eaten half of his breaky). We’re thinking about driving him into Coen tomorrow morning. He suggests sleeping in our tent, in order not to pass on his sickness to us. We decide we decide that we’d all be wet, including the inside of the tent, if we tried to put it up in this rain, and that I’ll swap with him, so he can stay where he is, and sleep on his own tonight, then we’ll try for a bed in a room tonight in Coen for him tomorrow. 

We roll down some of the tent flaps that were now letting more than breeze in, & Dinner around 8pm..  lights out by nine.

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Peninsula: Day 11, from Musgrave to..

Peninsula: Day 11, from ~Musgrave to 31.5km down the road towards Coen

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Sunday 25 May 2025

Up ~6am, Dave dropped me off at the point I finished at on Friday by ~6:45am< and I walked …

10km of dirt, looking forwards:

Looking backwards:

with a lightened backpack, and stopped ~8:20am having done just under 8 km. The lads had waited till the kitchen opened and got us each a double bacon and egg burger, which was still warm, and made fresh coffee for a magnificent breaky. 

Off again soon after nine, we walked with breaks every hour of so for water, up, the Great Dividing Range… 

and a break at 2 hours for putting feet up… past creeks and watery copses of trees: 

we arrived at our lunch spot, where Ethan was parked, by 12 noon, put up camper-trailer for long break in the heat of the day. Started again at 4:40pm, and picked up 31.5km from Musgrave Roadhouse, 

picked up at ~7:20pm for dinner, then early bed, by 9:30pm

My feet are less sore, my ankles less puffy. Amazing cool day, mostly overcast with light drizzle 4 or 5 times. A Sunday amble (~25km) - beautiful day.

Lovely time talking as we walked.  Ambling along. Thanks to all walking partners and supporters.

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Peninsula: Day 10, (a rest day on the week-end - in civilization - Musgrave Roadhouse (Yarraden).

Day 10, (a rest day on the week-end - in civilization - Musgrave Roadhouse (Yarraden).

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Some thoughts on what Dave and I were talking about yesterday… (& some NRL images on the big screen) popped into a poem (a dream) in the wee hours of the morning, then I slept in till around 9am! Up and a cold mandarine and hot coffee. Lovely!

Met Ed, from Peru collecting the rubbish, a good worker, polite, courteous, and personable. Thanks for keeping the place clean Ed.

Then I put my feet up again, & edited some blog stuff, while Dave explored the creek where folk had mentioned there were some f.w. crocks. 

As well as meals, shower, & talking to people as we meet them, we have some Jobs for this day of rest near civilization..

• Washing clothes -Done

• Reading an article together by C.S.Lewis on “Myth became Fact”  -Done (over lunch).

• Resting feet, but using them a bit.  -Done

• Learning to recall, as stage 1 of learning to meditate…  on a little letter written in the second half of the first Century by one of the last eye-witnesses of Jesus of Nazareth, who had dropped everything to follow him. (2John)  -Done some of…

• Fill up our drinking water tank.  -Done

• See at least one fresh water (f.w.) crocodile…  -Done

During the day we found out that the owner feeds the crocs (& turtles) that come for food at the corner of a dam at the back of the camp ground, so Dave & I went early and heard a bunch of stories from 

Retired Joe from Mackay who was here last year, and filled us in on up here, pointed out the 6 f/w crocs in the water  beside us,

We saw the backs and eyes and nostrils of 5 or 6, Can you make any out?

And Joe told us about the Barra farm at Currumba etc. Thanks Joe. 

We decided to have a look when the owner feeds these crocs around 5pm this Arvo...and then with Ethan, we went again at ~5pm, they’d all been fed by then, but a swag were sitting around on the bank hopeful, while people stayed to watch…

The near empty camp ground was ¾ full before dinner, so we went early to dinner to get it over quickly.

At dinner, before we sat down, a Chinese tourist came to the counter beside us, asking if he could buy an adaptor for the Chinese/American two parallel pronged plug to charge his phone. They could not help. I talked to him as we walked past, and (after checking if his charger could handle 240 V as well as 110 V) with help from Ethan’s multi-tool, we did some outback mechanics to make it fit perfectly. Haimin was very pleased and we were glad to help. 

After dinner we had a drink, an adapted version of the card game “Tens”, & read a page or two of Dave’s book on leadership. Rich time .

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Unless there pops up some good reason to hang around a bit, we’re expecting to move on,  first thing in the morning (Sunday) and make 3 stops, every 25km, before hitting Coen on Thursday night.

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Peninsula; Day 9: to Musgrave…

Peninsula; Day 9: to Musgrave…

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Friday 23May’25

Up around 6am to tend blisters, then I started walking about 6:25am, 

Here’s our camp (blue camper left of centre) - looking back..

Out on the road there was this sign: 

Heartening. (Maybe for lunch)..

Dave and Ethan were going to sleep in 30 min, then pack camp and catch me to drop Ethan off and give me water around 7:30 or 8am, then Dave would go ahead 4 more km and get coffee & breaky ready. Just before Dave the Road crossed this little idyllic creek:

Breaky was left-overs from the Cheesy Pasta we had last night. (Tasty), & coffee!

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Ethan generally walked ahead today (& carried the UHF for me). We made it by lunch to Musgrave Roadhouse...