PeninsulaDay46(Mon, 30/6/’25)

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From last night’s campsite (66km from Bramwell Station Roadhouse) towards the Jardine river ferry [109km to go (with a 6km detour to swim at Fruit-bat falls) at start of day]

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On the road ~5:45am…

Thanks for a new day.

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After two hours of beautiful walking in mist-like rain, with a cool breeze, and not a scrap of dust… I have walked 9 km, & now have 100km to go to the Jardine ferry, and 47km to the picnic area at FbF.

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Graeme & Anne, whom I met a few days ago, had run out of fruit and bread, but offered me some cheese, a tin of peaches, and a fresh aeropress coffee! While stopped I looked around for me hat, to exchange for my head-torch. Couldn’t find it anywhere… that’s strange…

Anne and Graeme a chance to do a (not so flattering drawing - sorry Anne) drawing for the day, and some of their amazing story… Graeme is the author of the Rosie series, and Anne wrote “Glass house”, is a specialist in post-partum depression etc, & they captured a little video and some pictures .. 

Thanks you two,  for your - connecting and “blessings”.

Danni, Brooke, & the kids, a bit later, stopped as promised, with a pie and hot coffee! To which they added a box of Shapes, and… wait for it… my hat/cap, 

(which must have blown off the trolley, but they recognised it, and went back and got it for me) Remi let me practice my drawing, using her as a model. Thanks to Anne, this was one step better than the first one of the day. 

Dom and Amy from Taree stop on their way to Fruit Bat Falls tonight, and gave me a can of Pumpkin Soup.

Thanks you two for your thoughtfulness and willingness to connect.

Ralph and Marion stopped, they are riding around Aus, but  are holidaying for some weeks in a rental car… 

They give me a few apples and mandarins, a cool refreshing drink, & we swap some advice on data (from Lithuania, and from Space X) for if I am tripping the world (like them) & for them texting using Starlink while in Aus, and then they take all my rubbish!  How lovely… thanks you people. A lovely time together

About 12:20pm.. and I've spent a morning enjoying meeting people, learning from them, and glad to be put here on Earth with such amazing beings… [I would say reflecting (in the image of) their maker!] About 95km to the Ferry, so I’ve come 14km so far… would be nice to make 33km again today, but we’ll see how we go.

Meanwhile, I am developing a view of what seems to approximate to that old English word: “blessing”. Very fun! 

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Lunch (mid-day) break: 1:30pm-3pm at 18km so far today [91 km from the J.F. (via FbF)]. So another 15km after ~3pm  would take me to the goal of 33km today, & leave me at 76km yet to go to J.F. (via F-b.F). 

Food: Dry 2 min noodles (from Stephen & Diana), and sardines (from John), and an orange and mandarine (from Marion & Ralph). Thanks you people, and creative love for making up people like these, who have then chosen to work along with creative love.

Arvo waddle: 

Dinner: 

Food: Pumpkin Soup from Dom & Amy, with a Packet of Shapes from Danni & Brooke & fam,

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PenDay45(Sun 29/6/’25)

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From last night’s campsite (33km from Bramwell Station Roadhouse) towards the Jardine river ferry [142km to go (with a 6km detour to swim at Fruit-bat falls) at start of day]

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Slept in, …on the road about 6:20am.

Good morning! To all here with me.

Just a bit before sunrise:

After walking till 8:30am… a bit of a slig! Gexpecting to have done 7-10km. I check my map again to see how many km left (and take that from 142 km). From here it says only 182km to go! (???) I do think I'm going the right way… but maybe last night the map had defaulted to one of the shortcuts through the Old Tele Track? No! Found out what it was - I had added the Fruitbat falls as another point to visit but it was added as an end-point not a way-point, so it had me getting to the Jardine Ferry then doubling back to FruitbatFalls. It is really 128km… so that’s…(142-128=) 14 km done since I started on the road that s morning! Time for some breaky!

Lovely… pack up again around 9:30am to get a good 2 hr in before a middle (heat) of the day break.

Thanks for the loveliness of regularity (as well as spontenaity/ irregularity).

Stephen & Diana From Bonny Doone in Vic. stopped to say G’day 

and see if they could help, .. we got a photo… then they gave me a handful of nuts to keep going this morning, then ..

a bag of 2 min noodles for the next few days, then a classic coke to help for morning tea… Off again… they might make Archer River today then work on the locks on the van which have got a bit stuck… Thanks folk, for connecting with and blessing me.

Next… from WilliamsTown in South  Australia, 

L to R: (Back row): Sully, Esther, (front row): Finley,  Hamish, Penelope, 

Dad: Dave, Mum: Naomi,

on a “5 weeks to the Cape” adventure. And… Might get some audio books to listen to together…

They gave me a cold lemonade & a cold passionfruit drink and 3 cans of baked beans to keep me going. How good is that! Thanks people.

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John Reichenbach from (Glenlee, near) Horsham In Vic, a retired farmer. Coming up to do the tip and wandering about… (his wife flew home recently)

In his VW Touareg, taking opportunities to connect with people as he comes & goes (Told me about John Alley from Rocky … & various Christian Churches he has been involved with, and experiences of blessings and cursings)

Thanks for sharing a Sunday meal with me, and telling me bits of your story, as well as asking me regarding my own. We also discussed a bit what blessings and cursings mean, and maybe how they might work … 

And, John swapped me some sardines and tinned ham for one of my corned beef tins, that I was getting sick of.. Thanks mate!

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Back on the road by ~3:10pm..

About 4:30pm, a family carload stop to check out what on Earth I am doing… 

Danni, Brooke, Larni, Remi, Deegan, Kobi (left to right). will bring a drink and a pie with them tomorrow, and, I am going to try to do a drawing of the Mum & Dad overnight for them to take tomorrow. What fun.

Just after 6pm who should I meet driving from in front towards me … but 

They’ve swapped drivers now, Shawn and Leah, followed by her Dad, Darren Adams & Mum, Helen, (& their dog) who  made it to the Tip! They showed me a picture of the whole 5 at the tip (yesterday or this morning?). Now they head back to Bramwell, then on to The Savannah Way, through Darwin to Broome.. Thanks for the nut bar and mineral water too Darren. May you folk be blessed with love and truth in all your  relationships: especially family and friendships.

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PenDay44(Sat 28/6/’25)

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From last night’s campsite towards the Jardine river ferry (by my map ~145 km to go at start of day)

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On to the road at ~6am, after some kilometres at 7 a.m. i found a little creek going across the road 

 

 and wash my clothes and myself in it feeling much better i'm back on the road at 8 a.m. 

The name of the creek looks familiar

I don't secure my tent door mat ( a DMR transport flag found in the grass on the side of the road) & lose it along the way. I have to decide whether to retrace my steps about one or two km to get it. I decide against it, though it was very helpful. I have had for breaky one of the frozen sausage rolls I bought yesterday lunch for the trip, the other one must wait till I have some sauce or something. I know I'll ask Dick and Ruth when they come by, if they stop.

A few km on and Dick and Ruth, instead of coming up from behind me, from Bramwell, meet me coming from in front. They stop and ask why i'm going the wrong way? What a very disappointing thing to realise and what a very beautiful gift to receive. I realized they are not joking. 

They offer me some watermelon (which Ruth shares a bit of with me),  which was growing wild have the back of the Bramwell Roadhouse in the bush and give me an apple and a couple of cold drinks to keeping me going, as well and laugh with me in my unstable feelings: disappointment but also great gladness that they stopped me before I got further. With the overcast sky i didn't really notice where the sun was.

We wave, and look forward to any more chance meetings…  Thanks for your blessing to me.

So i get to pick up my dropped doormat on the way back, traceing the maybe 17-10km i had walked yesterday afternoon and then again this morning and have to process the disappointment as well as gladness. i remember creative love & am glad. It is beginning to rain / spit lightly again. I sing.

7 things to learn for me in response to this.

Four regarding keeping on the right direction

• on map app, wipe off any old way points I may have passed in the dark, 

• Check I have the right destination on my map app

• Draw an arrow in the dirt with my stick before making camp the night before ( on the road?)

• Check the sun when it comes up where it is… compared to which way I go

And three more general…

• Ask for wisdom before I set my direction, not after 

• Trust HESED (creative love) to even use my mistakes to connect me as I’ve asked in the past, with those creative love would like to connect me with people to whom I can be a blessing, as well as be blessed by .

• being a blessing (which will involve actions, and can involve words that are just thought of, and words that are spoken, and both) is more important than what I get out of something, since that’s why I’ve made!

Then, a convoy of two vehicles stops to say G’day, the daughter and her boyfriend greet first, and ask if they can give me some water or watermellon, they were told about me by Karsten & Maxine too… & the Dad ( the driver of the second vehicle, the bus)  gives me a $10 donation to give for him to my choice of the two causes I am speaking positively about, Movember or the Bible Society. 

Thanks… ( I heard their names but neglected to write them down immediately, and with the line up of people I have forgotten your names by lunch time when I am writing this up. Sorry. So I’ll just have to make  your gift anonymous. Thanks heaps though for the offers of water Mellon, water, and money for a good cause. 

My last donation like that, I gave the donation to Movember, so I think this one I’ll give to the Bible Society, though many people haven’t even heard of them….

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Paul, Javier, Noakai, Keisha, (left to right) from the Tweed coast, heading to a secret location for a family fishing adventure, stop, give me an apple and hear a bit of each other’s stories:

Thanks for stopping to connect. I tell them the blessing I am giving every car I pass and that passes me… Learn to  Love and keep their word (personal truth) with Family and friends ..

They drive off, and Ron & Grace Hurst, stop going South:

They are (voluntary) Environment Beach Cleaners, they pick up ghost nets, bottles, plastic, most things that wash up, & they have 1& ½ ton on their trailor, where they recycle or get rid of them. Been married over 40 yrs.

John from Cairns just bought this boat and is delivering it to Bamagar near the tip, just checking I'm ok.

Thanks mate.

~10:30am I get to where I camped last night, & Karsten & Maxine etc in the OKA and The Combi, stop to say G’day again and drop 2 cold drinks off too. 

Here is Zuri & his Dad, Karsten, who are in the Combi.. (that made Gunshot yesterday).

Thanks for connecting in the adventure…

Shortly after, a car slowed and asked if I needed water. Two authors (Anne & Graeme, a couple) who were travelling to Billy’s landing for a few days, 

and had written two books based on the France, Spain, & Portugal, the Comina de campostella ( extended versions of which they had twice walked). 

We talked for a while and they left me with some sliced  beautiful thick brown bread, a big block of cheese and an apple. Thanks you two for bringing that spirit of family hospitality from the Camino pilgrimage in Europe, back to Australia. Thanks for the time talking, the food, and the advice from your research too.

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Yesterday I walked about (10km + about 15km =) 25km, today if I make it to 33km out from Bramwell, with my walking the 7½ km of walking the wrong way this morning, I will have walked 33km.

A lunch break from 2pm-3:15Pm.

Then…

Simon and Maureen from Adelaide stop to connect a bit, been at the tip for three days, heading back down to Adelaide, to wash the car, see the grandkids, go to the footy, & get ready to head over to Perth later this year. They give Fruit-bat falls a plug - worth a look and a swim there, & only 2.5km in.

They give me three home baked Anzac bickies. Arvo tea! Thanks you two. And for your time connecting. May all your relationships benefit from thoughtfulness and honesty.

A couple travelling from Denmark in W.A. travelling around for 15 months so far, have some wisdom to pass on: “Be in nature to spark joy.” Here is Dane, 

and then he gave me a cold can of  refreshing drink. Thanks to both of you, and all the best on your travels and letting the spirit of the big eco-system seep further into you sincerity and both tender & clockwork commitment to your word. Thanks for slowing down to connect.

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Peninsula Day 43 (Fri)

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From last night’s campsite to Bramwell’s Road house .. & beyond..

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On to the road at 5:51am, 11 km to go (which means I did (42-11=)31km yesterday. Ok.

Richard and Kylie who gave me an apple yesterday morning stopped to say G’day and say they haven’t any apples left….

They said they’d wait for me at the Tip. (So I’d better get a move on). I said they’d better not, but see me on the way down! Thanks for continuing the contact.

Wow. The last two car- caravans passing me slow right down to just above walking pace to pass me and then spend up again. That really minimizes dust. But you couldn’t do that  all day. .. (maybe they aren’t passing Walker's on this road more than once a day? Others zip past at 100km. Some wine windows down to wave. Some lift a finger. Some look forward. How different are we in experience, worlds in our head etc. .??

A car load in convoy from Bendigo (Left to right: Zack (family friend), Levi, Tony, & Tracee,) from Bendigo stopped again, after yesterday

… to say G’day and get a photo together

6 week away from home for this trip. With other families. What fun. They had a bit of time, & might have more on the way back..? Thanks for connecting.

Back on the road again…

3.1km to go to Bramwell Roadhouse 

Other ways of getting here might have been used (if I kept walking):

Made it before 10am to Bramwell Roadhouse, 

I meet Karsten and Jack, and Stu. too. If I'm here tonight I hope to see them again.

Then in the camping grounds Stu. Points me to Jamie: 

who gives me some tips about the Old Tele Track, I'll need to let him know before I go if I want to get a lift back (on the Tele track) tonight… …

Mark and Melissa run this Roadhouse. I get a large coffee and two pies (which turns out to be three - oh well, I know what’s for lunch.).

I’ve got maybe an hour to work out which way to go… 

• The old tele track 72km, meaning ~210km to the tip, through New Mapoon, or 

• the alternative, detour. (111km), meaning ~245km to go to the tip, through New Mapoon,

either way will be fun, either way I’ll need to keep relying on my walking partner, hesed (thoughtful commitment, loving-kindness, family love).

This Roadhouse doesn’t sell any of the food things I was expecting (like noodles, cans of soup, soap, savlon etc) yeek! I can’t stay around here then .. I'll need to get going soon… if you pray, pray for wisdom from above (above me, and my ways) for me.. please.

Just before I head Scott pops over to me, and then his two boys join him. They have rooted to me twice in the last day or so, and are interested to hear something about me… 

I try drawing Patrick 

Then Sam (but I forgot to take a pic of the three of them). Thanks for connecting Scott.

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Off on the road at 1pm - doing the bipass, might need to catch a lift with Johnny’s mob on Monday or Tuesday to the Jardine ferry to get more provisions, then catch a lift back to my trolley again to complete it… See how we go.. 

Yusei (You say…), from Japan, 

Met on his Surly bicycle travelling from Sydney to the tip… we talked a bit together, then had to part..

Many people slow (or stop) to check how I’m going. Ruth and Dick from Forster (near the Northern Central coast of NSW), stopped. They’d been to Gunshot today and saw Karsten's Combie make it through. They stocked me with the thing I couldn’t have bought at most Roadhouse … fresh fruit: 3 mandarins and two avocados…. How good. I added them to my cold pie and that was dinner! Living like a king! Thanks for your generosity you two. While I’m writing this the overcast sky Letts a little rain out - enough to cover the screen of my phone but no more, and I'm hoping enough to lay some dust. I might try and walk till it gets dusty again (or untill I’ve done 28 or 30km for the day). Here goes…

About 6pm I met Beau, Bronson, Mark, Mick Pizzardi, & Leam,  who offered me a cold refreshing drink for the end of the day., 

joined after the photo by Sam, Will, and Brad 

As I was going Mark brought me a slab of what he assures me is  “the best ham in the country” (precooked, and ready to go), from Marsh’s Butchery in Stratford, Cairns.

I plan to have that tomorrow for lunch, after my thawed out sausage rolls which I plan to have for breaky.

Maybe I will have enough food to make it to the Jardine Ferry?

Thanks to my walking partner for making people like these who’ll stop and catch up with an old blokes and share their good things with him. Thanks heaps. Yee har!

In bed before 8:30pm having only walked 25 km today, but with the disruption of sorting things out at Bramwell Junction. If I can walk 30km (or more) for each of the next 5 days, I should be able to get to the Jardine River Ferry & camping grounds (where petrol, and water & maybe some food stuffs might be bought) that afternoon before 5pm. Then another ~42km to Bamagar and 2km more to New Mapoon, where I want to have a full or at least half a rest day. If I can arrive in New Mapoon by lunch Friday 4th then stay in the Bamagar pub that night if I can’t find anywhere else, then leave my gear there and if I can book a taxi or someone to come and get me at 7pm Sat, leave early Sat for the Tip, and catch a lift back, since there is ~42km to the tip. Then Church at Bamagar, and Monday around New Mapoon, & see Joe on Monday night in Bamagar.

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I’ll Repost in about 3 or 7 days.. when I get wifi again..

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Pen.Day42(Thurs)

PeninsularDay42(Thurs)

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Thursday26Jun’25 from Moreton Telegraph Station camping Grounds on the Wenlock River towards Bramwell Roadhouse…

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Up around 5am and hope to be off by 5:30am., but in fact it is 6:15 am by the time i get going 

Hope to make the 9km to the truck stopping point on the side of the road (the road is wider every so many km, maybe 25km, for truckers to be able to check loads or take a break) for my breaky stop. Rats! No Muesli bars or toasted Muesli etc.!

About 8:45am Ash & his Dad, & their convoy car following stop as they pass me on the way to the Telegraph track, they (3) do it every year & counsel me against walking it with a trolley. Too much deep mud and water at or over top of tyres.

A couple from Geelong just been to the tip, stop to say G’day for 2 min, 

then back on our way ..

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Breaky break 9:15am; ~9km so far today… lovely spot.

Then off at 10am..

Richard & Kylie stop and ask similar before lunch, they give me an apple.

Thanks to you generous people. It’s hard to get fruit walking.. (Kylie gave me her blog/Facebook link too)

A couple of hours down the track, after lunch I think, Loz and Trevor from Gippsland meet me heading South, and offer water… 

& give me a banana and apple. Thanks you two. Just what I was wishing for… some fruit, & it kept me going…

Karsten & Jack (left to right) stop in their OKA (the only Australian made vehicle nowadays), and offer me a cold refreshing drink… how lovely is that.. 

5:40pm walking along (with all my company) sharing a cold beverage… 

they’ll book me in to camp at the Bramwell Road-house too. I might get in  around 8 or 9 pm??? Thanks men.

They think that people might be willing to drop my trolley off 25km down the track on the right…. From what Ash & his Dad told me, it’s only really if that happens, that I think it might be possible. We’ll see..

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Woah.. look at that hill coming up… the remaining 14 km and that hill might nock my feet and other parts out for tomorrow… what to do? I decide that if someone comes the same way, and stops, and asks if they can help, I will ask them to let the Roadhouse people I won’t be in till tomorrow.

Britney & Josh come from behind & stop to check if I’m ok

I ask if they are going to Bramwell Roadhouse, and they say “Yes”. 

I ask if they could pass on to the owners that (though Karsten & Jack kindly booked me in) I won’t now be there till tomorrow morning. They are happy to. How good is that! Thanks you two! 

Oh, after they go,  I realized that I should have asked them to pass that on to Karsten & Jack too, so they aren’t wondering what happened to me. Rats! I missed the next car that came along going North, but the one after that was going to the Bramwell Tourist Park, not the Bramwell Roadhouse, so were of no use. I hope Karsten & Jack might imagine what happened, or get a message from the owners/ managers or Britney & Josh, and not stay up late, or come out looking for me, 

And….

Thank you to 

you know who.

Now I do

what I love to.

Go to sleep 

in the keep

of love.

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Tent, dinner, wash, Off to bed before 8pm… tired, but tossed and turned till ~11pm.

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Pen.Day41Wed 25/06/2025 C.E.

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I can’t go at 5 or 6am, because I have to “fix it up in the morning” re my $20-$25 camp fees. 

How good is that!

So, I lie in my tent learning as I reflect &  write up yesterday’s blog (which during the day somehow got lost in the Internet Ether).

Better get up it's 8:05am…

Got talking to Murray; 

whose wife, like mine is backing his solo attempt to make it to the tip.

Mac served me, and asked if I wanted my battery charger and battery (in my hand) plugged in… (thanks!)

while I sat etc… and paid my $25 for my unpowered campsite, bought two pies, and a flat white coffee (with one sugar), and internet for 2 hours. The next spot to stop that might be good beak between here and Bramwell (in 42km), might be a truck pull over spot at a dip in the middle, water on both sides. We’ll see. I’ll have to decide whether to stay for an extra night here, or push on by around 10am. Might depend on whether it’s overcast today or not. Can I leave that to you, my senior walking partner, to sort out?

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The folk here help me think of how I might refurbish my trolley lid in tatters,

and give me some of their gorilla tape to do it (both sides), so I decide to stay for the day, and fix the lid… (carefully cleaning both sides first). 

The plan is, that after fixing the lid, I’ll follow the thread, and maybe even loll about writing and posting this blog, and try to head off early tomorrow morning..

In this process, Chris & David (left to right) from Melbourne walk by, to say G’day…

We might meet as they return? [Rats! I missed hearing much of their story… (a lot to learn there. Help me grow - thoughtful commitment, please.)] Thanks men for a bit of your time.

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Johnny from Cawarral near Rocky, said G’day. I was a Rocky boy - 50 yrs ago.

Johnny managers MTQ, which makes turbo chargers for big diesel equipment in the mines around Central Queensland (e.g.  Blackwater, Moura etc). 

Thanks for stopping to talk, and share a bit of life together. 

He’s in a convoy going to the tip with his Family [I’m still learning to actively listen. One step at a time. A good time connecting as we pass by. ]

 (6 cars & vans driving out, and someone-else’ car in the foreground,- with my tent and trolley in front of that in front, middle):

I find an amazing book:

Compact, plastic sleeve covered, it is amazingly full… and in full colour, e.g. 

Small, and easily worth the $30.00, but heavy… I bought it, but now wonder what I’ll do with the additional weight.

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I’ve got thread, but no needle to sew my plastic “snakeskin” cover onto the cardboard trolley lid. The lady who owns the lease for the store, Wendy, gets a needle for me to sew them together:

I’ll also need a set of pliers (which I have, in my multi-tool), then black electrical tape (which I found looking for stuff this morning) to cover the sewing…

How good is that.

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Lunch time, here at the kiosk… (with tent in heat, in background)

I'll try a pie with peas, and sausage roll. And another coffee, or a cold coffee, if they have one(?)

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Grumpy (christened Guy) and Kerry, who work as helpers to Mike and his wife who run this lease (with the help of their grandson Mac for some time each of  the last five(?) years),  were very helpful, and brought an extra box to help with the lid…

Kerry got me two needles, and I taped and sewed the plastic cover to the cardboard box.. not to bad really. An all day job, along with meeting the blokes mentioned above and Ken from Perth… [sadly I missed getting a pic of Grumpy& Kerry, and Ken.]

Managed to get Mac with his granddad Mike:

A good time catching up with Ash from Melbourne who has done this trip with family about 5 times now.. I got his word on me taking my trolley on the Old Telegraph road from Bramwell. .. Not fully against it, but he thinks it would be hard to take the trolley..

Thanks for your time Ash.

I hope to get going early in the morning to minimise dust… wouldn’t it be nice if it rained lightly tonight? We’ll see.

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After ringing my lady late, I went for a shower and met (talking over the shower cubicles) Gerard:

from Sydney who is with 5 car-loads heading from Sydney and Brisbane, to The Tip, and he offered me his own Our Lady’s Scapular - a small piece of thick cloth with writing on it, on a neck band, to protect me “from eternal fire” it said on it. He was very fine if I’d rather not take it. I wanted to honour his thoughtfulness, yet I felt like I couldn’t wear it with integrity, so I declined. But afterwards I realized that this time with Gerard could have been a chance for me to ask him what it means to him & how he uses it? And this may have led to me understanding him and his stance better (no promises, but the option I took may have been a push away, rather  than a response to grow understanding). Rats! Another missed opportunity to connect in reality. Please thoughtful commitment and creative love give me another chance in the next 24 hr.

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