Peninsula: Day 29 Yesterday we arrived at Mapoon; now I want to support my support crew.. take them back to Weipa for their flights today..

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Thursday 12/06/25

Ethan & Dave paid for their own ways to get to join me and return home, and then often took turns with me paying for meals and other transport and accommodation costs. Talk about a Support Crew! Sincere and heart-felt thanks go to you brothers! 

- and my darling wife who has stayed at home (with our daughter and son-in-law, and their son, our little grandson) & enabled me to be absent from my family, and the bills to continue being paid. Thank you to Katrina the beautiful. 

And the  many people mentioned so far in this blog, [like those I met yesterday: Kevin, Rowena, Bill, Aidie, Ripper, Eddie, Daphne (& her Mum), the lady who gifted us with shirts today, and Tom etc.], who helped where they could, as they could. What a privilege to share this planet with you. Thank you too, to the creative spirit of family connection who has helped orchestrate this beauty and providence within the human family we are part of. I plan today to contact 2 or three who have suggested we meet up in Weipa, if/when I get there. Here is such a day.

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Peninsula: Day 28 from ~15km out, to Mapoon

Peninsula: Day 28 from … to …

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Wednesday 11/06/25

On the road by ~5:25am, then the lads will pick me up at 8:30am, and bring me back for breaky, then we’ll walk ithe last 4 km nto town together.less than 15km from Mapoon. The road in is now bitumen. There might be a bit of moon behind the clouds…a bit more light than yesterday…

10.5 km, then Ethan picks me up for breaky @ 8:30am, then it's back to the road and walk to the "Welcome to Mapoon" sign ...

I don't think I would have made this last leg without these two..

Thanks Ethan, & Dave for supporting me in this. Thanks to Providence for providing these blokes.

This is where Dave joins us, for the three of us to walk into Mapoon (about 4 km in hot sun).

Aidie, Ripper, & Eddie stop to check us out and say G’day… 

Ripper said he saw me/ met me last year before or around Lakeland. They remind us to keep the water up. Thanks men. Hope you find your phone at the gravel pits Aidie.

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We walk the 4km into town to... The Wild Cape Cafe, where we (apart from Dave, whose wisdom teeth are playing up, and he can hardly shut his teeth together) had a Mapoon Burger, and Bundaberg Ginger beer. Then I went to finalize our camp ground booking. Bill, who was the council rep. who sorted it all out for me, then drove me back to the car and camper-trailer. Kevin from the council desk introduced me to Rowena, and Jeff (?) & took us to look at the historical and cultural and artistic centre for an hour or two, where we met Daphne and her mum, and they gave us a Mapoon designed shirt as a momento too. 

We hit the camping ground at what felt like 34°C, set up camp and then went for a walk on the beech and cold shower...

Dinner & Bed early in order to leave at 8 am to get to Weipa by 10am for Dave's flight, then Ethan wants to wash some clothes before he needs to be at the airport by ~5:30pm.  Should I take the camper-trailer with me, or just leave it here? Wisdom please, creative family love.

Now is the time to look, listen, learn about Mapoon, before deciding about any next options by Monday next week.

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Thomas Casey built the rock wall at Cullen Point, and moved back here 18months ago, his mum was born here and he was born in Normanton

And Married the grand-daughters of Jerry & Ina Hudson

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Peninsula: Day 27 walked ~25km … to 14 km from Mapoon

Tuesday 10/06/25

5:25am onto the road

After 5 min walking … Shoe problem . Low on bandaids cut a little knot out of the back of my worn sandals to see if that helps i hope the sandals don't faulter on the second last day. 

James (based in Cooktown) and Jacob (based in Mosman) stopped to check things out, 

and (they saw my support crew about 1km further on from me, so) congratulate me on a walk almost completed, and once again sing the praises of the Mapoon Burger at the Cape Cafe. They are now heading  towards Bamagar. Thanks for not only being cops, but being humans! And I hope you have a great day travelling & talking today…

Got in for breaky at 9:30am.. here’s Dave tucking in to porridge…

And Ethan:

and me with my feet up:

Then I walked with Dave, & fell into a little croc-free quarry that had filled with water, & walked wet, the last 3 km.. 

Santoi met us just after 12noon. He said he saw me a week ago around Archer. And he’s a Torres Strait Islander, an environmental Technician based in Weipa. 

He couldn’t stop on the busy road last time, but this road was less busy. Thanks for connecting Santoi.

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Lunch break, so we left Dave’s stick ( with a pink ribbon on it) against a guidepost, and drove on another 8 km (& took a quick dip in a local pool)... Cooked up a delicious hamburger each and had a resta till about 4pm. Then Ethan dropped us back to where Dave’s stick was to walk the remaining 8 km to the car…

Signs of coming closer: 

And…

Flies follow and come along for the ride:

Peninsula: Day 26 - from camping spot on Billy’s Lagoon Road, 20km East of Weipa-Mapoon Road towards Mapoon…

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Monday 09/06/25

Up a bit during night with Ethan’s whooping cough.. breathing problems.. we clean up & talk about ways forward. And adjust our plans for tomorrow.

On the road by ~5:15am. 

Breaky with Dave & Ethan at 8:30am at the 10km mark. Ethan then joins me walking for 5 km to the next water spot (no need for a pack now), and then on the next 5 km to the main drag (Weipa-Mapoon road). Then we’ll have a lunch break before I try to get at least 8 more km in this evening.

Soon after 11am, Billy Jo and Michelle (Cook) stop to say G’day and check we’re ok.

Their daughter-in-law just got second prize ($25k) in The Weipa Fishing Classic, and happy as Larry they are off to flick lures hanging out with some  Barra, with two other car-loads of friends (following). Thanks for your friendly connecting! And hope you get some Barra for dinner!

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Ethan and I listened to some of an Audio-book as we walked, and practiced a trial of doing a group meditation technique as we walked along… mmm it kind of worked. Dave waited 5 km down the road to give us water (two more times) so we didn’t need to take a pack, then we drove 9 km further pitched our camper trailer, and had a big lunch of lamb chops and potato & onion etc… lovely. Then rest until nearly 4 and another walk to get to camp.

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Peninsula: Day 25 (including some of the rest day in Weipa) from where I got to at Breakfast time yesterday… to 16.4 km closer to Mapoon…

Sunday 08/06/25

Ethan had another difficulty breathing attack around 2 am… we did some internet searching… we think it is probably Hopping Cough, and he’s probably had it for more than 3 weeks so is probably over the infectious stage, so we’ll have a go at going to the St.Luke’s Anglican/Uniting church at 9:15am. The paster Jo. was very welcoming yesterday on the phone. 

It ended up that we got to St. Luke’s and met about 16 or so folk, in a very welcoming family atmosphere, centred about loyalty to Yeshua bar Natzareth as the one christened as High King to whom all authority has been given over the Heavens and the Earth.

Jo (the pastor) & Karen were newly wedded.

They asked us to tell something of what we’d learned on the walk, so we did… and brought greetings from the local “family” group which two of us are part of in Orange, and I took notes on Jo’s exhortation to us…

They offered us lunch, which we contributed to from our car, and played the piano and drew a picture of one of the kids (Abi).

Felt like we had caught up with family.

Leo, a medico gave us some advice for Ethan, which was helpful, 

and his phone number to contact him on Thursday, before Ethan flies out that Arvo if it worsens. If it works I might get a coffee in with Jo on Thursday when I take the lads to their respective planes too.

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Then we drive back to the road where my support crew picked me up yesterday, and set up camp 16.4km in front of my ending point, so that they can drop me (us) off & I (we) can walk into camp tonight. Then I can walk on in the morning and try for 10km, then breaky, then 10km, then lunch, then set up camp 10 km further on, for me to walk into by night. That should leave a 25-30km day for Tuesday and a 10-15 km day on Wednesday….

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Peninsula: Day 24 (mostly a Rest day)

Saturday 07/06/25

Up by 5am…All my stuff packed & I’m on the track by 5:25am.

Some reflections on walking with creative love  as I walk the first 10 km of the day.

I made 10km by breaky (canned apricots & coffee) at 8:10am…

Then into the car and travel the ~120km to Weipa to suss out a campspot for a day off today. We’re keen to meet with any other Jesus followers in the area, so thought we’d try the Seventh Day Adventists since Ethan has been to one of their churches once on his travels… but none in Weipa at the moment (the paster who covers this area is in Cooktown).

We book a powered campsite at the Weipa Campground, fill up with fuel, get some coffee/hot-choc & a pie each, then after setting up the camper at 11:45am, we’ll do some shopping at Woolies and then Ethan is catching up with a friend from Bendigo who now works at the mine (week on, week off) for dinner. 

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We arrive at the camping ground and find that one of the campervan tyres is flat. We pump it up a bit and park the van, and settle into our area, do some washing, shopping, travelling to get food on the Fishing Classic weekend in Weipa, taking the van wheel off, etc, and talking with other campers who are neighbours or whom we knew from other camp grounds….

Shane, Kiah, and Banjo travelling around Australia stopped up with car problems in Weipa and spent some time talking with me in the pool. I tried my drawing skills on a portrait of Banjo, and drew his distant relative…

Then hang out the washing, and do the shopping. Rats, the 4wheel drive shop has minimal hours today (being the long weekend for the Weipa Fishing Classic) and we are an hour too late

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Greg & Sue Walker andMark & Sue Blair whom we met at Archer River RoadHouse were here and Mark and Sue had a drink with me and put some of our drinks in their fridge for us, and Mark helped me work out what to do with the campervan tyre, then gave us some more drinks for the road. Thanks Mark.

Greg and Sue had checked out Mapoon this Arvo and we sat and talked for a while after the sun set. I sat on their visitor’s chair in front of the chain. Thanks for your time and stories too, you two. We might see more of each other…

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Peninsula: Day 23, .. from ..the Batavia Downs turn off and the start of York Downs - towards Mapoon via a "short cut" (32km less)

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Friday 06/06/25

Ethan one of the support crew, had some difficulty breathing/ coughing, in a spasm… We had to work out what to do… … get a prognosis, … make up a couple of contingency plans, depending on how he makes the rest of the night… 

No more issues, so I’ll still get up just before 5am & leave them  to sleep in, 

Dave will come and get me, if necessary, otherwise they’ll pack & join me for breaky at ~8:30am, and we we’ll decide whether to drive to Weipa then, or at lunch time. Thoughtfulness, we need your wisdom 

On the road by 5:15am

Back to dirt road again, 

Very dusty when cars pass (either way).

About 6:15am a ute travelling away from Weipa stops to check I’m ok. And I meet Tim:..

Who works for the department of Housing (returning a 4x4 ute to Cairns), at Mapoon. He says I’m in for a treat. And to tuck in to one of those Mapoon Burger's at the Cafe open three hours a day.

Heaps of questions come to me to ask him, after he’s left. Like what about this short-cut to Mapoon coming up on our right? Does it still go through? Does he know Jane (my wife’s good school friend who first told us about Mapoon, and gave me a Mapoon Day Tee-shirt, that got me thinking about Mapoon)? …

Well, Dwayne & Mary stopped on their way to fossic around the Wenlock for gold today, 

and filled me in about the short-cut road to Mapoon coming up, and said “Yup, it goes through! (past Billy’s) Not sure how some of the little crossings would have fared the wet, but..” … (implying take it easy, be careful… the road does exist and goes through). Thanks Dwayne and Mary. How good news is that! Hope you strike it rich today! (I think I already have! - thanks to that “principle of generous thoughtfulness” behind, throughout, and within this world, at work in people like Dwayne & Mary. Gold hidden in plain sight amongst the corrugated sands of the Weipa road.

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7:50am.. trying to make the turn off before breaky…

I come to the turn off, but nearly miss it (no signs) so leave a sign on a guidepost for David & Ethan, That they couldn’t miss:

… Or could they?? then turn around to see them coming up behind me, 

and we turn into the shortcut together; and stop for breaky about a km down the track (@~10.3km from our camping spot. I get walking after br sky, with Ethan… looking back at Dave & the car to our breaky spot:

Then we pass Billy’s Lagoon, an Aboriginal tribal area, on the left, and walk on till we come to Dave at the 5 km mark.

Some reflections on walking with creative love  as I walk the first 10 km.

5:15pm I meet Lincoln, Ellie, & Billy (right to left), taking their dogs (Zero Uno & Cydi) for a spin, 

and they offer us a cold one. We might see them again. They pass us a few times during the night. Go well men. Thanks for those cold drinks…

Dinner and bed. 

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