Start:  Moruya

Finish:  Batemans Bay

Distance:  16

Total:  451

I had a great day today. Only 16 miles to walk, good weather, a nice shoulder on the road, and even a little town along my route for a lunch break. The only thing that could have made it better would have been not having to make a steep climb at the end of the day. 

I started the day with breakfast in my room which I bought at the local Wolly’s (Woolworth) last night. As I left Moruya I got a big surprise; there was a nice shoulder on the two lane road I was walking. I really haven’t broken the code on this. There will be a nice shoulder one minute, then it will just go away. Today for some reason the shoulder was there all day. 

At about 10 miles into my day I walked into the little village of Mogo, pop. 322. Tucked away in the forest, it’s a real touristy little place with cafes, art galleries, potters, and furniture stores. I stopped into the Mogo Fudge & Ice Cream Shop for some lunch, backpacker style. That consisted of a chocolate milkshake and some honey roasted cashews. With today being a national holiday, Mogo was crowded with visitors. 

After my break I was feeling good about life. Then reality hit. There was a five mile climb up winding switchback’s to get over a ridge line between Mogo and my destination of Batemans Bay. Only the last mile or so was downhill. I made it safely up the ridge line and into town where I’m staying at a super-nice motel; the Sunseeker Motor Inn. I haven’t been able to see the bay or shoreline here today but I’ll see it tomorrow as I walk out of town. 

So that’s it for my Friday. I mentioned today was a holiday here. It’s called Australia Day. Celebrated evert year on 26 Jan, it commemorates the 1788 landing of the first British Fleet and raising of the Union Flag of Great Britain in Sydney Harbour. That would explain why they drive on the opposite side of the street. JB. 

Start:  Narooma

Finish:  Moruya

Distance:  26

Total:  435

What a crazy day today turned out to be. I had rain, pain in the feet, narrow roads, heavy holiday traffic, got a ride, then deciding to walk after all. I had a weeks worth of fun all in one day. 

Last night’s stay in Narooma was great. Adam has a great motel called the Top of the Town if you’re ever there. This morning when I got up it was raining right down and the radar showed even more rain coming. With almost nine hours of walking to get to my next town I really couldn’t afford to wait too long to leave. Normally I would leave by 7-7:30 when I have that far to walk. At about 9:30 I decided I couldn’t wait any longer so i cover up and head out. As I was walking out the door there was a guy, I believe his name was Ben, who was just leaving and asked me if I wanted a ride. In a moment of weakness I said yes rather than face the elements. 

So I jumped into his pickup and off we went; for about a mile. There’s a bridge over a river just on the north side of Narooma and the rain let up when we crossed the bridge. So I thanked Ben for his generosity but I thought I’d walk from there. So he let me out and I covered up with my poncho and started walking. Then it started raining again and continued until after lunch. Unfortunately the roads never dried out completely so with the combination of wet pavement and no shoulder on the road I had to wear my parka all day to ward off the road spray. 

The traffic was extra heavy today, I’m thinking because tomorrow is a national holiday in Australia so everyone was on the road early. I’m sure the same will be true tomorrow. Hopefully the road will be a little wider. 

After getting to Moruya around 6:30 I checked into my motel and headed to the Adelaide Hotel pub for dinner. I was asked by three nice guys, Peter, Tom, and Charles to join them at their table. We talked for some time; mostly about my walk and Donald Trump. This is becoming a trend. Donald Trump is a favorite topic of conversation when the locals find out I’m an American. 

That’s all for Day 26. It’s been a long one. JB. 

Start:  Cobargo

Finish:  Narooma

Distance:  23

Total:  409

Today’s walk was a challenging 23 miles on a nice weather day that took me through some thick forested terrain with plenty of traffic to share the route with. 

I got started at 8:00 after breakfast at the local bakery in Cobargo. Immediately after getting on the road out of town I started my first of many climbs for the day. The weather was sunny for the first hour then it became overcast which was fine with me. 

I use Google earth to plan my route on these walks so you really can’t tell what the terrain is because the view is from above the route. So today I was surprised to find about an hour into my walk there was a large mountain that I would spend the better part of the day walking around. This turned out to be Mt. Dromedary. Of course the engineers built the road around the side of the mountain, but the foothills caused me to spend most of the day going up and down along a winding route through the forest. Once again, all of this area burned in 2019 in the big bushfire. 

About two hours before I reached my destination of Narooma I came up a rise and right in front of me was the Tasman Sea shoreline. I paralleled the shoreline the rest of the way into town. Tonight I’m staying at the Top of the Town Motel. That should tell you what I spent the end of the day doing; walking to the top of the town. Narooma is a very nice little tourist town of about 3000. The aboriginal meaning of the word Narooma is “clear blue water.”  Though I haven’t had a chance to go down to see the beach, I understand the water is especially blue. 

Tomorrow I continue north up the Tasman Sea coast 26 miles to Moruya. Lucky for me the elevation changes along my route aren’t quite so dramatic tomorrow. 

That’s all for today. I’m closing in on Sydney. I’ll be there in less than two weeks. JB. 

Start:  Bega

Finish:  Cobargo

Distance:  26

Total:  386

Today saw me taking the rain gear off and on all day. Cool, damp weather has hit this area of the coast and I awoke to fog, drizzle, and temperatures in the high 50s. 

The day got started at 7:30 with breakfast at McDonalds and a quick bakery stop for my lunch on the road. Then it was out onto the road with my pack covered and me wearing my parka. The road was very narrow with no shoulder most of the day. Also I’m in very hilly terrain here so it’s a challenge keeping an eye on oncoming traffic. The rain would come and go all day so I left my pack rain cover on and took my parka off and on numerous times. 

By 12:00 I had made my way to a road construction zone where the workers were metering traffic from one direction, then the other, through an area that was down to one lane. This explained why I had been seeing packs of 15-20 cars at a time coming at me down the road, then a few minutes would go by with absolutely no traffic at all. When I got to the work zone I sat on a guardrail and had my lunch watching the drivers sitting in line waiting their turn to proceed. 

When I got about seven miles from my destination of Cobargo it began to rain steady so I stayed covered with a parka for the remainder of my day. 

Cobargo is a neat little village of about 400 residents that prior to 2019 was a popular tourist day trip. Unfortunately, that all changed on 31 Dec 2019 when the town was devastated by the bushfire outbreak. Most of the downtown businesses burned down and four people were killed. Some businesses have rebuilt and those that didn’t burn are still open but Cobargo is not as vibrant as it once was. Tonight I’m staying at the Cobargo Hotel (bistro, pub, etc).  

Tomorrow I’ll be walking to another beach town, Narooma. That’s 23 miles of winding narrow roads from here.  The weather is forecast to be nice. Let’s hope so. JB. 

Start:  Pambula

Finish:  Bega

Distance:  21

Total:  360

The day went well as I continue to work my way north close to the coast line. 

The day got started with a visit to the local bakery for breakfast. Unfortunately they didn’t make sandwiches so my lunch consisted of a power bar and water. Shortly after leaving the town of Pambula I started a series of climbs that seemed to never end. I was asked twice by passing motorists if I wanted a ride, but I declined. 

As I was coming around a fairly sharp curve in the road I saw two kangaroos hopping across the road in front of me. There were no cars coming in my direction but I could hear traffic approaching from behind me around the curve. I started waving my arms for them to slow down because they couldn’t see the kangaroos yet. They did slow down just in time and both kangaroos made it across the road and into the woods safely. Those two roos are the only live ones I’ve seen so far. 

I made it into my destination of Bega by about 3:00. Bega is a town of about 5000 and is where Bega Cheese is made. That explains all the dairies I’ve seen over the last few days.  

Tomorrow I’ve got a long 26 mile day with no towns along the way to take a break. Also it’s suppose to rain until about noon. Lucky for me it has cooled back into the 70s again. JB. 

Start:  Eden

Finish:  Pambula

Distance:  12

Total:  339

Today was a milestone; I finally got away from the town of Eden and am now headed straight north toward Sydney and eventually Brisbane. 

Even though today’s walk was only 12 miles, I was back carrying a full pack and the hills are crazy. Also, it has come a little heatwave here though by Texas summertime standards it’s relatively mild. With that said, the 12 miles got my attention. I walked it nonstop in four hours. 

Tonight I’m in the small town of Pambula (pronounced PAM-bu-la).  It’s a two motel/one gas station town with a “Hotel” where I ate dinner. This would be a good time to explain what a hotel is in Australia if you don’t know. Every little town has a hotel which usually consists of a pub (bar), bistro (restaurant), and usually some type of gambling establishment like slot machines, a place where you can watch horse racing from around the country and wager on it, some pool tables, etc..  The local hotel is the gathering place for locals as well as people passing through. Some hotels have accommodations up stairs like a motel though I haven’t stayed at one yet. In small towns like Pambula, the hotel might be the only place to eat late in the afternoon or at night. 

Tonight I walked a couple of blocks from my motel to the Top Pub Commercial Hotel, Pambula’s local hotel. The dining room wasn’t open yet so I went into the room where a group of men were watching and betting on the horse races. That’s where I met Patty, Flynn, and Payto; three nice local guys about my age. We had a good conversation and they wished me well. 

Tomorrow I walk 21 miles to Bega. That’s the town where I visited the emergency room a few days ago with my foot problem, which by the way is getting better. 

That puts a wrap on my good Sunday. I hope all of you have a good Sunday too. JB. 

Start:  Wonboyn Road

Finish:  Eden

Distance:  14

Total:  327

I officially made it to Eden today, even though I’ve been sleeping here for three nights already. Confusing I know but I’ve been using the bus system to my advantage to keep from camping. 

This morning the bus took me out to Wonboyn Road where I stopped walking yesterday.  I started walking at 8:20 with what I thought would be 14 easy miles into town. It proved to be  anything but easy. The terrain has gotten very hilly as I’ve reached the east coast. And it’s not as simple as the old saying “what goes up must come down.”  While that’s true with respect to the overall elevation, it’s not consistent with the energy spent going up and down those hills. You use a lot more energy going up those hills than you save going down the hills. On a relatively short day like today I’m completely drained by the end if it was a hilly day. Not so if it was flat. 

Once again today, which was Saturday here, it seemed like everyone on the road was pulling a boat or RV. These Aussies are crazy about camping and outdoor recreation. There are caravan (RV) parks everywhere, and they all have cabins for rent if you don’t have an RV. I may stay in one further down the road. 

Now that I’ve reached Eden, I’m half way to Sydney from my starting point in Melbourne. That means I’m one fourth of the way to my final destination in Brisbane. Tomorrow I’ll say goodbye to my motel of the last four nights and start straight north along the east coast toward Sydney which I’ll reach on Feb 6. 

That’s all for today. I hope you all have a great weekend. JB

Start:  Genoa

Finish:  Wonboyn Road. 

Distance:  25

Total:  313

Today I was back out on the road with a full eight hours of walking with no break. 

This morning I had an 8:00 bus to catch and I knew from reviewing the route there would be no towns or places to get lunch or take a break so I got up early, ate breakfast in my room, then headed to the local cafe to buy a sandwich to take with me for lunch. As scheduled, the bus picked me and several other passengers going west up near my motel at 8:05. Enroute to my drop off point of Genoa we passed Wonboyn Road, my ending point for the day. We reached Genoa about 9:00 and I was off, walking back in the direction from which I had just come on the bus. 

The road was a good one to walk and not busy. I made good time all morning and stopped at a very rundown roadside park to eat my sandwich and change into dry socks. That didn’t last two minutes. The flys took over and ran me out of the park as fast as I could get my socks changed so I ate my sandwich while walking down the road. 

I made my destination of Wonboyn Road at 4:45 and needed a ride the last 14 miles into Eden to my motel. I didn’t stand there more than five minutes before Cynthia Walker stopped and offered me a ride. She was on the way to work in Eden. 

My foot felt a little better today. I think the antibiotics are working so hopefully you’ve heard the last of that issue. 

Tomorrow is a shorter day, starting with a bus ride out to Wonboyn Road and the 14 mile walk back to Eden where I’ll spend my last of four nights in this motel tomorrow night. 

That’s all to report today. Have a great Friday; mine was good. JB. 

Start:  Eden

Finish:  Eden

Distance:  0

Total:  288

After visiting the doctor yesterday with my gimpy right foot, I followed his instructions and rearranged my schedule to take the day off today. I’m one day into my six days of antibiotics and I think my problem is a little better. 

Since it’s a day off, I mostly just hung out at my motel room. However, I did venture out for a while to check out the town of Eden. This is my second stop in an actual coastal town and they will become more frequent now that I’ve made it into the state of New South Wales and reached the Australian east coast. The coastline here reminds me very much of the California west coast. Rocky outcroppings and very winding, hilly roads follow the coastline. One of the more popular tourist activities here in Eden is whale watching. Whales migrating to and from Antarctica swim along the coastline here and because of the elevation of the town above the water, there are observation decks in town where you can stand and watch for whales. Unfortunately it’s the wrong time of year for the whale migration so I didn’t spot any. 

Tomorrow I will catch the bus out to a point along Prince’s Highway where I’ll pick my walking route back up. It will take me two days to actually walk to the town where I’m staying now. So I get two days of slack-packing to enjoy the reduced load in my pack. The weather is forecast to be nice; highs in the 70s. 

That’s all for today in Eden, New South Wales. JB. 

Start:  Cann River

Finish:  Cann River

Distance:  0

Total:  288

After having done these long walks three times over the last nine years, I’ve learned you can plan every detail but you can’t control what you can’t control. You just have to accept whatever comes along and just work with it. 

Over the last few days, I’ve mentioned this pain I’ve been having in the ball of my right foot. Unlike on my walk across Europe when I also had a foot problem that was diagnosed as a neuroma, this time it clearly looks more like a deep blister or cyst.  But one things for sure, it’s not getting better. More on that later.

Today I was scheduled to walk 29 miles from Cann River to the Genoa bus stop where I would catch the bus on to Eden.  While in the Cann River cafe last night I was talking to the local policeman discussing my walking route for today. He was pretty insistent that I should not walk along that road. He said the switchbacks and blind corners were very dangerous with no shoulder and considering the forecast was for rain and thunderstorms and I would be covered up with my poncho, he thought I should re-assess my plan. 

So last night I decided to not walk a planned segment of my trek for the first time in over 5200 miles of doing this. Instead, I decided to use the day productively and go have my foot looked at by a doctor. 

So I made a bus reservation to get from Cann River to Eden, a 1.5 hour trip. Meanwhile, I was researching where to see a doctor. There was a clinic in Eden. However, my bus was not arriving there until 4:00. So after breakfast this morning, I got packed up and started trying to hitch a ride to Eden to get there early enough to see the doctor today. After about an hour, Father Michael Kelly, a Catholic Priest and University Professor from Melbourne picked me up and we spent the next 1.5 hours together talking. It was great. 

When we got to Eden we found the medical clinic. I hobbled inside while Father Kelly waited in the car. Despite my pleading, the nurse said they were not taking “new patients.”  They recommended I go to the town of Bega, which is another 35 miles down the road to the nearest hospital emergency room. Luckily, Father Kelly was going that way, so off we went to Bega, which incidentally is on my walking route.  He dropped me off and I went in to wait to be seen. 

Unlike in the U.S., the place wasn’t packed with patients and I only waited about two hours to be seen. The doctor said I have an infected blister. I got six days of antibiotics and was instructed to “stay off it”. I explained I had been off it all day today and I could move up my scheduled Saturday day off to tomorrow, but that was about the best I could do in the “stay off it” department. Also I can lighten my pack by a few pounds to help too.  

So I got my meds, and now I’m on the bus riding from the hospital in Bega back to my motel in Eden.  Tomorrow I’ll take the day off, then start walking again; but unfortunately I will not have the time to make up that one leg that the policeman said was too dangerous out of Cann River. I’m really bummed about that but I think I made the best choice by using the day to go see the doc instead of walking. 

Sorry for the long-winded explanation but it’s been a long day. Take care. JB