Day 14 - to Irvinebank

Friday 30th April, 2021 32.3km

371.1 / 4727.8 km

The early stop yesterday gave me a bit of a dilemma as to how far I was to go today. Irvinebank was over 30 kilometres away but it did offer a tavern and some imagined food.

The first stage was to walk over the hill and I would take stock on the time it took me as the rest of the walk after that was generally downhill.

It was a beautiful morning of clear skies and after the phone had spent another night in rice I still wasn't game to charge it but I was using it a little more.

The track was a 4wd track over the hills with a couple of wire gates to negotiate. Not much to actually see but the creeks were running and half up (or down) there was some stone work that looked like a well and maybe a stand for a wash/race type of set-up. It was tin they mined up here from about 1844.

Over the other side of the hills is a fairly large dam or a few dams that must have been part of the old mining settlement.

There are a few old concrete blocks and the notes say there were thirty stampers working at crushing the ore.

At about midday just past the dam I passed the designated camping spot from yesterdays map and was glad I had stopped where I did.

The area was a little damp and more swampy with that lovely smell of fresh cows pee.

I had to filter the water for the next stretch but promised myself that the next running creek I came across that didn't smell like cow I would pour it all out and filter again.

The country I was going through now is part of BoonMoo Station I forgot to ring them to let them know but as I wasn't actually going to camp on the property I thought it would be OK.

So a bit more walking through some station tracks brings me to a gravel road giving me about 14 kilometres to walk to Irvinebank. I felt ok and throught I would get in about 5.30pm so off I hoofed.

I was passed by 3 cars on the way, no offer of a lift which I think I would have taken as I was now on the gravel road from Herberton. The afternoon was hot and the sun shining which is OK for generating power but the fatigue began to set into the legs.

I had about 5 kilometres to go from Chinamans Creek when I would have gratefully sat down and finished the day or taken any offer of a lift into Irvinebank.

Neither eventuated and about 1.5 kilometres out I just ran out of puff. Seems strange but the legs just didn't want to go anymore. Had to sit down and eat a muesli bar and a snickers then wait for half hour before finishing the day off.

The Tavern was open and I staggered to the bar and said " I walked 15 flaming miles has the pub got beer". Of course they did and a schooner went down real quick and then the devastating news that kitchen wasn't open. All I was offered was a sausage roll which sounded ok at first until he said all he had was bacon and cheese. I think theres a reason thats all he had because that roll has paid me back with reflux and gut ache for the next 3 days.

The owner/bartender I think is Graham or Geoffrey? I know it started with a G was in for a chat. I sat at the tavern till about 8.30 at night taking walking, jobs and other things. He was a genuinely nice man that offered me everything he could spare to make my walk better. He gave me frozen water, went to his fridge and cut-off two thick slices of his wifes corn beef, a packet of magnesium tablets , about 4 metres of para-cord and when I showed him my boots went and found some glue so I could stick the soles back down. I had to beg off and go to bed as 1) I was buggered and 2) I was weighing up all he was giving me and thinking how heavy do I want this pack to go.

The boots I have are Scarpa and this is the first pair of Scarpas that looked like letting me down. They have the Vibram sole covered with a rubber hard sole and it was the bottom rubber that was slowly lifting away. I didn't think at the rate they were lifting I would make it to Townsville for repair so a little glue to stick it all back down was welcome. If Graham hadn't helped me I would have gone around to a workshop around the corner. Like the locals mens shed in Irvinebank.

A late setup in the dark but a toilet block with a hot shower for a donation. All the things that make the day better. Not as better if I had had a burger and not a sausage roll but what can us bums expect.