Day 70 Collard Creek - Don

Friday 25th June, 2021 47.6km

All I found of the ruins mentioned in the guidebook

1865 / 3233.9km

Even though I thought I slept in I was still packed and ready by 7am. Onto my second cup of tea as Don emerged ready to go and we discussed his search for the river source and the information we have both come up with.

My walk today was to be down Mt Alma Road to the second crossing of the Calliope River. In the end Don asks me to join him for his drive so I hoist the pack into his truck and we go searching for the river source. I did mention that I thought the road came out on the Dawson but Don was convinced it was not so, until we hit the river, now a puddle, then the rail line then the highway.

This was a right fork I took that went nowhere

That threw his spatial awareness a little awry and now he had to readjust his thinking. I pointed at Mt Redshirt and said I thought that was the point the Caliope started. So our adventure had ended about 40 minutes after it had started but now I was on the Dawson Highway trying to reorient myself back to the trail. A 10 kilometre walk down a busy highway is never something to look forward to and we continued in the truck down the highway.

A thunderbox...but I think it was newish

We had a look up the old road where another camper was set up. A Don, like minded person. In the end we go up a side road hoping to cross the trail and I could start off again. Don was excited by the track as it showed a lot of country and geology he is interested in. I have learnt little snippets here and there, hope I retain just a little.

We end up bypassing a few properties and get to gate that even Don thinks his and the truck's abilities end. I try and make sense of the trail notes and the country we are in. My trail digitisation on my Garmin showed we were right spot. I was walking around when the householder came out to lend a hand. The ruins mentioned used to be a little further, about 100 metres, apparently was an old hotel but have long gone and the camp spot mentioned is a dry creek.

Up on the ridge with the weather closing in

So no chance of water at this spot on Collard Creek. It was funny but by this stage Don and myself had not introduced ourselves and still did not know each others name. So we introduce ourselves, shake hands and say our goodbyes and me and Don assumed our adventures had finished. He happily drove off to find another spot to sit and read and now has another track he can mark off his list as seen. That might be me in my 80's.

The rain clouds are moving in and I haven't been able to charge anything for a couple of days and the battery pack is getting low. I find my way to Collards creek, no water, and the suggested ruin with a water tank is no more so I continue up the range. It was at this stage I found I had lost my hat somewhere. I assumed I left it in Don's truck. It's overcast and I haven't been wearing the thing. Bugger.

I used fixomul to repair a split in the tent

The notes and the ground aren't telling with what I'm looking at as I climb. There's a right track I take that goes nowhere and middle tracks that looked to be going down not up. Not a trail sign to be seen by me to give me a clue but I get to a ridge line and decide to stop and camp. Dinner is light as I'm short on water and I use some of the battery power to find out exactly where I am. It seems I'm on a track to a Telstra tower and a little scouting down the track I find a locked gate with about 7 locks on it. Looking at the satellite, if I follow this down I get to Coal Road and back on track. I do see another track across a valley on another Ridge line and wonder whether that is where I should be.

the gate of many locks

The spot I camped at, new poos in the foreground

A jump on the trail I hadn't planned, but walking the Dawson highway was never going to be exciting so that's about 10 kilometres I won't miss. The rain front is getting thicker here, but glad the worst is south. I found a sheltered spot on the ridge, it's a spot the cows have flattened a little and I pay for that later in the night when they roll up and find a big orange tent where they obviously like to sit. A couple of poos plop out and in the tent it sounds like it's right beside me. Then something comes through, I assumed another cow that gave a loud snort and a bit of a huff and puff which continued while it moved away. Your mind can play tricks when your in the tent, it's not exactly a secure dwelling.

Any way the wind blew all night there was rain in patches but the spot was good and I was protected. I was listening to an Audio book but fell asleep in the final chapter so I still don't know whodunit?