Day 19 Gunawarra

 Day 19 Wednesday 5th May, 2021 26km

453.8 / 4645.1 km

The road out

Packing up in the fog

Woke up to a foggy morning. Tent fly saturated. But I love the coolness of the mornings and hope to use it to cover a few kilometres early.

This section is not the most scenic and once I get to the road it goes 300 kilometres atleast. So I plan to lift the pace where possible.

Creek crossing

Still won't miss much at 4.5kph but it does turn into trudge and more a test between mind and body.

The power easement

The day started with a long walk under a power line virtually following a cow pad through the spear grass. My big excitement for the morning was pulling two dead birds from a cattle water trough. I didn't need to fill luckily.

Hit the bitumen of Gunawarra Road, pulled the seeds out, hitched the pack up and started the plod. I actually got to the designated camp site fairly early but decided to keep going into the afternoon and stealth camp beside the road somewhere. So loaded up with water and went on my way. Still only covered 26k and have to do it all again for the next 10 days.

Some more bitumen

Tacos - Dehydrated mince with taco seasoning. Would have killed for an avocado.

No fly on the tent looking at the sun go down

The designated camp site looked good

Gunnawarra Station entrance. Apparently the homestead is original timber and is heritage listed. Couldn't see it from the road.

Day 18 - Innot Hot Springs south

Tuesday 4th May, 2021 16.2km

427.8 / 4671.1km

The highway out of town

I got out of bed early to have shower and get my taping of injuries and toes out of the way and set off around 7.

The first leg is again down the highway for about 7 kilometres. At that time of the morning it didn't cause me any problem.

The sign says right, but the notes say straight ahead

I get to the turn-off mentioned in the notes and see a BNT sign. It points along the fence and if you follow it there are more signs but the notes take you through the gate. I thought I had the updated notes so I ignored the sign and followed the notes.

The trail through the grass

The trail then heads across country. Not a problem normally but that grass is spear grass and after a while the spear seeds worm their way through your pants and start jabbing and scratching. You can stop and pull them out, only to take a step and get twice as many so its a perserverance test to walk the couple of hours across country till I get to a track where I can sit down and pull out all the ones I can see. Then to find later the ones that have wormed their way into other spots.

Finally a track

I get to the campspot mentioned in the notes and come across a no camping sign. Another sign I ignore and walk down and set up camp and look at the Herbert River. There is obvious swimming going on as a swing is in the tree. So that's two of the no no's.

The end of the day at the designated campsite. No camping ??

I decided to make myself an Indian Curry for Dinner. It involved mixing up some coconut cream (powder) and dehydrated chicken, vegetables and rice (now I don't need it for the phone) and some Indian curry mix and the result tasted better that what I paid $22 for last night.

Coconut cream. Hard not to drink it straight down.

Reconstituted ready to eat

Herbert River

Camping on the river bank

Filtering Water

Day 17 - Innot Hot Springs

Monday 3rd May, 2021

Got up early and went across to the caravan park to do my washing. Whilst waiting I went down to the creek which was steaming away and stood in it having a chat to a park guest. It's funny you can stand in the one spot and then all of a sudden hot water will make you jump.

Anywhere that mentions water being heated by magma and rising to surface will stay on my short visit register.

Below: Indoor Pools. The front right is about 43 degrees c.

The front left is the cold pool

I got a wristband that lets you visit the pool area in the caravan park. It has been done up and looks good. There are 3 outdoor pools and 3 indoor pools.

I ended up in the lobster boiling pot and jumped over to a cold pool. Did this a bit during the day until I was pruned. Then some mindless television. After last nights dissapointment with the steak, I thought I would order the "Authentic Indian Butter Chicken". It was also a dissapointment.

I pointed out it was the wrong colour and got a grunt. Tasted more like Keens Curry powder. Oh well can't recommend this place to eat. Mount Garnet pub is 16 kilometres up the road. I should have tried a lift.

Much rested for the next section which is a 10 or so days till the next bit of civilisation other than station homesteads.

Right: The outdoor area

   

Left: The Tavern

Right:  Outdoor dining at the tavern

Left: Butter Chicken 

Right:  Love the seats, you get a couple outside the motel room.

Day 16 - to Innot Hot Springs

Sunday 2nd May, 2021 24.1km 

411.6 / 4687.3 km

Today was a walk down the gravel road to the main highway and a plod dow the bitumen into Innot Hot Springs. Not much to talk about here jus a 24 kilometre or so slog to get to hopefully a hot meal

I did stop and had a bath (no soap) in a creek beside the road just to get some of the sweaty stink off.

The highway was about a 7 kilometre long traverse and it was busy. I got to the Innot Hot Spring Tavern and enquired for a room and the kind gentleman said yes there was a room. "Thank you" I say in desperate gratitude. Shower, Mattress, Pillows and Television. I find out its the Labour Day long weekend here in Queensland and the Mount Garnett Rodeo is on. The caravan park across the river is full and I had to go across there to pick up my resupply box. The kind gentleman's wife frowned with dispproval that I had been given a room as she chased away a motorbike rider that was looking for a tent site.

I was glad I was already in and she wasn't willing to kick me back out. I understand now she has to watch the numbers that can visit the pools in the park as they are restricted to only 20 in the pool area and with a full park it can get overwhelming. However after talking to other guests here she has the same cranky attitude all the time, so I was not special. The dinner ended up being a bit of a disapointment. Its' not a pub meal by any means as the rump was cut to minute steak thickness and was quite small and tough. The salad and chips were lettuce and a dressing with a couple of slices of capsicum. The chips I counted were 13. Bit better than lentils but not worth the money. I did order sweets so I could borrow the spoon and continue to cook.

Day 15 - Mount Misery

Saturday 1st May, 2021 16.4km

387.5 / 4711.4km

The watch I wear (A Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar) provides my mapping and tracks all my vitals to see if my heart will explode on one of these uphills. It decided after yesterdays effort that I should have a 5 day recovery period. Not going to happen any time soon as I was up and ready to leave Irvinebank just after first light. As I was zipping on the gators Geoffrey came across the road and offered me a coffee and much as I like a morning coffee I knew I would get stuck for a little while if I accepted so reluctantly I declined and moved off.

Today was a steady climb up and over Mount Misery. Being a Saturday I expected a little traffic as the 4WD's should all be out. In the end I saw about 8 cars and 20 motorbikes. The motorbikes seemed to be part of a tagalong ride.

Irvinebank is very tidy and the museum looks like it would be interesting. The houses and yards are well cared for and some of the gardens had a variety of plants and orchids.

Leaving town the road crosses the Gibbs Creek and does so many times. I was lucky that I had water not far from the track nearly all the way up Mt Misery. It's not that I need it all the time but whilst I am walking into unknown territory I am always looking for the last water I know of so if I run into trouble I have a fair idea of how far back I would need to go. Not a problem so far, but this is a technique I was taught many years ago.

The climb up Mt Misery was ok. I must be getting a little fitter and I stopped on the other side and had breakfast.

This was the last time I would see my spoon as I did one the sins I know I shouldn't do and that is not follow the patterns that work. In this case it was putting all my stuff away without puting the spoon in its place. So I just shoved into the top of the pack. The other thing I do, I call The crazy Ivan (Movie reference Hunt for Red October) where I take a step off but turn back to look at the spot I was sitting to see if I have left anything on the ground.

All ok here but a while later I sat down to have a rest and at that time a rain shower come across so I pulled out the umbrella from the top of the pack. The umbrella goes back in and as I put the pack on to move off those 20 motorcycles came up the road. That's 20 waves that I am required to make (It's a law of the bush apparently) and I was slowly walking down the hill thus not doing the crazy Ivan and missing the spoon that must have dropped out.

I got down the other side to the designated camp spot but I wasn't happy there and moved a couple of kilometres up the road and found a fairly level bit of bush that I was happy to stealth camp at. Thats when I realised the spoon was missing and it was probably back about 12 kilometres.

My dinner plans went on hold and peanut butter on a soft wrap with a vanilla tea was dinner.

It was a very quiet night with only 2 cars passing so I felt safe.

Dry River had plenty of water in it.

 

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.