The CrossingThrough The Macleay Valley
Closer To Brisbane Than Sydney
Less than 100 parkruns to Brisbane, a roadside morning tea and a succession of visitors. After two hard days, I was in a much better mood.
By the end of today, I’d be closer to Brisbane than Sydney. I just needed to get through the day, then carrying on would be a no-brainer lol
I started near Kundabung at 5:04 am, heading north past Kempsey. A sign in the early light put Brisbane at 511 kilometres. When I realised that photo was already 11 kilometres behind me, the calculation was easy.
100 parkruns to go!
Once upon a time it had been roughly 1,080 parkruns. More recently, I’d been counting down 100 parkruns to Sydney. Now it was Brisbane. Before long, another sign had it at 497 kilometres, and I stopped for a very happy selfie.
There was blue sky above the long bridge near Frederickton, with sunlight reflecting off the Macleay River below. Beyond it were green paddocks, wet ground and little creeks. After the previous day’s thunderstorms and roadworks, I was in a much better mood.
My friend Michelle of Michelle’s Race for Miracles had been busy on our behalf again. Her family had already looked after us in South Australia, including the pizza fundraiser at her parents’ place in McLaren Flat. Now she’d rallied her NSW relatives.
Sally, Wendy and Brenda were waiting at the Smithtown turn-off with morning tea. Sally was Michelle’s cousin, and Wendy and Brenda were her aunties. They became “the Smith Ladies” for the day. Judging by when I’d received the message saying they were waiting, they’d been there a couple of hours before I showed up.
We had morning tea and a good chat, and I got a photo with each of them. Thank you, ladies!
Just after that break, the Tailwind Nutrition Australia van pulled over. Gavin was back, this time with his mate James. They were on their way to an event further up the coast. I couldn’t remember which one, but it wasn’t Coffs lol
It was great to see him again. Tailwind had kept supplying my carbs and electrolytes without becoming sickly, and even after 5,000 kilometres I still wasn’t “over it”.
Then Blake Mueller stopped. He’d seen me walking over the previous couple of days and decided he had to ask what I was doing. He was a former NRL player with a long-standing dream of doing “something big” himself. It was a real pleasure to share a bit of the no more mr fat guy and HAA story with him.
It really was turning into a morning for meeting awesome people… and other creatures…
At first I thought I was approaching a piece of rubber tyre beside the highway, but something about it didn’t look quite right. It was black, with a red belly, and enjoying the sunshine.
My first snake of the trip (a red-bellied black snake to be precise).
From the little I saw, it was a gorgeous-looking creature. I was also very relieved when it darted off away from me. It didn’t hang around long enough for a photo, and even if it had, I don’t think I would’ve taken one lol. Spring was definitely here.
I continued through Clybucca and past more creeks, then into wooded stretches around Eungai Rail. A red vintage car came past, and a sign pointed ahead to Nirvana Way. The hills rose beyond the paddocks as the afternoon wore on.
There was plenty to look forward to that weekend. The plan was to reach Urunga around lunchtime on Saturday, then stop walking later in the afternoon and drive to Coffs Harbour. Bec was looking after us for a mini break, with a barbecue and friends and supporters to meet. We’d watch the Coffs Harbour Running Festival on Sunday morning, then complete the walk into Coffs that afternoon.
Monday would begin the final eleven-day stretch to Brisbane. I’d reach the South Bank parkrun start line on Thursday 17 September, then come back two days later for the final five kilometres. The whole thing would end with a parkrun finishing token being thrust into my hand.
And tears. Lots of tears, smiles and who knew what else.
I hoped that anyone following all this was beginning to see that they could attempt something big too. Hold on to the vision, make a commitment, and get to the finish. My Mum told me how proud she was. She wished she could be there at the end, but would be with us in her thoughts.
I finished short of Macksville at 7:52 pm. Five sessions, 55.8 kilometres, and week sixteen done. The step count had been remarkably consistent all week, and I was hoping this would be the last day over 50 kilometres.
Saturday would be shorter, Sunday a half day. After another few days of around 50 kilometres, the distances should start easing back, with slightly later starts and a chance to soak up the final week. Hopefully I could get my head around it all before we reached Brisbane.
Images From The Day
