The CrossingNear New Italy To West Ballina
Commencing Our Descent
The last planned 50-plus-kilometre day took me through Woodburn, Broadwater and Wardell to West Ballina, where the coastal taper could finally begin.
“Reaching Ballina” may not appear on too many bucket lists, but for HAA it was a pretty significant milestone.
Day 118 was going to be the last of the 50-plus-kilometre days. Once I reached West Ballina, the 4 am alarms, late finishes and daily pressure to keep pushing the distance would be over. The final week would be made up of shorter coastal days, giving my mind and body a chance to recover while we started getting the campervan ready to hand back.
If HAA had been an airliner, this was the announcement:
this is your captain speaking, we are about to commence our descent into Brisbane.
I may have stretched the flight analogy a little. The in-flight movies had been fully immersive reality TV. We had been passengers and crew simultaneously, and even the in-flight meals had been a core part of the experience.
The end being in sight brought very mixed feelings. I was happy, grateful and proud, but also sad that something which had taken over every part of our lives was nearly finished. Of course it had to end. Without a finish line there could be no new start line, and no chance to find out what HAA might become afterwards.
I resumed near New Italy at 5:12 am. One of the first unusual roadside sights was a whimsical metal figure beside the highway, holding a large pot marked with the property number, 8140.
A sign soon put Grafton 88 kilometres behind me and Ballina 41 kilometres ahead. The first session ended after 13.1 km, where the campervan had attracted a small group of chickens during the break.
The second session took me through Woodburn and towards Broadwater. There were waterways and birds, long stretches of green, cane fields and plenty of traffic on the Pacific Highway.
Broadwater announced itself as “a sweet place to stop”, and it was. An old timber church had become Our Daily Bread Cafe, complete with antiques and bric-a-brac. It was a fantastic building, and I stopped for a decent coffee and some yummy toasted fruit loaf.
Sadly, the building was badly affected by flooding after our visit, and I believe it was later sold. It is a reminder of the power of nature and the impact flooding has on people’s lives in that part of the country.
Back outside, the kilometres continued through Broadwater and into Ballina Shire. I crossed the Richmond River on the old lift bridge at Wardell, then carried on through more cane country towards West Ballina. One roadside sign asked, “HOW FAST ARE YOU GOING NOW?”
Honestly? Not very 😆
I also had London on my mind. Before I had even finished walking to Brisbane, I put forward a plan to fill the Heart Foundation’s 2016 London Marathon places with a HAA team. The idea was that everyone could share the experience and support each other with the fundraising, perhaps with a London-themed virtual run shirt and medal as well.
The last session continued into the dark and finished in West Ballina at 6:57 pm. Five sessions had taken me another 51.5 kilometres along the route.
The 50-plus-kilometre days were done. The coastal taper could begin.
See you in Brisbane.
Images From The Day
