Australian Hiker

Given I only had 15km to travel from Battersby Camp so today I set my alarm for 6:40am but still ended starting to pack at 6:20am after a mixed but very good night sleep. I had one period of solid sleep and most of it is REM sleep so I am dreaming multiple times a night. At one stage I woke up and it was dead silent, probably due to my snoring scaring off the wild life. It didn’t last long as nature reasserted itself.

Another cold and damp night being located next to a river but still not cold enough to have my arms or head covered by my sleeping bag.

After packing up, eating breakfast and recording social media for when I can finally access internet again, I left a few minutes later than the day before.

Today saw me parallel the Glenelg River for much of the day and again through dense forest but you can tell that the vegetation is becoming more coastal. I had lunch at around 11:45am and while I was sitting there a huge flock of black cockatoos flew over. Apparently this is a common sight, particularly near the pine plantations which were just across the river.

As I sit here writing this post I have four koalas vocalising in close proximity to my tent.

After arriving at Pattersons as early as I did, I had a hot drink, set up my tent to dry out from last night, and set up my sleeping mat inside the shelter for a rest. At some stage one of the trail volunteers turned up to replace the track log sheets and as you do, we spent time talking about the trail and hiking in general. They also pointed out the blaringly obvious koala sitting in the tree directly in front of the shelter that I had failed to notice. ☹️

This track is maintained mainly by volunteer staff and they do a great job. In addition, every local I have talked to was doing their best to talk up this trail so it’s great to see the community connection.

According to the guide book, Pattersons Camp is supposed to be the pick of the camps but in my mind it’s Battersby Camp so far and that’s because it has a nice feel and the amazing bird life.

When the volunteers left it was time for dinner and this post is the last task before I head to bed.

I am looking forward to having a shower tomorrow night, catching up on social media, catching up with Gill, and hoping for my snack of choice which for the past eight years has been a Weiss bar and a Coke No Sugar or Pepsi Max.

I will try to get away early as I can just so I can get to town early (around 2:00pm). Ciao!

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