Tuesday 10th April.

    After packing up at first light, around 6:15 at this time of year and having a good look around my "camp" and the camp kitchen, I hit the road for the next town which was Hawker. It is about 64 road kilometers away. I have to say that it is "road" kilometers because if I check on my GPS it gives me the straight line distance or "as the crow flies". In this case the road is pretty well a straight line heading NE but even so the road distance is 2km longer.

   As usual, the caravan park was still asleep  and, surprisingly, so was the town. I always thought that the "country" folk were crack of dawners but maybe that is only those actually "on the land". I made my way along Park Terrace through a light and heavy industrial area, over Pichi Richi Creek and turned left on to the main road through town and "followed the signs" to Hawker. Gee those signs look big to a pedestrian. To a driver, they flash past even at 60 Kph and I have never noticed their size. Within 15 minutes I was on the bitumen major road and the speed limit was 100 Kph. Now I could pick up the pace.

   The sky was clear and I was movin' along well, but after about 30 minutes I heard a key rattle in my pocket. Uh oh. I checked and sure enough, I had forgotten to hand in the ablution block key at the caravan park. If I was in a car, and just 8km out of town, I would have turned back, but somehow the "lost" hour to walk it takes on a different dimension. In the grand scheme of things, I would be walking 2,500kms and spending 600 hours "hoofing it" and a self promise to "stop and smell the roses". But even a "going back" of 5 minutes to take a picture presents a huge decision. The mind can play some unusual tricks.

   Walking' and thinkin' about the key, I picked a reasonable spot just to the side of the road to take off the pack and sit for a minute. I dug out my mobile phone, luckily still in range of Quorn and phoned Bill. I told him I forgot the key, asked him to email Gary and tell him and also to thank him for looking after me. I would pop the key into an envelope when I get to Hawker and post it back.

   Now this sounds like an innocent enough thing to do. But a motorist coming across me sitting beside my pack, not far from town but "in the bush" nonetheless, sees it a bit different. He drove past on his way to Hawker, got a few 100 yards up the road, then slowed and turned back. In typical country style, he "parked" on the highway and asked,

   "You all right, mate?"

   "Yeah. Sure. Thanks for stoppin'."

   "Oh", he says," thought you might be phoning for help."

   So, misunderstandings happen easily when you see something unusual like a lone trekker out here. We exchanged "what are you doing out here"s and he chucked a U-ey and was one his way again. This thoughtfulness and caring for my wellbeing will be repeated endlessly throughout my walk.

   Bill also informed me that my new glasses had arrived in Newcastle by post from Queensland. I had  my eyes tested several months before I left and had new prescription lenses fitted to some nice frames that I had "acquired". They were from a pair of "safety" glasses handed out to mine workers and I had inherited them. I didn't have much use for them as safety glasses but I loved the frames. I removed the safety lenses and handed the frames to the optometrist so they could fit my new lenses. What with several trips back and forth for testing and fitting I ended up having to leave Beaudesert before they were ready. When they eventually arrived I was already on my way and visiting Bill. I asked for them to be mailed to Bill and if they missed me he could post them to where ever I was. So now I was a couple of days from Hawker and the glasses would catch up with me there.  As it turned out this was a godsend. I cannot read at all without them and my distant vision is much improved as well. I have always had bi-focals and I need them to be legal for driving. Bill was also sending a mains power supply (240V plug pack) with several different output voltages in case the solar panel left me wanting. I would be able to, at least, set out from "civilisation" stops with full batteries.

   The mobile phone coverage would stop at Hawker and not begin again for over 2 months. This created a problem because besides being one of the pieces of safety equipment, I would be  being interviewed by radio stations and the centre of the journey would be the most important time. A satellite phone had been discussed early in the preparations but discarded because of costs. Now with the mobile coverage running out, Janne Bidenko of the DeafBlind Association was worried that there would be no way for radio interviews. Janne talked to her colleagues at DBA and made the hard decision to organise and pay for a sat phone. It could be sold again when I finished and part of the cost recovered. As I was "on the road" I could not do much to help so the sat phone would be ordered and it would also meet me in Hawker.

   My constant companions, the flies, were now so thick that I was waving and saluting constantly. I had meant to purchase a "face net" in  Quorn but while busy with everything else (and the flies not nearly as bad in town) I had forgotten.  The surrounding countryside was pretty well barren except for a few shrubby trees and with the clear sky all round they didn't have to wait long for the temperature to rise to up around 20deg to start looking for a smelly walker.

   I am carrying on about the flies a lot for three very specific events that happened today. The flies were there every day but today was special. The first event was Bill telling me the new glasses were "on the way". What's that got to do with flies?

   After "lunch", which consisted of a sit in the shade of one of those lovely red river gums and a drink of water, I was back hitting my stride and accompanied by about 1,000,000 of the blighters and waving my hands around like an Italian telling a ripping yarn. On one flick at the side of my face, my thumb caught my glasses frame and, and wrenched them from my head, sending them flying and landing on the bitumen road a few yards ahead of me. "Shit! I hope they're not badly scratched." I bent down, and that aint too easy with the pack on, and retrieved them breathing a sigh of relief. At first glance they looked alright. But I was looking without my glasses on. They felt a bit "floppy" so I worked my fingers along the frame and discovered that one of the lenses was not there but worse than that, the plastic frame was broken on one side and unable to hold the lens again. I swore a few more times and just a tad more colourfully and put them on to find the wayward lens which was luckily close by. With the glasses on, with one lens in, I could see, sort of.  I put the "spare" lens in my pocket and moved on. "Get used to it Jeff". There was  nothing I could do at this time, and hopefully the new ones would catch me in Hawker.

   Not too much further North, maybe an hour or so, I heard a car approaching from behind and turned to see a small, old(ish) 2 door sedan, looking the worse for its age. It slowed to a stop and a bushie about 30 hung his head out the window and says "G'day". I walked over to  his car, which was parked on the road where he stopped, and squintin' and swingin' and swattin' I replied "G'day, thanks for stopping." "Have you got enough water?". This is the inevitable first question. And often with the driver's hand holding up a bottle of "purchased", and usually chilled, water. I replied that I was fine, and had more than enough for the couple of days into Hawker. He asked a bit more about my walk and finally, watching my inadequate "fly repellent" swattings, asked "Pretty bad, eh?. Have you got a face net?" "Nah, I meant to get one in Quorn but forgot. I'll get one in Hawker." He reaches down to the seat beside him, and "Here, have mine. You need it more than I do. " I received many "gifts" along the way, but this is by far the most appreciated. Not only did he consider my situation but by giving it to me, he now did not have one himself. The fact that he kept it on the seat beside him, meant that is was a "frequently used item". I thanked him profusely and stared and waved more thanks as he drove off.

                            

   It had reached 33deg during the day and by 4:30 I was ready to call it quits. I found a reasonable spot with firewood around just outside a property gate where the ground had been cleared and started the billy boiling before I unpacked.

   I get the food bag, which is on top, then the "other stuff" bag out. I find that you need to put things in bags and these bags into bags to keep it all organised. The best outer bag is a sleeping bag "stuff sack". They are necessarily very light but strong. Inside this I keep individual bits in "zip lock" sandwich bags. If I can't find what I am looking for by rummaging, I can happily tip it all out on the  floor of the tent, or even the ground and then it is all visible. Then working my way into the pack, I lift out the radio which is wrapped in my towel. Along with the radio in the towel is the antenna wire with cord attached and a zip lock bag with the  microphone and power cable. The 12V battery pack is in my belly bag (bum bag around the front) where it is connected to the solar panel while I am walking. Digging further down into the pack I get out the tent outer, tent inner, ground sheet, tent poles and a small bag with the tent pegs.

   Right at the bottom are the full water bottles. These are 3 litre recycled cordial bottles and as each one empties I carry it on the outside of the pack, making more room inside. They are too heavy to "hang" on the outside when full. I can put 3 of these full bottles of water in the bottom of the pack and along with 2 coffee milk containers each holding 750mls and another 600ml in a side pocket of the pack, I have 8 litres all up. A bit more really as I fill them right to the top.

   I then lay the ground sheet out on a suitable spot and spread the tent inner over it. The tent inner has 2 short straps at the front and one at the back, all with an eyelet at the end of the strap.The tent poles are all one "assembly" with about 10 sections of aluminium tubing all tied together with elastic string. This quickly fits together to form the "igloo like" framework with three "legs". Each of the legs fit into eyelets on the tent inner straps by"springing" the legs inwards and downwards. There are a few pictures of the tent in different stages of construction to help with visualising how it all goes together. Did I tell you I got to love my tent and never ever got sick of setting it up or putting it away?

   With the frame up and the inner laying flat on the groundsheet below it, I then pick up the half a dozen straps, one at a time, connected to the  inner, each with a plastic clip on the end which snaps onto the aluminium frame. This is the "basic" tent and, in fact, will stand up alone without tent pegs. I have to put the pack and me inside to stop it blowing away. It is extremely light, much less than 1kg for the frame and inner but in an emergency I could camp with this alone. The tent has a round, zippered front entry to crawl through and, when closed, keeps out the flying and crawling insects and hopefully, at least the smaller snakes. The groundsheet, a grey 6 X 4 el cheapo, is to protect the floor of the tent from stones, twigs and the inevitable double 'G's (cats eyes, whatever). With the tent inner set up (I bet you were wondering about the "outer"), I then throw the bright orange outer, brilliant in fact for easy visuals from afar, over the frame and secure in at the 3 ground points at the base of the legs of the frame. There are a few extra straps with eyelets around the outer to provide for extra pegging down in high winds. The outer is waterproof and it has proved itself through occasional driving rain. But nearly every night for the first half of  the walk, it was dripping wet with dew each morning and my first morning chore was to take off the outer and hang it in a tree. I preferred to pack it away in its "stuff sack" as dry as possible. The outer has a "verandah" that extends several feet out front creating shelter around the front entry. I put a "night" drinking bottle out here as well as my walking boots. My thongs live on the verandah at night too, for the mostly, but not always, trip outside for a pit stop. I'm happy to walk around the camp bare footed, but at night I feel better with the thongs.

   By this time, the billy is boiling and I dig into the food sack for a packet of noodles. My favourite is Trident spicy Thai but that is not always available. And I like to vary the diet a bit so I also have beef and chicken in the larder. Digging again I find a zip lock bag with up to 4 packets of Continental "Cup-a-soup". Could be anything from "hearty beef" to "vegetable" to "chicken". It doesn't matter which is it as its mainly to thicken up the water a bit and it makes it look more attractive and that goes in with the simmering noodles.

                 

   Next I unwrap the  towel and carry the radio over to the tree I have selected to support the high end of the long line antenna. I tie a rock, piece of wood or, several times, a discarded stubbie, and throw the missile up over a limb and haul the antenna wire up. After connecting it all together, I settle down with "dinner" which I eat out of the billy using the one piece of cutlery that I carry, a desert spoon.

   The dinner was delicious (relatively) but the radio sched was hopeless. Again, I could hear lots of snippets of ham conversations but when I called at the scheduled time and on the selected frequency I got no replies from Bill or Roger.

   But,,, the battery was holding up. I persisted with more transmissions than I normally would have just to try out the charge in the batteries. That was a great relief to have finally sorted it.

   I washed the billy out by swilling around a little bit of water and drank that. "Drinking the wash up water" I call it. There is no soap involved and it is mildly flavoured.

   It was  good day today covering more than 27kms so I crawled in tired but contented. I now have a face net, I broke my glasses but  the new ones are on the way and the solar panel is earning its keep. I can read my maps with one eye shut or using the loose lens as a monocle and I finally settled in with my transistor radio tuned to the ABC local AM station in Adelaide.

   Peter Goers was prattling on as only he can. When I first started to listen to Peter of the evenings I was a bit put off by his on-air manner, but it grew on me and I started to look forward to it. Just 30 minutes or so into it and he was talking about the outback and I listened for the talk back number. Here's a chance. I wanted Janne to make contact with the radio stations so I phoned Janne and asked her to call the station and discuss the DeafBlind Association and its charitable work and to tell Peter that I was listening to his program and to send a "cheerio". I drifted in and out of sleep but was lucky  enough to hear Janne being interviewed and for Peter to finish with "Keep in touch and let us know how your walker is doing."

   All in all a pretty good day 6.