Bushwalking, Beaches, Bunyips & Bliss

There’s nothing blissful about this. Frustration, painful disappointment, the spectre of failure; all these feelings are fed by a growing, albeit unspoken, realisation that there is no other way forward, that we’ll have to turn back and retrace more than 20km of hard walking. And then attempt to contact the boat. Or worse, swim the Mallacoota Lake entrance to reach town. Not a family friendly option with four kids from 8-11 in our group…

We’re just north of Bunyip Hole and mid-way through our five-day Nadgee Wilderness walk, retreating along a small ridge (again) and heading back to our last known location. But the more we climb looking for the track, or at least a way out, the thicker the scrub gets. It’s a tangled mass of tough-asnails coastal scrub—we have to stay together.

And we’re tired, comprehensively bushed. After two days of hard walking, including a first night of steady rain and then more day-time showers, the family adventure is off to a testing start. But we came for some restorative wilderness and a challenge; so far Nadgee is delivering…

Another fruitless track finding foray and the afternoon clock is ticking away. We could camp here: there are some nice spots tucked away behind the beach, and we’ve got fresh, albeit tannin-stained, water. It’s time for a few calming deep breaths and a late