A brief coastal interlude off the main trail.
Sunday I met up with Karena and Georgina to walk, Priscilla being in Tasmania and unable to make it. This time we'd decided to do a more gentle walk along the coast, from Sandringham to Mentone. This started off badly for me when the parking machine firstly took my money, then refused to give me a ticket, then refused to give my money back. Even when I punched it. Grrr. I rang the 'faults' number - "Bayside council is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm." *click*
Uh, guys, if you're going to have really large signs with "Ticket Parking 8am-8pm incl. Public Holidays" on them, then you pretty much have to have a faults line open 8am-8pm every day of the year. Which reminds me, I need to ring and complain and try and get my money back. There was a delay while I moved my car out of the ticketed parking area and into the backstreets (I really don't trustrevenue raisers parking inspectors to read my note saying the machines aren't working) before we headed off along the coastal trail. Then another short delay while we found the coastal trail, which was cunningly hidden in bushes next to a large sign with an arrow.
I don't really know the bayside suburbs of Melbourne at all, never having lived near them. The coastal route is really quite nice - we alternated between dirt paths on the cliff top, sandy beaches, rocky patches and concrete paths both combined with bike lanes and not. The coastline itself is reminiscent of the coast near Lorne in patches, and near Inverloch in others. We passed the wreck of the HMAS Cerebus, which looks like it's going to collapse any day now but will probably hang on longer than I think, passed three different surf lifesaving clubs (one had just finished the Nippers training), passed the nude beach (no one on it going up, a couple of clothed people going back), went up and down some steep paths (still less steep than Hackett's Rd though) and finally stopped in Mentone before heading back again. On the way down we walked for a couple of kilometres with a guy who'd done the Trailwalker several years ago, and was in training for a 250km Sahara endurance race (it goes over 7 days, but you have to carry all your food). Personally I think that's nuts - I was finding it hard enough on the packed sand, and apparently 40km of the Sahara race is on shifting sands. Like what my camel in Egypt was sliding down. If my camel can't get its footing right what hope have I?
He was also helpfully telling us how he'd found the last 20km of the Trailwalker completely exhausting, which really? I don't want to hear right now. I know it's probably going to kill me, there's no need to actually say it out loud!
We also were passed by a huge number of runners and cyclists. Runners need bells, they're harder to hear than cyclists.
On the way back we stopped at a Mr Whippy van so I could get a cold drink. I totally should have gotten an icecream as well, but I was worried about my co-ordination with both ice-cream and drink and walking.
The coastal walk left me seriously tired - much tireder than the previous two weeks despite being a shorter route in fact, which was at least partly due to the sand walking and partly to the concrete parts of the trail (the soles of my feet were killing me). But it was a very pretty walk, and I did make it home without falling asleep while driving (yes, that was an option a couple of times.)
Next week we're back to the trail. 11 weeks and four days to go. Argh.
Uh, guys, if you're going to have really large signs with "Ticket Parking 8am-8pm incl. Public Holidays" on them, then you pretty much have to have a faults line open 8am-8pm every day of the year. Which reminds me, I need to ring and complain and try and get my money back. There was a delay while I moved my car out of the ticketed parking area and into the backstreets (I really don't trust
I don't really know the bayside suburbs of Melbourne at all, never having lived near them. The coastal route is really quite nice - we alternated between dirt paths on the cliff top, sandy beaches, rocky patches and concrete paths both combined with bike lanes and not. The coastline itself is reminiscent of the coast near Lorne in patches, and near Inverloch in others. We passed the wreck of the HMAS Cerebus, which looks like it's going to collapse any day now but will probably hang on longer than I think, passed three different surf lifesaving clubs (one had just finished the Nippers training), passed the nude beach (no one on it going up, a couple of clothed people going back), went up and down some steep paths (still less steep than Hackett's Rd though) and finally stopped in Mentone before heading back again. On the way down we walked for a couple of kilometres with a guy who'd done the Trailwalker several years ago, and was in training for a 250km Sahara endurance race (it goes over 7 days, but you have to carry all your food). Personally I think that's nuts - I was finding it hard enough on the packed sand, and apparently 40km of the Sahara race is on shifting sands. Like what my camel in Egypt was sliding down. If my camel can't get its footing right what hope have I?
He was also helpfully telling us how he'd found the last 20km of the Trailwalker completely exhausting, which really? I don't want to hear right now. I know it's probably going to kill me, there's no need to actually say it out loud!
We also were passed by a huge number of runners and cyclists. Runners need bells, they're harder to hear than cyclists.
On the way back we stopped at a Mr Whippy van so I could get a cold drink. I totally should have gotten an icecream as well, but I was worried about my co-ordination with both ice-cream and drink and walking.
The coastal walk left me seriously tired - much tireder than the previous two weeks despite being a shorter route in fact, which was at least partly due to the sand walking and partly to the concrete parts of the trail (the soles of my feet were killing me). But it was a very pretty walk, and I did make it home without falling asleep while driving (yes, that was an option a couple of times.)
Next week we're back to the trail. 11 weeks and four days to go. Argh.
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posted by Alison at 6:51 PM
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