Greetings Dusty Booters! Over the past year I have been walking sections of the Great North Walk. This trek is 260km from Sydney to Newcastle in New South Wales Australia. So far I have got as far as the small town of Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River, 60km north of Sydney by road but about 90km in the bush. These sections have been day trips with morning trains to the start points and a train home late afternoon or early evening.
Now it is getting too far to return to Sydney daily. The next two sections (about 60 kms) are to be done together. I intend to overnight in Brooklyn then take a train over the river to the start point at Wondabyne. Next two overnights are at Somersby and Yarramalong. An Uber gets me to Wyong with a 110 minute train back to Sydney on the fourth day.
Total weight 6kg. Has he got it right?
Fortunately, I have accommodation in Brooklyn, Somersby and Yarramalong so will not sleep rough nor need sleeping bag, tent or cooking equipment. My pack is packed and am soon heading north. The weight is less than six kilograms. Have a look at the picture; What do you think?
- Broad brim hat.
- The clothes on my back. Cotton short-sleeve shirt. The hiking trousers can be converted to shorts and have leg pockets.
- Walking stick. You may prefer a ski pole.
- My pyjamas. I am staying in Airbnb so I want fresh comfy nightwear.
- Spare long sleeve shirt and scarf.
- Communications. Phone and a charger to extend the phone battery if necessary.
- Survival. Knife. Matches and candle (essential survival items!). Headlamp. Small Silva compass. Plastic whistle. Pen. Hiking notes, maps and emergency numbers.
- Warmth. Spare socks and thermals should it become cool or I have to overnight outside.
- Medical. Includes toothbrush, iodine, aspirin, small bandages, tweezers (to extract splinters and pesky ticks), electrical tape (useful for many things including deep cuts and snake bite), spare reading glasses, insect repellent, salt (nice way to remove leeches), sunscreen, 1 x large garbage bag (keeps everything dry should there be a deluge) and tissue paper.
- Umbrella (a quirk. You may prefer a rain jacket).
- Water bottle.
- Hot water flask for tea/coffee which I can fill from my hotel each morning. Becomes an additional water bottle from about 10am.
- Gaiters.
- Dusty Boots.
- Pack. Includes twenty pages photocopied from the novel I am currently reading (The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz).
- Snacks. Not so many as, remember, I am not camping out
Well, that’s it. Here is what it looks like when packed. Wish me luck!
Packed and ready to go. Good luck Muz!
The start point – Brooklyn Rail Bridge.
Muz lives in Sydney. When not conducting investigations he divides his time between travel adventures, backgammon, family and luring dumb fish to their demise.
In NSW, you should also pack your “reasonable necessity” defence for when you’re arrested for carrying a knife in a public place, per the Crimes Act 1900 – Sect 93IB. Being a pro, you’d also be aware that urinating in a public forest in NSW is considered offensive conduct under the Summary Offences Act 1988 and can lead to a fine or a court appearance. Have fun.
An umbrella is an elegant and practical way of keeping the rain off when it’s coming from the normal place – the rain, I mean. If the wind howls and the rain slants in, the umbrella’s elegance and practicality fade – perhaps dangerously. I would pack a light shell (what those in the know now call a rain jacket, apparently) for when the umbrella is overwhelmed. Being wet is all right if you can keep warm. An umbrella can’t keep the wind out, but a jacket – sorry, shell – will.