This is such a happy ever after,
you traveled miles,
now we’re past the finishing line.

Tom Jones.

The trip home

After finishing the walk at the Namadgi Visitor Centre I washed off, put on fresh clothes (I had carried them for a week) and caught a taxi to the airport. Airport tea never tasted so good (and a chocolate muffin).

I flew to Melbourne where my son Elliot picked me up. I spent the night at his place and the next day he drove me to Walhalla to collect my car.

I thanked the lady in the Walhalla post office with flowers and chocolate for kindly keeping an eye on my car.

I spent four days picking up my empty food drops, camping next to the Wellington River the first night and south of Omeo the second night.

I shared my campsite the second night with a lovely couple and their dog (Mac). Mac was the smartest, best-behaved dog I have ever met, having been trained as a seeing eye dog.

My final pick-up point was Dead Horse Gap. My bucket had been found after I had left it two weeks earlier and there was a nice and encouraging note left on top. I spent that night camped near Island Bend.

Some concluding thoughts

There are many possible motivations for completing the AAWT. For me it was mostly about the physical challenge. To this extent I succeeded (although my knees still trouble me sometimes).

I was very lucky with the weather. Only three rainy days and mostly sunny weather. I was told by people I met at that time and by my wife when I returned home that the eastern seaboard had seen heavy continuous rain. The ceiling in my lounge room had collapsed!

The scenery was amazing. How lucky to live in Australia. I am very grateful to the Parks services in Victoria, NSW and the ACT for providing the infrastructure that enabled me to complete the walk.

Also thanks to John and Monica Chapman and John Siesman for their invaluable guide book. I used the guide book, together with my phone and watch, to navigate the length of the AAWT.

I saw many brumbies (138 altogether), and saw the signs of many more (droppings and foot/hoof pads). The concentration of brumbies reinforces what I have read about the damage that they are doing to the environment.

I don’t think the walk changed me much personality wise, although I was more gregarious with strangers during the walk. But that may have been because of the extended periods of isolation. However, I was quite happy with my own company throughout the walk.

Whether you do the AAWT is a personal decision. How and why you do it are up to you. How fast or slow you go depends on your motivation for doing it. I think I did it just right (for me!).