Day 1: Namadgi Visitor Centre to Orroral Space Tracking Station Site – 28kms, 7 hrs 45, 38k steps, 1307m ascent, 986m descent,  0 snakes,  7 people

I set off from Namadgi Visitors Centre just after 8:30am under a beautifully overcast sky.  I certainly hadn’t forgotten the climb up Mt Tennant as the start the AAWT!  It’s a really lovely, painstakingly built trail up the side of the mountain and there is ongoing work laying ever more rocks.  The view from Cypress Pine Lookout is stunning – I’m sure I saw Jubble down there somewhere drinking coffee.

Coming down the other side of Mt Tennant, I met a trio of hikers who have spent five days hiking from Kiandra and are looking forward to dinner in a restaurant in Canberra tonight. I’m looking forward to dinner at Camp Jubbie!

After the uphill there was gentle open plain walking with loads of kangaroos. I reckon there has to be a kangaroo plague in ACT – at the end of the day we saw hundreds and so many had babies.

Along a gentle trail between Booroomba Rocks and Honeysuckle Creek Campground I came across two groups of two people out for a day walk which took the day’s total people seen to seven. Walking along this trail,  I bent down to take a photo and felt my back spasm. It’s been a bit tricky for a couple of weeks and I thought it was almost good before we left home. Obviously not. I walked pretty gingerly to Honeysuckle Creek Campground where I did some stretching and worked out I think I’m ok walking and it doesn’t seem to make it worse. I just need to be careful lifting my pack and moving from standing to sitting and vice versa.

The road out of the campground is all uphill, but not too hard. Funny,  I remember the first time i did this walk stopping along there for lunch and a cup of tea. It definitely wasn’t as big a hill as I remembered,  but then it was 38 degrees last time! 

All afternoon was walking on car tracks (locked gates so public can’t get through),  so pretty easy walking. I left the AAWT to meet Jubbie at the Orroral Space Tracking Station site.  Hello gazillions of kangaroos!  Jubble had spent 4 hours unpacking and repacking the car and felt very organised and chuffed with himself!

I felt rubbish by the end of the day. Not sure if it was just day 1, or I hadn’t eaten enough. I finished the day having done 28kms (I expected 26km) and my Garmin watch told me I needed 85 hours to recover!  Wonder what it will think tomorrow…

We stayed at Orroral Creek Campground, a beautiful camping spot all to ourselves and the kangaroos.  Chef Jublé made delicious Singapore noodles which we inhaled!  I was in bed by 7:30!  Our new mattress in the rooftop tent is sooooo comfortable and so easy.  Day 1 done and I’m feeling very grateful.