My Journey To The Top
For me 2021 was a year of many challenges with a few high points but ultimately, I have faced many low points, periods of darkness, anxiety, depression and hardships. I have had a large portion of time off work to get better and seek my own internal peace of mind and happiness of which I am still seeking. It was with within this search that I decided to embark on my journey back to the top, but more on that later. Last year I was fortunate enough to spend some time with my brother on what was to be a 3 week journey on our bikes, traversing through QLD, NSW and into the Flinders Ranges in SA. For me this ended in tears with my bike (Yamaha Tenere XT660Z,
otherwise known as Kramer) only making it just over a week into the trip when it decided it didn’t want to play the game anymore and saw us stuck in the middle of the Flinders Ranges seeking a way to ship my bike and myself back to QLD. After much deliberation I decided to rebuild Kramer after it was shipped back home and continue to seek our path on the journey to the top. I just couldn’t leave a mate behind. I wanted Kramer to ride again and seek redemption.
It was while listening to a podcast featuring the amazing Colin Brady who was discussing his massive feats of adventure, that he made mention of summiting the peak of Mt Kosciuszko as part of his record breaking attempt to climb the seven highest mountain summits across the seven continents. Well for me this journey will only be ascending one of these peaks. That being Australia’s very own Mt Kosciuszko. Whilst I had obviously heard of Mt Kosciuszko, the thought of visiting, or for that matter climbing it had never even crossed my mind even though I spent a large portion of my life living in NSW and not really a huge distance from Mt Kosciuszko in the scheme of things. It was set. I would trailer my bike to the Central Coast to visit my family and head off on my journey a few days later to end the year on a high both physically and metaphorically.
Day 1 was literally a mixed bag of every emotion and feeling. My Mt Kosciuszko round trip commenced with an early morning awakening to cold, wet and somewhat miserable conditions. I set out at approx 0600 after trying to pick the gaps in rain.
For around the first 2-3 hours is was copy and paste cold, wet and miserable. The saving grace was the fact that I'm out on an adventure and re set of my mind, so I will happily take any conditions thrown at me. I wanted to end the year on a high, literally, and that’s exactly what I was on my way to do. Tomorrow I summit to the top of Mt Kosciuszko, the tallest mountain peak in Australia. For today though the mornings somewhat questionable conditions gave way to clear skies, hot suns and the cooling crisp mountain air breeze that blows through the snowy mountains.
After roughly 6 or so hours on the bike I arrived at the Adventist Alpine Village where I would base myself for a couple of days. Today would just be a matter of getting to Jindabyne so there was not a great deal of time for sight seeing unfortunately. A nice hardy camp dinner and 3/4 bottle of wine set the day off perfectly.
For now, it's time to pack up tomorrow's supplies and pack it in for the night.
Day 2 – I was up early as it was going to be quite a long day of hiking to the top of Australia’s highest peak. The weather was spot on with great conditions to be out amongst nature. After about a 20km ride into the Kosciuszko National park I arrived at Charlotte Pass to begin the journey. It was met with some excitement, fear and yes of course some anxieties as well as quite a lot of people. There are a couple of different routes to get to the top of Mt Kosciuszko but I decided to take the 9km Summit Trail to get to the top. This section of the track was a fairly easy and smooth trek with a fairly gentle incline with not many real steep sections so for the average hiker to get to the top then this would be the easiest path to the take from Charlotte Pass. It overlooked some gorgeous country side and strolled past Seamons Hut. A hut built as a respite and refuge building if climbers are caught out in the harsh conditions. The Hut was built in 1929 after 2 skiers perished in the mountain the year before. It was built by one of those skiers’ families to ensure that this type of tragedy
doesn't occur again.
As I approached the summit of Mt Kosciuszko and caught a glimpse of it for the first time I'll admit that I started to well up. The top had been reached. To be standing on top of Australia’s highest mountain peak was quite a spiritual felling and one that conjured up quite a few emotions for me after a really tough year.
The summit was the ultimate reason I embarked on this trip and it certainly didn't disappoint but it wasn't just the summit that took my breath away it was also the journey. While reaching the top was amazing. It was the descent that left me in absolute awe. I followed the main range walk which was approx. 11km one way. This hike was like nothing I had ever experienced before, climbing over various mountain ranges and diving down into numerous valleys. The rivers and lakes and a magnitude of little streams made the walk simply stunning. The snow capped peaks and snowy crossings made for an all round great experience.
When I finally made it back to the start point I was drained, excited, overwhelmed, proud, content, centred and the best felling of all was genuine happiness.
Despite what happens over the next couple of days as the year draws to an end I can honestly say I've seen out 2021 on a high.
Day 3 took a little while to get started, I was lacking motivation as I bumbled around camp before slowly made my way back on to the bike. I think after such an epic day the day before it was tough to get back to that level again. Once on the bike though I found a nice little loop around the Snowy River Way and back to Jindabyne for some lunch. I was not very motivated along the way but rolled over some pretty wide open lands which started to pick my spirits up a notch After a bite to eat back at Jindabyne I decided to head back out to the Kosciuszko National Park so I could pick up a sticker for the bike.
After the Flinders Ranges trip earlier this year a sticker section has started on the bike to remember each trip taken. This trip now has its own dedicated spot on Kramer.
It was on my way out along the Alpine way to Thredbo that I got my mojo back. This road and scenery along the way is pretty damn spectacular to say the least with kilometre after kilometre of twisty and winding roads.
While Kramer was not specifically built for this type of riding it is still bloody good fun nonetheless. After what started out as a bit of a ‘meh’ morning ended up with some pretty amazing riding and I am thankful that I dragged my butt out today. Tomorrow I pack up and bid farewell to Jindabyne and the Kosciuszko region.
I will leave with a pretty special achievement and memories that will last forever.
Day 4 was a weird day for me, I was up, I was down and I was sideways and every which way. I left Jindabyne this morning, headed for Wombeyan Caves. I left Jindabyne with a real sense of accomplishment and a new found appreciation for what our land has to offer. For most part of the day is was just covering km's to get to Wombeyan Caves, some 4.5 hours away. I did take some time out though to take in some sights. Those being our Parliament house and a big Ram. I was keen to get to Wombeyan Caves so I could explore some of the caves in the area but upon arrival I decided just to take time out and relax in the creek with a few drinks. For now the caves will have to wait until tomorrow.
I was met with all kinds of wildlife here from a goanna to kangaroos and some great bird life
while relaxing in the creek. It almost feels like I have stumbled upon a hippie commune here with a heap of campers all having a good time, relaxing in the creeks, listening to all kinds of music, fires going and
everyone just genuinely having a good time. It's quite refreshing to what is normally seen in the 9 to 5 life.
This got me thinking about what we actually need vs what we want in life. We build our castles of "stuff" and then for fun and holidays we go away with nothing but shelter, food and the want for some laughs and good times with people we love.
Being alone this new years eve is what I wanted and I am enjoying it but it's a time to reflect on those I have close around me who I love very much. I am hoping that what has not been the best year for me can now roll over to a year of happiness, joy and love with those around me that I love very much.
Happy new years to all and I hope 2022 brings you peace, love and happiness.
Bathurst now awaits tomorrow and time for some Mt Panorama fun.
Day 5 was a pretty chilled, fun day. I was in no rush this morning as I only had a 2.5 hr ride to get into Bathurst, so I decided to take a wander through one of the caves at the campgrounds at Wombeyan Caves. The only cave open was fig tree cave. It certainly didn't disappoint. It was a self-guided tour which is right up my alley due to no crowds to deal with. The cave took approx. an hour to go through, but it may have taken me a bit longer due to all the photos I took. Again I was left in awe of what beauty is thrown up to us if we just take
the time to look for it. Sometimes it can be literally right under our feet.
After a lazy pack up I got on the road. The road from Wombeyan Caves to Oberon was pretty good fun with plenty of fellow bikers cruising the fast-flowing twisty roads. As I arrived into Bathurst, I was met with the site of the Mount Panorama sign up on the iconic mountain. I was now firmly in the motor racing Mecca of Australia.From Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, Alan Moffett, Mark Skaife, Craig Lowndes and many many
more to now Kramer and me. It was our turn to conquer the mountain. While it was done at a steady 60km/h and under a very watchful eye of a motorcycle police officer it was still lots of fun, nonetheless. I even ran into the group of bikers that I bumped into at Thredbo a few days before which made a lap of the circuit that extra bit of fun.
It was a late arrival into camp which I wasn't pleased with but that's something I need to work on, and that's, don't sweat stuff like that when I've had such a wonderful fun filled day. Tomorrow is a big day in the saddle as the original campgrounds i had booked have cancelled due to road works leading in so it's now time to rest up for another adventure tomorrow.
Oh and just quietly I will be 43 tomorrow and spending my birthday out on the open road doing what I love. You really can't ask for much more than that.
Day 6 - I am a sucker for open field farms with rolling hills, dotted with sheep and cattle and that's exactly what today threw up.Travelling from Bathurst to what was going to be my camp site in the Warrabah National
Park (more on that later), I was continually met with rolling, multi coloured fields and pastures as far as the eye could see. There were so many colours from every shade of green to yellow, purple, brown, blue and everything in between. It's was a great ride on some nice flowing long twisty roads. I also traversed through the multiple vineyards on the outskirts of Mudgee which made for some nice riding and great temptations. I don't normally ride with music playing but today was the day for it. It's is my birthday today (43) and I was in the mood for some tunes while riding so Tool was locked and loaded and made for a great day’s ride.
It was a fairly long day in which I did my best to stop and take in the sites along the way. Even stopping at Frog Rock, yeah ok it's a stretch but I could kind of see a frog carved into the rock. My last stop for the day before I reached camp was Gunnedah and once I got back on the bike, I just wasn't feeling it, I was tired and really just was ready to set up camp and have a few drinks for my Birthday. I got about an hour from where I was meant to camp and stumbled across a great open free camp site on the banks of the Naomi River at Manilla so I
decided to just cut away the camp site I had planned and stay here the night. It's a top little spot with a nice flowing river and plenty of room to spread out. So, with that said it was cheers to another great day while I sat by the river with a drink in hand.
One week done. Wow, its amazing how time flies out on the open road exploring our lands. Today turned in to a top day really. I had a pretty fancy breakfast (for me anyway, given I'm on the road) of snags and a mushroom, zucchini and capsicum egg omelette followed by a stroll into town to grab a paper and magazine. My main aim was to find a covid test kit so I can cross back into QLD but good luck getting hold of one of them at the moment so I sauntered my way back to my site and decided to just relax and wait here another day before getting back on the road. I had no real agenda and no real time constraints. On my way back I did come across the Royal Hotel, no great surprise there, as pretty much every country town has a Royal Hotel but not like this one. You see this one was owned by One week done. Wow, its amazing how time flies out on the open road exploring our lands.
Today turned in to a top day really. I had a pretty fancy breakfast (for me anyway, given I'm on the road) of snags and a mushroom, zucchini and capsicum egg omelette followed by a stroll into town to grab a paper and magazine. My main aim was to find a covid test kit so I can cross back into QLD but good luck getting hold of one of them at the moment so I sauntered my way back to my site and decided to just relax and wait here another day before getting back on the road. I had no real agenda and no real time constraints.
On my way back I did come across the Royal Hotel, no great surprise there, as pretty much every country town has a Royal Hotel but not like this one. You see this one was owned by none other than Dally Messanger (for you Vic, SA and WA folk I'll forgive you if you don't know who that is). Dally Messanger, otherwise known as "The Master", is one of the greats in the Rugby league World, playing when it was established back in 1908.
The Dally M Medal awarded today to the best player in the league is named in his honour. To stumble across this hotel and piece of history was pretty special as a Ruby League fan that I am.
Anyway, as I got back to my camp site It was then that the guy camping just up from me came on over and started chatting and asked what I was doing for the day. It was during this conversation that he made mention of another free camp site about an hour and a half up the road from Manilla at Bingara that was right on the banks of the Gwidir River with plenty of open space, plenty of shade and plenty of relaxation. Well sign me up. The decision to have a day off the bike was dashed and within about 30 min I was packed up and on the road. I did however have some slight hesitations as the camp grounds at Manilla were quite nice but all I can say is that the guy I spoke to was not wrong.
The track into the camp site at Bingara was a bit sketchy with some pretty harsh and large rocks/boulders but boy was it worth coming in for. I even had the luck of finding a site with enough firewood for close to 2 nights. All in all I class today as a win. Now to sit back, relax, watch the river flow and listen to the cicadas and birds singing in the evening breeze and wait to see what tomorrow brings.
One of the issues with anxiety and depression is that one minute your ok and then the next you are knocked on your arse and feeling extremely low. Well that was me last night, to the point I just wanted to pack it all in and just ride back home. Theme park roller coaster rides have nothing on these real life rides. I understand that opportunities like these, where you can spend a week or so with no real time constraints and set destinations, don't always present themselves at every corner and you need to make the most of them when they do and that's something I will be working on in 2022, to be fully thankful for every opportunity like this and not to let the self doubt and loathing creep in.
I am extremely lucky to have a wife that fully understands and is happy for me to take time out when I need it. For that I am extremely greatfull. The funny part is, is that the previous night I felt fantastic in a way I haven't felt for a very long time. I was happy, I had some music playing, food in my belly and was messing around
with my photography as I had a new tripod that I brought along with me and all was good. I managed to get some nice evening/night shots before the bugs rolled in and started to carry me away. The morning though had me feeling slightly better as I woke to the sounds of little kingfisher birds dive bombing the water to find themselves some breakfast and the sounds of the Gwydir river flowing quite rapidly (Ill speak more on this later)Today was going to be a rest day while I figured out how and where I could get tested so I could cross back into my home state of QLD. Once that was done I did some laundry - yes I managed to do laundry and get clean clothes as they were on the verge of walking themselves into town for a rinse.
I think one of the reasons I started to feel so low was that there were no plans, no agenda and nowhere to be, which was a first for this trip. I sometimes find it hard to just sit and be and to just observe and take everything in that's in front of me. Even if that's just for 30min, 1 hour or a day and be ok with that. Essentially just being in the present moment. That's something else I need to work on in 2022. I did however manage to observe the river flowing....and flowing...and flowing to the point I was wondering if I would have a water bed to sleep in for the night. My old fire pit had to be relocated to higher ground and I had prepped my tent ready for a quick retreat during the night if needed. The beauty of this tent is that you can just pick the whole thing up and move it somewhere else. I was concerned enough that when I went to bed, I set my alarm for midnight to wake up and see if the river had rose closer to my tent.
I'm happy to report this morning that while I did have an ever so slightly closer water view, I was still high and dry and not to concerned. Now on to greener pastures today mentally and who knows maybe even physically too.
Day 9 - As I sat in town contemplating the ups and downs of the last 24 hours I happen to catch a glimpse of a building that I had walked past a few times but not thought to much of it. It was the Roxy Theatre. Although it didn't appear to be a working theatre, I wondered what it's past must have looked like and what was its back story and history. Well the Roxy was born from 3 Greek men who migrated to Australia in the 1920's to set up
a number of cafes in and around the Bingara and Baraba region. The Roxy grew from a cafe and expanded into a major entertainment hub that at the time the local paper deemed the venture to be the "Dawn of a new era in Bingara’s Entertainment history” The Roxy was deemed the most modern establishment outside of the big smoke of Sydney at the time. This then ensued a cinema war within the town when other proprietors moved in. Over the coming few years each establishment tried to outdo each other before finally in 1936 the Roxy was forced to close its doors just 5 months after extended renovations and upgrades were completed trying to compete with the competition that was in town. They had overextended in trying to compete and were forced to close its doors and file for bankruptcy. In 2004 the Gwydir Shire Council bought and re furbished it back to its old glory days before re opening the Roxy which now houses multipurpose cinemas, performing art venues and function room. It also houses a museum dedication to celebrating Greek immigration to rural Australia. It’s funny how many times we walk past these buildings in towns we visit or even our own
towns and never know the history behind them or never really stopping to know our own
history. I challenge you, that, next time you are in a town passing by or even in your
hometown to just look up some of the town's or buildings history. It may just surprise you
what you find.
Whatever it was I am very greatfull that I got out there. Once I got on the bike I could have taken any number of roads or tracks around here but for some reason I chose to turn down Whitlow road just out of Bingara. It was a nice free flowing track that weaved through some beautiful countryside. It was about 20 minutes into the track and I came across what I thought was just a rest stop, so I pulled over. This is when it hit me, and I was confronted with a stark reminder of our past as this was the site of the Myall Creek Massacre. Sadly, i had no knowledge of this event or what had occurred at this site back on the 10th June 1838. This was the site that 11 stockman Massacred and killed 28 Wirrayaraay Woman, Children and Elderly men.
The site memorial site was done in a very respectful way snaking its way through the 500m track with details and facts of the event which ends at the site of the Massacre. By the end of the trail I had goosebumps and all the hairs standing on my neck over what had occurred at this site in 1838. I really encourage you to read up on the history of what happened at Myall Creek. After a reflective afternoon and evening I packed it in for an early night as tomorrow I would make the final leg back home.
Well Kramer my mate you did it. After a heart transplant (new engine) approx 6 months ago after our Flinders Ranges trip you have now taken me from the Central Coast NSW down to Jindabyne, where I climbed to the top of Mt Kosciuszko, then through to Wombeyan Caves for NYE and to explore through Fig Tree Cave, up to Bathurst for a number of laps around Mount Panorama for my birthday. Then through to the quaint country towns of Manilla and Bingara for some amazing free camping before arriving back home to SE QLD.
You did it all without a fuss and redeemed yourself from the Flinders trip that was drastically cut short in March last year. The first hour of my trip was wet and windy and that’s exactly what the final hour threw up
for me, wind and lots of rain. Seems fitting, I guess. This trip for me was a much-needed trip with an agenda to finish, a rather low year, on a high and that I did. I'm completely blown away by the beauty of the Mt Kosciuszko region and I now have some pretty sweet memories, for life, by climbing to the summit.
I still have some things I need to work on with my anxiety and depression in which this trip has taught me but I knew that these were never going to be quick fixes and the fact that I have been able to highlight them is a step in the right direction I guess.
Our country is vast and diverse and has many hidden gems if we are just prepared to take
the leap and get out there and find them and learn. I have learnt a lot on my journey but still have a lot of learning to do mostly about myself but also about our country and its history and hidden gems.
Now the question is.....where to next?
