Larapinta 16: Walking to the Beginning of Time

 

 

Use this gadget in case of an emergency; help is only four months away

 

The campsite exploded in a flurry of activity at 5:30am. Torches flickered around in tents; the sound of zippers and the rustling of canvas filled the pitch-black, chilly air. In record time we were all packed and ready to go, drawn to the ultimate prize of the day, the Larapinta finish line.

 

Telegraph Station

 

 

The first building in Alice Springs

The Telegraph Station is worth having an extended look at, since it is the place that marks the first white settlement in the red centre.

The Alice Springs Telegraph line was midway along the Overland Telegraph line from Darwin to Adelaide. Opened in 1872, the line suddenly reduced the isolation of Australians from the rest of the world.

I was surprised to see my lawyer swallow the hill in the distance in one gulp before I could strap my pack on. The Hilton was calling.

On top of Euro Ridge I was greeted by the rising sun, shrouded in a faint morning haze. The left of the ridge was a spinifex covered, rounded hill and to the right was a sudden dangerous drop, with far reaching views. Our splintered group of hikers took the trail teetering right on the edge of this dramatic plunge. While I unpacked my camera I could see them all disappear, one by one,  over the hill in the distance. My word!!! I could not believe what I saw through the viewfinder of my camera. I lost a piece of my soul up there on that ridge.

 



The steep rock-face in the morning

 

I have always attempted to share the finish-line euphoria with friends, family and the people I love. Five kilometres from the end, I texted those people, announcing my imminent, hard fought achievement. My phone did not stop with the congratulatory responses all day.

My small moment in the winter sun!

 

My lawyer who managed to stay out in front of me this whole morning came into view only four km's from the end. Now so much stronger and faster than ever. We walked together for a while; it was a joyous highlight-recalling session. At the last kilometre mark we decided to walk alone.

Somehow the trail gifted us a flatter area and passed a tiny graveyard. There lay people that died way before their generally accepted due dates even in those tough colonial days. Maybe a warning for when you start the Larapinta Trail, maybe when you are finishing the trail, the headstones in the cemetery queue you to thank the millions of lucky Larapinta stars that you’ve made it; safe and alive.

 

 

 

Ernie died of tuberculosis and was the brother of the station master T A Bradshaw. Imagine being terminally ill in a place thousands of kilometres away from civilization. The first building has only just been built and it isn't a hospital. Imagine having to stand by your brother helplessly and watch him die.

 

I felt more than alive walking the last couple of hundred metres. My thoughts and emotions were mixed like an expensive cocktail - happiness – feeling reenergised – dying for a good coffee – chest swelling pride for finishing  – sadness it  was all over – absolute awe of the natural beauty I had witnessed - feeling strong and fit - overcoming the physical and mental hardship.

Good things happen in the presence of beauty

 

The many days of limping in solitude were finally over. A little gazebo appeared in the distance with a large sign announcing the trailhead of the Larapinta Trail. I crossed the finish line with the biggest dingo howl and fist-pump imaginable. Grant was waiting for me there and after a serious handshake and some back-slapping, he offered to take a photo or two.

 



Mars is done!

 

For me, all that was left to do was wait for the man of the law to finish his long journey of survival and nail it down in kilobytes.  As he rounded the corner, a large smile rolled across his face and his arms reached up into the sky in triumph.

 



The trial finished

 

Grey Bits

Thanks to all the amazing people I have met on the Larapinta Trail. I hope our paths will cross again soon.

Grant - in a good place

The coffee tasted great at the Trailhead Café. We celebrated our hike for a couple of hours out on the terrace. Find more information on the Café and the Telegraph Station at this link alicespringstelegraphstation.com.au




Packs down

 

Please don't forget to read the government website before you take on the Larapinta Trail.
nt.gov.au/leisure/recreation/bushwalking-hiking/larapinta-trail

Thanks to the Government and Parks and Wildlife for the funding and upkeep of this world class hiking trail.




Follow the trail of the Yeperenye. It is in your hands

Last but not least, a warm thanks and a big hug goes out to my partner Jules for supporting me all the way along the track, putting up with my crazy antics and editing every thingymebob of mine into palatable English.

 

Thanks to you too mate

 

I often wonder what this place would have been like in the days of the first settlers.  The fact still remains - this is one of the most isolated, magical places in the world and in my opinion well worth visiting.

A long time ago came a man on a track

walking thirty miles with a pack on his back

and he put down his load where he thought it was the best

made a home in the wilderness.....

 

Telegraph Road written and performed by Dire Straits
 



The wires that connected Alice Springs to the rest of the world