Day 20: Kennedy Reserve to Bungil Koetong Creek - 17km

Our day always starts with packing up. Some sites make that easy, others really don’t. Sand and mud are the worst, both get into every zipper and crevice, and no matter how careful we are, everything ends up gritty. I am finding myself getting more irritated with the sand lately, though maybe that is just because we only have a few days of hiking left before we reach Hume Dam.

Most of the day was spent walking on tarmac, which is brutal on the feet. The soles of our shoes kept sticking to the warm asphalt. Along the way we met Joe and Amy, two sturdy-looking female farmers on quad bikes who rode over to say hello. They were curious about what we were doing out here in such an isolated place. They were lovely, full of banter about farm life, and they warned us about crossing paddocks with cows, since cows aren’t used to hikers and there’s always a small risk of a stampede. I had the feeling Amy was half‑teasing us, but we took their advice seriously.

We kept going, tired but grateful for the overcast sky that made the walking a little easier. Rain was threatening, and we hoped to reach Bungil by 3 pm.

We arrived at Bungil/Koetong Creek at 2 pm, just as the sky turned black and the rain became imminent. We set up camp at record speed, we have become quite efficient, and the downpour started literally the moment we threw the last of our gear inside the tent. It absolutely bucketed down. We were relieved to have kept ourselves and our things mostly dry, but after such a long day we were desperate for a cup of tea. So I pulled on my rain gear, stood out in the storm, and fired up the Trangia for a well‑earned cuppa.

We are camped in another cow paddock, though the cows are keeping their distance, mooing occasionally as if reminding us they know we are here. I filtered water from the nearby creek, which we are sharing with the cows. It is heavily sedimented, and the filter kept clogging, so getting enough clear drinking water took ages.

Eventually the rain eased, and Cy and I sat outside, surrounded by nature, talking about our experiences and life in general. We both felt this quiet sense of elation and appreciation. The sky hung low with clouds and fog, dramatic and beautiful in that dramatic way that Cy and I grew accustomed to.

We went to bed with the rain still coming down hard. The tent floor leaked, and I woke up with my sleeping gear soaked. Even so, we managed to pack up during a brief break in the weather, and our journey carried on. It is humid, still, and incredibly quiet out here.