Early start 4.20am (no packing up a dew wet tent wow!) we started walking in the lovely pre dawn morning, it was going to be a long day 32 klms to Miles. We had decided to stop a couple of klms this side of Miles and tag that klms onto the next day that was only 20 klms.  As dawn came so did  the traffic, and we were thrilled at the positive response from most people. The day was pretty uneventful,though it was the first day Potts walked with his back pack and this did slow us down a little but no great deal also Bindi had her first ride in the Red Rocket (Roxy) which she thoroughly enjoyed  We stopped at 10am and set up camp until 4pm walking until 7pm, We had a visit from our friendly cops Scott and  Justin.  from Dalby who chatted with us for about 40 mins.  I think the highlight of the day was when Angela from Aspen Medical ( a medical program to look after workers in CSG; I believe they also help local people when needed) stopped to give us iced water and 2 pkts of M and Ms I think it is in CSG companies best interest to see that Potts and I come to no harm.!!!! Potts also made some temporary shoes for Bindi as her paws are still tender. Hopefully we can make something better when we get to Paul and Jenny’s place.

For more photo of our walk click here

For videos of our walk click here

Our rest day was spent in comfort in a cabin in Condamine Caravan Park generously provided by Lee McNicol. It was a leisurely start and while Potts played with his computer downloading photos and movies I did a little hand washing and talk with two lovely women who lived in the caravan Park. Dot’s home was completely flooded just 12 months ago and she told me about that experience and her excitement at moving back into her completely refurbished home in two weeks. Ack then drove us into Miles so I could pick up from the PO an extra battery and car charger for my phone that a friend had kindly posted to me. In the evening we went across to the local pub for a ginger beer hoping to chat with some locals. The pub was very busy mostly with CSG workers and we were unable to connect with them.

For more photos of our walk click here

For videos of our walk click here

It may sound strange but it’s a really beautiful feeling, just stepping ever onwards along a Central Queensland road (for a city kid at least!). And that’s before you think about the connection you just made with a local grazier concerned about the rate of expansion of the CSG industry in Australia.

One thing I love about this walk is that our route is designed to go through a whole host of communities affected by booming coal and gas mining ventures, in an effort to highlight the need for Queensland to proceed more cautiously to ensure our future’s a sustainable one.

So today this humble support driver had an opportunity to walk the first leg of the day, departing the campsite by the APLNG compressor station at 4:30am. It was a straightforward, if hot, day, and we ended up being booked into a cabin in Condamine by a very generous and supportive local. Then the lovely policeperson Ben came past to deliver a successfully recharged laptop, and help June with some other technical issues…

Thanks so much to June and Potts for having me along. I wish you all the best with the walk in the coming days as you venture past Miles sans support car. I am sure you will continue to meet people who are grateful for your work, and hopefully this cloud cover will stay but you won’t get too wet!

Love

Ack

From Brisbane

For more photos of our walk, click here.

For videos of our walk, click here.

HEADS UP: Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day (hallelujah), so the walkers may not blog for a day or two.

Today was a day of terrific local support as we were accompanied by as many as fifteen people along the road.

Brian & Carolyn Monk, Potts Driscoll and Piers went down to the boundary of the Monks’ Kogan property at about 4:30am, where they were joined by a crowd who had spent the night at Tara basecamp. The team included myself, a young mother from the Scenic Rim and her two sons, some Tara locals, a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and supporters and friends from Sydney, Byron Bay, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast.

4am. I dragged myself out of the tent after 8 hours of very very good sleep, wishing I’d had another 4 hours at least. Potts, Piers and I slowly got ourselves packed up, and we were on the road by 4:30 as planned.

By this time I was fully awake and enjoying the beauty of the country at this time in the morning. We arrived at Kogan village about 8am, intending to shout ourselves breakfast and coffee at the café. We’d been sent a message via a local that the lady who ran the café was looking forward to meeting us. Unfortunately, it turned out that we were there right when the town was overrun with QGC workers, so somehow our reception at the café was far less warm than we had hoped (the café lady seemed busy and disgruntled), and we decided to go across the road and cook our breakfast in the park beside the community hall.

Hello all you wonderful supporters and interested community members,

I’m sorry it has taken so long to post. My excuse is my inability to conquer my smartphone, combined with only patchy internet and sheer exhaustion at the end of the day.

So the launch at QGC’s pipeline by Kumbarilla Lane was a great success. WinTV came to film it, and Bob Irwin, Drew Hutton, Piers Shapley, and other dignitaries were in attendance. It was a wonderful start to our project, but then because of our late start our walk became a very long 27 kms in the blazing heat of the day.