We have arrived back in Sydney for Christmas, Brent & Bex’s wedding and to pack from the UK. The honeymoon is almost over.

The Overland Track is definitely deserving of it’s rank as a great walk. A generally easy going walking (as easy going as walking is with 20kg on your back) but really beautiful. We walked 7 days and 98km, each day through a different terrain from Alpine crags to moorlands and rainforest. All the while the deciduous Tasmanian Beech was gilding our surrounds with it’s falling leaves.

The weather was fantastic with the only rain during the last 3 days when scattered showers gave us the ‘real’ Overland Experience.

We started the track with a group of friends and made two more on the way (hi Victoria & Giselle). Due to hut maintenance our original plan was changed and we parted ways with our group at Kia Ora and headed to Pine Valley on the fifth day.

Photos here.

We stopped in briefly to Melbourne on the way to Tassie. Caught up with Kahlia’s nursing friends Del and Becky, Amber’s bridesmaid Tink, and Bernie, a great guy we met in Laos. (Thanks guys for letting us crash with you!)

We saw an Aussie Rules game (Bernie plays in the EFL for the Vermont Eagles), had a Souvlaki and caught a tram. And really, that’s Melbourne isn’t it.

I have wanted to do the Royal National Park Coast Track for years. It’s a track that follows the coast from Bundeena to Otford just south of Sydney. Kahlia needed to break in her new boots and we both needed some exercise before the Overland Track at the end of the month so off we went.

The walk is amazingly beautiful. The best hike we have ever done, with how easy it is to get to it’s criminal we haven’t done till now. The track meanders through little coves and beautiful beaches to exposed cliff tops looking out over the surf.

The walk even throws in some history in the form of little shacks dotting the first half of the walk. Reminders of the depression and the exodus that ensued from the cities to for sustainable land surrounding. The signs tell us that a farmer who owned the land allowed out of work families to come and setup a home there, fishing, rabbitting and farming vegetables to survive. The farmer eventually donated the land to the crown on the condition the families could stay.

We chose to do it in the traditional two days (as there is only one allowed campsite advertised). This means one day of 8km and one day of 18km. We can’t get up early enough to get there and do 18km in one day so we started with the short day first. The first day was lovely and short with only 3 hours walking required. The day still took it’s toll on Kahlia’s feet and the second day started out with a few blisters for her.

The second day we had to cover 18km. We got up late as usual and left at around 10am. We had to be on the last ferry by 6:30pm. At 2pm we reached the halfway point, Wattamolla. Wattamolla is an amazing cove, with snorkelling and fishing a plenty in it’s calm waters. An isthmus of sand separates the ocean from a fresh water (well brackish) lagoon filled from a cascading waterfall. For better or for worse it is also car accessible. A highly recommended day picnic spot an hour from Sydney.

I digress. Kahlia had been hobbled by her new boots. They hadn’t taken kindly to being broken in and were retaliating. So upon reaching this tranquil haven and finding out that camping is now allowed here for weary Coast walkers (with permits) and knowing that we were not going to have much time at Wattamolla if we were to make the ferry. We decided to stay an extra night, one of the luxuries of not having anywhere to be. The downside was we only had some hot chocolate and a lunch left. So we skipped lunch in favour of dinner and had hot chocolate and lollies for breakfast.

We finally made it to the Ferry by 1pm. A lovely trip across the Hacking River in the afternoon sun and a gorging of takeaway food in Cronulla prepared us for our train road home. Hopefully this walk will aid our preparation for the Overland Track.

After an extremely relaxing 3 months we are back in beautiful Australia. We just attended a wonderful wedding in the sunshine coasts hinterland, fantastic! If you haven’t been in an amazing place. A tropical Blue Mountains.

We still have more posts from our trip to put up, but we thought we would let everyone know we were back and safe.

We are about to depart for 2 weeks on Fraser Island, then slowly make our way back for Donna & Tenney’s wedding in Bathurst. Then it’s catching up with everyone and the Overland track in April. We are also trying to squeeze in a sailing course in the Whitsunday’s, so if anyone is interested let us know!