Day 5 – Easby Ck to Benedore River Camp

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A leisurely 8:30am start to the day’s walking. The condensation was still significant, but not as bad as the previous night. We walk along the beach for a few km under threatening grey skies. Some of the rocky headlands we have to negotiate on this walk are quite challenging, especially with full packs.

When we stop for morning tea at Red River, I spot a decent sized crab watching me from the safety of a crevice. Bruce and Dave find some mussels, which we collect for dinner.

From Red River, an old 4×4 track heads inland, and it’s nice to be walking on a hard surface for a while with some foliage for a change of scenery.

Eventually the track descends to the beach again, where we are able to collect fresh water from a small waterfall above the beach. water has been a constant struggle on this hike, with usually only one suitable supply met each day. We fill up with enough for dinner and breakfast, as well as the first half of tomorrow. For me that’s four litres.

The rocky headland to the next beach is a challenging scramble. Some sections require picking your timing between waves. Greg helpfully points out that I should wait for a break in the waves, rather than walk through while they’re crashing on the rocks. Thanks Greg! From there it’s not far to Benedore River Camp (which like all the other camps marked on the map, doesn’t really exist in any meaningful sense). Again we set up camp on the beach. This is my most challenging camp of the hike so far, and I end up stringing my hammock between a rock and the pole I brought to practice one-tree hangs with.

While I’m getting the fire going, Bruce and Monica return with a fish they’ve caught. We cook it on the coals, then steam the mussels. Afterward, sitting around the fire and chatting into the night, the air is still and warm. A lovely night.