Day 8 – Foster to Yanakie

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I brought camp shoes with me to have another try and see if I like them. They’re bulky and weigh 170g, and I’ve used them once. I ditch them with the other orphans by the bins. Every bit helps.

We head into town for breakfast at one of the cafés. The day is shaping up to be gorgeous.

Where there’s a rainbow, there’s rain. We put our gear on just in time to catch a heavy shower. It passes as quickly as it arrives. Throughout the day we get alternating bursts of sunshine and cloud, rain and fine. The sun will warm us until we’re overheating and consider de-layering, then a cold wind will pick up and we’ll be too chilly. We agree that Victorian weather is capricious and unknowable.

You know what would have made this trip easier?

A car?

Yep, a car.

Motorists give us the friendly wave. An older couple on a pair of tractors give us the friendliest wave of the entire walk. As we approach the isthmus of Yanakie, we discuss changing our plan. Instead of a 20km day to Shallow Inlet, we’ll swing east and push through to Yanakie caravan park for a 30km day. This will cut a bunch of future distance off, but it comes with a huge unknown; 13km of off-track beach walking tomorrow.

We stop for a long lunch at the general store. Making sure we take semi-frequent breaks of decent length helps manage the strain on our feet. We take our boots and socks off to air. Robyn’s feet are a mess of tape, and mine aren’t much better. Photos behind the paywall.

We pour over the maps of the beach section. We define possible escape routes, scrutinise satellite imagery, consult tide charts, and discuss pitfalls. At length, after a long moment of reflection, Robyn settles on the conclusion: “well… I don’t think it’s stupid.”

Then it’s another 8km to day’s end. When we’re walking on a narrow shoulder and dodging traffic, I fume about what a terrible idea the walk is. Then we’ll come to a quiet section with expansive views across corner inlet’s sparkling waters to the lazy hills we’ve just walked beneath, and I’m grateful as fuck to be out here seeing things I wouldn’t have seen if the arbitrary line hadn’t brought me here.

Robyn seems not to suffer the same struggles. Every time I hear a cow moo it’s followed by a giggle of delight. I’m telling ya, folks; pick your walking companions with care.

From the caravan park we wander down the beach a little and gaze towards the day to come. Tomorrow will either be okay, or it won’t. There are no good ways to enter Wilsons Prom on foot.

We cook dinner in the heated camp kitchen and treat ourselves to hot showers. In bed I massage my feet and calves. I feel like it helps a little with the overnight recovery for the day to come.