When are you leaving?
I will leave at 5am on Monday, June 19th 2000,
from the lowest point in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, escorted from
the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Domain Tunnel by the NSW Police
Service and the RTA (and my mate Greg driving my van taking
photos).
How far is it?
About 560 km (350 miles).
How long will it take?
My itinerary (see the Route
page) involves 20 days, including 1.5 rest days.
Is the Sydney Harbour tunnel really the lowest
point in Australia?
Lake Eyre, SA is the lowest physical point
in Australia, at 14 metres (46 feet) below sea level. The
lowest man-made point in Australia is probably the bottom
of some mine shaft somewhere. So the bottom of the Sydney
Harbour Tunnel, at 27 metres (88 feet) below sea level, would be
(in my guess) the lowest publicly-accessible point in
Australia (if anyone knows of a lower one, they can kindly keep it
to themselves, thanks very much). How convenient that it's
in Sydney, where I live....
What is the total vertical height you'll climb?
From 27 metres (88 feet) below sea level to 2228
metres (7310 feet) above sea level, a total climb of 2255 metres
(7398 feet).
Will you have a support vehicle?
I can't imagine why I'd need one.
What route are you taking?
The full route, with a map, is described on the
Route page. I will be sticking to
secondary roads for most of the walk, for a few reasons:
-
It makes the route shorter and thus faster
-
It is more convenient for me to buy supplies
along the way.
-
It affords maximum visibility for the sponsors
-
It is safer
Where will you sleep?
I will stay in (or near) towns for almost all
nights. This should make the walk a little more comfortable
on cold nights, when I can sit in a cafe (or something) and read,
or write the web updates, etc). I will carry a tent for the
nights when no offers of accommodation have been made in a town (I
expect to sleep in the tent for at least half the nights).
What will you eat?
As much as possible, I will by buying prepared
food. I will carry a camping stove, but I don't plan to do
much cooking, except when I'm away from towns in the evenings.
I will carry snacks and a quantity of the finest scroggin (trail
mix) in the world.
Won't it be cold?
Yes, undoubtedly, especially in the Australian
Alps. I may even need to do the last few kilometres on
cross-country skis. But I have plenty of experience camping
in cold weather, and I don't anticipate the cold to be any
problem.
What are you going to take?
I will carry all equipment in a backpack,
including:
What is your recipe for that fabulous scroggin
(trail mix)?
