Lennox Head to Ballina
12 km (130 km) | 3 hr
We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it. We get it rough enough at home, in towns and cities ~George W. Sears
Today was the final day of walking for this first stage of my coastal odyssey. As all bushwalkers know, there is something almost bittersweet about the final day of a longish walk. There will be the sense of accomplishment of ‘arriving’ but also the tinge of sadness that the journey cannot just continue forever, or at least for a little while longer.
Started today at Lennox Head and then walked along Skennars Beach and up to Skennars Head. Boulder Beach, Sharpes Beach, Angels Beach, Shelly Beach and Lighthouse Beach followed – each one exquisite in its own special way and then… finally… ta da… the Richmond River and Ballina.
By the time I arrived at the mouth of the Richmond River at Ballina, I had completed 45 or so ‘official’ NSW beaches with another dozen unofficial ones, 13 headlands, 130 km or 80+ miles of beaches, headlands and nature trails, a few (!) cold beers and a golden week of perfect memories.
And, as a pleasant book-end to the week, I spent the evening at the Duelling Pianos show at the Northern Hotel in Byron Bay featuring an old school mate and his team on a couple of grand pianos. A magnificent venue and a great party crowd. Despite being the oldest patron (by a few decades), I loved the singalong and particularly enjoyed the booming rendition of the hit – I will walk 500 miles – and I will walk 500 more – a contender for the theme song of my Dreamtime to Eden walk!
And so, I hopped on my Jetstar el cheapo flight back to Sydney from Ballina. Normal life was about to resume, but I was buoyed by the knowledge that I would have the solace of planning and plotting Chunk 2 – from the Richmond to the Clarence – the following month. Next time, hopefully, as an ever-so-slightly older and wiser coast trekker.
Having had the sun and a gentle northerly at my back, pods of dolphins and whales simply everywhere, sea eagles and pied oyster catchers and mini-terns and lots more avian life to accompany me and the occasional cheery chat with my fellow beachcombers along the way, this had been a week to savour and cherish. It is difficult to convey how therapeutically satisfying the simple act of walking these wondrous beaches can be.
My abiding lesson, as I write this after completion of the first three chunks of the walk, is that the NSW coast is simply one of the most sensationally beautiful, and yet fantastically doable, great walks of the world. I’ve heard that there are preliminary plans to develop and package the 1000-mile walk into a cohesive whole and for me this is an absolute no-brainer. But for anyone interested, there is no need to wait! From the Tweed to the Richmond is absolutely and completely perfect right now – part of our very own Camino for those who worship the sun, the sand, the sea-eagles, the dolphins, the whales, the waves, the ocean and the coast.
And so, to update the Irish toast for a Dreamtime to Eden setting:
May the sun shine on all your journeys, may there be a perfect resting spot on your way, may there be fresh water near at hand with a cold beer at the end of a hot day, and may the wind be always at your back...!