Posted 11:36:31 AM by Don
I can bear the humiliation no longer. Never again shall I subject myself to such embarrasment. Across Australia I have been harrassed and harangued by toddlers who, like tom-cats, ward off any individual over three foot who sits in the 'kiddies' section of the local pool - territorial peeing is rife! Hopefully in a week's time I can migrate to the bigger pool as mobility should be restored by then and rejuvenation sought by greater means.

From Luke Mulley who joined the team from 3 - 4th March:

"It probably only took about 15-20 minutes of running with Don to realise what an extraordinary person he is. I immediately found him very intelligent and knowledgable, someone who has, at the age of twenty, experienced more then most of us ever will, he has maturity far beyond his years but at the same time is very humble and down to earth.

I ran with Don for approximately 8 hours over 2 days and the entire time I was kept interested and amazed, listening to such a facinating person. I learn't much running with Don and I am very grateful that the opportunity was presented. One of the reasons I wanted to run with Don was as learning experience. The other was to give Don some running company. The things I was able to learn are far too many to list and might not interest all readers though I believe the following are worth mentioning:
1. Don actually put up $15,000 himself to cover all costs for the run.
2. The run and everything associated with it is very time consuming. Don's typical day starts at about 6.00am and finishes at roughly 9.00pm. Every second in this period is very full on and Don rarely gets a break.
3. The run is not solely about running, charity or himself. He has never hoped to become a hero or anything from this run but believes the experience and confidence he shall gain from this will help to further him as a person in other goals set for his lifetime.

I had the most enjoyable time whilst with Don and his crew. His "go get it, nothing's impossible attitude" has definitely inspired me to now go on and do bigger, more challenging things myself. Don is a fantastic role model for Australians and the sky is definitely the limit for him.

In concluding I would like to thank Don, Justin and Amanda for their great hospitality and the way they looked after me during my time with them. I wish you all the very best with the rest of the run and success and happiness for the future." CHEERS Luke

Luke is a real estate agent in Junee, aged 20, and hopes to complete a run of similar magnitude in the coming years.

The Hume has been a classic case of culture shock. The traffic and fumes are depressing and I miss the country serenity where the random roadtrain was a highlight not another snarling engine that blows its stack every so often.

Developments in the Hume Highway over the past ten years have seen historic towns such as Gunning, our current location, fall by the wayside. With a number of by-pass roads, small towns lose popularity. However with recent changes in people's attitudes to commuting the small towns are once again starting to thrive. Gunning, established in 1823, is one such town. Full of run-down antique stores and cobwebbed picture theatres, the town is undergoing a rennaissance with the infiltration of those working in Canberra or Goulburn but wishing for a little more peace at night. This is where true history can be found and if on my third return to such a place it is not a Saturday (where everything closes down) I plan to spend a little more time in such a dainty area.

Just a reminder of our schedule: We will be at the junction of Sydney and Parramatta Rd. at 10:00am, March 13th. With police escort we continue to the Town Hall for a 10:30am 'Year of The Outback' appointment before making the final strides to the Opera House steps where I anticipate the official proceedings should last until midday.

234km to Sydney! - 3694km completed.

Posted 11:05:02 AM by Don
The smell of deisel, the all too familiar fumes of the Hume... I'm getting high on the whiff of an oily rag. Really excited about our proximity to home!

It took the best hills proffered by the Great Dividing Range to work off the huge chunk of cow Justin, Luke and I devoured in the Junee pub yesterday. A pub once owned by the parents of local football champion Laurie Daley! We had great support from this and the surrounding towns, raising a steady $150 per day. Just out of Junee we ran into a man from AAOB (an 'older' country version of APEX) who pledged $500, taking our on-road tally well past $5000.

It is amusing to observe Justin and Amanda's differing approaches to fundraising. Whilst Justin establishes a firm position on a local bar stool, hydrolic sandwich in hand, Amanda is down at town square. Justin sweetalks staff and patrons whilst Amanda haggles passing folk. Both efforts prove equally successful but Justin's in the box seat as he has the amazing ability to guzzle, talk and gesticulate in the same movement.

It strikes me as odd. Until yesterday, every person encountered, when told of the direction and route of the run, would say, "Gee. Long way to go buddy." But yesterday, people began to say, "Home straight now fella." And it has been that way ever since. Obviously a line in the map that I missed specifying the borders: 'home strait' and 'back of buggery'.

The four greatest physical struggles from this run have been quite unusual. They are, in decending order of difficulty: headwinds; ankles; blistered and ulcered lips and itchy feet! The headwinds are toughest because over them you have no control. They sap your energy and punish your speed.

362km to Sydney! Over $18500 raised. Permanent mobile contact - 0402 842 136

Posted 10:41:12 AM by Don
A pub lunch at last! Looks as if steak, eggs and chips will coincide with our rest break.

True to his word, Luke was a great running companion for the 35km through to Junee this morning. He will be writing some words for the updates that we hope to have posted in the coming days.

We have passed through the gorgeous old towns of Matong, Ganmain, Marrar and old Junee. So clean yet you'd swear that a zepher would nock over the flimsy weatherboard digs.

We will reach the Hume Highway tomorrow afternoon and I will be able to relive past struggles with heavy packs and little aid.

Nearing 3500km completed.

Posted 7:07:08 PM by Don
Camped in Coolamon with the most adorable family. Luke Mulley, an avid runner of similar age, noticed an article regarding the run in 'Runner's World' magazine a month back. Contacting me immediately our liaisons came into fruition with our meeting on the highway this afternoon. Luke will be running a marathon with us tomorrow morning through to our lunch break at Junee. Luke's Mum, Carol, put on a great feed and again the team is blessed by the generosity of folk in rural Australia. Luke is keen to point out that so many urban Australians think that people in the outback are farmers when really only 10% of individuals fall into this category. Luke plans to run across Australia at some stage and our meeting seems to have neutralised any fears he held about such a mammoth undertaking.

On a very sad note, both of my crew have succumbed to blisters... whilst I remain blister free.

Good news for the finish with Ian Keirnan OA and Gabi Hollows, confirmed as speakers for the day.

Plagued yet again by stomach cramps with the onslaught accellerated by the speed with which I ran yesterday afternoon. Having to make up time after an extended stay in Narrandera, we ran at 10km/hr for a couple of hours allowing the body little time to digest food and stomach liquid.

3459km completed to date.

Posted 1:15:12 PM by Don
With farmers racing across paddocks on four wheelers for a glance, and the regional surveyor stopping for a yarn, we made our way closer to the NSW town of Narrandera. With land that harvests cereal crops, we enter our final set of mountain ranges before linking with the Hume Highway in a couple of days.

We will be entering Sydney through Liverpool and travelling along Paramatta Rd. I anticipate our arrival at Liverpool c.sunrise, March 13th, with our schedule including a stop at Town Hall - 10:30am, for a presentation by Year Of The Outback before continuing to the steps of the Opera House for our official arrival at 11:00am.

Although we will have fallen well short of Serge Girard's trans-Australia record, we hope to break the 'Indian to Pacific' record of 68 days held by a man from Great Britain. To do this I must run to Bondi beach within 24hrs of my arrival in Sydney. Easy, one would assume, though what will happen on March 13th could prove rather hectic and unpredictable. Either way I will be the youngest person to ever complete a documented run across a continent although, as previously mentioned, this is not the focus of the run's cessation.

I am going to miss the peace of the outback. I love the setting, the animals and the fantastic 'salt of the earth' characters we have met.

From Amanda: " The river red gums were a welcome sight by the Tom Bolens water, contrasting with the stockier black box gums. .. I still get a thrill when I see flocks of pink and grey galahs crossinf the azure blue sky. The contrast in colours is spectacular as the sun glints through the feathers of the yellow crested cockatoo. There is a saying that your soul soars in wild places - this isn't wild but it is relative with the city."

From Justin: "I'm having a ball! The boy is going like a steamtrain."

Special thanks to Advanced Nutritional Foods for their donation of calcium supplements that have proven beneficial for all involved with the run. For more information please contact (02) 9969 7756. Our appreciation extends to Jim Carew and ITS Communications, Darwin, for the discounted use of a satellite phone for the majority of our crossing.
Rudy Project Australia has been made a major sponsor following their donation of a further pair of sunglasses.

I read our past updates today only to find that sections are missing from the last week. With our floppy disk having disappeared, these entries are permanently lost along with a thankyou from myself to my cousin Sophie. I hope this abridged version suffices.
Sophie crewed for over seven weeks developing a greater tolerance for varying temperaments. I will miss her company dearly and thank her so much for what she brought to this experience. Her willingness to 'hit the road', after returning from three years away from family and friends, to aid a sole adventurer and support a worthy cause, is evidence of the courage and determination she exhibited by remaining as crew for as long as constraints permitted.

Nearly $17500 raised with 3378km completed to date.

From 3.3.02:
The end of the Hay Plain spelt the finish of days without towns and the associated contact. Civilisation has its benefits, however, you can't beat the tranquility of life without phones and computers.

2.3.02 continued:
With time spent filming in Hay and rounds made to the local bakery for sugar delights to last the afternoon, we needed a big session to remain on pace with our schedule. Thus I ran from 11:00am through until 9:00pm with the body a little sore at 'stumps'.
At midday Andrew departed with a cheerful grin and a pump of the fist... Enter Justin Van Derventer, a 55 year old, South African Australian, with a laconic smile and laidback attitude. Long-legged and a man of vast experiences Justin is proving a great companion on the road as he strides beside for 3km while I battle to maintain a decent running pace! He has begun our history lessons on race relations in South Africa which is proving fascinating for someone with little prior knowledge of the terrible situation.