Day 11: Woody Head to Yamba

Day 11. Having covered so much ground yesterday it was relaxing to wake up and know that I only had to walk 7-8 kilometers before I would arrive in Yamba. Like most mornings, I woke around 5am so that I could catch the sun rising over the water. Official sunrise times in Winter vary from 630am onwards however the sky starts to come alive a little earlier with clouds changing between various shades of pink, mauve, burnt orange, red and of course blue. At this time most mornings are rather cold and today was no different. As the saying goes, it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey but as I sat on the rocky headland watching the changing sky and a pod of feeding dolphins in the waters below it was difficult to dwell on the bitter cold of this beautiful morning.

Another stunning sunrise to start the day off on the right foot.

As John and I headed back towards our camp site our attention was grabbed by something strange bobbing in the water just off the rocks. On closer inspection we noticed that it was a turtle clearly in some trouble. The turtle obviously needed some help but given how cold it was I was a little reluctant to get into the water and lend a hand. After Johno and I debated about who should do the honours, I finally whipped up enough courage and stepped into the water, complete with beenie, and grabbed what turned out to be a green sea turtle who had eaten some plastic. Apparently 1 in every 1000 turtles survive to breeding age (breeding age is usually around 30-40 years) and of those that do survive, two-thirds die as a result of ingesting plastic waste which they mistake for jellyfish.  All turtles are listed as either endangered or critically endangered, a disgraceful situation largely caused by our careless disposal of plastic waste. 

Helping a sick green sea turtle that had ingested some plastic rubbish. 

With "Ox" the Green Sea Turtle, affectionately named by the Australian Seabird Rescue team after my walk for Oxfam, was in their safe hands and a warm tank of water I packed up and set off for Yamba. To cross the Clarence River I boarded the Clarence Head Ferry the last surviving ferry operating on the Clarence River. Back in the day, hundreds of people from Grafton would jump aboard ferries much larger than the Clarence Head and make the journey downstream to Yamba for a weekend or holiday at the beach. While aboard I learnt that the Clarence Head was in a previous life a boat scourge....A boat built to house explosives which would then be ferried to the allied forces during WW2. After dropping off their cargo these boats were then blown up to prevent the enemy from using them. The Clarence Head was built in 1946 and so survived. If you ever go to Yamba I stongly recommend you shout yourself a Clarence River boat cruise. I'm not much of a history buff but the story of the Clarence is intriguing.

On the way to Yamba...

The crew and I onboard the Clarence Head

Arriving in Yamba, my home for the next few days would be the Yamba Backpackers. Staff inform me it has been voted the number 1 Hostel in Australia, and you can clearly see why. It has a great cafe and bar down stairs. A roof top spa and pool. The rooms are more like hotel/motel rooms than hostel rooms. And the staff are ever so helpful. I'm very lucky that the YHA have been kind enough to provide we with my accommodation during my stay in Yamba. And along with the YHA, I must say a huge thankyou to the members of the Yamba Rotary Club who have supported my Walk Against Want.

And I couldn't leave Yamba without saying thankyou to all the members of the Yamba Bowls Club who donated $277.45 towards my cause. Your support is sincerely appreciated!

Well this just about concludes my post. My next entry will probably come after my arrival in Coffs Harbour. For the next couple of weeks I will be heading south through the Yuraygir National Park. Many people have described just how spectacular this part of the coastline is and I'm very much looking forward to checking it out for myself. Unfortunately the weather has turned sour in recent days and it's predicted to only get worse. Heavy rain, storms and strong winds are forecast. Certainly not the ideal camping companions, but you have to take the good with the bad and I can't deny that I have been lucky with the weather so far. And despite enjoying my stay in Yamba the feet are beginning to itch. It might sound strange but I think they yearn for the road less travelled and the excitement of new experiences that brings. 

Until then.... 

Donate by

Calling Oxfam Australia on 1800 088 110 and mention my Walk Against Want to Sydney.

or

follow this link: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/glen_hammermeister  

All donations are tax deductible and go towards a very worth cause.