Yesterday, I completed the first part of my walk along the Derwent River: an exciting achievement.
Last August I started walking from the mouth of the River at Cape Direction on the tip of the South Arm peninsula and now, at the end of February, I have completed the distance from that mouth to the Bridgewater Bridge and back on the western shore to Pearson’s Point near the settlement of Tinderbox.
On the 8th stage mid-November, I had the first major milestone when I finished the walk from Cape Direction to the Bridgewater Bridge. This 13th stage was the culmination of walks from the Bridge back to the mouth on the western side of the River.
During yesterday’s walk, I covered about 5km of the length of the Derwent River. By my reckoning, the total distance of the Derwent River on the western shore from the Bridgewater Bridge to the mouth is 38 3/4 km.
For Stage 13 yesterday, I needed to walk to Pearson’s Point from the bus stop where I finished on Stage 12 and then, on reaching my goal, I needed to retrace my steps back to Blackmans Bay to connect with a bus that could return me to Hobart. This distance was approximately 17 kms. I have now walked at least 171km not counting getting to and from buses. But when the walks are staggered over time, this number does not mean much.
The highlights of the walk to Pearson’s Point were mostly small and natural: rosehips, green rosellas, hum of bees, resting sheep, and the taste of delicious ripe blackberries along the way.
I was surprised how close the northern part of Bruny Island was to the mainland of Tasmania (almost felt like I could swim across the D’entrecasteaux Channel) and I felt overwhelmed by the staggeringly expansive and grand views across and up and down the Derwent River.
The fun part was singing (including mixing up the words in my excitement) Handel’s Hallelujah chorus (from The Messiah) at the top of my voice when I passed a large sign with the words SING. You can listen to a superb version performed in 2012 by the Royal Choral Society at the Royal Albert Hall in London England at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c
Over the next few days I will write up the journey and the discoveries of Stage 13’s walk. Then I will be looking towards a long main road walk from the Bridgewater Bridge at Granton to New Norfolk which I expect to undertake in the next couple of weeks. Once I have reached New Norfolk I will be on the way to Lake St Clair, the source of the Derwent River.
Walking the Derwent River 
Hurrah and well done!
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Thanks. Strange that now I have finished those walks (mouth to mouth), it doesn’t seem like I have walked far. However, most steps of the way have seemed long and laboured.
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CONGRATULATIONS. A mighty impressive achievement and written up with a wealth of information on a myriad of topics with endless links for easy access to additional information; from bays to beaches we’ve never known existed, to chemical composition of Alum, colonial history and contemporary industry, possessive fencing and infinite freedom, all witnessed ‘andante con moto’… We don’t have to walk far to have travelled. Thanks for taking us with you at a distance.
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Thanks. My delight increases with comments such as these. I really think that we all need to think simply, and have simple expectations and, as I said to someone recently, whether we walk around Tasmania, around our town or around our cars, we can still get into a comfortable meditative state which can let us see things we hadn’t noticed before, or to discover things we had never learned. Keeping it simple, is such a pleasure.
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What an accomplishment! It has been great to witness your journeys from the other side of the world. I look forward to more.
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I look forward to more as well. Despite my hurting feet, the rest of me is filled with profound happiness as I walk. Best thing I ever did. Guess everyone has to find the thing that gives them a passion and it will be different for everyone. See you soon!
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