Day 9: 11 March 2019
My sister, Barbie had long been keen to be part of our support team and today was the perfect day. She drove us to the start of the walk then did some photography around Borradaile plains while we walked about 7 kilometres down tracks and cross country to meet her at the old cattleman’s hut. When we arrived she pulled out a fantastic picnic lunch complete with Lamb and Feta spicy meatballs cooked on a portable stove. We then walked another 3 kilometres to finish the day and connect with our previous stage.
Today was a fun day in perfect weather. We walked this section in reverse as it was easier to have our gourmet lunch at the hut which has some (AWD) road access. There were great views of the Great Western Tiers. Western Bluff, Fisher Bluff and Turrana Bluff dominate the landscape above the open grazing plains and we could see up the valley to Clumner Bluff near the Walls of Jerusalem.
These open plains owe their origin to the regular burning by nomadic aboriginal tribes. They were taken over by European stock runs early in the colony’s history and still have cattle on them during the summer. We saw evidence of, but no actual cattle, as we roamed through the plains. There are accounts of early walkers getting chased by less than friendly wild bulls in these cattle runs so we were quite pleased not to encounter any. I think, however, the current mobs would be well used to human interaction as they are rounded up and trucked down to the valleys each winter.
