Travelling south

Off for a few days on a long awaited trip southward to reaquaint myself with Melbourne. I'd lived there for a while shortly after arriving in Australia many many years ago, and during my years in Tasmania I made inumerable work visits, but it's now actually about 15 years since I last went there and explored the place. They say lots has happened there.

Following the Princes Highway down NSW's south coast and Victoria's east I was able to check out for the first time the picturesque town of Bermagui, and then revisit equally pretty Eden, Orbost, and Lakes Entrance. Bermagui was the setting for the Billy Connelly film 'The Man Who Sued God', and I think I recognised the very fishing boat that God sank with his lightning bolt in the harbour there. (The insurance company refused to pay, as it was an 'act of God', but were embarrassed into settling anyway when he sued God instead.)

N

Overcoming the curse of the spikes and chains!

The other day I exorcised one of my ghosts - I climbed the vertical cliffs of Carlons Head using  the chains, and I came down via the scary steel spikes of Tarros Ladder. It turned out to be one of the best days out I'd ever had in the bush, though I'd procrastinated nearly ten years about returning to the area.

On my previous visit I'd scaled the spikes, at the southern end of the Narrowneck Peninsula near Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, near the end of a three day epic wilderness walk from Kanangra Walls. I'd had a large heavy pack, and I'd been spooked by the thought that this would unbalance me or get caught on the overhangs, and I'd frozen at the bottom for quite a while before somehow forcing myself on up. I'd never even gone near the chains though. I'd heard they were far scarier still, attached to the cliff face with the aid of dubious 1920s concrete.

Chainmaster Bob organised a special excursion for me and another chain novice, and talked us through it. When we sighted the biggest vertical section she and I both burst out laughing. "It's not a laughing matter", said Bob. "I know. That's why I'm laughing", I replied, as I anchored myself to the ground and looked in the opposite direction as he scaled the cliff. I often do this in tricky situations involving heights - I never want to have to watch anyone dying violently.

 
I somehow followed, and then anchored myself on the ledge above, torn between a desire to watch and photograph Alison as she brought up the rear, and a desire to avoid watching her plunging to her death. Then: "I'm stuck, I can't go up or down, I'm starting to get the shakes".  Oh dear, what now? Uncle Bob was as ever up to the situation. He scaled down the same chain she was stuck on, guided her feet into the footholds, and then up they came. The exhilaration of all being at the top and all alive was fabulous!

When we got to the spikes I couldn't believe how easy they looked after that. I almost ran down them, and now I just want to go back and do it all again over and over!

N

Images courtesy Bob Seibright & Alison Lyon