Coffee, Kindness, and Conversations on the Road

Daily miles: 19.79 | Total miles: 8,834.32

My alarm rang at 5am, but I snoozed until 5:30, knowing it would be a shorter day. I made a coffee, packed my relatively dry tent, ate the muesli bar that Gail and Gary had given me yesterday, and headed back out to the highway.

It feels magical to walk this road. The road trains don’t bother me anymore, and with the buggy, walking makes much more sense. The shoulder is very narrow, so I have to look back often. At the same time, I need one hand free to wave away the flies. Running while maneuvering the buggy in those conditions feels almost impossible. It would just be stressful, and right now walking feels more relaxed and right for me.

All along this journey I’ve come across skeletons by the roadside, but today I felt like writing about them. There’s something strangely captivating about piecing the bones together in my mind, imagining which animal they belonged to. It’s a reminder of how life and death are part of this road too.

After about two hours, a caravan slowed beside me. “Do you want a coffee?” Gavin and Heather asked. Of course, I said yes. They pulled over with their dog Diva and invited me inside. They’re world travelers themselves, and their openness, generosity, and curiosity made the encounter even more special. Sitting in their warm little home on wheels, I felt that this is exactly what the world should be like—kindness, sharing, and connection.

Later, Collin appeared again, just as he had promised, with apples and a mandarin. But more than the fruit, it was his steady presence and care that touched me. While we were chatting, he pointed out a cyclist coming down the road—Matty, cycling from Perth to Sydney. He told me he had even run alongside Tim Franklin during his world run for two days. We had a great conversation before continuing on.

The day carried me up and down hills, with green trees stretching as far as I could see. The landscape enchanted me in a million ways. By late afternoon, I reached the junction to Fraser Range. A couple’s car had broken down there, so we pushed it to the side before I walked the last 2km off the highway.

At the station, Terry came out of the office holding a punctured tube and asked if I had a repair kit. After all my flat tires before the Nullarbor, I had plenty. Later, he and his friends (Ann, Ron, Jan, Mary, John) invited me for coffee, and we had a lovely chat. Again, more kindness, more connections.

By the time I reached my room, I was still smiling from all the encounters of the day. Caroline and Jeff, my neighbors, also sat outside to talk. Fraser Range felt peaceful and full of life at the same time, with open-minded people living and traveling in caravans and campers.

Now it’s time for laundry and eating some of the food I’ve carried. In two days, if all goes well, I’ll reach Norseman—the next official grocery store.

Thanks for following along. Take care, Andrea