Wide Open – Day 6 – The general store

Wide Open – Day 6 – The general store

E Sharp

29 May 2026 – 84 kms – Mathoura to Wakool

Yorta Yorta/Bangerang, Wamba Wamba and Mutthi Mutthi Country

It is 3C outside the tent. I start the ritual process of easing my body into the cold. I pull down the neck buff that I wear over my nose and mouth to reduce condensation, I unzip the sleeping bag and then peel it back, trying to keep it from touching the wet tent sides. Then I slide down the sleeping bag liner to my waist, lift my butt, slide it to my knees and then pull the liner and bag from underneath me. Now exposed to the cold, I stuff the sleeping bag into its bag, roll the liner up and then lay back down to pull off my warm fleecy pants. Each act introduces the cold a bit at a time.

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Wide Open – Day 5 – The fault scarp

Wide Open – Day 5 – The fault scarp

E Sharp

28 May 2026 – 61 kms – Moama to Mathoura – Gulpa Island

Yorta Yorta/Bangerang Country

The heavy dew coats every surface in big rounded drops. The fog descends, leaving the barren deciduous tree branches looking like fuzzy, black and reaching claws behind a transluscent sheet of cloud. There is a light wind already that whooshes wisps of fog upward and pushes strands of cloud together into greater masses.

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Wide Open – Day 3 – The Choke

Wide Open – Day 3 – The Choke

E Sharp

26 May 2026 – 64 kms – Barmah National Park

Yorta Yorta/Bangerang Country

The earth moved. And moved again. And again a few more times. The movement changed the course of rivers and was the catalyst for the development of the largest river red gum forest in Australia. It has influenced the course of human history to this day. Over the next three days, we’re going to unleash the geomorphology nerd and have a look at it all.

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Wide Open – Shakedown Ride

Wide Open – Shakedown Ride

E Sharp

28 April – 2 May 2026

Wiradjuri, Bangerang, Dhudhuroa, Yorta Yorta Country

28 April 2026

It’s been sunny for weeks. The temperatures have been perfect. It’s been that stable autumn weather of warm windless days and cool nights that used to be characteristic of March but has now shifted to April. And it’s lasted for an extraordinarily long period due to a blocking high pressure system that has not budged in more than 10 days. So we are off to take advantage of that. Better late than never, but I had commitments until noon today.

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Into the great wide open – Introduction

Into the great wide open – Introduction

E Sharp

The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter – and no, it’s not a train. We’re about to pop out at the end.

After a very busy, full-on year driving a 12-month project with more than 20 primary stakeholders to a very tight schedule, it’s just about finished. In eight working days spread over the next few weeks, I will finish the last of the reporting and tie up the final loose ends. Phew – it’s been massive. It’s been 18 months of work smooshed into 12.

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