Soon after getting back home I did a presentation at my kids’ school. This was partly to dispel rumours going around the teachers that I had been in jail for the past year and partly to explain to my kids what I’d been up to. There was a good chance they would sit still and pay attention if it was in a class environment, but I stood no chance of getting them to sit through half an hour of photos at home.
After a kid-friendly presentation that focused mainly on cuddly animals, sandy, sun-drenched beaches and colourful fish, I opened the floor to questions. I get asked the most interesting questions by kids, but there was one that really floored me: ‘What was the most fun you had?’
I couldn’t answer the ten-year-old boy. I was ready for ‘How did you go to the toilet without toilet paper?’ or ‘How many sharks did you see?’ but my head was spinning as I realised I hadn’t had any fun! I stood there fumbling for words to kill time while I wondered how I was going to admit to the whole school I couldn’t remember a single fun day. I couldn’t see how I could describe sitting alone on a remote beach watching the sunset as ‘fun’ to a little boy; more like contented, relieved, relaxed – words old people use instead of fun. I even had doubts that to describe paddling at night and watching dolphins dance under the kayak with their movements lingering on through the sparkling phosphorescence compared with running around laughing your head off with your mates.
After a bit of confusion in my mind and self-doubt as to the worthiness of doing something for over a year that wasn’t fun, all I could come up with was, ‘You can’t have fun on your own because with nobody to share it with, you can only enjoy yourself!’ Then I quickly moved on to a crocodile story to change the subject.
I think in hindsight my definition of fun was too narrow. Now that time has passed since kayaking around Australia, I can easily use words like fun to describe my journey, even to a ten-year-old.
When I’d completed other adventures, I’d had a feeling that I hadn’t reached my limits, which left me unsatisfied and with little option but to make the next trip a bit harder. I had taken a fresh approach to all the other kayakers who had planned to paddle around Australia and started at the other end of the country at a different time of year. To have completed the trip, on time, without major incident, allows me to think that my research, preparation and a realistic view of my ability were fundamental to my success. Knowing that I got the planning right is as rewarding as physically being able to paddle the distance.
During the trip I got close enough to my limits to be satisfied that I’d explored my own ability far enough. The cliff sections were reaching the limits of what I could do in one leg. The Great Australian Bight touched on my physiological limits as I dealt with months of dangerous, remote paddling and the circumnavigation tested my endurance.
So the itch that started for me as a teenager seeing those climbers in the Peak District and which continued to irritate for almost thirty years has finally been scratched. That doesn’t mean I’m not heading off on trips anymore; it just means I’m not searching for my limits. I’m now more at ease knowing what I’m capable of and no longer have to chase myself up and down the coast in a kayak.
Appendix—Equipment
Nadgee Solo Sea Kayak with trolley system and spare paddles system from Nadgee Kayaks
Sail and mast from Flat Earth Kayak Sails
Dart 2 tent and sand pegs (Sea to Summit)
Sleeping bag
Coolmax sleeping bag liners (Sea to Summit)
Small tarp (Sea to Summit)
¾ Thermarest and ½ foam mat
Trangia cooker
Head torch and spare batteries
Fork, spoon, cup
5-litre portable sink from Sea to Summit
Matches and lighter
2 litres of methylated spirits
First aid kit
Insect repellent
Soap
Toothpaste and toothbrush
Sunscreen
Water purification tablets
Handheld weather recorder
Voice recorder and waterproof container
Shortwave AM/FM radio, ability for Single Side Band (SSB) for weather forecasts, and aerial extension, AA batteries and spare batteries
Reading glasses and case
Waterproof camera and charger
Sailor needle and thread
Duct tape
Spare rope and cord
Fibreglass repair kit and sealant
Maps and waterproof case
Multi-tool
Small mirror
Pen and notebook
Cockpit cover
Two large carry bags
Small collapsible rucksack
Mozzie head net
Pipe, tobacco
Quality polarised sunglasses with case and strap from Spotters
Money, credit card, phone cards
List of phone numbers, emails, web pages for contacts
Pocket knife
Water bottles and Pack Tap (seven 6-litre collapsible water containers from Sea to Summit)
Plastic bags (resealable and others)
Food
‘Pilbara’ wide-brim hat and ‘Mullet’ cap (Sea to Summit)
Items of clothing (would change depending on climate) including: GORE-TEX Paclite Anorak paddling jacket, MsFit Tour PFD, PFD rear pocket, paddling shirt and shorts (all from Kokatat); merino wool and polypropylene thermals and socks from Wilderness Wear; fleece top and trousers from Canoeing Down Under; and Reed kayak jacket from Expedition Kayaks
Pee bottle, sponge
Paddle and spare paddle (Mitchell Blades Bombora paddle from Expedition Kayaks and spare paddle from Nadgee Kayaks)
Drink bottle
Paddle leash
PLB, knife, whistle
Dry bags to pack clothes, food, first aid and sleeping bag etc.; tapered dry sacks, compression dry sacks and dry sacks – 2, 4 and 8 litres (all from Sea to Summit)
Personal Flotation Device (PFD – life jacket)
Spray skirts (one from Expedition Kayaks and one Solution spray skirt from Sea to Summit)
Sponsons and rear deck bag (picked up at Esperance for crossing of the Bight only)
Desalinator (picked up at Esperance for crossing of the Bight only)
My first day from Broome — 11 April 2010. Day one of my sixteen-month journey kayaking alone around Australia and it was not a great start.
Working out the best place to camp can be tricky business — camping just above high tide on Ninety Mile Beach, 20 April.
The beach south of Spit Point after De Grey River on 26 April. Half the rudder had been bitten off by sharks just before I landed at Eighty Mile Beach.
Twenty-four hours into the 200-kilometre Zuytdorp Cliff crossing on 29 May; first light was a major goal but the time after dawn was hardest.
West Cape Howe, the most southerly point in Western Australia — 26 July.
The camp I shared with the four-wheel-drive fishermen after I’d completed the 160-kilometre Baxter Cliffs crossing on 31 August.
Leaving Eyre Bird Observatory on 4 September; behind me is a wrecked fishing boat.
Off to Eucla, a 270-kilometre paddle away — note the deck bag on the back, 4 September.
A handsome chap, paddling between Eyre Bird Observatory and Eucla on 5 September.
Launching from weed beds in the Bight, 6 September.
Looking worse for wear after finishing the 190-kilometre Bunda Cliffs on 16 September. This shows the edge of the reef I landed on; the Head of the Bight is in the background.
Staging my departure for the ABC film crew on Glenelg Beach, 23 October — with my daughter, Brittany.
NSWSKC members kindly escorting me into Botany Bay, Sydney, on 18 December.
Paddling through the rain in Keppel Bay Islands, Queensland, 15 February 2011.
Food you don’t have to chew: noodles, peanut butter, nut mix and sardines. Yum!
A good camp at Freshwater Bay near Shoalwater Bay,
17 February 2011.
A ‘safe’ camp spot — a remote military training area, Shoalwater Bay, 18 February.
A freshwater bath, Shoalwater Bay, 18 February.
Hideaway Bay, Queensland — a small village on the mainland near Gloucester Island, 28 February.
Hideaway Bay with Gloucester Island in the background, 28 February.
The flat earth sail set up, Townsville, 3 March.
A rare cassowary inspecting me and my kayak at Etty Bay Caravan Park on 15 March.
Storms building up off Innisfail on 15 March.
Lunch break at Cedar Bay, Queensland, on 23 March.
The 1789 landing spot of Captain Bligh, Restoration Island, Queensland, on 15 April.
Long trips to the water at low tide in the Gulf of Carpentaria, between Karumba and Sweers Island, 25 May.
The Thamarrurr Rangers gave me a lift to avoid crocs on my way into Wadeye, Northern Territory, 28 June.
On 12 July I paddled into Port Nelson at the same time as a cruise ship packed with tourists, water, beer and yummy food.
The Mermaid Tree, Port Nelson, Kimberley, 13 July. In 1820 the crew of HMAS Mermaid carved the name of the ship into its trunk so they would be remembered.
Paddling the waters of the Kimberley on 14 July — I had wanted to do this since I started kayaking in 1997.
On Mermaid Island, contemplating crossing King Sound — my last big obstacle before Broome — the next morning, 22 July.
Sharon and Belinda meeting me on my last day, 28 July, at Broome.
Acknowledgements
My wife, Sharon, deserves special mention here. She knew what kayaking around Australia meant for her, as she had been through it during my previous trips. Despite there being nothing but inconvenience, financial hardship and worry for her, she still agreed to support the trip. Thanks, Shaz!
I would like to thank all those whose generosity helped me on my journey. There are many whose names I didn’t get and so are missing from the list, but I will always be grateful for their support.
Thanks to Sandy Robson, The Ocean Somewhere, thanks for organising places to stay in Western Australia; to Ian Watkins in Esperance for looking after me during my stay and organising all the coverage, and particularly for bringing my food to Israelite Bay with Chook and sons. Graham Gath, thanks for sharing your knowledge on the coast east of Esperance.
To Terry Bolland at Canoeing Down Under, Perth—thanks for lending me the sat phone and GPS, upgrading my kit for the cold weather, starting the ball rolling for my fundraising and giving me encouragement. Thanks also to Alaine Davin, for all your help during my stay in Perth and being my contact on the end of the phone during my crossing of the Bight. An extra big thanks for helping Sharon deal with the report of me setting off distress signals while crossing the cliffs.
To Cris and Grant Dahlin in Darwin, thanks for putting me up in the Dog Box—it was so rough I made it my longest stop away from home. Marion and Phil, Squatters Arms, Silver Gull Creek, Kimberley, Northern Territory. Thanks for looking after me so well, and showing that age is no barrier.
Belinda Dwyer and Richard Young, Broome Adventure Co., Broome. Thanks for looking after Sharon and me during our visits to Broome and arranging my welcome-back reception. Also thanks to Richard’s dad for the lift back to Port Smith.
Thanks to Mark Sunden at Expedition Kayaks, thanks for the Mitchell Blades paddle to fix my wrist, the Reed paddling jacket and spray skirt to keep me dry. Thanks to William Smyth in Sydney, for your help with this book and for the support you gave the family during the trip.
There are numerous people who showed such kindness and generosity in looking after me during my stay in their area – many of whom also provided advice, lifts, food or samples of their great homebrews: Janet Norriss, Exmouth; Davis Evans, Geraldton; Anne Gligic, Perth; Jane Perkins, Western Australia Sea Kayak Club, Rockingham; Paul Robertson, Albany, thanks for putting me up in Albany and getting me to the dentist, and thanks to Ken Norman, Albany, for keeping notes on your travels through the Bight and sharing your experiences with me. Anne and George McKay, Eyre Bird Observatory; Tony Bransbury, Adelaide; Ian Filmer, Victor Harbor, South Australia; Paul King, Lakes Entrance; Dave and Etta, Coral Sea Kayaking, Mission Beach; Robin and Mark Lynch, Coffs Harbour; Ken Eyles, Byron Bay Dive Centre; Gary Forrest, Queensland Sea Kayak Club, Brisbane; Dave Glasheen, Restoration Island, Queensland; Alan and Maree Cross, Nhulunbuy Surf Life Saving Club.
To Ken Wilson, Kalbarri, thanks for looking after me while I recovered after the Zuytdorp Cliffs. Also many thanks to Phil Hearps for putting yourself out there to guide me into Kalbarri. Rod and Carolyn Coogan, Mandurah, thanks for rescuing me after my wrist packed in south of Perth. Colin Jenks, Hopetoun Caravan Park, thanks heaps for bringing the supplies round to Starvation Boat Harbour. Terry Hardy, Ranger at Head of the Bight, thanks for picking me up after the crossing of the Bunda Cliffs. Phil Doddridge at Adventure Kayaking, South Australia, thanks for looking after me and the family in Adelaide and for the lift to Victor Harbor. Barbara McGrath and Roger Price, Port Macquarie. Thanks for the visit while I was stuck at Crescent Head.
Louise and Gary Owen, Lennox Head, thanks for making my Australia Day a real celebration.
Tim Trehurn and Mary Frances, Cairns. Thanks for looking after me during my stay, all the good advice and the loan of the car so I could get organised.
To all the New South Wales Sea Kayak Club, Queensland Sea Kayak Club, Victorian Sea Kayak Club and South Australian Sea Kayak Club members: thanks for all your encouraging messages, support for my presentations and fundraising. Thanks especially to Peter Osman at New South Wales Sea Kayak Club—thanks for planning and executing my life-saving food drops in the Kimberley. Thanks also to Graham Dredge, Queensland Sea Kayak Club, who was instrumental in organising my stay in Brisbane, the presentation and fundraising.
Lyn and Tex Battle on Sweers Island, thanks for looking after me during my stay, organising and donating my supplies, lending me Tex’s thermals, and for giving me your encouragement. Keith Hallett, King Ash Bay, thanks for bringing my supplies out to the Sir Edward Pellew Islands. Captain John Russell of the Kestrel Bay, thanks for the hospitality and use of the bridge to get tidal info and ring home, not to mention the yummy breakfast.
Thamarrurr Rangers, Wadeye, Northern Territory. Thanks for looking after me during my stay and particularly for the lift upriver to town. Peter Tucker, Fishing Tours, Kimberley. Thank you for inviting me round for a bit of a rest at your camp. Charlene Vella, Christine Hay, Andrew Jarvis, Defence Materiel Organisation. Thanks for supporting my plans.
Finally, thank you to my sponsors, who provided all-important equipment for the trip, as well as much-needed support: Sea to Summit, Flat Earth Kayak Sails, Nadgee Kayaks, Spotters, Kokatat, Wilderness Wear, Canoeing Down Under and Expedition Kayaks. Special thanks to Nadgee Kayaks for also transporting the kayak to Broome, doing maintenance on my keel and establishing an expedition webpage on their website, and Canoeing Down Under, who also fixed my paddle, loaned me a sat phone and PLB, and gave advice and encouragement.
About Stuart Trueman
Stuart was born and grew up in England. He climbed, skied, cycled, paddled and travelled through over forty countries to finally settle in Australia in 1987, continuing his career in information technology and pursuing his interests of travel and the outdoors. He lives in the Blue Mountains near Sydney with his wife, Sharon, and their two daughters, Brittany and Ella. All the Way Round is his first book.
First published 2013 in Macmillan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney 2000
Copyright © Stuart Trueman 2013
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mec
hanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
This ebook may not include illustrations and/or photographs that may have been in the print edition.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Trueman, Stuart, 1962—
All the way round / Stuart Trueman.
9781742612225 (pbk.)
Trueman, Stuart,
1962–Travel.
Sea kayakers–Australia–Biography.
Adventure and
adventurers–Australia–Biography.
Ocean travel.
Sea kayaking–Australia
Australia–Description and travel.
797.1224092
EPUB format: 9781743288092
Typeset by Midland Typesetters
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