Leaving Port Wakefield, we returned to Adelaide to rest and prepare for our next hike.
December 23
We were up bright and early to catch a 9:30 am bus from a gas station on the outskirts of Port Wakefield. The uneventful hour-and-a-half long bus ride returned us to the main bus station in Adelaide, which we departed from three weeks ago to begin the trail.
Our first order of business was to get me some new boots. I had a few pairs of used boots in Auckland, and inadvertently picked the most used pair for Walk the Yorke. I’d hoped they’d last 1,000 km for both WTY and the Tasmanian Trail, but, they’re done.
We went to an outfitter a short (for us) walk from the bus station, Paddy Pallin. They had the boot I wanted (the Merrell Moab 3 Mid), but only in a waterproof variety. The salesmen explained that is typical for Australia, and that Australian hiking culture still demands waterproof boots. (Which, I agree, are nice, but only until they get wet inside — and they will — and then they take forever to dry out.) They also said that, despite having far fewer people, New Zealand actually has a bigger selection because they’re more outdoorsy than Australia.
But, there was a Merrell store “in town”, so I called them, and they said they had what I needed, and put a pair on hold.
CareFree also got a new pair of shoes, since her shoes were giving her blisters. She also picked up a pair of gaiters, to help ward against snakes in Tasmania.
We took an uber back to the Glenelg Motel, and checked in. The manager wasn’t available yet, so we got set up in our room and started some much-needed laundry. Once the manager did arrive, we had a chat in which they were apologetic, but we didn’t really learn anything new.
For the next couple of hours, we split up. CareFree went to the police station to talk with the detectives and retrieve her wallet, which had apparently been found by someone “by the river”, with only the credit card and cash from various different countries missing.
I took two busses to go over an hour north to a large outlet mall where the Merrell store was. Contrary to what they said on the phone, they didn’t have the non-waterproof version of my boots at all. After some hemming and hawing, I decided to get the waterproof boots anyway; I needed new shoes more than I needed them to not be waterproof. I did have to get a slightly larger size since the waterproof goretex liner makes the boots noticeably tighter.
We again ordered pizza from Marcellina, which again was good.
December 24
In the morning, we walked to the Adelaide waterfront, and got breakfast at a restaurant near there. I got pancakes with fruit and ice cream; it was fantastic, though there was a little too much maple syrup. When we were done, we took a short walk to the beach, just because it was there (and we were there).
With two days of travel ahead of us to get to Tasmania, we went shopping for snacks to take with us, figuring it’d be cheaper than whatever we’d get while traveling. We also got sandwich material for dinner, opting to have a simple dinner rather than trying to figure out somewhere to eat on Christmas Eve.
Otherwise, we relaxed for most of the day, resting from our stint on Walk the Yorke.
Next up: the Tasmanian Trail!