EP 104 Winter Series #3: Two remarkable Aussie adventurers

This week, we’re chatting to two remarkable women adventurers.

First up meet Lucy Barnard, the Australian Geographic Society's 2024 Adventurer of the Year. Lucy is almost at the end of an intrepid feat to become the first woman to walk the length of the Earth – 30,000 kilometres from the southernmost tip of South America to the top of North America, and talks to co-host Kirstie Bedford about this incredible journey. Follow her on Instagram at @tanglesandtail 

Our second guest is adventurer, author and inspirational speaker Laura Waters, who joins us to talk about her recent, epic journey kayaking 2,400 kilometres solo along the Murray, Australia’s longest river. Laura is also the author of Bewildered, which documents her life-changing hike of the length of New Zealand. She has also authored Ultimate Walks & Hikes Australia.

You can watch a documentary about her journey here, and follow Laura on Instagram at @laurawaters_writer

And don't forget to enter our competition to win a tropical holiday in Thailand! To celebrate our 100th episode, we've partnered with Avani Hotels and Resorts to give away four nights' stay for two people in a deluxe room at Avani+ Khao Lak, with daily breakfast and dinner, airport transfers and a Muay Thai boxing class.

Just like the competition post on our Instagram page and tag a friend, and follow both The World Awaits and Avani Hotels, and you're in for the win! 

Entrants can be located anywhere in the world. Entries close 31st July 2025.

Chapters

• 0:42 Walking the length of the earth: Lucy Barnard
• 26:04 Kayaking Australia's longest river: Laura Waters

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Hi there, welcome to our winter series. Inspiring, intrepid and remarkable, this week we're chatting to two Australian women adventurers, Lucy Barnard and Laura Waters. First up, my co-host Kirsty Bedford chats to Lucy, who was named the 2024 Adventurer of the Year by the Australian Geographic Society. Lucy is almost at the end of an astonishing feat to become the first woman to walk 30,000 kilometres from the southernmost tip of South America to the top of North America.

SPEAKER_02: 0:42

Welcome to the show, Lucy. Thank you. It's so nice to have you on The World Awaits. Thanks for joining us. Let's start by, tell us a bit about your background. Firstly, I would say that I was a pretty adventurous person. spirited kid always looking out of the window at school wishing I could be somewhere else and then I went into the professional career path became a scientist became a communication specialist and was on my very first adult holiday away when I was on a bus traveling down to Argentina and Argentina in the country areas is very open plains so there's not much happening over this 12-hour bus trip, except that time is passing, but the landscape's not changing. So that started me thinking that I could walk faster to get there. And that silly little thought led to me doing a little Google search to see if it was possible and if anyone had done it. And then that got me wondering about the length of the world. And I'd seen that one man had done it in the year that I was born, but since then no women had achieved the same feat. And I was like, oh, it can't be that hard. So when did you... So what did you do to get started? What planning did you have to do? And also, when exactly was this that you got started? Okay, so I started in 2019, but the idea came to me in 2016. And in that time, I was already a fairly competitive cyclist. I was a rock climber. I loved canyoning. Every weekend, I was out doing what they like to call micro-adventures these days. And so I... Just kept on with my usual fitness. I was really, really fit. In fact, I would say now I'm less fit than I was back then because I'm just walking. And I've lost a lot of my core strengths. And then I went into a whole project management plan of setting out all of the things I would need to consider from country to country, any kind of illness that I might be exposed to along the way, any kind of political issues, visas that I need to be concerned about. I knew that I wanted to get a dog, so I found out about if it was possible to pass through these places with dogs, which it's really easy, very easy. And then after I had a big chart set out of all of the different things I'd need to sort out along the way, I put it into like a traditional Gantt chart, full project management style, and just step-by-step hooked in and got myself to the point where I didn't feel like I was ready. You know, you never can be. There's always something else or something extra that you could do. But a really good friend of mine just said to me, Lucy, getting to the start line is a win. Just get to the start line and see how you go. And that's all I did. But how did you know where to go? Like how? I didn't. That's the thing. So I spent way too much time really scrutinizing trails and directions that I would and paths and all of the rest of it. But ultimately on the very first day, National Parks wouldn't let me through an old trail. an old border crossing without giving them three months notice, which I didn't have time to do. So my whole plans from day one changed. And from then on out, I just used local knowledge to determine the route because in the world of Latin America, things really are day to day. And just because there is a higher profile of natural hazards over there, earthquakes and tsunamis and all of that sort of stuff you really need to maintain a flexible mindset to be able to continue on something that's so long term keeping in mind that originally I thought it would take me three years to walk the length of the earth and I am now up to year five so and so what's the dog why did you want to take a dog and where did you get the dog from and did the dog go from the very start from day one and I'd like to admit this but I am dog obsessed like If I had a spirit animal, it would be a dog. So my whole life I've had some sort of a dog nearby and around with me and I just knew that I would struggle. So when I went to university, that was the first time where I'd moved away from home. I didn't have any animals with me at that point. So I'd gone and volunteered at a zoo to see if that would quench my desire. pining for a pet and it didn't. But then the guide dogs approached me and asked if I'd like to raise a puppy for them. And that got me down a whole separate path in my life where I was training guide dog puppies. And so I had experienced that feeling previously and I knew that if I was going to be overseas for such a long time, I would experience that again. But also it was a very natural strategy for reducing my risk of to human interference while I was on the trail. So having a dog that looks a little fierce, who's not fierce at all, but having one that looks that way is definitely a good way in deterring people from harassing me, especially in the evenings. I didn't start with a dog. I understood that about four people every year start this journey with the hopes of reaching Alaska. But typically everyone quits before they reach their first year. And that's because the climate in Patagonia is so brutal. It's so difficult that people tend to stop along that point somewhere. So I decided that I didn't want to adopt a dog over there and then be stuck there. with having to deal with rehoming it or bringing it home because that can be really expensive, I wanted to prove to myself that I had what it took to go the long distance. And so I waited for that first year. And once that first year ticked over, it just happened fluidly that I was offered a dog from a farmer that was near where I was, up to on my walk. I had a trailer with me, so I got Wombat as a puppy. And he was able to walk during the day when he had lots of energy, which was a lot. of the time because he is such a high energy breed. And then when he was tired, I'd pop him into a hiking trailer that I had at the time because I was crossing a desert and I needed to be able to carry extra water and extra food. And so it just made a lot of sense that since I had a hiking trailer that I could have a dog with me that could rest when it needed to. And what breed is he? He's an Australian cattle dog, so really high energy. And Wombat, just because you wanted the Australian name? Yeah, totally. Actually, it went to an election. I put up a little voting panel on my website. Don't ever do that. It led to a major fight, and someone hijacked the election. They hacked in and put all of these votes in the names that they wanted, and it was a different name to the one that actually legitimately won. And so that's how he ended up getting Wombat. There were a couple of names. There was Wombat, Yuki, Drover. And another one that I've since forgotten. So give us a little summary of what you've covered so far. Where have you been? What countries have you covered? Okay, so I started in Argentina and Chile, walking in and out of those two borders as I headed north. And that took me across Patagonia. And really very famous hiking areas, areas where there's glaciers, very cold down there. I experienced some of the coldest temperatures I've ever experienced in this zone and windiest. Actually, there was one occasion where even though I was wearing a very heavy pack, the wind scooped me up and threw me five meters. I got dumped on a rock on my knees. It was the most excruciating pain I think I've experienced while hiking. And then leaving that area, I walked along a coastal region for a while, which then turned into the Atacama Desert, which is the longest, driest desert on the planet that's non-polar. From there, I moved into Peru, which was fabulous. Whenever anyone asks me where they should go hiking, that is definitely one of my favorite places to recommend because I was following trails that are 500 years old along the Incan highways that travel all the way from actually up to Ecuador and then continue into Ecuador. And then the trail became a little bit more tropical, a little bit more jungly. And then I dropped into Colombia. I had a two-year pause there because of the pandemic. But when I was able to continue, I was able to move through Indigenous areas. I've met people who were able to connect me with the right people to get the conditions that I needed to go through those sirens. After that, I reached an area which is really infamous called the Darien Gap, where It's very hostile and there's a lot of criminal activity that occurs within the zone. But I managed to cross through there safely with the assistance of Centre Front, which is the border patrol area of the Panamanian police. So I got through there, got through Panama. Panama has its own through trail. A through trail is a trail that extends the full length of a country. And they have the most magnificent, beautiful trail that I've followed as well. And then I went through Central America. I'm just short-cutting now because I've been through so many countries. Okay, so then I went to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and into Mexico, which got a lot of attention because, again, I ran into some hostile areas. And then most recently I crossed into the United States safely and started following the Continental Divide Trail and have reached all the way to the very top of Wyoming. I have... one state really left to go in the United States before crossing into Canada so from there I'll follow my final long trail which is the Great Divide Trail I'll make my way over towards Alaska and then I'll be following kind of following the highways also following gas lines until I get up to the Brook Ranges and I'll be cutting across the Brook Ranges if the season is permitting. And then I'll drop down into a town that's called Utqiagvik. It's the northernmost town in the Americas, formerly known as Barrow in Alaska. I've got so many questions for you. We could be on But so when you say the police helped you, how did that work? Because you'd be walking for many, many days, right? Yes. So in this area, it's known for people struggling, people who are really looking for salvation in a country that is safer than their own, somewhere safe to live. So that's going on. There are about 700 people every day that are commencing that walk. So it's a very high trafficked area and there's a lot of cartel activity taking advantage of people who are just trying to find a safe place to live. And then because there's no highway that goes through there and there's a lack of visibility, it's the hotspot for smuggling money and guns from Panama into Colombia and from Colombia into Panama drugs. So it's a very hot area. It's one of the areas that you'll see on Smart Traveller where it's a red zone, which just says that you do not travel here. If you do travel into these areas, you won't be covered by any travel insurance. They're seriously unsafe. And so I had received permission from Indigenous groups that live in there because even though it is hostile areas, there are people who live there. safely in their communities in these areas. So I was going to be handed from one community to the next to the next. But when Centrefront heard that I was there, they felt very uncomfortable because ultimately, as a foreign traveller, if something goes wrong, they're the people who get stuck with trying to find me and dealing with the family and the Australian government. And so it is also important to work not just with the Indigenous people. In this area, the Indigenous people have sovereignty over this land. So it is their land and the Panamanian police are guests there. But the Panamanian police also have a high number of Indigenous people who work with them as well as perfectionals. So it's a really workable system. And I had a meeting with the Director General, who is the highest level professional ranked person in the police force and he was able to coordinate a group of seven police officers to chaperone me through this area oh amazing yeah and I felt really uncomfortable with the idea of that at first because I didn't want to inconvenience a government you know they've got bigger issues to deal with than a foreigner however they were just following their usual routine so they patrol these areas. They walk along these trails as part of their job. They go on month swings. So they work for one month on and then one month off. And every day that they're working, they're moving through the jungle trying to intercept illegal activity. Amazing. Gosh. And were you scared going into some of these areas? It's hard to describe. So I would say that I felt prepared because And I had done a risk assessment where I felt comfortable with the level of risk that I was taking on. If I was just going to walk through there alone without doing any of the due diligence that I had done, then yes, I think it would be right to be very afraid. But because I had done all of the things that were necessary to keep myself safe, I was feeling more comfortable about it. So what did you do with the dog? How far did the dog go with you on this part? Oh, okay. So... With this section, I didn't take him in. I left him with somebody who I knew in the northern section of Colombia, and then he was flown into Panama, which actually was logistically more difficult than organizing a police escort, believe it or not, because that particular leg is highly monetized by the bodies of people who like to bring or ship animals through Colombia. And so in hindsight, it would have been easier just to take him with me, but I didn't want to have the additional concern of keeping him safe too. Yeah, of course. So how much of the walk will he end up doing in the end? More or less, exactly what I've done, minus 6,000 kilometers, which is what I covered in the first year. So he will do 24,000 kilometers. All right. And so you're back home for a bit now. Where is he now? He is with a family that's taking care of him in Colorado. Yeah, amazing. Okay, great. Oh, that's so nice. So when are you headed back off again? Just a couple of weeks, actually. I'm frantically getting my budget ready. And this final stretch is a very expensive leg of the journey because I'm going to be requiring hiking, potentially hiking skis. or snowshoes to walk through this along the snow. And to keep in lines with walking the length of the world, these are devices that you can't slide on. And because they're specialists, they cost a lot. And then of course, I'll be needing a sled as well. I can't just use the trailer that I have because it'll sink in the snow. And all of the cold equipment that's required as well. So I got a lot, a lot to organize in the next couple of weeks, but I will be continuing in a few weeks. And do you have to do it within a certain timeframe or anything? Is there any restrictions around like if you claim to walk the world, does it matter or is it just a matter of actually literally walking the world? Yeah. That's it. Because I'm the first woman, I write my own rules and anyone that comes after me can attempt to do it faster. without having any rests because of COVID. I feel a lot more flexible about this now because I had been consistently walking the entire time. And then because of the forced break, it was really liberating ultimately. And it also just opens up a little bit of healthy competition in the sense that if someone wants to come in and do it faster than me, then by all means, I'd love to support them and encourage them to do that. And so you've talked about Peru being your, you know, the best place that you've been and also the challenges obviously of getting through some of these places. What are you most looking forward to next? Well, it's really difficult to say. I think I was really impressed with the the Divide Trail that I'm on at the moment, which is a through trail that goes through the United States. And so I guess I'm looking forward to seeing what Canada has to offer in the sense of their long trail that I'll be landing on as soon as I get to the border, which will be wonderful. And I am very curious to see, I have wanted to explore the book ranges since I was very young and to be able to have that along the trail right at the end should be magnificent too. And of course, I'm always really thrilled to see the different animals along the trail. We don't see very many because between Wombat and I and the noisemaker that I have with me to deter predators, a lot of the animals get away before we get near them. But it is really thrilling to see nature. Amazing. And what, tell us a bit about what you do, what you listen to and what you eat while you're, you know, how does, how do your days look and where do you sleep? Well, the first thing is that I'm usually in a tent. So I don't really see a town any sooner than every five days. And now that I'm heading into more remote regions, it could be 10 to 20 days, which is why I need a sweat. So I'm also in snow areas and following hydro geological areas, which are areas where most of the surface water comes from that we as people consume. So that's to say that it's remote. It's very cold and can be very wet. So with that all said, I'm also in areas where there's lots of predators. So we're talking grizzly bears. I'll be moving into polar bear regions. There's also wolves, which are huge, huge animals, much larger than I thought that they were. They're kind of two to three times bigger than a dog. And they travel in packs. And there's also snow leopards. So I started daylight so that I can see. That's really important because predators tend to hunt at night, but they are around during the day. And then I have a speaker that sits on my shoulder and I've always got either a podcast or a book playing, usually something that's conversational so that sounds like there's more than just me walking. And we continue all the time with something playing in the background and that's new because of Predators. And then... If I can find somewhere to comfortably rest and it's not windy and it's not snowing, then we will take a rest around lunch for sure. And sometimes we'll take a rest for morning tea and afternoon tea as well. But now that it's cold, it's getting hard to find places where I can get under a tree and be dry. and warm. So it just is determined by that and also how my progress is going. If I'm having a very slow day, then we'll just push through. Wombat's very good at getting behind me and having an easier time of breaking snow. That's the region that I'm in, which it is right now. And then we get into the tent in the evening. I get us warm. I heat water. I have to put my bear vault 100 meters away from my tent so that the food is not in the tent with me. And voila, that's what a day looks like. And what are you eating? Are you cooking? Yeah, so to keep the pack weight down, I have been buying freeze-dried meals, which are meals that are snap frozen, and then the water evaporates as it goes through that fast-freeze process. And that is the lightest, most nutritious type of food for long-term food storage that you can get. So I typically will have a meal like that in the morning and then we just snack during the day. And Wombat shares everything that I eat to keep it really simple and to make sure that he's getting a diversity in his diet. And I also, since this gets asked a lot, I have supplements for him to make sure that his health is, you know, so make sure he's thriving. And I have a first aid kit for him too. In fact, he has less issues than I have. I take better care of him than I do myself. And when you're finished, what's the plan? Are you going to write a book? What are you going to do? I get asked. I would almost say harassed for a book often. However, I just don't feel like my story finishes at the end of the walk and I don't want to sit down and have a sad memoir of something that I should be celebrating. So instead of doing that, I have a collection of places where I've been invited to go back and tell the story of these communities that are very hard to access and they're very closed off to general public typically, but are happy for me to come in and share their story. So I've been working very hard to start a film production company and have it in full flight by the time I finish the expedition. And my hopes are that I'll be able to get the funding required to then go into these places and really celebrate people who I've met along the way. Amazing. And introduce these communities that people may not have even ever experienced, like you said. There are just the most amazing stories out there being, just waiting to be told. I have been invited by people who live on a tropical glacier. Did you know tropical glaciers exist? I did not. Yeah. Yeah, neither. So they live right at the top of this mountain in Columbia and they truly believe that their responsibility in life is to take care of the soul of our earth. So they're very concerned about that, but I don't want to just share that story, but also share the purpose of their life and moments of real success and fulfillment so that I'm giving an idea of reverement for these people so that you can feel awe for them and respect them but also be able to appreciate that while their lives and the story is a wonderful story, it's not your life but that you respect them for it. Amazing. Gosh, I could talk to you for hours about this, but we're running out of time. So I'm going to have to ask you the question. The last question we ask all of our gear switches, what's the most bizarre thing that's ever happened to you in your travels? I think one of the most novel things is that I had been hiking through the desert in Mexico, the Chihuahuan Desert, and I needed support because I had a support vehicle come through this area with me. It's the hottest area in Mexico, but also it's summer. And they were experiencing a heat wave and measured the hottest days ever experienced in Mexico during this time. But unfortunately, the car that we had rented to help me get through this section was a complete lemon. And so again, the police were supporting us and making sure that we were okay on a day-to-day basis. And so while the police were there with us one day, I asked them if they would like to do a TikTok with us and learn an Australian dance. And they said yes, because they're Latinos and they can't resist. So I taught a bunch of police officers how to dance to the nut bush. It's on my Instagram if you want to check it out. Well, I'm sure everyone will absolutely be wanting to go to your Instagram and check that out. Josh, I'm sure you've got a whole list of these sorts of remarkable and bizarre experiences that you've had. Maybe that's a whole new film series. Now that I think about it, it's not even the first time that I've danced with police officers right down in Argentina and Patagonia. They invited me to come to Zumba with them because they just saw that I was on my own and that I probably, you know, the theme of this whole walk is that community has always gotten behind me. And I think one of the big values of the Latin Americas is that maintaining a sense of community and protecting one another, really looking out for each other. And so definitely I have been adopted a lot and invited to do a lot of things that I wouldn't ordinarily expect. It's been so amazing chatting with you. I wish we could just talk forever and we'll have to revisit and have another conversation once you're finished. And congratulations on this incredible, remarkable achievement. You're just truly such an inspiration to so many people and we will put all of the links in the show notes.

SPEAKER_01: 25:56

That was Lucy Barnard, 2024 Adventurer of the Year, and you can follow her trails on Instagram at tanglesandtale. Next up, we are chatting with another adventurer, author and inspirational speaker, Laura Waters, about her epic journey paddling the length of Australia's longest river, the Murray. Welcome to

SPEAKER_02: 26:16

the

SPEAKER_01: 26:16

show, Laura.

SPEAKER_00: 26:17

Thanks very much for having me, Kirsty.

SPEAKER_02: 26:20

It's so great to have you on. We have actually had you on before and people, we will put a link to the last time we spoke, which was about when you walked the links of New Zealand, which is an incredible feat. So tell us a bit about your background and how you came to do that.

SPEAKER_00: 26:35

Yeah, look, I was working in corporate for 10 years and then I just suddenly saw a new hiking trail that had opened from one length of New Zealand to the other and I immediately thought, I want to do that. And it's really opened the door to a whole lot of changes in my life because walking 3,000 kilometers on my own was something I didn't think I could do, but I achieved it. And so when I came back, I thought, what else can I do? And so that led me to quitting the corporate job and chasing my dream to be a writer. So since then, I've written two books, Bewildered and Ultimate Walks and Hikes Australia, and become a full-time travel writer.

SPEAKER_02: 27:17

And speaker. And inspirational, incredible, inspirational, motivational speaker. And so tell us, so was it because of that, that you then just decided you'd look at what else you could do? And then the Murray came up?

SPEAKER_00: 27:31

The Murray River has had a fascination for me for many years. I don't know, whenever I visited, I felt like there was a real energy about the place. And I was curious to know what the Murray was like beyond the big tourist towns like Echuca and Randmark and I knew that it changed a lot. It starts up in the foothills of the Alps and travels all the way to this sea in South Australia. There's 2,400 kilometres and I wanted to see it all. So I just, it was curiosity that led me onto this quest of paddling the Murray. Amazing.

SPEAKER_02: 28:09

So how do you get started on something like that? Like, how do you know what you need and how do you get the gear?

SPEAKER_00: 28:16

Yeah, I've done a bunch of short kayak touring trips before. And if you tallied them all up, it's probably about a month's worth. But I hadn't done anything longer than six days of kayak touring. And to be honest, it's a little bit easier in some ways to hiking because when you're hiking, you've got to be really brutal about what you carry because it's all on your back. When you're in a boat, you've got much more space and weight isn't such a critical issue. So I already had all of the camping gear and I was used to what I would need food-wise for that sort of long distance trip. And yeah, because I didn't really have any time constraint as such, I just knew that I could take my time, well, to a point, take my time and just take it as it comes.

SPEAKER_02: 29:11

So how long had you anticipated that it was going to take and how long did it take?

SPEAKER_00: 29:17

I had in my head about two and a half months and that is how long it took me. But I have to say I would have preferred to have had more time because I felt like I was really pushing long days sometimes. And although the whole journey took me 76 days, I was only paddling for 60 days of that. And that's because I needed the inevitable rest days once a week. And then there was some weather contingency days, basically. So when there's a massive headwind, it's just, to my mind, some paddlers battle into it. But honestly, you can be busting a gut and barely making any progress. And I just thought that was a bit of a waste of time. So if I had a 40, 50 kilometer an hour headwind, I would just pull up on the riverbank and leave the next morning. And then there were a few electrical storms as well. And you certainly don't want to be on the water, waving a paddle in the air when one of those is going on.

SPEAKER_02: 30:19

No, absolutely. And so what did you, where did you start? Where did you actually start? And tell us a bit about what your days look like.

SPEAKER_00: 30:29

Yeah, so I started from Bringenbrom Bridge, which is near Corion, which is about 40 kilometres as the crow flies from the top of Kosciuszko. So I started within sight of snow-capped mountains and it was all very green and there's cows and real sort of alpine lowlands feel. And then I, you know, the first three days is rapids basically. So I was shooting these grade one and two rapids and the water's clear there. When we think of the Maru, we often think of that sort of cappuccino-coloured water. But when you're up high in the mountains, it's clear. crystal clear and you can see the pebbles on the bottom. So yeah, I started there and things are quite fast up high because the water drops a lot of elevation or the river drops a lot of elevation in those first, I don't know, the first week or so. So it's running fast and you're really not doing so much paddling, but a lot of steering. And so I tried to, but then, sorry, as you go further downstream, The river slows down. There's 15-odd locks to get through, and the river widens as well, which slows things down, and you're more prone to headwinds. So it was very variable. It was very difficult to say how many kilometers I would do each day, but I would try to aim for at least 40 kilometers a day, and that might be from sunrise till 4 o'clock or 5 in the afternoon. Yeah, every day was very variable, very different. And then you pitched a tent? Yeah, yeah. And all of my gear stashed in dry bags and stuffed in the hatches in the boat. So I'm in the cockpit and there's a hatch in the front and in the back and I would just have to stuff everything in there, which was quite an epic every day, I have to say. And sometimes I'd be exhausted just after that one process. And finding a campsite to suit. There were some areas where there was lots of camping opportunities. There'd be beautiful sandbars that you could just pull up the boat and easily drag it on shore and easily offload and reload. But there were also plenty of times when I would struggle to find somewhere to pull out because the riverbanks were too steep. Or there was mud on the shores. There was one point where I sunk into mud up to my knees, like quicksand, which was quite scary. And then you might pull up and it'll say private property, so you've got to find somewhere else. Or there might be so many gum trees around, which there's a lot of tree fall from gum trees up on the river. So I needed to find somewhere safe where I could put my tent up and not risk having a limb fall on me in the middle of the night and that was always a bit of a challenge finding somewhere somewhere somewhere suitable

SPEAKER_02: 33:32

it's very brave and I know you've done a lot of solo traveling anyway so for you you don't really see it like that but it must have been there must have been times when were there times when you were a little fearful or did it was just were there when you were paddling and when you were staying in places did you come across many people

SPEAKER_00: 33:50

Yeah, look, I've done a lot of solo hiking, so I'm not fearful of camping alone in the bush. As is sadly often the way, the biggest danger out in the wilds is humans. And I thought the biggest challenge on this trip would have been the three days of rapids at the top or crossing Lake Alexandrina near the river mouth. But To be honest, the biggest headache for me and the biggest stress out was other boaties. So powerboats, wakeboarders, jet skis. It was quite a source of stress for me avoiding interactions. Some of them were great, but there's quite a few, shall we say, irresponsible boat drivers out there who don't think about the wake they cause and how that affects a sitting duck like me in a human-powered boat. kayak my sea kayak was 5.8 meters long so not terribly maneuverable very fast on the straight but if I cop waves from the side it can cause a big problem and also if you think about the river it's flowing fast at times and there is a lot of tree snags on the side the river is constantly eroding the riverbanks and big gum trees just fall into the river and choke up the edges and And if you can imagine your boat hits one of those submerged trees, you can easily flip and then get pinned in the boat against the water. So it's actually a really serious issue. And unfortunately, some people in tinnies or powerboats actually thought that it was funny to force me into these dangerous situations. I was coming out of Albury one late afternoon and I heard a tinny come up behind me and It was getting louder and I turned around and I could just see these two guys just coming straight at me. And they would have turned like barely two meters away, took evasive action. And then they just laughed and drank beers. And to them, it was just a joke. But to me, it was really scary. And I felt very vulnerable. From then on, I realized that not everybody was going to treat me with respect basically and that sort of transferred through unfortunately to evenings when I just felt very vulnerable after that and when I'm camping on my own and campers turn up in a four-wheel drive at 10 o'clock at night and start driving around and playing loud music you you feel like a sitting duck and there was another moment with I had a close call with about Fifteen jet skis came racing around a blind bend, goggles on. It sounded like a Grand Prix track, the scream of the engines. And thankfully, I'd pulled over for a snack at the time. But had I been on the river at that point, they would have run me over before they even knew what happened. Because it was a blind bend, that narrow part of the river, once again, the usual snags on the side, and there would have been nowhere for us all to go. And yeah, it just concerned me that some river users aren't thinking about who else is out there and treat it as their own private waterway or racetrack.

SPEAKER_02: 37:13

Yeah. And was that in a lot of the, obviously you covered a really long way, or was that just a certain part?

SPEAKER_00: 37:22

Really wherever there were boats, obviously the Murray attracts lots of water skiers and jet skiers. So any of those tourist hotspots that do attract boats, I could be affected. There was a spot, I think I got less hassle further down the river, South Australia, and the river widens there. But having said that, I still, I had a wakeboarder, a wakeboarding boat come so close to me, I could have touched the guy with my paddle. He was that close. And the waves they make are like meters high. And I think he just went past saying, high five. And I was like, it was just absolutely wild trying to stay upright in those sorts of waves. It's, yeah, not cool. Yeah. Wow. Gosh. Yeah. From that point on, from that moment in Albury with that moment with the tinnies, every time I heard an engine, I would just have this rush of adrenaline and cortisol. Yeah. Yeah. That wasn't fun. But then there were other long stretches where I wouldn't see anybody for a few days, perhaps, and it was just the sound of the birds. And those bits were magical. I loved that. But other river users did add a bit of stress sometimes.

SPEAKER_02: 38:38

So what were some of the best places or parts for you? Obviously, those tranquil places where you could hear the birds. Whereabouts were those places were the best parts, I think.

SPEAKER_00: 38:51

Barmer National Park, I think that was the first point where I really noticed the birdsong. I've spent a lot of time camping in the bush, but there were moments where I camped up around that point and the bush was just so noisy at night. It was unbelievable. I've never camped in such a noisy area with insects and birds and animals. And Yeah, it was just fantastic. And when I had a rest day and stayed in a house, in a friend's house, the thing that really struck me was how quiet it was because I was just so used to this rich and vibrant environment. And yeah, so I often started paddling early in the morning to try and avoid the worst of the wind because the wind tends to pick up later in the day. So I would start at sunrise or maybe even a bit before. I would just get completely sidetracked and end up holding my camera for the first hour because the sunrises are just so amazing. There seems to be a real clear clarity to the light up on the river. Beautiful colours, pink and mauve and orange and yellow. And then you've got this mirror water, mirror calm water. And the sound of the birds is just a total symphony. Really a fantastic experience. And I also saw a lot of emus from the boat as well, which was fantastic. Just a lot of emus at the best of times, but when you're paddling along and then you come around a bend and there's a few just walking on the sandbank, it's pretty special.

SPEAKER_02: 40:33

Yeah, absolutely. And were there moments of real reflection for you or was it afterwards that you thought, what was your thoughts coming out of it? Did you... Because obviously the New Zealand hike was so transformational for you. Was this one the sort of one that you had a lot of time for some reflection or was it more just, yes, I've got to the end, tick that box?

SPEAKER_00: 40:54

Yeah. It was interesting because I went into it expecting it to be a real nature escape type experience as my New Zealand hike was, but I actually felt it was quite an urban experience in comparison and I should qualify that by saying a lot of Murray paddlers do experience it as a nature escape but as someone who's hiked for a week at a time where there's no signs of civilisation at all to be on a river where there's a fairly constant stream of people, towns you are never far from the sound of farm machinery or the rumble of trucks on a freeway just beyond the riverbank. Yeah, so I didn't have that real calming nature recalibration type experience. And because of the stresses, not just the physical stress as well of paddling and the stresses of other watercraft, I actually found it quite tough from that point of view. And so I didn't really have time for any reflection anymore. Sounds a bit dramatic, but I was in survival mode a lot of the time and probably wasn't helped by the fact my mother died suddenly two months before I went out. And I was hoping that the river would be a healing experience like my hike was, but it really just added to the stress bucket, I think. Yeah. So I didn't really have time to appreciate what I was achieving until I'd achieved the last hurdle, which was a day before the finish. And then the satisfaction finally hit me in a massive wave and I was just like, wow, you did it, girl. And I've had a few challenges in my life, a few physical adventures, but this was the first one where I actually had a massive sense of achievement because it was so hard fought for.

SPEAKER_02: 42:59

Yeah, absolutely. And not many people do it. It's just remarkable how But how the length that you covered and what you've achieved, it's incredible. It must be that absolute sense of complete satisfaction. Is there a section of it that people, because obviously many people can't do the amount that you did, but is there a part, and you have touched on some of those of the best parts along the way, but is there a part that you'd say people could do if they just wanted to get a taste of it?

SPEAKER_00: 43:28

Yeah, look, around Barmer, there's a good section, the picnic point. You can do a three-day section there and you'll get the beautiful birds and the river's narrow and goes fairly fast at that point. There's also sections around, say, Hatter Kalkine National Park where there's lots of beaches and beach campsite, which is great. So you could pick a section there as well to do. I also really loved some amazing red cliffs, sheer red cliffs around Wakery and the South Australian border and Renmark, upstream of Renmark. And it looks like a chunk out of an outback gorge or something. You've just got these sheer sandstone walls and little corellas and cockatoos hide out in the holes. It's just wondrous paddling beneath those. So I really enjoyed that bit. And that was a massive surprise to me because I didn't even know these cliffs existed, to be honest. And I was just, every day I never really knew what the day would bring. And then suddenly I'm paddling one morning and going, wow, look at these cliffs. They're amazing. And I got all excited and took a million photos and then the cliffs went on for days. Yeah, I got to enjoy that. But I also see a lot of houseboats enjoying that section as well. So it would be good to do it on a houseboat too.

SPEAKER_02: 44:54

Yeah, a lot easier sitting on a houseboat than doing what you do, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00: 44:58

So sometimes I'd go past and see people sitting on a boat with a glass of wine, slogging it out and getting sore bums or fingers, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 45:10

And it was your birthday too, wasn't it? Didn't you spend your birthday out paddling? So did you have an

SPEAKER_00: 45:15

easier day that day? It was. I want to say a special shout out to Trentham Estate, which is a winery right on the riverbank. And I didn't actually know if they would take me in because I thought I'll go and do a wine tasting because it's right on the river. But I'd been out for a week. I hadn't had a shower in a week. I'd washed in the river, but I've only got one out. And it's pretty stinky. And I just brushed myself down a little bit and tied the boat up, walked up. and went inside, and I was treated very wonderfully and did a wine tasting.

SPEAKER_02: 45:52

Did you tell them? Did you tell them? Did you say, oh, hey, look, I'm actually peddling the

SPEAKER_00: 45:57

length of the Murray? I had to explain because I just thought it was such a mess. But I did the tasting and enjoyed a bit of civility for a while, and then I got a bottle of wine there, which was lovely, and took that, and the next day I was– Well, no, it was a couple of days later, but I saved that for my birthday. I was camped at Devil's Elbow Bend, which is one of the most spectacular campsites I've ever stayed at. It's on a sandy point and the rock formations there are just amazing. It's like a big cliff of sandstone that's been eroded into these domes and you can see the lines of color in the rock and So I just sat on that beach on my own, drinking some Trentham Estate wine and looking at this beautiful view as it changed with the sunset. It was just spectacular.

SPEAKER_02: 46:51

Amazing. I love that so much. So what's next? What are you going to do next? Is there a plan? Can you reveal it to us here?

SPEAKER_00: 47:02

My plan is to enjoy having some creature comforts for a while and enjoying having... a proper bed and a bathroom and a shower. And my fingers have only just stopped hurting, really. I got like an RSI pain in my fingers, which is pretty typical for long distance paddlers. And so it took two and a half months for that to go away. Yeah, so I need to fill my cup for a little bit before I think about the next adventure. But I suppose the next challenge will be writing another book about this Murray journey. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 47:35

Amazing. God, yes, can't wait to read that and grab a copy of that one. Unfortunately, we're running out of time and so everyone will have to make sure they stay tuned so they can hear when Laura's book does come out. But we're going to finish.

SPEAKER_00: 47:49

I'll just point out, if anybody wants to have a look at the journey, I've put a video on YouTube so you can get a six-minute summary and see how the scenery changes. Amazing. Yeah, it's on YouTube, but it's also on my website, laurawaters.com.au. And so you can check out that video and breeze along 2,400 kilometers in six minutes.

SPEAKER_02: 48:14

Yeah, great. Well, everyone will certainly put a link to that in the show notes and everyone can check that out. So let's wrap up by telling us what's the most bizarre thing that's ever happened to you in your travels. There has to be a few.

SPEAKER_00: 48:25

There, yeah. And I'll tell you this one story, but This isn't the only time I've had something this wacky. I was hiking remote backcountry around Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand. And it was a six-day hike, not very well visited. And I got to this hut one afternoon and there was a guy standing on the deck. And I thought, oh, he looks familiar. Did I bump into him last week or something in New Zealand? And then I realized it was a hiker from America. who I'd met also hiking in New Zealand five years earlier. So when I was hiking the Te Arawa Trail, I haddled the Whanganui River with him. And then just amazingly, five years later, we randomly bump into each other again. That's pretty wild. How small is the world? Of all the places you can hike around the

SPEAKER_02: 49:26

world, and particularly coming all the way from America, Oh, amazing. Look, it's been so great chatting with you. And like I said, we'll certainly put all these links in the show notes. And thanks for chatting to us about your incredible feat.

SPEAKER_01: 49:39

If you'd like to follow more of Laura's adventures, you can follow her at laurawaters.com.au.

SPEAKER_02: 49:46

And for those who haven't heard, we have a trip to Thailand to give away. Our friends at Avani Hotels and Resorts have partnered with us to celebrate our 100th episode, kicking off the party with a tropical holiday to give away. You can win four nights for two people in a deluxe room at Avani Plus Khao Lak with daily breakfast and dinner, airport transfers and a Muay Thai boxing class. And all you have to do is go to the world Awakes Instagram competition post, like it and tag a friend and follow both the World Awakes and Vani and you're in for the win. Entrance can be located anywhere in the world and entries close on the 31st of July.

SPEAKER_01: 50:30

Next week, we are taking you to some of Australia's ultimate beaches and islands. And if you're enjoying our podcast, please leave us a rating and a review. On Apple Podcasts, simply click on our profile, scroll down to the bottom to leave a star rating. And if you're on Spotify, go to our main page and click the three dots underneath our photo. Or simply drop us a line at hello at The World Awaits. We love hearing from you. Thanks for joining us on The World Awaits winter series. See you next time. That's a wrap for The World Awaits this week. Click to subscribe anywhere you listen to your favourite pods. Thanks for listening. See you next week.

UNKNOWN: 51:11

Thank you.