We walk along a beach. Five or six kilometres, we can already see houses at Brooms Head, our destination. Red cliffs are tall with waves lashing the beach around their base so we don’t walk back to gaze upon their grandeur.
I decide that I must return to walk north when Yuraygir National Park opens again. So many beautiful places to walk in Australia.
We chat but the wind whips our words. We raise our voices but only snippets are audible. Sand blasts our faces then big raindrops hurry us to stop and unpack our raincoats. I pull the hood over my cap where the wind tugs at it. Adjusting the hood, my walk becomes random steps then I feel safe once my hood steadies.
Finding a line between beach and dunes, we walk away from each other in our own personal space at our own personal pace. Determined to walk steadily, I find the heavy sand near the waves and settle into the walk, feeling cosy. Reminded of Billy Connolly’s famous quote “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing, so get yourself a sexy raincoat and live a little.” My raincoat may not sexy but who’s going to see it as I stride along a beach into a blustery wind?