Some years ago I attempted a walk from Esperence to
Coffin Bay. The only time i had available was my summer uni break. It was also my first serious attempt at a really long walk. Food drops had been sent out and I had researched wells and fresh
water all the way. The only glitch in my plans was the non-aboriginal officer refusing me permission to walk through
Yalata land except on the edge of the hwy.
It started off great, i was a bit over loaded but it didn't take long to get used to the weight, about 40kg including up to 15lts
water. I walked on the low tides to follow the beaches and tried to walk most of the daily distance closer to sunset or sunrise to avoid the heat.
I walked to the bight via Le Grande and Arid making it to
Israelite Bay in good time. The only
water was from an enclosed but accessible
well and this
water was to be the last fresh
water for over 200kms unless I dug into the base of a dune or set up either the salt
water distiller or dew catchment I carried, all of which are time consuming, energy sapping or completely inadequate for walking long distances.
After opening the
well and collecting the first billy I realised I had a real serious problem. It smelt rotten, like a dead animal. Undrinkable. After a few more tries I had a look down the
well with my head lamp and saw the old carcass of an unfortunate wallaby. It looked and smelt like it had been there a while. I was starting to get thirsty and had almost run out of my left over
water. Boiling the
well water for over an hour didn't make any difference. I tried putting in double and then triple strength electrolytes but it failed to mask the smell and taste of the wallaby.
I tried getting the wallaby out of the
well but I just made it worse.
It was a hopeless situation. There was no way to continue on without
water. It was too far to go back. I decided to settle in and collect some dew in the morning, set up the distiller and wait for a way back to civilization.
I hadn't seen or heard anyone out there for days but as soon as i quit along come a 4WD with a lovely couple out on a fishing trip who not only gave me some of their spare
water but a lift back to Condingup.
It's not much of a survival story nor is it very outback but it I wouldn't have lasted long out there in summer on only a cup of
water a day. Won't be trying that again.