I have come to Tasmania to take part in a pilgrimage in the spirit of The Camino. It is organised by a group of volunteers from the St James Church in Cygnet.

Cygnet is 54KM South of Hobart.

It’s Saturday morning and I don’t have to be at our collection spot until 9:45, chance for a wander along the dock.

The first fellow Pilgrim I meet is John from Melbourne, slowly others start to arrive all looking ready and eager for what lays ahead of us.

Our coach takes us to Mountain River, 34KM South of Hobart and the starting point for our 2 day pilgrimage. As we arrive we can see other pilgrims have already started to gather at the Community Hall. I collect my pack from the coach, register and collect my lunch to be eaten along the way. Most importantly I collect my passport, this will be stamped at 4 locations. There is an electricity of excitement in the air. I decided to get a T-shirt from the merchandise table. There is a barista selling excellent coffee and the chat of strangers greeting one another.

“Is this your first time, where are you from, have you done a Camino?.”

There is a blessing by Father Tate, the instigator and Spiritual Leaders of this pilgrimage. We take a scallop shell each, these are the universal symbol of the Camino. We also take a small river stone to carry, the stone will be placed at the foot of an Icon of St James at the end of our pilgrimage. The stone is symbolic of something to be left behind perhaps a burden you have been caring emotionally and want to be rid of, a grudge, guilt, grief, anger or perhaps a sin, in early days the people would pay a pilgrim to carry their’s for them. The idea being you can meditate on this burden while walking and let it go before heading back to life PC. (Post Camino).

We are given a card with a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins; Pied Beauty.

“Glory be to God for dappled things ……..”

And with that we are on our way.

First on road, then through private property then road again to our final destination today St Mary of the Cross, Ranelagh.

The walking is steep in parts. We have a police escort in front on the roads and paramedics bring up the rear. There is a support vehicle also if needed and extra water available at our first stop.

I am carrying my backpack with water it’s 8.5Kilo, a lot for me. I take the steep bits slowly. As we enter the private property we have to dip our shoes into tubs of bleach and scrub clean for bio security reasons. It does look a bit funny and reminds me of the monks washing the pilgrims feet at the end of their travels. We stop for our lunch in a field there are Port A Loos. Our lunch is fresh salad roll, small apple pie and fresh fruit yummy indeed. A very well organised start to the day.

On we head, along the way groups are chatting some people walk alone and others walk together but in silence. I walk with a couple from Hobart who have walked a Camino in Spain. Conversation is easy and warm, of shared experiences of life and travels. At one point I find myself welling up as our talk turned to our parents and I explain how my Mum had passed away in May, amazing how emotions can rise to the surface so quickly.

As we walk into Ranelagh, I find myself walking with another couple from Hobart, they have spent time in the Blue Mountains so we discuss a French restaurant now closed but legendary with much laughter we head down hill, my tired legs have a new energy. I spotted two helicopters and asked the couple if these would be to spot fires, they didn’t think so, most likely rescuers having retrieved an injured hiker and returning them to Hobart Royal Hospital. As we round our final corner my walking companion says ‘gosh I am pleased to see that cross’ St Mary’s of the Cross has a small illuminated cross, I too am happy as my back has had enough!

There is afternoon tea, our passports are stamped. Sleeping arrangements are made some pilgrims have bought tents to pitch. Many have bought sleeping bags and mats. I have a blow up sleeping mat and pillow and a cotton liner, thinking if it’s cold worst case I can sleep in my puffer jacket (what was I thinking!) I am sleeping in the St James Anglican Church Hall just next to St Mary’s divided by 2 small cemeteries. We gather again in St Mary’s for short talks by a few of the pilgrims who have completed a pilgrimage overseas, we hear about the Ingles in Spain and the Kumano koto in Japan.

Next we hear a talk from Father Tate on Francis of Assis, that’s actually his nickname his real name was Giovanni, he is the patron saint of ecology, animals, Italy and stowaways!

We practice our singing for tomorrow’s final walk into the church in Cygnet.

Dinner is a bounty of salads a BBQ and there is wine and beer to purchase. We have fresh fruit for dessert and I have to say the most amazing cherries, the Tasmanians call them 3 bite cherries and they are right. At dinner I meet my Camino family, a Mum, Dad and Daughter from Sydney we spend the rest of dinner chatting and laughing it really was a lovely meal, we sat on the church lawn, my legs so sore I didn’t know if I was going to be able to stand up after dinner.

To end our day there is live music, a young musician sings us covers as the sun starts to set behind us. Next we hear from Con, Con is actually the Pilgrimage GP, he also happens to be Irish, a song writer and an excellent musician. We are entertained until the sun is almost down and the light gone. I declare this is the most furthest South I have ever listened to such fine music and head to bed!

To bed not to sleep, no I couldn’t sleep it was too cold and it just got colder and colder by 4am I had all my clothes back on and was still cold, I think I slept from 4 to 5 then I thought I may as well get up.

Day Two had begun.

I am feeling shattered, every bit of me hurts and I am tired I normally get 8 hours sleep so the 1 fitful one I had this morning was just not enough. Breakfast is cereal fruit, bread and spreads. I am sitting alone and hate to say it, but a little discombobulated. A lady comes and stands near me and asked how I was, I could feel a hot rush of water spring into my eyes as soon as she spoke so kindly to me, “I’m a little worried about this hill everyone is talking of” I replied without sounding like the blubbering mess I was feeling like. “just take it slowly it is steep but slow and steady and you will be fine ” With that she was gone and I did feel somewhat better. I decided to put my pack in the support trailer, this meant I wouldn’t have my water pack just my small water bottle or anything I thought I needed. But a lighter load would make the day more enjoyable.

There was a short Mass which I went too, the words sounded somewhat familiar from my Anglican experiences. At the end of Mass Father Tate said he would like to let us know that sadly 2 of his volunteers who had been walking with us yesterday had been called away as their son had been badly injured bike riding and had been air lifted to Hobart with head injuries and was in a serious condition. This was the couple I had walked into St Mary’s with, the couple who I had laughed with and discussed helicopter rescue with and the welcoming symbol of the cross with, their son at that time was being airlifted to hospital. That was it, tears really flowed now, quietly and hot and wet down my face, it wouldn’t be the last time today.

This morning we walked into Huonville and are collected by coaches this section of the road to dangerous for such a large group. We are dropped in a paddock and head down to the Huon River which we walk along for the rest of the morning, the scenery is magnificent there are grazing cattle and horses running, dams with actual water in them and such a beautiful quietness except for the crunch of pilgrims on the path and chatter. I walk with a lady from Melbourne who had traveled to Japan many times with her son now living there she shared the most beautiful stories of her visits there, we talk about St James and Darwin as in Charles, it turns out he visited Hobart, he came to the Blue Mountains too when he was in Australia in 1836. Lunch is along the way in a peaceful little spot there is a barista and lunch is a delicious gourmet roll I sit with my Camino Family in the grass, we get our passports stamped and head off up this road that I had been so worried about, it is steep and constant the views are far reaching as we go higher and higher. My legs start to jelly and I start to feel overwhelmed, there are two friends walking nearby one encouraging the other forward, I am concentrating on my steps and my face is getting hotter and hotter the shade is getting thinner and thinner as we get higher soon I can see none, I am going very slow now and my heart is pounding hard I think I might faint, the ambulance is just behind me and I realise I think I need to stop before they are carting me off, I don’t know how much further it is to the crest and I have now drunk all my water. I flag the support vehicle and jump in I am exhausted we go just 500 meters and we are there at the very top of a steep and challenging climb. I get more water and put a hydralite in, instantly I feel better. With that we are off, we descend into Cygnet I walk alone for a while thinking of the family in Hobart hospital and a turn of events. I feel my energy return and I start chatting with a lady from Mountain River, the very place we started like us she lives in a fire prone area, we share stories about travel and future plans for Caminos before we know it we are in Cygnet.

We collect our final stamp and heading to the tennis club for a joyous afternoon tea, there are beers to purchase but I celebrate with a can of Coke a Cola, I have to say it was the best can of coke I have ever had.

On the way in we see the icon of St James that is to be carried by 12 strong pilgrims to the church for the final pilgrim blessing in St James. A call for volunteers is made and eleven strong men step up, “a lady would be good too” calls the organiser something pushes me forward and I say I’ll do it if someone will hold my poles, so there I am with 11 blokes about to lift something that looks rather bloody heavy WHAT WAS I THINKING! We are led by a man who is ex army and he calls the commands and we follow, terror subsides when we lift as one and it isn’t impossible, we walk left right left right with a band playing behind us and all the pilgrims following singing, hot tears start again we arrive at the church and have completed our mission.

We take the icon into the church where all the pilgrims have gathered. We place our stones at the foot of the icon and farewell whatever burden has been bought along the way. I notice I am not the only pilgrim returning with tears in their eyes. Then Father Tate finishes the short service by bringing out an incense burner to symbolise the Botafumeiro just as in Spain, this is what the priests swing over the pilgrims, the great unwashed during Mass.

From here we all fall out of the church, my pilgrim family and I head to a pub and enjoy what I can only describe as the best bloody beer I have ever had, I am stiff and sore and hot and smelly and happy and sad and well just really pleased to have been part of such a joyous occasion with-the fellowship of others and the spirit that you feel when you walk a way with a likeminded group all with the same purpose. It’s been wonderful.

A bus returns us to Hobart we are all mostly quiet all tired. There is talk of what we are looking forward to; showers and bed, some to massages already booked to spa baths and flights home.

We farewell each other with best wishes and “see you next year”

And so PC, Post Camino, I am so very blessed to have been able to come to Tasmania to walk this walk enjoy the talks I have had with fellow travellers, I have not yet heard how the injured son is but I am still thinking of this family and hoping for them he is ok. My feet are a little raw in some spots but nothing to dramatic.

Truely a wonderful two days of my Australian Pilgrimage.

Distance traveled 90KM

Distance walked 40KM

Blisters: 0

Hotspots: 3

Blessings on the way: many