Spoke girl (Jane) was up an at it early "still on Queensland time". I didn't really want to get out of bed. Still not sure if I want to stop at the next hut, or push on to Walpole. Spoke girl was off for her 90km ride to Pemberton. Mulling things over with my coffee, I decide to take my sweet arse time & go to the next hut. When I get to Walpole and some phone reception, I'll call Chloe & see what plans to make from there. I'm still suffering the effects of the flu before I set off. Coughing my lungs up on occasion. I'm not sure how much that's effecting my decisions. On my way, and I start to reconsider. If I get to the hut at 1pm I might be able to push on to Walpole by 5pm? It's only another 30km *rolls eyes* So there's some gravel roads & downs, broken up by Sandy open plain. It looks like snake country. I didn't notice any. Then there's more gravel road. This time with a massive down hill bit. I think to myself that I'm glad I'm not going north. I arrive at the hut, replenish my water, record my visit in the log & carry on. This could be a mistake. But too late now. The trail continued through freshly burnt Forrest. There was meant to be a diversion for a planned burn. Looks like they finished. The track turns on to some single track and I get a tree branch to the face. I've got some blood on my glove, but my nose still seems to be there. I make the mistake of looking to see how much further it is. Then I stop to look at the map. There's a little more up & down then it flattens out a bit. I can maintain a better, more consistent pace. I hit a tarmac road for a bit. Thankfully quiet. Then it starts going up And keeps going up With every turn of a corner, I see more up. Finally it kicks up some more before relenting. Walpole finally arrived at around 4:30 I look for a motel. Pulling up, there's an old guy with a whisky neared smoking outside. He greats me with a grunt. I go inside to find a depressing dingy bar, where too tight shorts & work boots seem to be the dress code. I ask the foreign working visa girl behind the counter for a room. That's on the other side of the window. So I walk out & back in the other door. There I'm greeted again by the same grunty bloke. "I don't know if we've got anything" which seems to be the standard response at these places. Any how, they do $80 It could have been $180 for all I care, I just want a bed. He gives me a key. I ask where I'd find the room. Grunty man wafts his finger south ish "over there, in the middle I think". A quick shower, and I'm off to restock, for their next few days. And to get someme dinner. I hope tomorrow is a bit easier. I think it's going it's to rain.