Couldn’t Be Napier

Day: 325

Towns / Cities Visited: 220

Countries Visited: 31

Steps Taken Today: 19,764

Steps Taken Around the World: 5,142,857

We awoke to the dawn of another federal election, and thus the first destination of our day was not a fascinating historical landmark or breathtaking natural wonder, but rather the local hall of the tiny town we were staying in: Narrawong. In a rather ironic turn of events, given our previous day’s education about the importance of the Mechanics Institute, we were amused to find the local polling centre set up in the Mechanics Hall of Narrawong. That being said, it no longer functions in line with its original purpose, but rather as a local social space for hire. Still, stepping inside, I once again felt a duty to align my vote with the parties who would best serve to protect the vulnerable amongst us from the exploitation and manipulation of the wealthy and powerful seeking to do them harm.

All went smoothly, despite voting away from our electorate, and with our civic duty fulfilled, we were soon on the road again for the first genuine part of the day’s adventure. Despite some questionable GPS directions and a little doubling back, we eventually found the right road, and we were soon trundling down the dirt track towards the summit walk of Mount Napier.

Fate appeared, as it was wont to do, to try and deny us our adventure by way of a fallen tree blocking the road. Now, going by the fact some others had…