By Stuart Kavanagh
Local Quantum Physicist, Dr Peter Hill is a remarkable man.
If you frequent the library, he would be a familiar face to you. What you might not know is this man is a walking machine – he’s been on some marathon strolls around our region.
It’s safe to say, Dr Hill has done some incredible treks.
As he prepares for his latest saunter across this great country of ours, this time to Cameron Corner, a mere 436km away from Broken Hill, let’s look back at some of his other strolls across Australia.
As he was chatting to the Barrier Truth this morning, he mentioned to us he was going to Silverton.
“You’re not walking, are you?” we asked. “Yeah, I am,” he replied casually.
It turns out he does the near 40km often, part of his preparation for his marathon walks.
He’s previously traversed the wilderness in a 110km walk to Menindee.
“I was just trying out some new equipment for that one,” he says. That walk took Peter one and a half days. Amazing as that is, this is about the smallest of his walking feats over the last couple of years.
Next up, in terms of kilometres covered, was just a lazy near-200km wander to Wilcannia.
This time there was a little more purpose to his walk as he set out to raise funds for local Aboriginal Health Service Maari-Ma.
That walk took him a little longer, he spent three and a half days making the journey, by foot mind you, from Broken Hill to Wilcannia.
His next step-out was a bit more audacious.
This time Peter intended to cross state lines. And cross state lines he did.
In order to raise awareness for the way quantum physics is being taught in schools, Dr Hill took a 516.8km stroll to Adelaide. A feat that took him the best part of two weeks.
Although the walks serve as a vital part of his rehabilitation from numerous strokes that he has suffered, there’s something about the tranquillity of the desert that appeals to him.
He told us, “Civilization can be a little full on for me, I sometimes feel more at home in the desert.”
His next adventure is to Cameron Corner.
The spot, located in the extreme far northwest of New South Wales, bound by the Queensland border to the north and the South Australian border to the west, is an area of diverse and beautiful landscapes.
It is well known for being the spot where the NSW, Queensland and South Australian borders all meet.
Although the distance between Broken Hill and Cameron Corner is not quite as vast as the distance between Broken Hill and Adelaide, it is far more treacherous.
That doesn’t phase Dr Hill though, he tells us, “I’m just a normal bloke, having a go.”
Incredible.
Peter sets off on his journey to Cameron Corner at the beginning of next month on September 1.
