A WOMAN'S WALK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1240, 23 September 1911, Page 11

A WOMAN'S WALK.

FROM MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY. It is rarely that women emulato men in feats of endurance, but Mrs. Park, a native of New Zealand, has, as bnelly stated by cable, accomplished something that few women can lay claim to, haying walked from Melbourne to Sydney in a fraction over five weeks. Walking is not a craze with Mrs. Park, as she looks upon it as one of the pleasures of life, and states that in tho land of her birth she has frequently covered 30 miles a (lay. This, however, is the first very long journey sho has attempted, and, judging from her looks, the expericnco has agreed with her. One would hardly take her to bo an athlcto (says the "Sydney Daily Telegraph"), though sho is built on wiry lines. She arrived in Sydney from New Zealand about a year ago, and the idea of covering tho distance on foot came to her while sho was proceeding to Melbourne by rail. Sho secured the services of a packman, who carried clothes, cooking utensils, etc., weighing about 701b.; while Mrs. Parks load weighed about i 301b. Mrs. Park is a believer in fresh air and "diet." Therefore, a tent did not form part of their equipment, and they slept in tho open or under what shelter was available. During the wholo journey meat did not ' onco figure on the bill of fare, their diet

consisting of wheatmeal scones, boiled wheatmeal, steamed rice and barley, and eggs and cream on three occasions.': They also had a, plentiful supply of olive oil, which took the rplace-'of-ibuttof'; -while water constituted their'only drink';' The trip was au arduous one at times, as it was frequently found necessary to wade through mud and water for miles.' However, very fair distances were covered, some days as many as 28 miles being walked; while, on others, owing to the bad state of the roads, their tally for tbo day was not more than 12 miles. They got through safely, without .any exciting adventures beyond taking the wrong road on several occasions. In the course of conversation, Mrs. Park said sho thought it was a good performance for the mother of ten children, and a grandmother at that. She said she never felt better in her life. "I just love walking," concluded Mrs. Park, "and hope to cover a great part of Australia later." f