Foxes, joggers and fat feet: What I learnt doing Sydney’s new overnight walk

Never mind that we were nearly cleaned up by a van reversing rapidly just after setting off – and again by a food delivery driver on an ebike minutes later; walking Sydney’s streets from dusk to dawn was an adventure.

We saw the city’s residents not only settle down for the night but we also saw the first bursts of energy – a jogger looming out of the darkness, two cyclists fizzing past, a young commuter squatting as she waited for the first bus – in the early hours.

At 4am, ultra marathon runner Pat Farmer takes a breather at Watsons Bay.Credit: Garry Maddox

And foxes. Cats and dogs all seemed safely asleep in their owners’ homes by midnight, but we saw a surprising number of foxes.

Intrigued by the first UNICEF Dusk to Dawn walk being held next Saturday, 37 kilometres from North Sydney to Bondi Beach, I decided to try an early version of what seemed like a nighttime City2Surf that was almost as long as the Sydney marathon.

A handsome fox at Watsons Bay.Credit: Garry Maddox

At the organisers’ suggestion, the walk’s ambassador, ultramarathon runner and former MP Pat Farmer, would come along. He knew the course and, having run more than 14,000 kilometres around Australia to support the Yes vote in the Voice referendum last year, he could do it in his sleep, though we were more interested in staying awake when we set out just after 8pm.

The forecast was for rain but the sights we expected to see, especially around Sydney Harbour, were more than compensation.

We reached the bridge in time to see the Opera House sails vividly glowing with red poppies for Remembrance Day and a burst of fireworks over the harbour.

After heading along the Cahill Expressway footpath, where an ebike delivery rider and a musician were using the city’s two most scenic power points to charge their devices, the city was alive with diners and tourists just before 10pm.

By the time we reached Mrs Macquarie’s Chair (10.2 kilometres into the walk, at 10.45pm) the activity was shutting down. A lost French tourist asked for directions back to the Opera House. In a pool of light, a couple were photographing each other on their motorbikes with the harbour as a backdrop.

The Opera House displays poppies in recognition of Remembrance Day on Monday. Credit: Kate Geraghty

The real Dusk to Dawn walk will have three rest stops, with food, drink and toilets, the first at Woolloomooloo. We didn’t have that option, so we called into the Woolly Bay Hotel for a lemon squash and a water bottle refill.

Walking through Potts Point and Kings Cross close to midnight, the only people on the street were either walking their dogs or smoking outside apartment buildings. Ten minutes apart, two police cars cruised slowly past.

By 1am, we had reached Yarranabbe Park in Darling Point (21.1km into the walk) with the harbour glassy smooth and no sign of rain. While Farmer had barely broken a sweat, I needed a few minutes on a bench when we reached Double Bay at 1.35am. It was almost eerie how silent the eastern suburbs had become. Even the fruit bats seemed to be asleep.

Despite the lulling rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other, I wasn’t feeling sleepy.

Pat Farmer and journalist Garry Maddox approach the “finish line” at Bondi.Credit: Louise Kennerley

After climbing Heartbreak Hill at 2.30am, we saw a fox nonchalantly crossing Vaucluse Road into Kincoppal-Rose Bay School, presumably hoping for scraps left over from lunch.

While we were having a breather with an energy bar near Doyles at Watsons Bay at 3.50am, after covering 30.2 kilometres, a handsome and seemingly tame fox approached for food. When we set off along the path by the water, it followed us along the beach.

Heading back from a loop to Camp Cove, we saw another fox dart into the bush opposite Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel. After the last big hill on Old South Head Road just after 4am, we took the darkened coastal path rather than the road – the first time I’d needed a headlamp to see where we were going.

I was startled by a panting jogger approaching suddenly at 4.15am. Approaching Bondi at first light, Farmer was striding along as if he were just starting. I was counting down the kilometres and walking like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.

The ultra marathon runner and the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz arrive at Bondi Beach at 6am.Credit: Louise Kennerley

At 6am, we arrived at the beach, attracting curious looks from early morning exercisers as photographer Louise Kennerley took some pics.

Over almost nine hours of walking – plus 45 minutes of breaks – it had been a unique way of seeing this great city. Later in the day, it would be painful to walk. But it had been worth it.

If you want to try the UNICEF Dusk to Dawn – foxes not guaranteed – entries close at midnight on Monday.

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