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. W.