Team A

The World Harmony Run is definitely a big journey.

The thing I like about travelling is the change of situation every little while. That’s the perfect chance for dreaming with your eyes wide open.

You are given the opportunity of seeing things without the grey layer that the daily routine often puts on life. And from the very moment when you set yourself out on the way, the world starts shining.

You see things you never had the chance to see at home. You see things you saw already million of times. And you see that they look very different from what the television told you.

For example, today we met Michael Mookski. He is cycling all across Australia for the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Now, the biggest distance I ever cycled was not more than 150 km and, amongst the people that I know personally, nobody has ever done such a thing. Meeting such a person on the road doesn’t impress you simply because of who he is: the thing that is really surprising is how strong and palpable is the dream he is carrying forward and, most of all, the beautiful feeling that 'you' could also do that.

I have to pay my respect to all the people who have achieved something great or good, because somehow they allow you to have a share of their dream, and a share of their journey.

What makes you love to travel is also the fact that the more you go, the more you grow. You experience, therefore you change.

But definitely the best thing of going around Australia is the chance to see wonders you would never have the chance to see at home.

And the Camooweal State School is certainly today’s pearl!

– Sandro Zincarini (Italy)

Team B

Our team today was simply scheduled to run part of the distance from Camooweal to Mt Isa, with no ceremonies on the way. Fate, naturally, had other plans. Soon after I started running down the Barkly Highway, my teammates were met by an Outback Spirit tour bus, heading into the Northern Territory. The busload of tourists were interested in what we were doing, and flocked out to talk to them. As a result, they chatted for some time about the World Harmony Run, as we do in so many official ceremonies. It followed with seemingly everyone in the bus taking photos of themselves with the runners.

Meanwhile, my short morning run ended up twice as long as it was planned to be. Fortunately, as this gave my friends time for an impromptu ceremony, it was worth the effort.

Often as I offer my small contribution to this run around the continent, I think of the others who have had their own adventures travelling around Australia. The people who built the roads, for example. A road as long and significant as the Barkly Highway was a great undertaking, and no doubt they had many stories to tell about their journey.

We met two other trans-Australia travellers today: Bill and Olga Bray, from the Sydney suburb of Chipping Norton. They have travelled much of Australia by jeep, and are now heading in the opposite direction to us. Bill is a mine of information about what to see in the area.

It was our Russian runner, Misha Kulagin’s mother’s birthday, so he celebrated by running a half-marathon: 21.1 km, in three 7 km stints. His final run was the last one for the team that day, and we saw that as reason to celebrate.

In the afternoon we entered Mount Isa, where we visited the Riversleigh Fossil Museum, learning about Australia’s dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals. Most known Australian dinosaurs were discovered (or at least, their fossils were) in this area of northern Queensland.

– Noivedya Juddery (Australia)

Team C

This morning our team wished Lorna a fond farewell as she headed off for her regular job with 'Meals on Wheels', a charity service provided to people unable to prepare food for themselves.

Lorna’s home-style hostel and hospitality was greatly appreciated after so many nights of sleeping in tents. Most of us slept in proper beds last night. Lorna had a small, handmade wall-hanging in her kitchen which seemed to capture her approach to life: “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”

At 9 am we attended a World Harmony Run ceremony at Camooweal State School which has 48 students aged 5 to 13. We spoke about the Run and presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the School Captain, Caitlin Anderson. We all sang Sri Chinmoy's World-Harmony-Run Song and the students sang the Australian National Anthem for us. We were also treated to a spontaneous rendition of “Tie me Kangaroo Down, Sport,” led by Dorothy Major, one of the teachers. It was great fun, and many of the international runners were hearing the song for the first time.

The principal, Daniel Murtas, thanked us for visiting the school, declaring: “The World Harmony Run is a great initiative!”

We then commenced our running schedule which was theoretically an easy mileage of 44 km between the five of us. The heat, lack of breeze, and running in the middle of the day all combined to make it pretty challenging. Our team’s leg was the final stretch of road leading into Mt Isa.

In contrast to yesterday, the terrain today was hilly with many trees. It was great to be running downhill again!

About 13 km out from Mount Isa, Rod Sutton from Grafton, NSW, pulled over and enthusiastically joined us for a stretch of running near the first mining complex along the highway.

We ran right into the centre of Mount Isa to join a mining tour generously provided by Brian Atherinos, the Manager of Outback at Isa.

We wore the gear that underground miners wear including overalls, heavy gum boots, an emergency communication device, helmet and mining light with a giant battery attached to a utility belt.

Our guide was John Jordan, alias 'Black Jack', who works in a mine for his regular job and takes tours on his days off. Black Jack explained that Mt Isa’s mines are mostly for copper, with a zinc, silver and lead mine just out of town.

The mining tour was an incredible experience. We descended underground in a lift, then travelled in the kind of 'train' that miners travel in – basically a metal and wood cage on metal wheels.

We then walked around the tunnels on foot. The mine floors were covered in water, typical of underground mines as they are below the water table. The 'ceilings' were rough and rocky looking, with a mesh metal lining and special bolt supports that are glued in using a glue that sets in just 20 seconds.

The walls were covered in salt crystals in some places. We were mostly in complete darkness apart from the beams of light coming from our helmets. Black Jack showed us how explosives are set up, as well as amazingly powerful digging and shovelling equipment.

Even the roar of the mine’s exhaust fan was impressive, as we sheltered from the force of it around a rocky corner. We all came out of there with utmost respect for anyone, anywhere, who has ever worked as a miner. Thanks again to Brian and John.

– Bernice Matthews (Australia)

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Team Members:
Amalendu Edelsten (Australia), Anastasia Aleksejeva (Latvia), Nigel Webber (Australia), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Prabhakar Street (Canada), Edi Serban (Romania), Dima Lehonkov (Ukraine), Bernice Matthews (Australia), Nick File (New Zealand), Noivedya Juddery (Australia), Standa Zubaty (Czech Republic), Prabuddha Nicol (Australia), Runar Gigja (Iceland), Elke Lindner (Germany), Sandro Zincarini (Italy), Angela Muhs (Germany), Rathin Boulton (Australia), Misha Kulagin (Russia)

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