With parkruns springing up all over Victoria, visiting some of those further away from home can be a challenge. So we were keen to make the most of the Easter long weekend and the opportunity to cut through some kilometres on Good Friday. Nhill was our chosen spot – a few hours down the highway and, even more fortunately, kind of on the way to visit relatives for the remainder of the weekend.
After camping overnight, we were up early and arrived by 7.30am at Nhill parkrun, easily finding where we needed to be thanks to the parkrun flags that were already set up. As the clock ticked closer to 8am, there were predictions that visitors might outnumber locals but I think it just fell in favour of the locals by the time briefing started. The welcome for both sets was equally as warm. Despite being new, this is clearly an event with a big sense of community and a lot of heart, where all are welcomed, regardless of where you’re from, whether you’ve attended before or what your speed is.
Very brief briefing done, we gathered at the start line and were off. The track is easy to follow and has cones to indicate the couple of turns that you need to take. Initially, the track is gravel and rock but then becomes grass before a long stretch of soft dirt around the lake. It was equal parts beautiful and challenging – although it was flat, I found the soft dirt stretched me a bit, possibly due to my still healing sprained ankle.
The turnaround point was clearly marked then it was back the same way to the start….so you could turn around and do it all again. I like this when visiting tourist courses as it gives me a lap to look at the course and another lap to take some pictures. And I certainly took some pictures here. The sun was rising on the other side of the lake, bathing it in bright light which cut through the gentle layer of fog sitting on the water – an absolutely stunning way to spend the morning. Being a double out and back, there were also ample opportunities for smiles, cheers and high-fives from fellow parkrunners and this friendly bunch didn’t disappoint.
I managed to complete a relatively quick parkwalk, finishing 15th overall, 7th female and 1st in my age group. Unlikely that I’ll ever find another parkrun small enough to top those statistics so I shall just enjoy them 🙂
Once we were done, the pressing issue of breakfast was our next priority and we took a browse in town, finding the Olivia Rose cafe and having a delicious meal to set us up for the rest of our day’s travels. There are some gems of attractions in the area so, if you’re visiting, don’t rush off.
Pink lake, just up the road from Nhill
macgirl running 