My Morrison walk

From Queenscliff to Adelaide in the Steps of the George Ernest Morrison

On 1 June 1920, the now defunct Melbourne Argus reported: “The death is announced of Dr. George Ernest Morrison, the former Peking correspondent of The Times and since 1912 political adviser to the President of China. He was an Australian”.

George Ernest Morrison, colloquially known as ‘China Morrison’ as a tribute to his professional successes, shared his name with his father - Dr. George Morrison, M.A, who was the founding Principal of The Geelong College.

In summarising Morrison’s achievements, The Argus’ obituary emphasised his career had emerged from interests in long-distance walking and exploration - both of which were acquired during secondary school at

The Geelong College. In his time at College, he had spent hours in the school library reading up on explorers such as Henry Morton Stanley.

The Argus eulogised:

“...Born in Geelong, in 1862, his father being a Scotsman, and principal of Geelong College, Dr. Morrison early showed the wandering spirit. One vacation he spent walking around the southern coast of Victoria and South Australia. Another he passed in a canoe, covering 1,500 miles in 65 days.”

Morrison honed his walking skills as a teenager by legging it from Newtown to Queenscliff, where his family holidayed. Not for him were the stagecoach or the Geelong-toQueenscliff train.

For context - Newtown to Queenscliff is a 32km walk over undulating land. Google Maps says, today, it will take you about seven hours at a comfortable pace - allowing for breaks. Aged 16, Morrison did it in five and half hours, including a shandy stop at Wallington along the way. After 90 minutes in Queenscliff for a bath and a rest, he walked home. His total journey covering over 67 km in 12.25 hours.

Ending the day, he noted: “I put my feet in hot water and felt pretty tired”. Like Morrison, I developed an interest in walking during secondary school, and also spent much time in the College library reading about history and exploration.

There was Morrison memorabilia in the school foyer and, after finding Cyril Pearl’s ‘Morrison of Peking’ in the library one lunchtime, I learned of his fame as ‘Chinese Morrison’ and a walker.

George Ernest Morrison’s achievements were far greater than simply being a son of the first Principal.

Soon after, I made a decision. The year that I finished my HSC (Year 12), I would either reenact his walk from Queenscliff to Adelaide, or his canoe journey down the length of the Murray. Neither eventuated.

Shortly after finishing school, I spent the 100th anniversary of Morrison’s Adelaide walk several hundred metres from the former family holiday retreat he started from. I, however, was recovering from an epic post-school party. Walking over 1000km was the last thing on my mind. Nor did I own a canoe, so ‘paddling the length of the Murray’ also moved to the bucket list.

It took 38 years to make amends. At 6.30am on 30 December, 2017, I left Queenscliff for Adelaide with a copy of George Ernest Morrison’s walking diary and a rucksack on my back.

The plan was to follow his path as closely as possible - along Victoria’s western coast, crossing South Australia’s SE country to the Coorong, then up and over the Adelaide Hills.

Authenticity was my aim. Stopping where Morrison stopped, eating where he ate and preparing to camp for at least 11 nights, where he had or because buildings he slept in had disappeared.

Images (L-R) The young GE Morrison (Mitchell Library); Morrison telegram to his mother reassuring her he had reached Cape Otway safely. (Mitchell Library); Congratulation telegram for completing the walk from Geelong to Morrison in Adelaide. (Mitchell Library)

Things don’t always go to plan, however. Some elements of retracing a path 138 years later are impossible to replicate...or prove simply to be a bad idea!

In hindsight, it was not a good idea to carry (from Queenscliff to Lorne) a leg of roast mutton and a loaf of homebaked bread to eat - simply because Morrison had.

Neither lasted well in the summer heat.

Bread goes stale, mutton gets greasy. Things got smelly within days. The mutton went at Spot Creek on the beach walk from Point Roadknight to Eastern View.

Nor was it smart to begin a long walk with blisters on one foot.

I got to Lorne desperate for bandages, fearing having to pause several days - as Morrison had - near Johanna before continuing.

Luckily things didn’t get that bad.

It took me 38 walking days, from 30 December 2017 to 9 February 2018, to re-trace Morrison’s route. Morrison, himself, walked for 36 days over a 46-day period.

My longest daily walk was 51 km, my shortest 8 km. Morrison varied less. He rested blistered feet longer, and spent time shooting, walking and riding with others on the way.

138 years separated us, as did a few settlement changes, yet the outcomes were close - ending 6kms apart in the total distances measured.

Morrison recorded 762 miles - 1226 km. I logged 1220 km. The pity is, Morrison arrived at his destination in time to watch an Adelaide Test, while the 2018 version had finished well before I reached town.

It was an uncanny experience to walk where he had, both metaphorically and physically.

I will now complete my retelling by borrowing the words Morrison used at the end of his published account: “I will shut up now”.