John Willett’s property on the western side of Willoughby Bay was a hive of activity. Workmen were busy with crowbars, picks and shovels creating a large area of level ground along the water’s edge and others were hurrying to cut and secure decking timbers to a floating dock that would allow the steamers to pull up alongside and deposit their passengers.
It had been decided that the marine area surrounding the walk would be too cramped to allow too many large vessels to safely stay within good viewing distance and so a system of drop-off and pick-up would be implemented to allow visitors to watch the walk from land-based vantage points. A similar viewing area and temporary floating dock was being constructed on the eastern side.
On the western headland Tom oversaw the preparation on the securing point for the rope. Several sturdy trees had been cut with a crosscut saw to high stumps. The one nearest the water was ten feet high and had a deep notch cut into its top to accommodate the walking rope. The two behind were cut at lower heights to provide a secure anchor point for the capstan winch that would maintain tension on the rope. On the eastern headland a similar series of trees provided a static securing point.
A robust barge worked out on the water ferrying large rocks from the shore, each with cables attached. Each weighed several tons and workmen used crowbars to roll then over the side to deposit them across the bay, every 200 feet. When the walking rope was taken across the span, it would have pairs of stablising ropes that would attach to the rock’s cables and then be tensioned to provide a means of eliminating sideways movement of the walking rope.
The distance between the anchoring points on each headland had been measured by running a thin rope over the span, and the distance Henry would walk was an impressive 1,420 feet and 340 feet above the water at its highest point and 290 feet where the rope would dip to its lowest. Henry knew this walk, exceeding the famous Charles Blondin’s distance walking Niagara Gorge by 300 feet and twice as high, would put him into the leagues of the world’s famous tightrope walkers.
Next the capstan, the stabliser ropes and the all-important walking rope arrived, neatly stacked on the deck of the vessel that had transported it from Sydney. The hemp rope was 3.5 inches in diameter, and 2,000 feet long to allow for securing at each end. Skillfully joined in the middle over a distance of 20 feet, it was a job that was a tribute to the rope-maker’s craft. The vessel tied up on the eastern side and an end of the rope was hauled up to the securing point by a team of workers to where Tom waited.
Two hours later the rope was secured to Tom’s satisfaction and he rode the delivery vessel as it made its way slowly across the bay, steadily paying out the main rope and its drop ropes until they reached the western side. It took the rest of the day to get the rope coiled on the capstan and most of the slack taken up and the loose end secured to the anchor trees.
The final tensioning of the rope would take place just before the test walk, as the hemp rope would stretch as it dried from its water immersion.
*
Next day all was ready. The walking rope with its attendant stablising ropes made an impressive sight as it joined two tree-clad headlands in an area otherwise almost devoid of signs of man. Henry, Tom, John and Ada had travelled overland that morning, as Henry was to perform a trial walk on the rope that day.
While Henry prepared himself Tom took control of the rope tensioning. Four men strained as they wound the capstan’s drum to pull the walking rope to its maximum tension. Another two men dragged the excess rope that fed off from the capstan, back to the stump that would afford the final tie off point. On the water, men in several boats made adjustments to the stablising ropes.
After two hours Tom came over to Henry. ‘All is set. The tension on the rope is as near-perfect as I can make it.’
‘Good work Tom, now the easy part,’ Henry chuckled. Deep down his nerves bubbled just below conscious level.
‘Take your time. This is not like anything we have done before,’ caution Tom. ‘I will head down to the boat to follow your progress.’
Henry went to climb the ladder to the small platform at the rope’s height Ada rushed over and touched his arm and with a slightly furrowed brow and eyes full of concern said, ‘Please be careful Henry.’
Henry stepped back from the ladder and stood close to Ada, taking her hand gently and smiled. ‘Care, confidence and fear are very much related creatures, my dear’ he said. ‘But I do promise to be careful, it would be very selfish of me not to be after all this hard work!’
He kissed her hand then quickly climbed the short ladder.
Standing on the platform his gaze followed the rope out past the drop-off, away over the water as it slowly dipped significantly in the middle before rising gently to the distant headland. It was a mighty sight and he felt his pulse thumping in his temples at the prospect of this walk. He saw Tom was now in a rowing boat with several other men where they waited to follow his progress as he crossed the bay and ready to come to his assistance should he fall. From the height of the rope above the water, however, he doubted he would be alive when his body was recovered.
He stepped up to the balance pole and slipped the now padded support strap over his head and settled himself, ensuring he held the pole at its proper balance point. He stood; eyes closed and started his mind focussing routine. Today it took longer as he was pent up with nervous energy. Not only was the distance something far outside the normal bounds of almost any ropewalker in the world, the height alone caused him trepidation. There was no other way the rope could be tested except by walking, and he was the only person in the country qualified to walk it.
He breathed deeply. He could hear the blood pulsing through his head and his feet felt tingly. He flexed his toes, then flexed his calves by going up onto tip-toes, he crouched slightly then focused on relaxing his muscles. Next he inhaled till his lungs to take no more and exhaled fully before repeating the process several more times, all the while concentrating on nothing else but these task. His last action was to roll his shoulders.
His mind finally cleared of all other thought and with an intake of breath he set off. The slightly larger rope felt good under his feet and two minutes later he was past the shore and now over the water. He stepped steadily down the incline. Never before had he experienced such a pronounced slope on a rope. Another ten minutes and he had reached halfway, the lowest point. The stablising ropes were doing their job, both preventing sideways movement and also reducing any spring in the rope. He heard Tom shout up from the boat.
‘How is it Henry? Do the stablisers need any adjustment?’
‘It is perfect!’ Henry shouted back. Pausing, he lowered himself and gently swung the balance pole around as he took a seated position on the joined section of rope, two legs hanging on the one side of the rope as if sitting sidesaddle.
‘The rope is quite solid,’ he called down. ‘I am more than happy with how you have set the rope and stablisers. I will rest here a moment and meet you on the far side.’
With a wave Tom departed and the rowing boat headed slowing to the eastern shore. Henry contemplated the view for a few minutes more and then looked over his shoulder to where he saw Ada and John, standing atop the cliff, surrounded by trees. He gave them a wave before regaining his feet and walked up the steady incline to the eastern headland where he eased the balance pole onto its frame and ducked out of the support strap.
Rolling his shoulders to ease the tension, he made his way down the specially constructed path that took him to a hidden landing away from where the crowds would be on walk day.
He met Tom at the landing. ‘That went well,’ announced Henry. ‘Far better than I could have hoped for and the rope is excellent.’
They followed the path of the rope as they rowed back to the opposite shore and Henry gazed up at the rope.
‘I am not sure if it looks higher from here or from up there,’ he remarked. Tom remained silent, knowing that Henry was teasing him with the reference to heights. Reaching the western landing they climbed the other private track to meet up with Ada and John. Ada hurried over excitedly to Henry and taking him by the arm dragged him over to John.
‘What’s all this?’ asked Henry laughing.
‘I thought the truth of the situation may have been overlooked as your mind has been in preparation mode, but,’ John said as he bent and opened a wooden crate to reveal ice packed in straw and as his hand burrowed in he pulled out a bottle of Champaign, ‘we have cause for celebration!’
The realisation dawned on Henry. ‘The crossing, of course! I have just completed the highest and longest walk in Australia and one of the longest and highest in the world!’
‘Bravo Henry!’ exclaimed Tom as he helped Ada with the glasses while John let the cork loose with a pop!
There cannot be many stranger places that a bottle of expensive French Champaign had been enjoyed than on that rugged headland deep in Middle Harbour by the tight knit group.