New Era in Retailing with The Gardeners Corner Store

The Next Era in Retailing with…
The Gardeners Corner Store

'An investment in Garden Centre Excellence'

Being relatively new to the industry, I am often amazed by the stories and history behind some of the places that I visit. A recent trip to the Gardeners Corner Store was highly insightful, inspiring and incredibly interesting. A story steeped in botanical knowledge, inventive business management, and some sound philosophy has helped David & Helen Grodski and the team at the Gardeners Corner Store get to where they are today.

The Gardeners Corner Store (GCS) had been trading in Brighton for 21 years up until the end of June 2008, when they unknowingly at the time, temporarily ceased trading in their present form. The idea of closure came about some time earlier, and was an accumulation of a number of factors. After winning Best Medium Garden Centre in Victoria for 2004-06 they felt that they were peaking as a business, and the desire to ‘step back’ and enjoy life led to the development of a detailed exit plan. This was also coupled with the realisation that difficult times may have been ahead, with increasing water security pressures (looming Stage 4) and a noticeable decrease in the amount of ‘gardeners’ in the area, as those with gardens were hiring the services of maintenance teams. With the retail sales component in the business’ overall profile shrinking, compared to their landscaping team (with fewer gardeners in the garden centre buying plants), the implementation of the exit plan came to fruition.

Having never held a ‘Sale’ in the 21 years of trading, they were now faced with the closure of the nursery, and the need to sell off stock prevailed. This was tackled in a unique way over a period of four months. Having spent 25 years in the industry, David quite understandably decided it was something to be celebrated, and so large signs plastered across their fences were put up stating “Salebrating 20 years”. This created an unexpected frenzy with the public. This came about not only by the positive message which was sent through the celebration of their garden centre, but also through the supply of good quality stock which customers had come to expect from the garden centre. In doing so, as David points out, this creates a Win:Win situation for everyone, which ultimately has positive effects all around – there would have been no point in selling off poor quality stock as this may lead to a Win(seller):Lose (buyer) situation which wouldn’t have reflected well on the business’ namesake.

The important things David learnt about this closure were the following:
- He would encourage anyone to run ‘events’ as opposed to ‘sales’ – you chose the stock, the time, and control the environment, don’t allow seasons and expectations from the consumer to do so.
- As it is an ‘event’, a positive message must be purveyed.
- Ensure you offer a true bargain for the customer and one of the best shopping experiences of their life - and let them know it. This has a strong focus on staff training and providing high quality customer service. Teaching staff ‘What do I have to do to make that customers life better?’ – How do you train staff to be enthusiastic but not pushy?
- If you are in a positive position to do so, obtaining good quality stock on consignment gives you the stronger selling position to push volume without the initial outlay.

Following the sell off of green life, 250 items consisting of the larger ‘props’ and hard landscape pieces were auctioned off by an auctioneer who came on site for the day. Once these items and the last few plants had been sold, the gates were closed.

In the following few weeks, David was invited in as a consultant to assist in finding a new garden centre tenant for a site previously owned by Gills of Brighton. Following a number of discussions, a proposition was made to David to take the site on himself. After 24 hours of thinking about the opportunity, and some phone calls to his previous employees who are now partners in the business, they signed the lease. The following day David and Helen boarded a plane leaving Australia for six months on an extended holiday. With David and Helen now considering themselves as mentors that work on the business and not in it, Cathryn McEwan and John Parish (Managers and business partners) were left to get the new site up and running.

At the beginning of August 2008, they opened their doors to a new era. With minimal capital at start up, close attention to stock turns has played a key role in their overall current gross profit. Having many years of plant knowledge also was significant in getting started. David noted that knowing what plants to buy based on those that will succeed and those that won’t in that given area was incredibly helpful.

David notably made the point that in a small garden centre, it is difficult to stock everything. This is why the Gardeners Corner Store has the ‘5 F test’. Stock being bought must possess three out of five of the following plant characteristics:
1 – Foliage
2 – Flowers
3 – Fruit
4 – Fragrance
5 – Free from Pest and Disease

Re-opening onto a previous garden centre site had two benefits. Many of their old customers rekindled their relationship with the GCS while they also found an entire new customer base – those being the ‘gardeners,’ plant people whose numbers were diminishing at the old GCS.

With a small but strongly committed team, including David, Helen, Cathryn, John, Alyson, Josh and Tim, they are able to make a large impact in what they do as retailers. The Gardeners Corner Store is committed to continual development onsite and also the industry as a whole. David’s desire to see a set level of expected professionalism and quality assurance from the consumer in the future is something I hope we are all striving for, through the accreditation programmes, and our own desire to take that next step towards the bigger picture in retailing plants.


David Grodski & Lost Languages

Having been a practicing doctor for 20 years, David’s friends thought he was mad when he made the decision to open a Garden Centre. Having a family farm, David acquired many landscaping skills, and these combined with skills learnt as a silent partner in a family nursery inspired him to open his own. With his medical history, a sound understanding of plant names gave him the knowledge about plants which today is almost lost – taxonomy. David understood that you could often determine the many cultivation requirements and characteristics of plants, all by understanding some Latin.

For example:
1 – Habit - elatus (meaning tall), palustris (from swampy regions)
2 – Cultivation Requirements – montanum (from the mountains) or rivularis (prefer moist soils over dry), capensis (from the Cape, so plant in the open)
3 – Origin – japonica (originating in Japan) and chinensis (originating in China) – from this you could also determine whether to plant it south/north, east/west facing
4 – Leaf and Flower – multiflora (floriferous and required sun, not shade), alba (white in colour)
5 – History of Cultivation of the plant – people’s names are often used in honour or memoriam. Such as Fuchsia is a tribute to Leonhart Fuchs, a German physician and herbalist.

As David is now in a position that is best described as a business mentor to the Gardeners Corner Store, there is no doubt that there is a wealth of expertise and knowledge which will be passed onto the next generation, with respect to knowing your plants, and developing good business management skills.

Plant Trends at Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show is the trend setting event of the year here in Australia. The industry is displaying plants of future interest, tempting customers in the hope of spurring sales into the forthcoming season. If there’s a plant on display, people will be coming in and asking for it tomorrow. Three standout exhibits this year were inundated with punters wanting to know what the latest and the greatest in the plant world is. Of these three displays there was no doubt a concentrated focus on natives.

‘Cooling the Planet One Backyard at a Time’ – Tree Shrub Growers of Victoria

Highlighting plants by planting en masse, this display utilised a variety of species selected for their ability to ‘cool the planet’. For example shade trees (Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’) were used to complement the variegated privet which stood over the exhibit and stage. Lawn was included, but so too were small ground covering plants such as the new release Dianella ‘Petite Marie’ and the strong selling and popular Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’. Other tufting beauties such as Libertia ‘Gold Fingers’ and Lomandra ‘Seascape’ (or ‘Silver Grace) add further colour and interest to the design. Structural plants were also significantly featured, and Xanthorrhoeas continue to be used as stand out features in garden designs.

Aloe plicatilus added further interest with their succulent bodies and unique architectural forms. Three other notable plants featured within exhibit included Yucca ‘Silver Sword’ and Acacia ‘Fettucini’. Espaliered citrus and olives from Merrywood Plants also created a bit of a storm with many questions on the stand focused on these trained plants.

‘Imagine’ – A joint garden by Humphris Nursery, Dirtscape Dreaming, Austraflora, Arbor Constructions and Swinburne

I spoke briefly to Barry Humphris of the ‘Imagine’ garden, a joint initiative between Humphris Nurseries and Swinburne University. Barry pointed out that grafted natives were incredibly popular, and that the public who know their natives, generally know their plants. The result of this is that there is a knowing expectation that a ‘grafted plant is a better plant.’ With these plants increasingly being used within designs, they are being engrained in the consumers psyche. With this in mind and demand high at the show, we will no doubt see this trend continue within garden centres post MIFGS – it seems everyone is going to want a grafted Eremophilla or Corymbia cv.

Another plant featured in the garden includes the newly released Eucalyptus cladocalyx ‘Vintage Red’ which has deep red juvenile foliage, potentially an ideal plant for coppicing – an increasingly popular horticultural practice here in Australia.

A wide range of other plants were featured including the ‘King in the Garden’ Range such as Acmena ‘Moonlight Flame’ and the increasingly popular fluffy pink heads of Ptilotis exaltatus ‘Phoenix’. Some other more unusual plants included in the large planting scheme were Pimelea physodes ‘Qualup Bells’ and the silver foliage of Marieana oppositifolia ‘Dwarf Silver Shadow’ and the Acacia cognata cultivars with their graceful weeping lime green foliage are proven winners.

Habitat – ‘Phillip Johnston’

This garden won not only Best in Show, but a Gold award for Best Show Garden. It was an incredibly impressive piece, and certainly stopped people in their tracks with their interesting selection of plants and massive feature boulders, intermingled with the key environmental messages about living a sustainable life. The garden itself comprised of a diverse plant selection, incorporating not only edible gardens (vegetables, fruit and citrus) but riparian vegetation including sedges and ferns and xeriscape plantings – the entire design wassegregated by ecological zones, with the water as the fluid entity and life
blood of making the site work. This is something which Phillip Johnston Landscape Systems designs around – building a sustainable habitat to be enjoyed.

To mention just a few of the stand out plants that stood out in the landscape – Bachychiton specimens, no doubt chosen for their spectacular structure, their ability to conserve moisture is also a drawcard. Doryanthes excelsa, the spectacularly large flowering Gymea Lily was also utilised in abundance, their phenomenal size and impact within the landscape added scale and stirred interest amongst the visitors. Other plants such as a number of cultivars of Anigozanthos, Dampiera, Eremophilla and a wide variety of fern species were utilised to create this impressive display of Australian flora.

E-Marketing for Garden Retailers

E-marketing makes reference to one of the many methods of advertising your business (i.e. selling of goods and services), specifically through digital forms of communication. This may include email newsletters, websites and online advertising through search engines and/or banner/link advertising. E-marketing is a growth area with online social networks such as Facebook demonstrating targeted advertisements based on user’s personal information. You also see these ‘personal recommendations’ on websites such as Amazon, where user targeted marketing techniques are heavily put into practice. E-marketing eliminates the downtime in spreading your message to the consumer who is increasingly short of time. This means the consumer must have buying decisions made as easy as possible for them. In addition to your normal marketing techniques, e-marketing should be an enhancing supplement to your regular marketing strategies with the aim of reaching a larger target area.

In considering the benefits of e-marketing and whether you think it will be of benefit to you, it is important to sit down and develop a plan.

Characterising the Consumer

To begin with, if we think about the varying demographics of our customers, we can come to some immediate conclusions that certain generations are most likely going to be influenced by varying marketing techniques. Therefore, by characterising your consumers and determining what drives sales of that area, you will be able to see which methods of marketing are likely to be most effective for your nursery. How many people don’t have an email address that they check regularly? Most do, and as such there is huge potential for e-mail newsletters to be a regular cost effective form of regular communication with a vast number of potential customers. So, ask yourself – Is there potential to tap into a growing market (such as the Generation X with their love for home grown produce or the young families who want to enjoy their ‘outdoor room’)?

Planning for Positive Growth and Return

Addition of e-marketing to your existing marketing plan/budget will enable you to effectively develop a holistic approach to advertising that has a positive return to your business. There are a number of steps in developing an e-marketing plan:

1 – Ensure you have the expertise on hand. Basic email knowledge is bare minimum, with other specialised requirements such as construction of a web page easily contracted out.
2 – Define your objectives and ultimate goals. Here you will be specifically targeting the audience which you have determined will bring most value in return. In doing so, specifically defining your set objectives and outcomes will help you lay out your plan of attack. Do you want to increase your footfall? Or are you aiming to improve exposure? Are you looking at developing a loyalty program of sorts? Is the primary goal dissemination of information, with the aim of increasing professional profile? All of these objectives will no doubt need to have an effect on the bottom line, but you do need to think about it strategically to get the most out of your e-marketing campaign. Sending a clear consistent message is important.
3 - Include the costs of e-marketing into a budget – This includes the skills required and potential ongoing contracting costs of maintenance.

Monitoring the Method

Having the ability to monitor your methods of e-marketing will give you the ability to critically assess the return on investment. Realistically, you are making sure that the electronic form of marketing is worthwhile – is it working to your advantage? If not, is there potential for it to work to your advantage?

There are numerous ways in which people monitor such systems. For example, with an e-newsletter you might include a redeemable coupon in each mailout. This is a very simple form of monitoring, but will give you accurate results by determining the amount of repeat custom you are receiving.

So ask yourself – What techniques can I implement to monitor the effectiveness of the method? And how can I use these findings to my advantage?

Practical Application

It is a good idea that retail nurseries in Victoria have at least:

1 A basic website
- This will be a point of reference with photos of your business offerings and contact details as bare minimum. A sign up to your e-newsletter would also be of benefit.
- Don’t put unnecessary information online, it should send a clear message and not be weighed down with too much text.
2 An email newsletter
- As above, develop a set of objectives.
- Be consistent – make sure the content is clear and the message you are sending across is simple. Most people will flick their eye over an email, so don’t bog it down with too much fanciful text.
- Understanding technical issues such as bandwidth and the range of issues involved in sending an email to multiple people is important at set up. For example, each email is a particular size, and with the addition of images to an email, you will quickly eat up bandwidth which your service provider might not support, or at the least increase your costs substantially.

Combined, these two e-marketing methods offer the online consumer an insight into your business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - and also a point of contact.

The Next Step

1 – Most importantly, do your research.

2 – You may have seen that the NGIV and the Garden Gurus have partnered together and have begun to build an online Virtual Tour database of independent retail garden centres. The idea behind this is to promote independent retailers by offering consumers an online experience.

In joining the programme, you will have your business’ virtual tour made available to you. Imagine a virtual tour (video) of your garden centre on the front page of your website. This would be an unrivalled experience for the consumer and the first step to opening your doors to their custom.

To view the Virtual Garden Centre Tours, logon to www.ngiv.com.au and click on the banner on the front page. For further information, contact Glenn Thomson (e - glenn@thegardengurus.com, m – 0438 584 816).

Resources:

There are many excellent resources online, but one of the best which I came across was this online tutorial by the Small Business Development Corporation
http://www.e-com.sbdc.com.au/e-marketing/one/index.htm
The second is a Training Module produced by Multimedia Victoria (Victorian Government)
http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/Assets/220/1/eMarketing.pdf

Generation X, Generation Y - the Nextgen Employee

The National Conferences topic of ‘Ingredients for a Brighter Future’ yielded a variety of discussions and references to the younger generation of the industry. The terms Generation X and Generation Y were coined loosely as those in the age group from apprentice level up to roughly 35 years of age. This group encompasses a large proportion of our industry. Therefore when it was noted the limited numbers of young people in attendance at conference, there was an evident issue at hand regarding the potential ‘brighter future’ which the conference aimed to assess.

There were a number of key questions addressed by a panel of distinguished guests including Brian MerrickCNP (Gardens R Us), Andrew White (Oasis), Anthony Kachenko CNP (NGIA) , Ross Wilson CNP (2008 Young Leader), Kate Malfoy CNP (Jambaroo Native Nursery). Participation from business owners in attendance also formed a significant part of the debate. In addition to these discussions, I recently spoke with Glenn Fenton (Nationwide Trees Pty. Ltd.) to further grasp his thoughts on this issue.

Generally, apprentices were considered to be a difficult group of young people to retain and train, with a number of business owners raising the issue of neediness. It was nearly stated that a level of ‘mothering’ is expected particularly from this level. This was disputed by a number of people including Mr Fenton who strongly believes that you must take your employees on a journey. You are investing in them as long term candidates of your business. A level of support, not mothering, is a critical part of the development of your employees, and inevitably the business.

In addition, Ross Wilson CNP (Young Leader 2008) characterised this by offering his personal time to those younger members by assisting with such aspects like personal budgets. This is something a young person with limited life experience has little to no exposure to, and with an increasing number of pathways to the work place, it is inevitable that you will encounter a diverse range of people with significantly varying backgrounds, skills and knowledge. With this in mind, offering support builds trust, and in turn, a level of commitment from the employee.

So ultimately, how do we retain those young people with potential in industry? The suggestion was made to figure out ways to increase your margins and essentially pay above award rate with the aim of resulting in a higher retention rate. This was just one method of retention as it was obvious that remuneration is not the sole motivator for the next generation.

The key issues raised formed a consensus that it is difficult to motivate the younger generation. In contrast to this, Mr Fenton clearly stated that it was not as difficult as was being suggested with opportunities for development and a career pathway as key drivers for the younger generation. It was noted that remuneration of a fair wage was also essential in attracting and retaining employees. By offering such opportunities, you should as a result be left with a committed staff with skills which are retained in house. In going forward with this, those particular skills will be shared into the future as they are honed and developed with the guidance of the business owner.

With such a diverse group of people, motivations will inevitably vary. With some young people, a desire for vocational education through schemes such as the Australian Apprenticeships programme offers young people an opportunity to not only earn a wage, but learn on the job in a manner which suits their style of learning.

It was suggested by Mr Fenton that there really is little difference between the generations and the most important issue with many current business owners is that ‘they manage, they don’t lead.’ The call for change appears to need to come from the business owners and managers themselves. This concept is one which has been exhausted by many business gurus, and a trip to your local bookshop will demonstrate this with piles of literature on the topic. In addition to reading literature, networking with others who are seen to be leaders is an excellent means of building and developing the skills of leadership which have a positive effect on business and industry growth.

So what practical measures can we begin to adopt as we start learning to lead?

Common tasks like weeding are essentially highly rated tasks by necessity but which holds with it a low ranking credibility for skill base required to undertake. With this in mind, it is a perfect exercise to team build. Once a week instead of delegating tasks, get out there alongside your staff as a group and knock over those sorts of tasks no-one enjoys doing together. By leading in this manner, you will not only finish the common tasks quickly but it gives you regular opportunity to interact with your staff. Again this builds trust by interacting on a more sociable level, which will be seen by employees as supportive to their needs.

Listening too, can be a simple yet very effective tool. By listening and engaging you learn about your staffs interests – this is something which you will do while weeding alongside staff. In turn this gives you the knowledge you need to harness their capabilities and get the best out of them. In doing so you will provide them with the opportunities they need to excel both in the workplace, as valuable members of the industry, and finally throughout their professional careers.

Finally, in training the younger generation to be valuable members of staff, it is important to trust them and offer them ownership of their position in the business. In doing so, let them make mistakes which they will potentially learn from. This can be sometimes at a minimal cost to the business, but all in all your investment and trust in them will build a solid foundation for the future. In addition to this, by allowing your staff to be accountable and have a sense of ownership, you as a business owner will be able to step back a little and take the breaks that you deserve and have worked so hard for.

So what can we take from all this? Essentially young people ‘want to work for good people who lead them well’ (Fenton).

A table characterising the various generations is available at:
http://www.leadership.org.au/briefs/GenYEmployees.pdf

Botanical Splatter Merchandising

anthonycurnow.com
In the past month of my starting at the NGIV, I have been getting out on the road and visiting a range of retailers to see what is happening out there. Responses have been positive and it sounds as if the prolonged seasonal spring like weather which brought cooler temperatures and a bit of rain over December, has spurred positive sales forward into the New Year. At the essence of this good trading, is having the quality stock on hand to meet demand. Fantastic merchandising (making stock available for sale in an appealing fashion, as opposed to simply ‘displaying’) of this stock will no doubt have played a key factor in your sales figures and having been out and about, it is clear many of you are proactively tackling consumer demands.

Consumer interest in growing their own fruit and vegetables is being met by many of you. Kuranga Nursery is targeting a specific native bush food market linking live stock to products within their café. They are finding that they are gaining repeat custom through their marketing of traditional Bush Foods, firstly by sparking interest with edible products in the shop with people returning in the hope of growing their own Kunzea pomifera!

Botanical Creations on the other hand are targeting the newcomers (and the old) to gardening who are horrified with increasing prices in the supermarkets. They have created an edibles area with an emphasis on providing the customer ideas through inspirational living displays (such as herb and vegetable patches, which were also viewed at Bay Road and Gills of Beaumaris). Botanical Creations however appear to have taken this to the next level by not only including vegetable and herb seedlings, but cross merchandising this with many edible plants and related products to create a very effective new age department of the nursery. Not only will you find vegetable seedlings, but with this you will find potting mix, fertiliser, instant vege gardens, pick and eat herbs, containers and more.

As a retailer, it is safe to say that it is a common misperception amongst the public that natives can be ‘dull and boring’, but this is far from what I experienced at Kuranga Nursery. Their bold use of seasonal stock such as bright pink flowering grafted gums (Corymbia sp.), dusty pink Ptilotus intermingled with yellow wildflowers and orange Anigozanthos is a striking flowering colour combination which one might never normally think to use. But through effective merchandising with the use of inorganic props like large stones, old wooden wagon wheels and birdbaths, combined with its impulse location, this ‘botanical splatter’ creates a highly stimulating display that paints a desirable representation of what the impulse buying shoppers garden could look like.

Another common method of merchandising stock which is a technique used most commonly by supermarkets is that of mass numbers. Like the large quantities of single item stock on the ends of isles at supermarkets, a lot can be said about the similar use of single variety displays in garden centres – they tend to sell themselves through impact and impulse. Kuranga Nursery, producing much of their own stock have the market ability to display large numbers of seasonal (often flowery) stock in hot impulse locations around their nurseries creating a grab and go scenario for the consumer. Bay Road on the other hand is enticing consumers with large instant colour displays on the main street. This not only creates a show stopping display, but will no doubt trigger impulse purchases too. Be aware though of the cost involved in buying large numbers - understanding stock turns and discounting will aid in maximising your gross profit.

Room sets were also a fantastic way of selling an idea (and all associated components) to a customer. Bay road for example have a number of thematically schemed room sets which reflect various styles of outdoor living, bringing ideas to life. With their latest booming sector of the business, a landscape construction department, they now can actually guide the customer through all steps of the process from the in store idea to construction.

In passing through these businesses, I believe it is important to note that paying attention to fine detail is a must. Increased temperatures and potential dwindling footfall gives you good opportunity to do those ‘Summer Cleaning’ duties (cobwebs/painting benches/general housekeeping – and need I mention stay on top of weeds during their peak period) in preparation for the upcoming Autumn months. One method I’ve found and seen to be most successful in maintaining these standards is ‘the walk around’. By this I simply mean each morning walking around your plant centre and taking note of the detail (perhaps create a departmental checklist addressing housekeeping issues, faded/out of date P.O.S, quality control and OHS) – put yourself in the customers shoes.

So what have I learnt from the first few weeks? Firstly it’s an exciting time to be retailing in such a diverse industry! Secondly, assessing your hotspots within your garden centre and cross-merchandising your quality stock in an attractive manner may increase your overall margins. I encourage you to do as I do, and get out and visit some other retailers as a means of building ideas and positive industry relationships and developing your garden centre and the industry as a whole to the next level.

Spain - A Road to Salvation

anthonycurnow.com
The Camino de Santiago is historically a religious pilgrimage to the resting site of Saint James, an apostle of Jesus. The Camino de Santiago translates to the way of St James and covers approximately 800km from the French/Spanish border to the city of Santiago de Compostela, about 90km inland from the western Spanish coastline on the Atlantic Sea. It is most commonly known by pilgrims simply as ‘the Way’.

No laptop, no mobile phone, no iPod to entertain, nothing but the most comfortable pair of shoes and two sets of the best light weight clothing I could find. We (a good mate and I) had chosen to do the way as ‘rough’, or as traditional as we could, depending on how you wanted to look at it. Assessing the feasibility of recharging electronics on the way, it almost made our minds up for us, and as a result the only electronic device we left with was a digital camera to capture some of the finest moments of the experience, and a few extra batteries as backup. That was the extent of our modern comforts, which are all too common in the backpackers of this millennium. I felt ‘old school’, often envying travellers of the 70s whose freedom to explore led them on the Hippy Trail travelling the expanse overland from Europe to Asia. Donning only the basic of necessities, of which comprised of Tiger Balm for aches and pains, a journal to jot down my thoughts and a water bottle, we started walking.

Head and face shaven to prevent the need for razors and shave cream (again cutting just milligrams off the weight I carried); I had taken years off my already youthful appearance. I was about three days fresher than the bread we were to eat that first night, which accompanied what was to become a popular meal for pilgrims - lentil soup. As we headed into the Pyrenees on our first day, the hike up was by no means easy, my mind was plagued by the discomfort and weight of my pack, and in many ways my preoccupation with such important things this early in the game ensured my success not only at the beginning, but also long term in reaching the end of the very long road.

Life on the way is simple. Wake up early, start walking, rest under a tree, stop at a café for a coffee and croissant, lunch under a different tree of cheese and ham with bread, then the next town you would pass through is often where you might make the decision to stop. You follow the signs or the trail of people to the local Rifugio where you sign in for the night, and receive your next stamp in you ‘Pilgrims Passport’. Having walked roughly 20-25km, you are weary, so a cold beer (Mahou or San Mig) is essential, then siesta, write in your journal, communal dinner with fellow pilgrims, sleep. Between nearly every one of those events, attention is made to your feet. They are your mode of transport and must be cared for. Bathing them in every cool running stream, massaging them, and tending to some savage blisters that have developed, ingrown toenails and other bizarre abnormalities becomes part of day to day routine. I love and appreciate my feet like you wouldn’t believe.

With each day, boredom didn’t invade me as I would have suspected, with the simpler life comes a simpler approach. I began to notice the smallest of flowers and insects on the roadside and hours could be spent pushing oneself in an attempt to catch the person who is as small as an ant on the distant horizon. Crops such as almonds, avocado, olives, beetroot, potatoes, beans and local specialties such as white asparagus and grape vines which stretched endlessly over the landscape contours, also added endless entertainment as the desire to eat fresh from the land prevailed.

Necessities appeared to be fewer each day, as an hour here and there visualising and assessing every piece of kit in my pack was yet another form of entertainment. Along with these various styles of self amusement, the time allowed for conscious thoughts to be trained. I had read about walking meditations and methods of focusing the mind prior to leaving Australia, and as a result I had prepared myself by taking with me some meditative phrases and prayers. I read these repeatedly on some of my loneliest of days, attempting to make sense of each word, and in turn seeking a higher level of self awareness. With each step I took, another revelation was conquered after hours of circular thought. With each revelation I made I was one step closer to my own apparent salvation, and even closer to the final destination – Santiago de Compostela in north western Spain.

Having passed through the rolling hills of Navara and Rioja in northern Spain, where good red wine is famous for maintaining good health along ‘the way’, we reached the Meseta. This second part of the Camino from Logrono to Leon, passes over a massive flat plateau with an elevation of around 800m above sea level. Each day is blistering hot, dry and dusty with vivid blue skies offset by the yellow browning wheat fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. The rich blue sky is reminiscent of the intensity one experiences in country Victoria, and as such I felt comfortingly at home. For many people this part of the walk is very difficult, with authors such as Shirley McLaine documenting her peculiar hallucinogenic experiences across these vast expanses. It was certainly a turning point in the Camino, where those limited by time (and the suffering ones) frequently spent a rest day or two on a bus, ridding their overall experience of what makes the Camino ever so special. It is a walk of contrast, and to appreciate the best bits, the microcosms of purity in both landscape and the people you meet, you must walk the Meseta.

Lips cracked, the hot baking sun beaming down on my sun brown skin, the sticky tar of the molten road began to wear the soles of my shoes down quicker than one would have expected. Respite on the Meseta was few and far between, with the small amount of shade provided by large hay bales or a lone tree on the roadside and the opportunity to break, openly welcomed. Being the peak of summer, many streams had run dry and the opportunity to wade ones feet in cool running water was uncommon. In coming across irrigation channels, we stripped our sore sweat wrinkled feet from our smelly boots and socks to let the current of the water take their weight. The feeling of weightlessness was euphoric, no longer did it feel like the sun and the earth’s gravity was trying to push you into the dusty white gravel of the pilgrim’s path. The toll not only on the body but the mind begins to kick in as you begin to question your own sanity; or insanity depending on your perspective.

I began to wonder if I am actually getting any closer as the road to my right is not changing, the path I am walking on doesn’t change colour and the thousands of London Plane trees (I tried counting…) which have been strategically planted every 15m to provide shade for the pilgrims are young, and all look the same, sending me in and out of shade every seven or so steps. The angle of the sun cast a shadow in front of me in the mornings as I walked westward to the end of the world. Some days the sun appeared to change angle, sending me seemingly in the wrong direction, as the path and the shells which are representative of the Camino, reassuringly guided me on my way.

Sitting down on a baking concrete stoop out the front of a square concrete house, I worked on my walking stick, cutting the bark from the cambium, carefully shaping an elaborate pattern into my very own staff. For the five days following, the ceremonial staff carving sessions with the mate I was travelling with went on, we cared for our staffs as much as we cared for one another. They were our new best friends, something to entertain us and something that made us happy with each step made with them in our palm. They were a symbol of our own fragile states - they were everything that I was no longer; sturdy, strong and it served a functional purpose. I was lost, taken over by the journey and confused as to my purpose for walking the Camino, so distracted by my own thoughts I was, that I left my best friend (the staff, and the other one) behind...

Having met up and broken off more than once with numerous other pilgrims, hearing the phrase ‘’Beun Camino!’’ come from the lips of a fellow peregrine was always reassuring. We were all in this journey together, albeit walking for different reasons. The companionship and kindness that is evident along the way is reminiscent of what the Camino is all about, and it is this which drove me on my way to reach Santiago de Compostela. On arrival to the big city, it was somewhat overwhelming, and yet again the experience of reaching the final desitination is different for everyone. Many pilgrims commonly feel an anticlimax of reaching the end after many long weeks of walking. This anticlimactic feeling leads them to ask ‘what next?’, and the answer to this was to often keep walking until they reached the Atlantic sea, some 100km further. I myself was done, my Camino was finished and I was happy to stop walking. I had set myself a personal challenge of reaching Santiago de Compostela, and I had reached that. I was no longer a lost withering soul, and had many things to look forward to. I went to have one of the best years of my life so far.

The Camino, is a special and life altering experience while in some ways it might be said to be a very selfish exercise. You will invariably meet up with similar people each day, but you should never expect to see them in the morning. Some days, they would just disappear for whatever reason. Every pilgrim had their own story, and this is not something that was as openly discussed as I would have imagined. Having said this, I can understand why this was so. We were all battling our own demons within, but knew that the pilgrim both in front and behind you, albeit a stranger, was a friend. There is unspoken compassion and empathy on the way which is uncompromisingly forgiving. Yes, we all had days of selfishness, but all in all, this one long difficult experience was a pinnacle moment, a turning point in our lives which would shape our future. For this reason, ‘holiday pilgrims’ (those that joined up for the last 200km just to receive a Compostela; the certificate) were often frowned upon by the ‘purists’ and those that had walked many weeks and hundreds of kilometres from the Pyrenees, or even further...

I guess to sum up the experience; the Camino is a testament to your state of mind and body. You might believe that you are one of the most together people that you know, but this is one of life’s challenges which will invariably test your limits. You will have defining moments that may, at the time, seem small and trivial, but which will surely shape your future synaptic thoughts. Am I enlightened by my attempts at walking meditation and prayer? I do not know, there is no simple answer. I believe in many things in this world, but I do know is that this one experience, taking the conscience time to self-assess and challenge my mental and physical self is just one step closer to understanding who I am, and what I can do to ensure I am a contributing person to a positively productive society.

Written by Anthony J Curnow

Note: It has taken me a year to reach the point where I can sit down with some perspective and write this article. The Camino is a phenomenal experience.

Africa - To the top of Africa, Mt Kiliminjaro

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It is often tagged as one of the must do things on this planet before you die (assuming you don’t die doing it!). Standing at a whopping 5895m above average mean sea level (a.m.s.l), it is Africa’s highest mountain, one of the ‘Seven Summits’ for peak bagging and the tallest free standing mountain on earth. It is, Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Located at a longitude just 330km south of the equator, the mountain lies in Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro National Park (a declared UNESCO world heritage site in 1989), close to the Kenyan border. The mountain itself rises from the flat surrounding African plains, and comprises of two dormant (Kibo summit 5,895m a.m.s.l and Mawenzi 5,149m a.m.s.l) and one extinct (Shira 3,962m a.m.s.l) volcanoes. Close by (70km west), Mt Meru sisters Kilimanjaro and stands steady in her shadow at just 4,566m a.m.s.l, providing hikers of Kilimanjaro with a point of reference and a view to enjoy while attempting to climb the massive mountain.

There are a number of popular routes which people take in their attempt to summit the mountain. Our group however took the path least traveled, which meant two extra days hiking, allowing us to acclimatise to the altitude as we ascended. Following a route which passes over the Shira plateau, we curved our way around the base of the main peak and up to base camp. Shira plateau is an open grassland dominated by paper daisies (Helichrysum sp.), with the Barranco Valley revealing treasures like the endemic Tree Groundsel (Senecio kilimanjari) and Giant Lobelia (Lobelia deckenii).

For the first few days, our group eagerly passed through the unique baron alpine desert landscape, striving forth with every thought focusing on making it to the top. This is my story of summiting her…

I woke at 11pm after having slept very little in the early evening hours, the wind was howling, shaking my tent from side to side. As I woke from my restless sleep, lying there wrapped up in many layers of clothing, I immediately thought to myself “Why am I doing this?” That moment was not the only time I had such thoughts during the preceding early hours of the morning on 15th October 2008. Despite sleeping very little, I felt much better and slightly more positive than I had earlier in the day when we had climbed to 4600m above average mean sea level (a.m.s.l.), the location of Mt Kilimanjaro Base Camp.

We got under way at midnight, after our final group gathering of bland glucose biscuits and sweet sugary tea. The scramble up the first section was quiet exciting as we were all in good spirits, and the altitude for the first half was of no significant issue. I felt great, and had every positive inclination of reaching my first goal of the evening – Stella Point, located at the base of the crater rim. I was following our Assistant Guide who, ironically named Modest kept telling us ‘Hakuna Metata’, No Worries, ‘Poly, Poly’, Slowly, Slowly. The path was lit in front of me only by the full moon, when Modest stopped us in our tracks and proclaimed whilst pointing to a section above, that we were very close to Stella Point. It looked so close…

Minute after endless minute, the distant summit kept growing, and Stella Point disappeared farther and farther sky high, the same way an oasis in the desert shifts amongst the hot dry mirror like landscape. It was this second half that we all, and me in particular, really suffered. My heart strained with every oxygen deprived breath I took. My thighs ached and my head became foggy. I started feeling slightly dizzy, with the potential death of acute mountain sickness (AMS) plagued my thoughts, and yet I kept heading upwards. ‘Was this safe..?’ ‘Was I in worse condition than anyone else..?’ I was exhausted and the slow death row pace of left foot after right became harder and harder. The soft volcanic scree beneath my feet caused for uneven surface and often my feet would slide backwards with each step I took, hindering efforts to make ground. I began to find it hard to focus, breathe and walk. I hunched over after just four or five small shuffles forward, face planted toward my unsteady feet, hands on my knees, grasping for a full breath of some of the freshest air in the world, which would rarely fully invade the cavities of my pressure-crushed lungs.

I sat down on a rock, looking towards the star lit sky in hope of some renewed energy. I found nothing and before I knew what was happening my pack was taken from my shoulders and piled onto one of the porters backs. I was in no position to argue, and simply watched on as this took place, having what I can only describe as a somewhat outer body experience. I was conscience of what was happening, and knew I did not want to pass my pack over as I felt it was cheating, however I simply could not react. It made what was probably only the last 100m ascent to Stella Point a lot easier, and without having my pack surrendered from me temporarily, perhaps I would not have made it.

I moaned in agony with each step, letting my negative energy to somewhat take hold. ‘Was I to be the only one in our group not to reach the summit?’ ‘What if I need to turn back?’ ‘Why can’t I just rest for an hour, and then keep going?’ Through all these thoughts, my feet slowly trudged upwards, following the persons mesmerising footsteps in front of me.

Out of apparently nowhere, with my body swaying at each step, Stella Point appeared in front of me. I stepped up onto the crater rim and congratulated my fellow hikers. My feet were frozen due to the cold sweat soaked socks and the –15°C temperatures. It was really cold! We took some photos of the huge glaciers we had been chasing all night, which glowed under the full moon. We warmed our organs with a cup of soup the porters had brought up with them, and then pressed onwards to Uhuru Summit, the highest point in Africa.

The sun rose up from the horizon, outlining the curvature of the earth – a truly spectacular sight. The glaciers glowed candy floss pink as we walked around the rocky crater rim to the summit. Emotions ran wild, pure exhaustion passed and elation took over as we reveled in our phenomenal efforts. We took our compulsory ‘been there, done that’ photos and then began to head down.

As I descended to Base Camp thoroughly exhausted, the toll on my body of physical exertion and also the altitude caused my head to throb. Despite this, the decent was uplifting itself. Sunlight revealed soft scree runs ankle deep, of which when run down was easier on the knees but also created a billowing cloud of volcanic dust behind me, very similar to the roadrunner cartoon. Summiting the mountain is a moment I will hope to remember forever. The feeling of altitude sickness and its effects on the mind however, will forever stay with me but I would rather forget. It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life thus far.

If you like pushing yourself to the limits, doing the things that your friends would call mad and taking a brutal physical and mental beating which will make you question your abilities and very own position in life, then hiking Kili might be the number one thing you should do before you die. It’s a long hard slog, but one well worth it.

Written by Anthony J Curnow


From the airplane, our first glimpse. Doesn't look that big does it?


The morning after our first day walking over Shira - first full sight.


Giant Lobelia before flowering.


Me at the camp before Base Camp sporting my sexy thermals.


Feeling not the best, just before reaching Stella Point.


At the top of Africa, Uhuru Summit.


Some of the group at the summit.


The team that got us to the top.


The Kili Summiters!