Cycle Across Australia!
Aussie Day #8, 11/08/98
Wellington, SA to Magrath Flat, SA
Milage: Milage: 78 km (46mi)
Weather: Sunny, 30 C.
G-day! Amid cheers of, "Take care of your mate," we depart at long last the Wellington Caravan Park. Nick is on the mend and we are on our bikes!
We cross the Murray River by ferry, and then embark on a 40 km ride into Meningie, SA. We have picked a good day by chance...it is the day of the Meningie Pentathlon (a five event race with binging on West End beer in between events)! After lunch I figure it is time to relax, (once again Nick P. fails to release from his clipless pedals and crashes to the ground in a large heap on the lawn of the city park). We watch as the kayakers pass us by.
Leaving Meningie, Nick begins to relapse into his sick self (chills return and he is wearing a jacket in 90+F heat)! The next 20 km are long ones, but we stumble into the mecca of Magrath Flat, a town consisting of one abandoned hotel, no drinking water, and one kangaroo meat stand. After buying a Coke and hearing stories from the lone intoxicated local, we head 4 km down a gravel, rocky road to Coorong National Park.
The long road rewards us with an awesome campsite along The Coorong...breathtaking views, drinking water, and shelter.
Cheers!
Aussie Day #9, 11/09/98
Magrath Flat, SA to Kingston, SA
Milage: Milage: 136 km (80 mi)
Weather: Sunny, 30 C.
G-day! Slow start in the morning, due to Nick's shakiness/flu...on the road at 10:30 am. Awesome ride along The Coorong first off. By the time we reach Policeman's Point, Nick is feeling MUCH BETTER. A quick lunch and decision whether to stay here or go 100 km further and reach Kingston (there is nothing in between). We go for it!
Soon we find that we have committed to a head wind! We reach Kingston 7 hours later, windburn, sunburned, and knackered! Another greasy pub dinner before crashing out at the Backpacker's Hostel in town.
Cheers! Nick & Nick
Aussie Day #10, 11/10/98
Kingston, SA to Beachport, SA
Milage: 100 km (60 mi)
Total Trip Mileage: 444 km (266 mi)
Weather: Sun, Clouds, Headwinds, 20 C.
G-day! Left Kingston, rode through Noolook National Forest (big vineyard area) and into Robe, SA for lunch...quaint oceanfront vacation town. Cruized on down to the coastal town of Beachport, SA...kind of New England and Cali' surfer mix. Had dinner and witnessed beautiful rainbow before bed.
Met a couple cyclists in town tonight (Claudia from Switzerland and John from Perth, Australia) both biking separately from Adelaide to Melbourne. They are headed same way we are, so we'll probably hook up and bike with them tomorrow.
Cheers! Nick & Nick
Aussie Day #11, 11/11/98
Beachport, SA to Mt. Gambier, SA (halfway point to Melbourne)
Today's Milage: 97 km (58 mi)
Total Trip Mileage: 541 km (325 mi)
Weather: Rain, Headwinds, 15 C.
Rain. Beachport departure early in drizzle. Stopped in Millicent, SA for brunch. Closely buzzed by logging trucks all afternoon as we traversed through rolling hillsides of logging areas. Rode fast to stay warm and get out of rain. Reached Mt. Gambier at 3 pm, drained and drenched.
Nick and I wanted to introduce you to Tony today. He could probably best be described as a young, viral, and strapping Triceratops. Much like our former biking mascot (Terry), Tony rides with us almost everywhere...guarding our bikes, laughing with us during the good times and sharing our pains during the bad. And as you can see by today's photo, he is up to the same antics Terry always was (trying to cause a car wreck with banana peels on the road)!
Aussie Day #12, 11/12/98
Mt. Gambier, SA to Nelson, VC
Today's Milage: 38 km (23 mi)
Total Trip Mileage: 579 km (348 mi)
Weather: Cloudy, Strong Headwinds, 15 C.
Imagine starting your day, slowly, getting things gathered together, mounting your bike...and then, out of nowhere, a 70 year old man approaches, buys you breakfast and drives you around in his old hand-painted Ford Fairlane, pointing out all the sites in the great town of Mt. Gambier, SA. Meet Dr. Allen Miller of Digby, VC, famed architect, sheep farmer, world traveler, you-name-it. After spending much of the morning with Allen, Nick and I were definitely more learned on some basics of the Australian lifestyle...quite an enjoyable visit.
After parting ways, we rode on into our second state (Victoria) and a new time zone (1/2 hour ahead).
Aussie Day #13, 11/13/98
Nelson, VIC to Narrawong, VIC
Today's Milage: 82 km (49 mi)
Total Trip Mileage: 661 km (397 mi)
Weather: Cloudy, Rain (am.), Sun (pm.) 12 C.
The scent of fresh pine, wood chips swatting you in the face, a cool (almost bone chilling) rainy mist in the air, sand, warming sunshine, fine Victorian wine.
Such is an Australian day in Victoria, as we make our way along the world famous Great Ocean Road.
Massive logging operations in man-made forests produce an endless stream of trucks hauling the byproducts of tree chopping (chips) down the road to Portland, VIC, where they are shipped oversees to Chinese paper mills. The first photo shows the contrast between freshly cut timber in the foreground and mature trees in the back.
After absorbing a few more liters of water during our morning ride through the forests, we emerged along the coast to radiant sunlight...warming and drying us at long last.
Celebrations followed closely behind...a fine bottle of wine, a glorious sunset (as seen in the second photo), our coastal campsite...just outside Portland, VIC.
Cheers! Nick & Nick
Aussie Day #14, 11/14/98
Narrawong, VIC to Peterborough, VIC
Today's Milage: 155 km (93 mi)
Total Trip Mileage: 816 km (490 mi)
Weather: Sunny am., Rain pm., tailwinds, 15 C.
Woke early to the sunrise licking our faces and headed out on a gorgeous spring day with the first tailwind of the trip. The effortless cycling was so invigorating that we pedaled hard thru the morning down flat farmland roads abutting the coast, keeping a brisk pace of about 18 mph (30 kph). We rode past endless cattle farms with farmers out doing their daily chores, with glimpses of the sea over our right shoulder.
At the end of the day we were rewarded with our first view of the famous Great Ocean Road coastline (see photos). We rolled into Petersborough, exhausted. We didn't even buy dinner (we couldn't handle anything fried from the general store), and we were too tired to cook, so we just sat around eating all of our snack food, while camping behind the town's toilets.
Cheers! Nick & Nick
