No bubbly. Celebrated with a stubbie and a luxury bed in Ceduna-South Australia last night- 10 days and 1200 kms across the Nullarbor from Norseman, Felt a little tired and emotional....literally. Could do with a reviving hands on special from Harry Adams.
Well, Peter Massey- will you allow me to take the Boomerang out of the 'draw of shame'? Ever since I aborted this trip last year (without cycling a yard) I suffered pangs of renorse. I can now sleep easy!!
After cycling through an ocean of inhospitable scrub- day after day, it was startling to ride back into 'civilisation' again- Roadhouses ( there are 11 strung along the Nullarbor) don't count. They are just a dot of fuel pumps, a limited store ( Mars bars at $3.20 ) and a motel. I wild camped 30 kms east of the South Australia border- 187 kms to the next roadhouse was outside my range. Agh.
At Mundbrilla Roadhouse ( a dump) I met staffgirl Katerina (32) a Czeck on a working holidau visa. Previously she lived for 4 years in Newtownards and remembered cycling with Ards club member James MacFarlane (55 ?) and getting pushed up the hills!
Next day a caravaner told me a 2 wheel recumbent was 20 kms behind me, We were the first 'cyclists' on the Nullarbor for several weeks. When he caught me I was gobsmacked. He was also self-support- covering a fantastic 300 kms plus a day and averaging 37kph. A minimalist carrying all his gear in one small aero style box behind his seat. Peter Heal (google him) 53- a veteran of the PBP Audax event was out to beat the self support cycle record from Perth to Sydney (4500 kms) in 14 days. He was on target for 12 days. God bless tailwinds!! A great guy. Talk about the tortoise and the hare,
The Nullarbor must be one of the friendliest places in Australia. Most drivers and even roadtrain trukies, wave, toot, flash their lights- sometimes all three. The only truckies to give me grief were on the last day- with a full blast of the horn to make you hit the dirt and wobble all over the joint. But you cannot argue with these monsters when they are crossing The Paddock- the name they give the Nullarbor.
Day for R & R today (maybe another!)Have to try to get another mobile phone- mine and the charger drowned in a flood of my emergency water supply inside a pannier! Hey ho.
Hope to get some snaps on the blog curtesy of the kind Ceduna tourist board staff.
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Well done Dad - fantastic!! You can laminate the boomerang and hang it on the wall now. Cxxx
ReplyDeleteWell done John. Enjoyed the pics. Did you kill the Roo with your bare hands. Suppose you had to relieve the boredom of the long straight.
ReplyDeleteEric
Way to go John. I need to look at a map to get a handle on your accomplishments. Is the backside still bothering you? Do I need to send Miguel there to treat you?
ReplyDeleteTom D.
Pete is only 51 and that was after he got back to Canberra
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