Dave and his Bike

Cairns to Ayr.

Days 125, 126, 127 & 128.

Day 125.

We overslept slightly. I woke up just before 0700hrs which was still early enough, but I knew that with a hotel breakfast and having to load the van with all of our kit there would be delays.

Breakfast was great (thanks Bec), and soon afterwards we were traipsing up and down the stairs to get our clothes, panniers, rucksack and food shop loaded up. I still managed to get on the road by 0900, which was just as well as it was already 31°C. The route options in Queensland are limited. The A1 Bruce Highway heads south out of town, so unless you want to meander to a great extent that’s the road to take. I did. The cycle track running alongside is very good. It is essentially the hard shoulder to the dual carriageway, but is well signed, particularly around the slip roads. The surface was excellent, I had no panniers on, I had decent tyre pressures for once. Therefore I covered over 26km in the first hour, possibly also aided by the enthusiasm associated with being on the bike after ten days off.

At 25km the road narrowed to single carriageway, and the surface had been dressed, meaning that it was much slower going. The scenery had also changed and I was surrounded by lush green hills. At times there were sugar cane plantations on one side of the road, and primary rainforest on the other. The bird noises reminded me of Malaysia, but there were no monkeys in sight. I saw lots of magpie larks and masked lapwings, and others yet to be identified. The temperature had also risen to 40°C.

I had no choice but to cross Hobson’s Creek, which was followed by many others with great descriptive names – Rusty Creek, Mill Creek, Shepherd’s Creek, Frenchman’s Creek. I will no doubt continue to photograph the creeks from the bridges, I find them very beautiful and always wonder what is further up or downstream. The water in them so far has been crystal clear. At 60km I met up with Jane. It is great to be back on the road with her again, and the bonus is that she sorts lunch out for me. Ideal.

We paused in Babinda, which was ideal as storm clouds were looming. Lunch started outside the van, then moved indoors. The rain wasn’t heavy, and the fresh breeze that came with it was welcome. I stopped for about 90 minutes which was excellent.

Babinda has a history associated with sugar cane production, which is still very evident in the area. It is a pretty little town with plenty of coming-and-going.

Once on the road again, the sugar cane plantations gave way to bananas and the road surface improved (in places). We had opted to aim for Innisfail for the night, with its choice of campgrounds. We need to plug the van in for the first night to ensure that everything is fully charged, so wild camping isn’t an option yet. It was only 30km after lunch which didn’t seem to take long. Jane had tried one place which was far too expensive, but the River Drive Van Park is perfect. We have a pitch with a view over the South Johnstone River, clean facilities and electric plug in. Great stuff. There are several Australian Ibis wandering about the site, giving it an exotic air.

Dinner was cooked in a communal kitchen overlooking the river, with rainbow lorikeet (parrots) squawking and flitting from tree to tree. Chicken and green beans – it’s nice to be able to cook our own food for a change. Cheaper too. After dinner and when the sun had set we hid in the van from the bugs. Fortunately Jane had bought a fan to use inside, to at least circulate the hot air. Route plans for tomorrow mean that we should be back on the coast, on the edge of a national park. The forecast is hot again, but then it is summer in the tropical part of Australia, so we knew what to expect.

Distance cycled so far: 6512.37km

Day 126.

Our first night in the van was good. We both slept better than anticipated in the heat. Breakfast overlooking the river whilst being serenaded by green orioles (and other birds) was good too. Unfortunately I left later than I had hoped for, and ended up paying the price.

I was on the road a bit earlier than yesterday, but the temperature was already touching 30°C. There was no navigation required – just turn left out of the campsite and keep going. There was the possibility of a detour for better scenery and quieter roads, but I opted not to increase today’s distance and stuck to the main road. Not the best decision in some respects as despite there being a good, wide hard shoulder most of the time, the surface was very grippy. Linked with my new found tyre pressures it made for a very vibey ride which got tedious quickly, leaving me with saddle sore, sore palms and an aching lower back. That said, the scenery was great and I was enjoying myself on the whole.

I was surrounded by a mixture of banana and sugar cane plantations, with distant hills covered in rainforest. Sadly I also saw ten or more wallaby carcasses at the side of the road, adding to a couple I had seen yesterday afternoon. After 25km I stopped to refuel at a petrol station with cold drinks and a curry pastie. Once back on the bike, my Garmin showed the temperature as being 44°C, which I didn’t dispute (in reality it was probably around 38°). It was hot. An hour or so later, at Tully, I met my support crew (wife), and stopped for cold drinks and lunch. And a bit of a lie down.

There are some great rest areas here. This one was on the edge of town next to the Golden Gumboot statue. The height of it is approximately the amount of rainfall per year here (in competition with Babinda). It is 7.9m tall. That explains all of the ‘Road liable to flooding’ signs we have seen.

After a 90 minute break, I was back on the road feeling like I had recovered. I think I probably had, but the feeling didn’t last long. Despite drinking plenty of water I started to get a headache and feel a bit sick. Time to call it a day. Just as I made that decision, I got a text from Jane saying she was only a few kilometres up the road, and a kind lady in a big Ute (truck thingy) stopped and asked me if I wanted a lift. I declined, but in our short conversation she said she was also a cyclist, but today was too hot, especially on that road where there is no shade. Absolutely no shade. 2km later I was in the van with the A/C on.

I’m a bit disappointed, but self preservation and all that, I’d rather survive to ride again another day. I am going to rethink my strategy though. Earlier starts, smaller roads where possible, finish by lunchtime, maybe a few kilometres in the van. I’m not trying to break any records, and enjoying the experience is quite important.

We carried on to Cardwell – another 20km down the road and the nearest petrol station, supermarket and campsite. The beach is beautiful, but empty. It’s still a crocodile issue. The campsite is good. A bit pricey but well equipped and maintained. We were greeted by a lovely Labrador and a host of bush stone curlews. We had also seen our first live and jumping wallaby whilst en-route.

Jane cooked a great pasta dinner at the campsite kitchen, which seems to be a thing here. Great idea as you don’t heat your own van up. I’m still a bit shattered, so hopefully a decent sleep (if I get one in this heat) and I will be good to go again tomorrow.

Distance cycled so far: 6587km

Day 127.

So, new tactic today. I was up at 0600hrs and after a cup of tea and a croissant I was on the road before 0715. Which was still 15 minutes late. It was markedly cooler and the traffic was also lighter, possibly also linked to it being Saturday (which I hadn’t realised). Almost immediately I came across several wallabies running along the side of the road, one of which ran with me for a couple of hundred metres. They make it look effortless.

The road was slightly better than yesterday, with the shoulder being eminently more rideable (most of the time). By 0800 the temperature was 34°C, by 0900 it had risen to 38°, which is where it stayed (except for a short stint at 41° at lunchtime). I passed many more creeks, the ones I can remember being Sandy Creek, Waterfall Creek (x2), Damper Creek and Blady Grass Creek. The route was mostly flat, with the exception of a 4km climb, averaging a steady 5%, with bits of 8 and 13% thrown in for good measure.

At the top I met up with Jane after about 40km at the Hinchinbrook Lookout (and Panjoo Lookout), which had stunning views over the creeks, river estuary and Hinchinbrook Island. Amazing.

A fast descent, followed by 10 relatively easy kilometres got us to Ingham. There was a McDonalds just off the road, and we didn’t bother trying to resist easy calories, reasonable coffee, and excellent air conditioning. By this time I had covered 53 kilometres. I decided that 80km would be enough for the day, so we picked a spot on the map and I headed off whilst Jane bought provisions. This last stretch had zero shade and the sun was high in the sky, so the decision to stop when Jane caught me up (83km) was a good one. It doesn’t matter how much I drink or pace myself in this heat, it is still crippling.

We continued in the comfort of a van with A/C to Bluewater, a nice looking campground with the promise of a pool. It was only after checking in (and paying) that we found out that the pool was closed, thanks to some kind soul using it as a toilet this morning. Nice.

Distance cycled so far: 6670km.

Day 128.

Not a great start to the day. Having gone to sleep early, we woke several times during the night due to the oppressive weather conditions. We were both struggling to breathe in the heat of the van, and sat outside for a while watching the distant thunderstorm and wishing it would rain on us to cool things down. At 0600hrs when I woke up (about normal), I made the instant decision not to ride today. I had struggled to control my temperature and heart rate all night and didn’t feel great. I slept on for another hour and a half.

We decided to still keep on the move and head to Townsville to start with. It’s a great place with a lovely promenade – The Strand – and swimming areas on the beach surrounded by jellyfish nets. There is also a lido which we swam in, after a second breakfast overlooking it.

A pleasant few hours was spent lounging about (in the name of physical recovery), swimming, and having lunch sitting next to the van like an old couple. If the cap fits…

The red-tailed black cockatoos kept us company.

A drive further south, still on the Bruce Highway took us to Ayr. The campsite is nice, affordable, and has a pool with nothing floating in it. The water was ridiculously hot in it though. A thunderstorm started when we were in the pool and rumbled on for a while, with the occasional bit of rain which cleared and cooled the air nicely. Not sure for how long though.

I got a message from an old cycling acquaintance who lives in Townsville, saying that he was staying indoors – today is not a day for cycling, which helped to justify my decision for the day. I am planning on riding tomorrow though. The forecast is a bit cooler, so with an early start I could be ok. There’s always the option of being picked up.