Dave and his Bike

Days 129, 130, 131 & 132

Day 129.

I wasn’t feeling the love again this morning. Some days the psychological effort is harder than the physical. I had woken several times during the night due to claps of thunder and occasional rain showers, therefore having to shut or open the van windows, so I was quite tired still. I also really enjoyed the day with Jane yesterday, and didn’t feel like an early start and riding my bike. Therefore my 0700hrs start didn’t happen until about 0740.

I had a gentle spin out of Ayr and across the bridge over the Burdekin River to Home Hill. I then tried a parallel road for a while, which started as tarmac, turned to gravel (nice), then dissolved into nothing except grass. I went back onto the Bruce Highway.

The temperature at 0800 was a nice 24°C, but the humidity and dew point must have been high because I was still stewing in my own juice, despite there being a bit of headwind. By 0900 it had risen to 29°; by 1000 it was 31°. It didn’t get much hotter I don’t think. Once back on the main road I couldn’t be bothered to try again or do anything about navigating, so sat and spun a medium gear and trundled on. A bit of heat, sweat, and some tarmac vibrations are an ideal recipe for saddle sore, so I’ve been trying to deal with that for the last few days. Hopefully it’ll sort itself out soon (with the appropriate health care).

The very hot weather is, we have been regularly informed, a bit of an anomaly. It should actually be the wet season in these parts. Today, as if to accentuate this issue, I was passing some creeks with very little water in. Molongle Creek was the biggest, and others followed; the appropriately named Sandy Creek, Saltwater Creek to name but two.

Jane caught me up at Gumlu. She made coffee with bread and jam. I think she likes me. I carried on for another hour and a half until I had hit 80km, and she was there again with lunch. I could get used to this supported riding caper.

From there I was in the van for the last stretch to Bowen. Only ‘discovered’ in 1859, and it feels as though not much has happened since (although it does have some history). A walk around the marina, a swim in the pool, and a pizza for dinner made for a great afternoon / evening. It’s funny how you can start a day with absolutely zero enthusiasm, but then enjoy most of it. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s ride at the moment. We will see whether that has changed by the morning.

In addition to the lorikeet(s?), there are lots of crested pigeons about, and I saw plenty of Australian Ibis (amusingly known as bin chickens) and a few kites on my ride. No wallabies today (not live ones anyway), just a porcupine that was a road collision victim. I’m looking forward to getting on to quieter roads if I can, and seeing some wildlife other than roadkill. I’ll be disappointed if that’s all I get to see.

Distance cycled so far: 6750km.

Day 130.

Up at 0600hrs after a reasonably good sleep. I still managed to drag my heels a bit and not get away until nearly 0745. Once I did actually climb on my bike I went to the beach for a couple of photos before heading back towards the main road. As I rode down the seafront I was dive-bombed by a screaming bird (magpie lark I think) who clearly didn’t like me being there. It was like a scene from The Birds, but with only one bird.

I was soon back on the Bruce Highway, dealing with the grippy tarmac and a bit of headwind for good measure. These in addition to the gently rolling countryside (+/- 1% for most of the day) meant that I was a bit slower today – not that it bothered me. Temperatures soon crept up to around 36°C, but it didn’t feel as oppressive. The scenery has changed notably now, with the dense rainforest being replaced by something more akin to a lush version of the outback, still with sugar cane plantations mixed in.

I stopped off at a filling station with attached roadhouse called Pie Face. I had a pie. It would have been rude not to. The roads and conditions from there continued in the same vein, and I opted to reduce my tyre pressures a bit to see whether it would help with the vibrations. It did, but I think it’s a bit late, although after a day off (tomorrow) recovering from the saddle sore I should notice some improvement.

Jane met me for a coffee after about 55km, and we then turned off the A1 onto minor roads. She went straight to Airlie Beach to recce the campsites, I rode on to meet her, enjoying the smaller road and slightly hillier terrain. When I got there I was blown away by the beautiful beaches, marina and town. Jane had also looked at alternative accommodation, resulting in us checking in at a nice apartment overlooking the marina. We had both had the same idea about having some A/C and a bit more comfort for a couple of nights.

A stroll around town and to the beach, a beer, and a booking for a trip out to the Whitsunday Islands filled the rest of our afternoon. Lovely.

My favourite creek names for today are: Kangaroo Creek (obvious); Ten Mile Creek; Billy Creek – which sounds like a Stephen King character.

Boat trip tomorrow. Bring it on.

Distance cycled so far: 6831km.

Day 131.

Rest day. Well, a day off the bike anyway.

The first job of the day was to get my hair cut. It’s been a few weeks and was starting to annoy me. I’d made an appointment in town and turned up at the barbers to get a short back and sides done by a girl from Norfolk. I was done and dusted in no time, and we were soon on our way to the marina for the main event of the day.

It would be such a shame to be staying somewhere with a great view of the Whitsunday Islands without actually visiting them. So visit them we did. Our ferry dropped off (and picked up) at Daydream Island and Hamilton Island, before dropping us off on Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island where we stayed for a couple of hours. Stinger suits (attractive looking full-body Lycra affairs) were provided so that we could swim in the sea without fear of the plentiful supply of jellyfish; paddle boards were freely available (and great fun); a barbecue provided refreshments on the beach. Perfect. Apparently it’s more difficult to paddle board in the sea than on the Lot river – or so Jane assures me.

But above all else it was just a beautiful place to be. The sand was as soft as you could ever imagine, the water crystal clear, fish swam all around us, and a monitor lizard trundled past us as we sat in the shade behind the beach.

Our two hours on the island passed quickly. We all loaded back onto the boat having had a wonderful time and met some lovely people, for the hour and a half journey back to Airlie Beach. A small buffet on the ‘ferry’ took the edge off any hunger we may have had, which also meant that a full meal in the evening wasn’t required. We stopped off at the hotel pool on the way back to our room (another hot bath affair), then made the most of air-conditioning for the evening. Back sleeping in the van tomorrow.

Excellent day out. Worth every penny. Or cent. Despite some people seeing fit to tell us how to spend our money.

Day 132.

What a difference a day makes.

I was up and away for around 0720hrs, the only slight delay being having stomach gripes for five minutes just before I left which worried me for a short while but fortunately soon wore off. I felt a bit guilty at leaving Jane to pack the van up (and lock herself out of the hotel room in the process), but that also soon wore off. It was a bit hilly for the first 20 or so kilometres, which I enjoyed before sliding back on to the Bruce Highway.

The big road runs between the sea and the mountains, which has continued to give me lovely views as a I ride. Today there was a breath of crosswind, occasionally pushing me along and at other times not particularly noticeable, although my speed was back up too. I have definitely benefited from a day off, even though we did lots, and felt good on the bike. The heat build up in my saddle will cause me some concern for the whole time I’m here I think.

It was already 28°C when I set off, and had risen to 39° by 0900. If anyone is wondering whether that is the temperature in the shade, then probably not. There wasn’t any. I crossed the wide Oconnell River and continued on to Bloomsbury after 64km where I stopped at a petrol station for a bacon and potato fritter and some energy drink before I was joined by Jane for a coffee.

I climbed back on in the heat for what felt like a quick 26km, and met Jane again at the wonderfully named Pindi Pindi where she prepared sandwiches for our lunch. Bloomin’ marvellous. With 90km covered and the heat of the day now with us, I called it a day.

I had noticed on the last couple of rides that my shadow was directly below me at this time of day, so basically the sun couldn’t get any higher. Not the best time to be riding. We chucked the bike in the van and headed back out to the coast, to a little place called St Helens Beach which has a great campsite (Camping Reserve) which is free, has toilets and showers, and a view out over the sea. What is there not to like? (No electric hook-up I suppose, but that’s being fussy).

Cool shower, lie down, accidental snooze whilst Jane read her book, time for dinner. Noodles with chicken and peppers. Another great one. Well done Jane.

Creek name of the day goes to Alligator Creek. Why? And today it was a crow that chased me.

Heading inland tomorrow, so potentially an interesting change of scenery.

Distance cycled so far: 6921km.