Hay: It’s Christmas

Day 67: 25 December 2014, Thursday.

I had a bad night. I am not prone to having a bad stomach but as I was trying to get to sleep last night my stomach went foul. I ended up hanging around the toilet block until two in the morning until I was confident I could stay in my tent and not need to quickly evacuate to the toilet.

Then at six in the morning the dogs started going off. They did not stop until after ten! Stupid animals, I really wanted to eat one of them but dog is a winter meat!

Once it started to get too hot I went to the covered kitchen area and finally got up to date documenting my journey while having talks with various other patrons who wandered by.

One guy sat down and we got to talking. He had travelled the world during the seventies so we compared various places in various ages. He was a great man, seventy-seven and still going strong, driving all over Australia. His name was Bob and he invited me to join him for a Christmas roast, how could I decline such a wonderful offer!

So Christmas 2014 was spent at the ‘Hay Caravan Park’ in the company of Bob, a quiet day but it is good to be quiet now and again…

Dinner Is Served

The Way To Hay

Day 66: 24 December 2014, Wednesday.

I was awake, it was time to leave my camp by the road. I was still tired, it had been a hot night. I packed and departed amid the terror of the ever present evil that are the flies.

The strong wind from yesterday evening had dissipated and I had only a light crosswind which had no real effect on either my progress or on cooling me down. It was still a hot-fly wind.

I peddled off and pushed on as I again did not want to stop and deal with the flies. I slowed on occasion as I felt the need to stop and rest but the flies would come in thicker around my helmet which was enough to make me push on. I ended up cycling for thirty-eight kilometres before I finally took advantage of a covered rest area where I could refill myself and my bottle with water from my carriers. In that thirty-eight kilometres I had noticed no area which would have been any good for camping which helped me justify my decision to stop early yesterday.

The rest I had was not very restful, again it was a constant battle with the stinking flies. So I took to the road and rode the remaining thirty-two kilometres to Hay where I hoped to stay for the Christmas break.

Once in Hay I went first to the information centre on the town approach which was inside of the ‘Australian Shearers Hall of Fame’. The young lady there was very helpful and gave me little book of information of the town and pointed out where there was a free camping area near the town centre. I decided to check out the two ‘Caravan Parks’ first as I really needed to do my laundry and I also wanted to charge all my electronic gadgets.

The first ‘Caravan Park’ was a part of the ‘Big 4’ chain so I didn’t even slow down. These chain places while having very good facilities are stupidly expensive, around forty dollars for a bit of ground to pitch a tent and have a shower! The other ‘Caravan Park’ had a sign indicating that a powered site was twenty-seven dollars, this did not bode well. I decided to check it out and it come to pass it was only ten dollars for an unpowered site. I checked in for three nights, I need a break and as the price was good I took advantage of it.

I then set up my tent and got to talking with a fellow patron of the park. He offered to take me into the town centre to the supermarket so once I was set up I jumped into his van and we went shopping. Being Christmas tomorrow everything will be closed so I stocked up for the additional day.

Another Day, Another ‘Caravan Park’

Back at the ‘Caravan Park’ I showered and finally washed my clothes. Being a hot, sunny day I hung the washing on the washing line and then went to the kitchen area (an open area) and chilled out.

I walked past the ‘Caravan Park’ owner at one point in the afternoon as he was moving a sprinkler (at these ‘Caravan Parks’ there seems to always be sprinklers going) and I said ‘hello, how’s it going?’ and his reply was terrific.
‘I’m determained to get this dirt to grow!’ he exclaimed. Brilliant.

The day ended with cooking dinner and then watching a movie on my computer.

70.73km 3:00T 23.5A 32.4M Total = 4171

 

Plain

Day 65: 23 December 2014, Tuesday.

I packed up my stuff and headed back into the town centre of Belranald. I needed to buy some food for a couple of days as I planned to spend one night at a rest area on the side of the road but I always like to have enough food for a few days as you never know what may happen…

Then rode out of town crossing the Murrumbidgee River which was the same river that the ‘Caravan Park’ of last night was located beside.

The Murrumbidgee River

It was another hot day but the sky was not as clouded. After ten kilometres I stopped at a rest area to eat my apple I had bought in Balranald and ended up conversing with a young European couple, nice folks. They pointed out to me the fact that there were some other people with a caravan at the rest area who had arrived after the youngsters and parked under some trees and pulled out some chairs to relax in. the point the couple were making was that the caravan people did not come over to the covered area where they were sat and had in fact made no effort to even say hello. They said this was common for them. I had not really noticed this phenomena but then again I tend to approach anybody at rest areas and say hello….

The days ride was dull. The Hay Plains are truly plain. There were not many rest areas either after an initial flurry of them for the first twenty kilometres. The wind was near enough non existant so again I was making good time when I reached a rest area and forty-one hundred kilometres.

The Boring Hay Plain And 4100km

At the rest area there was a grove of trees which had enough space for my tent to live in. I had only rode sixty-six kilometres (there were seventy more kilometres to Hay) but I decided to stop here for the night as these trees may be the last I see for the day!

Typically as I sat there pondering if I had made the correct decision the wind picked up, a tail wind too! I stood firm by my decision though and remained at the rest area. I had a lot of time to kill waiting until it got near dusk and I could set up my tent. It was a horrible time, so many flies, I tried to read but the flies were just too much.

Another thing that I noticed, after this mornings discussion with the young Europeans, was that every car that stopped always stopped a long way away from the only shelter which I was under. Even a motorcycle pulled over and stayed away and when the motorbike left I could hear it making a horrid noise, the chain was very loose. The rider had been looking at the bike as if something was wrong and if only he had approached me I could have helped him out!

At seven-thirty in the evening I finally set up my tent in the wind which was now properly strong. I did not dwell long outside of my constructed tent as the flies had done my head in. It was another hot night in my tent…

66.65km 3:08T 21.2A 32.9M total = 4101

Muggy

Day 64: 22 December 2014, Monday.

It was a hot start to the day but not as I expected. It was difficult to get to sleep last night, it was very muggy and in the morning it was overcast so my tent was not in the sun after all, but it was hot. The temperature at nine in the morning as I was leaving the ‘Caravan Park’ in Euston was thirty degrees centigrade, with high humidity.

The wind was coming from the north-east so it was a bit of a headwind but not to debilitating. The problem was that I was told about the hot winds like this one, the wind does not refresh at all, is that it carries flies. After twenty kilometres I stopped at a rest area and this fly-wind thing proved correct. It was horrible, nearly as bad as in the south-west area of Australia. I did not stop long.

That fifteen minute rest was the longest I had all day, every other time I wanted to stop there were just too many flies. I was not a happy chap. I was back to riding with the fly-net over my face which stops the flies getting in your mouth, eyes and nose but they never stop buzzing around.

It was about eighty kilometres to the town I was attempting to get to, Balranald, with nothing in between, just the same old dull landscape…

The Dull Landscape At 4000km.

I arrived in Balranald at two in the afternoon, I was quite knackered as I had been on the road for five hours and four-and-a-half of those I was cycling in the humid heat surrounded by flies. As I reached the outskirts of Balranald I saw a park so I pulled over to rest as I had noticed about three kilometres before the flies had ceased to be a bother. I do not understand why but in Australia the flies tend to be more common in the countryside not in the towns!

After a half-hour rest I cycled the remaining kilometre to the information centre and got informed. That was when I found out about the Hay Plain. The next town I will be heading to is called Hay, and to get there will require a night on the side of the road as Hay is too fa for one days ride. The road to Hay crosses the first half of the Hay Plain, the second biggest plain in Australia after the Nullarbor! I thought all that flat boring nothingness was behind me but no, the Hay Plain has very few trees too.

Oh well that is tomorrows problem.

I went shopping and then to the local ‘Caravan Park’, the information centre said it cost twenty dollars but on arrival I was happy to learn I needed to pay only ten dollars. The ‘Belranald Caravan Park’ is a nice place, good facilities and good staff. I decided to fill both of my water bladders and put them in the fridge overnight as I had drunk a lot of water on this day due to the heat and humidity.

Later I went to get my bottle of water for overnight out of the freezer and checked the water bladders and found the large one was leaking! I must backtrack a bit as I neglected to mention that during the days ride I had noticed a small leak from the water bladder from the tap and as I had kept a spare liner for the bladder I had replaced it. The replacement had a small hole in it! I had to go to the rubbish bin I had chucked the old liner and retrieve it and just replace the tap. Fortunately there was no other rubbish in the bin!

Tomorrow it will be back to a road with no trees…

84.68km 4:26T 19.0A 33.5M Total = 4034

Euston, No Problem.

Day 63: 21 December 2014, Sunday.

What a horrid start to the day. The flies were out in force, I could hear them waiting for me to emerge from the safe confines of my tent. I dressed and climbed out of my tent into the swarm.

I went to my bike and the day got worse, both tyres were flat again. I had to find a area with sufficient shade and then remove both wheels and tyres. The front turned out to be a slow leak from a failed patch, not much I can do with that! The rear was a repeat of yesterdays tyre injury. The piece of metal I extracted had more to it than I realized and the remains had worked through the tyre yesterday and provided a tiny exit for the enclosed air. I couldn’t find the hole in the tube, it was too small and I didn’t have enough water to use that for a more thorough inspection. I removed the metal shard from the rear tyre and fitted my new tube and then put the slow leaking rear tube into the front wheel hoping it would be slow enough to get me to Euston, today’s destination.

I pushed my bike back through the sand and left the Bottle Bend area of the Gol Gol National Park at eleven in the morning, a late start and being Sunday I wanted to get to Euston quickly to make sure I could get to a shop! Luckily it was not too far (about sixty kilometres) but it was a very hot day…

This Is What It looked Like After 9km, At 3900km From Perth. It Didn’t Change Much…

I have to admit I did not enjoy the days ride, with the heat, my low water supply making me have to be frugal with drinking, and the constant worry about my tyres it made for a tough day. I made good time though, the road was flat most of the time and there was no wind. I arrived in Euston at two in the afternoon and the local store was still open and also happened to be the office for the ‘Caravan Park’.

The elderly couple running the store/’Caravan Park’ were very nice, they gave me a discount on the camping site (twenty dollars, down from twenty-five) as well as half price on some hot food, the lady said they were closing in a couple of hours so the hot food had to be got rid of. I sat in the air-conditioned room and consumed some sausage rolls and hot chips and relaxed before facing the wrath of the sun again.

I went to the ‘Caravan Park’ which was beside the store and pitched my tent in a shaded area the boss man had indicated. It was shaded now but would not be in the morning but it was the best spot available so I figured I would worry about a hot morning tomorrow.

The rest of the day I sat around feeling hot and just trying to relax and read…

58.65km 2:26T 24.0A 38.7M Total = 3949

Keep On Going

Day 62: 20 December 2014, Saturday.

Today I intended to get to Mildura, only a measly fifty-five kilometres away to the east along the Sturt Highway. I said goodbye to Bob and Jean the fabulous couple I met the previous day and then it was time to ride. It was a light wind to accompany me which was neither here nor there in the hindrance/helpful department so I made good time across the generally flat terrain.

It seemed hardly any effort at all before I had achieved my days destination, Mildura, so I went to the information centre and sussed out what in the way of accommodation for a poor cyclist were available. It come to pass that Mildura is an oppressively expensive place to pitch a tent, think over thirty dollars for a patch of dirt and a shower! Fifteen kilometres out of town though there was a ‘Caravan Park’ that the very nice lady at the information centre said would be the cheapest though she did not have a price available.

So I departed Mildura after a brief visit to a supermarket…

Okay, I Had A Rest As Well…

I crossed the Murray River and was in the state of New South Wales though there were no signs to indicate the arrival to this state. I passed through the villages of Buronga and Gol Gol and then arrived to the ‘Caravan Park’ I was informed about. I went to the reception an enquired as to the price, twenty-five dollars for a powered site, I do not need power but the ‘Caravan Park’ did not have un-powered sites so no discount available. I felt this was too expensive and I really need to conserve my money so I got back on my Surly and hit the road.

Then it all went wrong.

First I noticed the front of my bike felt odd, the front tyre was going flat! Damn!!! I pulled over and repaired the tube as I have not had a flat front tyre so the tube was still in good condition, and found a small sharp stone stuck in the tread. It would have attached itself with the road tar I had noticed stuck to my tyre in Mildura and slowly worked it’s way through the tyre. I was back on the road after half an hour and then after ten kilometres I felt the bike was not handling right. I checked the front tyre… it was getting soft again! And the rear was going flat too!!!!!

It was unbelievable. I repaired both the leaks which left me with only one patch left as well as a new tube. As you can imagine I had had enough for one day, ever since I crossed the bridge to New South Wales it had all gone wrong. But I had to keep on going…

Luck was with me and soon I came across the Gol Gol National Park which had a sign letting me know there were camping areas in there. I went through the park gates and soon was bogged down in sand. The National Park was a sandpit! I had to push my road tyre laden bike and I truly appreciated how heavy the damn thing is! It was only a short way to the camping area which had zero facilities but at least I could pitch my tent under a tree.

The Trail Into Bottle Bend, The Name Of The Camping Area… Notice The Deep Rut My Wheels Have Left…

It was not a nice place to be, there were too many flies. I cooked my food and even though my tent was in the sun still (I always pitch the tent to benefit from morning shade) I clambered into my portable sauna and hid from the flies and sweated it out until it darkened and finally cooled down enough to allow me to sleep…

82.88km 4:01T 20.6A 38.7M Total = 3891

A Day In Victoria

Day 61: 19 December 2014, Friday.

Feeling well rested, well as good as I get anyway (I really fancy a couple of days off but I’m going to wait until Christmas for that!) I departed Paringa and continued on my way to New Zealand.

There was little to no wind so it was easy going and the miles ticked by. Soon I was approaching the final place named on my map, Yamba, before I crossed into the neighbouring state called Victoria.

And For Some Reason There Was A Huge Dunlop Thing!

Yamba was just a roadhouse where I stopped and bought a can of soft drink and had a rest. The staff were very nice at the roadhouse and they came out to check out my wheels… But I had to crack on so off I went.

A Well Worn Victoria Sign.

Once in Victoria nothing changed! It was the same road,same scenery which amounted to a few trees and a lot of nothing. I did notice the large amount of signs on the side of the road telling drivers to rest and other instructive announcements. What a nanny state! They had signs about ‘micro-naps’ (what a stupid word) being very dangerous and then there was a sign saying if you are tired take a ‘power-nap’! Stupid signs, I am going to cycle while having a proper sleep!!!!

3800km Ridden From Perth And Still Nothing To See On These Roads…

Not long after achieving three-thousand-eight-hundred kilometres I was riding into the village of Cullulieraine. On the approach there was a sign for a ‘Caravan Park’ just before the village but the next sign advertised the price which was way too much. I decided to visit the general store in Cullulieraine to buy some supplies and enquire about any other options for camping. The young gentleman there (who was very helpful) told me of another ‘Caravan Park’ which was considerably cheaper, ten dollars against the thirty dollars asked for at the other ‘Caravan Park’.

It was only a short jaunt to the other ‘Caravan Park’ where I discovered there was no staff there. There was a sign telling me to just set up my digs and someone would visit later for the payment. I went in search for a shaded spot which was not under a sprinkler, there were a lot of sprinklers dousing the dirt and grass so I was dithering around when a husband and wife who had a caravan parked there asked if I wanted a cup of tea. Of course I said ‘yes’ and soon I was sat under their caravan’s awning having a cup of tea!

They were a lovely couple, salt of the earth type. Bob and Jean were originally from England (Bob said he was from London, one of the best cities ever!!!) so we had a great chat. Then I set up my tent, showered and cooked dinner where I had some visitors.

Bob Said They Were Some Type Of Swamp Hen. This Is While I Was Eating, They Were Not Shy!

Once I had finished my dinner of rice and soup mixed together (oh the wonderful food I thrive on) I placed my plate on the ground and sat back to relax and watched the swamp hens help do the dishes…

Mmmmmm Rice Remains…

I decided I should still wash the dishes though as they were not very thorough.

Dishes done I sat back as the evening cooled and read until sunset when I retired to my tent and that was that.

84.16km 3:54T 21.5A 40.3M Total = 3808

Paringa And Renmark

Day 60: 18 December 2014, Thursday.

I awoke and decided to have a day off. I had a really nice place to camp at the ‘Caravan Park’ in Paringa and the price, for Australia, was reasonable. Also the large town of Renmark was only four kilometres away and there was a library where I could use the free WiFi and also a supermarket which would be super unlike the so called supermarket in Paringa.

I lay about for a while and read a book and then went for the short ride to Renmark. First I visited the library and using my Port Augusta library card accessed the free internet on my computer that I had bought with me. I then finally got a chance to reply to some emails! Australia is not a place for free internet! Also I finally updated my blog so it was fully up-to-date, the first time that has been true for quite some time.

Then it was to the supermarket where I bought a big salad thing that was on special as it was out-of-date. I do need to eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as I can when I have the chance, it is near impossible to carry the stuff and in this region of Australia there are fruit and vegetable bans in certain areas where you cannot transport fruit and vegetables due to fruit flies. And I thought having the name ‘fly’ in the title of a bug indicated they can fly but I guess they know not to cross these invisible boundaries drawn on a map!

Later I was back at the ‘Caravan Park’ where I had a restful afternoon, listening to music, reading and even watching a movie all on my trusty PC.

My Tent In A Cosy Spot.

Tomorrow I should cross the border to Victoria so this will be my last day in South Australia, one thing I will never forget about this state is the wind!!!

8.86km 0:27T 19.0A 30.3M Total = 3724

Taking It Easy

Day 59: 17 December 2014, Wednesday.

The day was calm, the winds had dissipated. I packed and departed back on the dirt track up the hill to the main road. The road was rather busy compared to what I have become accustomed to but at least there was a generous hard shoulder for me to cycle in.

I had decided to have a short ride day, there was a town called Renmark about forty kilometres away and then it was a hundred and forty kilometres to the next town so I figured to have a short day today and then take two days to get to Mildura. I first rode the twenty hilly kilometres to Berri where I used the public toilet as there was no toilet at the camp last night, then I pushed on to Renmark.

3700km Ten Kilometres Before Renmark.

I arrived at just after midday and went to the information centre. There are two ‘Caravan Parks’ in Renmark and they were both over thirty dollars, way too much for a place to put a tent and have a shower, but a few kilometres away at Paringa there was also a ‘Caravan Park’ which was only twenty dollars, that was doable. I cycled off to Paringa…

Crossing A Groovy Bridge Where I Cycled Down The Centre Where The Railway Used To Be.

‘Paringa Caravan Park’ turned out to be a very good place, the owner was a really nice bloke and he showed me a nice grass area to pitch my tent right beside the camp kitchen. I set up my tent and then carried out some repairs on it as I had managed to catch the zip on the fabric a while ago and wanted to patch it up using the repair kit that was supplied with the tent. Tent done I showered and then ventured across the road to the Paringa supermarket. I must say this place pushes the boundary of what can be called super, it was very basic. I should have bought my supplies in Renmark. Oh well, too late now.

Back at the ‘Caravan Park’ I finally sat down and got to typing as I had fallen behind in my musings as often I had only my tent and I do not like typing in there as I get uncomfortable and end up rushing. So with my daily notes I write down produced this meandering commentary of my day.

46.50km 2:11T 21.1A 60.0M Total = 3715

 

Tailwind!!!!

Day 58: 16 December 2014, Tuesday.

Last evening the wind had picked up as I was reading before going to sleep, it made for a cool evening and a good nights kip but once I awoke to the sound of the wind in the morning it was a dreadful sound to be had. Last night the wind was indicative of a headwind, so it was with apprehension I opened my tent and with shock I realised the wind had turned, it would be a tailwind!!!! I have not had a tailwind for so long, I could hardly believe my luck.

I packed rapidly and set off, I did not want to miss this opportunity to get some miles done with the favourable wind. I first had to slowly gain the top of the cliffs on the opposite side of the river, it was a slow six kilometre an hour crawl for nearly ten minutes then I was off like a bullet from a gun heading east.

Though I Did Pause To Take A Photo Looking Back Across The Murray River To Where I Camped Last Night.

I rode like the wind. I considered resting after thirty-four kilometres as I had reached the next one hundred kilometre block….

3600km Near Maggea

But no I pressed on. I finally stopped at a little shelter which was Maggea, there was nothing else there just a bunch of pictures of what used to exist there. I had ridden forty-eight kilometres. It was only eleven in the morning. I did not stop for long, I was worried the wind might change so I charged off again heading to Loxton.

I did not intend to ride the whole way to Loxton non-stop but I did, I couldn’t resist the push of the wind…

Admittedly I Did Pause To Take A Photo Of This Silly Name Of A Town

So I achieved my destination and it was only an hour past midday. I was stoked. I visited the information centre to enquire about camping, there was a free camping area a few kilometres out of town, so I went shopping for food, topped up my water supply and was off again.

The camping area was down a steep hill to the river on a dirt track which I had to navigate cautiously on my road tyres. The camping area itself had nothing, not even a toilet.

But It Was A Great View, This Is Where I Camped!

I settled in with the wind still raging, eventually I had to cook my dinner in the howling wind and wash my dishes in the river. I had had enough of the wind so I then retreated into my tent and watched a movie on my computer…

This day was the easiest one hundred kilometre days I have had. Here’s hoping tomorrow will be another good day.

102.00km 4:05T 24.9A 42.2M Total = 3668