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
vincentsbikeride 