NortonsdoOz

Heigh Ho, to Hay we go! Fast ride today with an excellent tailwind! All done in 6 hours including a lunch stop! Also it’s a bit on the cool side and that helps too. A high of 19 deg today only. We left all the fishermen behind in Balranald after a noisy night! It was actually raining when we got up and our sandals were wet. The Hay plains were quite amazing, 132 km of nothingness yet only 400 miles approx from Sydney! Like the Nullarbor only cold!! Roadkill was evident again... many kangaroos and a dead fox! Dermot had a live kangaroo run along beside him  but he outcycled him eventually!It was an old kangaroo!!!!  Dermot had gripey pains all day as he cycled. Amazing he did so well really! Anyway , he had only reached the caravan site when he shot off to the toilet block. He never said a word about his pains till later on in the pub. He then casually mentioned that we head for the pub just as the Australian Dyno Rod equivalent was arriving at the site to unblock a major blockage!

Another 100 miler ... WOW!!! How did he manage it.... was it the 4 pints last night with a pie and chips? Was it the half day yesterday OR was it the strong tail wind????? The last I reckon!!!! Mildura to Euston was a lovely ride on a really cool morning. It was only 9 degrees setting out ( actually COLD!!)  Nice scenery, lots of vineyards to admire. We entered our final state today, New South Wales! We began in Western Australia, then South Australia, then Victoria and now NSW. We are now in Balranald in a retired service mens club with bottles of Jacob’s Creek Pinot Grigio at the equivalent of £7.50 a bottle! In an ice bucket too! Can’t fault it! We are staying at a riverside camp site which is full of fishermen so it could be  a noisy night!  Last sight if the Murray river.  Citrus fruits  .... oranges? Lemons? Picnic lunch stop by Lake Benanee. Sydney is getting close ... only about 550 miles to go! About 2,000 miles done!

A nice short ride today on lovely roads and great conditions. A visit to the Bike repair shop was the task of the day! Booked into a caravan site in Mildura and then off to the bike shop. He was unable to fix the problem but he did something and its possibly slightly better! He asked Dermot when it was last serviced and Dermot truthfully said “never” much to the man’s horror!!!! Something has corroded and the advice is “Get a new bike!!!!” Much to Dermot’s horror! I had a beautiful swim in the lake at Cullulleraine before leaving and I caught up with Dermot just before Mildura. After the bike shop episode we treated ourselves to lunch in a Fusion restaurant ( a change from our usual jam butties!!!) We relaxed at the camp site then before heading to the pub for some liquid refreshments. Experienced a dust storm on the way. Strange sky.  A very decent lunch!  Mildura waterfall and my man.  A pelican by the Murray river. My lunch!

A swim in the lake for the support team once the cyclist set off on his mission. What a lovely lake and perfect water temperature too. I only got out when the pelican got too close for my liking! I forgot to mention yesterday that we passed another (2nd) dead wombat. Also saw two live kangaroos by the roadside and a few small dead ones. Nothing like before though. Today the road was busy but there was a decent hard shoulder which makes it safer. Dermot had his second puncture today and had to repair it inside the van due to swarms of pesky flies!!!! He also went to a bike shop as listed in our book as the first one in 1500 miles!!! They no longer did repairs there! The bike has a loose central crank which is not serious thankfully! Vineyards are plentiful now and make a lovely sight rather than barren bush. If it weren’t for the flies it would be perfect!    Pelican at sunrise on Lake Bonney  Vines!  Sunset over Lake Bonney The same pelican! End of the day

A magnificent downhill from Burra in the most beautiful scenery. Lovely  roads and little traffic. Perfect! Lunch stop by the river at Morgan. Idyllic. Then it started to go a bit wrong!!!!!We were aiming for a campsite that didn’t exist then we found a hotel BUT they stopped doing accommodation 25 years ago! Damn! Too late!!! The cyclist was worn out by then so he and bike took a ride to Barmera  (he owes the ride 20 km!!!) We are in a magnificent spot right by Lake Bonney. We’ve just been for a swim in the lake and if was lovely and no risk of sharks! It’s been a good day afterall! Just before the Murray river area we came to a big sign and a bin. Any fruit or veg without an itemised till receipt had to be eaten or binned! We managed 2 oranges each but had to bin a lemon, an avocado , five oranges  and 2 apples!!  There was no checkpoint but the sign said they do random checks and the fines are high! We came to our first vineyards today also! Many more to follow!  This morn

From Crystal Brook to Burra on lovely quiet roads, cool temperatures, amazing scenery and ok wind! We decided to miss out on Adelaide( which was a bit out of the way anyway) due to very busy and dangerous roads. Not pleasant cycling at all! We passed huge wheat fields, windmills, sherp grazing and spectacular mountains. Such lovely colours. Wind was side on and hills were a new challenge but the scenery snd lack of traffic made up for it. Burra is a pretty,  touristy small town . Nice place to stop. Camp site is good.  A short stop for a drink this morning  The end of the day reward! Trying out an electric bike

After he left at 7.45, I went straight to the pool and did  100 lengths ( not a mile ! )  It was so nice!  Then I got some groceries and fuel and off I went in the direction of Adelaide. We met up 3 hours later and he was knackered with both the wind and the traffic! We stopped at Port Germein and near Port Pirie but the headwind was awful and the roads so busy! The road surface was poor too as lots of roadworks! We have stopped at Crystal Brook for the night in a  very pleasant camp site . End of the day treat for the support team! After the shower..... ready for the pub! Port Germein. The longest jetty in Australia, 1.5 km The longest jetty in Australia. Port Germein.

Up and away at daybreak after a great night’s sleep . By the time I met him 2 and a bit hours later he had done nearly 60 km. The  only place en route today was called Iron Knob ( a derelict, desolate looking town) The Motel The toilets behind the old motel which is now closed down. ( unnecessary apostrophe!) What is it??? A warning for some odd bird on the busy street! Having reached Port Augusta and booked a nice motel room with use of swimming pool, we are now about to embark on the third and final part of this trip. It will have more hills and more traffic but hey the end is in sight!!!!

After an unpleasant night being bitten by mozzies , we awoke to a cool morning with a south west wind which is good! Our first stop was  Wudinna where we had coffee ( he had a cream bun!) Then an egg sandwich at Kyancutta and from there to Kimba. A grand total of 108 miles and 9 hours cycling. We arrived to Kimba and  got a motel room (run by Indians) Curry was the speciality in the diner and was really good ! Today Dermot was overtaken by one of the competitors in the Indian Pacific Wheel Race. This guy was doing up to 200 miles per day carrying all his gear! He is currently 3rd in the race. He sleeps at the roadside for 3/4 hours and spends the rest of his time cycling!( Ryzza1976 on instagram) I saw a kangaroo run across the road today and kill himself by bashing into a fence. A man checked that he was dead ( he was!) The kangaroos are suffering badly for want of water. They are in poor form. Getting there!!!! The other couple who are doing the coast to coast

Dermot set off and I went swimming! These are better pics of the swimming pool in the sea. Fab swim!! As the wind was in the right place all day, Dermot managed 92 miles without too much bother. The scenery is changing now all the time and we are surrounded by empty wheat fields. We stopped for the night at Poochera camp site. It was hot, no breeze and an abundance of mosquitoes! The hotel was full so it was a night in the camper getting eaten alive! We met up with a couple from Cairns who are doing the same as us. He cycles and  she drives. They are Grahame and Mundi. He cycles faster than Dermot and she drives a luxurious camper , ten times the size of ours!!! We had a couple of drinks together and a nice chat! The locals in Poochera enjoying their Friday evening pint. One odd cyclist at the end of the day! A beautiful sunset in Poochera SA

Yay!!!! A day off! Ceduna is a very nice place to stop off. We started with a long walk before breakfast (we can’t sleep in!!!)  Then checked out the town and the fantastic supermarket!!! Fresh granary bread, lots of fruit..... what luxuries!!!! Had a spot of sunbathing by our motel pool then a picnic lunch with last nights leftovers and fresh bread. A bit later a swim in the sea. There is a sea pool far out along the jetty in deep water . It’s surrounded by a shark net but as it was high tide we were a bit afraid a shark might get in over!! Still we had a lovely swim ! ( perfect water temp.) We went to the Breakfast! Smashed avo and the works! same bar/ restaurant for drinks and dinner and again it was superb! Back in our motel now and its bedtime. Back on the road tomorrow! A train passing by on our early morning walk. The netted pool is far out on the right. There is a ramp and ladder off the jetty.

Wildlife update: saw first wombat yesterday (dead) Dermot saw a snake about 3 foot long but didn’t linger to establish heartbeat or not! Cold morning (15 deg)  table covered in dew. Milk still cold in our fridge which was off all night! Sad to have left Penong and the biggest T bone steaks we have ever had!  Now in Ceduna which is also lovely. Oysters are the big thing here (1doz for £14)  Ceduna is the oyster capital of Australia. We decided to have a rest day here as we are about half way! Got a motel with a pool for 79 aud (£43 approx)  The enormous road trains that cross Australia. This one was taken in Penong. Oysters! Ceduna sunset which is excellent. I had a nice swim while Dermot went off on his bike to cross the 2000 km mark. We went to the seafront hotel and had a fantastic meal. Amazing oysters for starters! Wednesday was £2.50 a pint night which really made his day!!! Looking forward to spending snother day here! So good to have shops again.... its