Monday 18 December 2006

Our bush camp was a beauty and just what we wanted it to be, and Mondays are always a good day to reflect on the fact that the rest of the country is going to work and we are stuck toiling away in our office, an office with a view that changes by the minute and where there are no pressures or deadlines and the work load dependant on our desires.

A little after 6 am we began our day and our ride to Venus Bay which we had discovered on our trip around Australia. A chance meeting with a local at Port Kenny, some 12 kilometres from Venus Bay, saw us go there on Christmas Eve 2001 in search of a a place that the local described as having "everything you could ever want", and it was here that we spent a Christmas day that we had not planned on or for, and one best remembered as "an experience". This visit would be because a woman we met at a water tank near Caiguna had told us that there were new managers at the caravan park, that they had re-vamped the place to the point that it was very popular and a great place to visit.

Our ride took us up a very long gradual gradient and past Murphy's Haystacks, called so because an Irishman thought they were when viewed from a passing coach sometime in the past. The haystacks are in fact Inselberg's, large granite structures that have come to the surface through wind erosion of the surrounding soil, and then as we came down the other side of the hill we could see the wheat silo's of Port Kenny, the town a few kilometres further on, and looking very dead. Many houses were for sale and about the only place that looked like it had any trade or life was the pub.

On arrival at Venus Bay we found the place pretty much the same as last time, a few dozen houses, general store and the caravan park (which does have  a few additions such as a nice campers kitchen and a few onsite cabins) and other than the weather, which was lousy in 2001 and magic this time, not much had changed at all. We managed to get our camp spot from last time, right on the water front over looking the bay and surrounds with a very pleasant breeze blowing through and cooling us down despite the heat of the day.

Venus Bay is a great place to rest, relax, watch the tide come in and go out, watch the locals launching and using their boats and where the sea eagles, pelicans and seagulls compete for the remains of the catch when it is cleaned.

Today's Stats

From: 35 km NW of Port Kenny.

To: Venus Bay

Ride Time:
3 hrs 22 mins

Distance:
48.5 km's

Av Speed:
14.3 km/h

Max Speed:
28 km/h

Max Altitude:
109 m

Max Climb: 4 %

Av Climb: 2 %

Weather: Sunny 40 deg C. SE Wind.

Tuesday 19 December 2006

Such were the charms of Venus Bay that we decided to stay another day. As one does on a rest day we slept in until 8.30am and then spent a leisurely morning around camp all the while watching those with boats do their thing, some fishing, some skiing and some getting their four wheel drives bogged. A short walk was called for so we strolled down the beach and under the jetty while enjoying the cool water on our legs. The day was getting warm and a northerly breeze threatened to make it warmer but thankfully a cool change came through. A quick inspection of the general store and it was time to sit, relax, enjoy a coffee and watch the boaties, pelicans and other birdlife while sitting in the trikes with our feet up.

Joanne took a stroll along the cliff top walk to see the dolphins while I enjoyed some time on the Internet to reply to emails etc courtesy of my Telstra 3G card, a little PCMCIA card that gives me broadband internet wherever there is a phone signal. Not much else for today, after all, it is a rest day.

Today's Stats

From: Venus Bay

To: Venus Bay

Weather: Pleasant

Wednesday 20 December 2006

Following a much better experience than our last visit to Venus Bay we departed early under a grey sky and light rain. The temperature at 7.30 am was already 27 degrees C and the rain was helping with the humidity. We stopped at Doyle's Well said to have been used by the explorer Eyre in 1839 and 1840 on our way back to the main road. The well was damp a large hole about six feet deep by four feet wide and six feet long, through and underneath large boulders.  We rode on and after just over 6 kilometres came to the main road which was delightfully quiet. We climbed as the road snaked past Mt Camel as it made it's way towards Elliston.

Some 44 kilometres after we started we came to the locality of Colton which used to boast a hotel and various other buildings. These days Colton has a Cemetery with Olive trees lining the path to where the grave of the first Greek settler of the area is buried, an Anglican Church where services are held monthly, and the Bakery.

The Bakery was closed and looked derelict on our previous trip but was open for business this time. The signs say the bread is from a wood fired oven and the bread is self serve using the honesty system in the small shop near the house. The baker and family were on their way out when we arrived which was a pity as it would have been nice to have had a chat and see where the idea of a bakery in the middle of nowhere came from, but he just told us to help ourselves and departed. We bought a loaf, inspected where it was made and then found ourselves a spot  to boil the kettle and to devour almost the whole loaf, complete lashings of olive oil margarine (it's the only thing that keeps in the heat).

From Colton we took a turn in the road and commenced a 22 kilometres trip up a dirt road to save going all the way down to Elliston and then coming back towards Lock. The surface of the road was hard packed and good to ride on but the gradient was rather taxing. We battled uphill for quite a few kilometres before we came to the first of two rather exhilarating downhill runs, the second of which saw today's top speed achieved after initially starting the run under brakes. We both flew down the road not even feeling the bumps and occasional pothole and crevice, and with disaster only a twitch of the handlebars away keeping in the middle of the road was slightly challenging. Safely at the bottom of the runs we looked back and both chatted merrily away recounting our experience. We are sure the view on the way down was a nice one but we only had eyes for the road. Climbing to the top of the next however allowed us to look back (on our rest stops) to enjoy the vista's through the hills and out to the coast.

The day was really starting to heat up and so halfway through the road works we took out the bottles of frozen staminade from under the tarp on the trailer and enjoyed what had melted, topping the bottle up again and putting it back ready for another cold drink later on when we stopped. Reaching the end of the road works we climbed on last hill and noticed tat the temperature had climbed to 47 deg, so it was a good job that not far from here we came to the main road as it wound its way past the Almond trees being farmed at the base of Mt Wedge. It was here that we spied a suitable place for a campsite and decided to call it a day.

Today's Stats

From: Venus Bay

To: Bush Camp at Mt Wedge

Ride Time:
5 hrs 37 mins

Distance:
68.1 km's

Av Speed:
12.1 km/h

Max Speed:
57.5 km/h

Max Altitude:
245 m

Max Climb: 8 %

Av Climb: 2 %

Weather: Overcast and rain then hot and humid 45 deg C.

Thursday 21 December 2006

Life on the road often presents many challenges and tests us to new limits, and today was no different. We spent a warm night in the bush last night and awoke to rain this morning. It was tempting to just stay in bed and listen to the rain on the roof, but we had some distance to cover if we are to be somewhere for Christmas Day.

The day started off in typical fashion, and judging by the lack of suitable camping spots for at least the first 15 kilometres, our decision yesterday to take what we had found, was a good one. The area through here is very rocky and in fact at times it seems like there are more rocks than blades of dead grass, the good thing was that the road was very quiet with almost no traffic. We came across two wombats out enjoying the cool of the day as they foraged around, so we stopped and enjoyed their antics for a while and taking a few photos before the rain set in.

The weather was making for an interesting day, coats on, coats off, coats on, coats off, and so the day went as we continued along through grain and stock country with barely any bush except for the thin strip along the side of the road. We stopped for our regular 20 kilometre break and just as we did Joanne yelled out "my seat has broken", my immediate thoughts were that the shock cord that strings the seat together had snapped through wear but my worst fears were confirmed when I took a look. The seat frame had parted from the cross member that the front wheels are attached to, the seat mesh and shock cord pulling it towards the chain. What to do here?

With 40 kilometres to the town of Lock the only thing I could think to do was to use some rope to pull the seat frame back towards it's proper position and hope for the best. Temporary repairs made we set off towards Lock, hoping that there would be someone there who could weld it back together for us.

I am not sure what caused the break but am suspicious of the caustic dip the frame was put in before it was re-painted

The rain had brought the smell of the bush alive, especially the eucalyptus from the trees, which was at times rather over powering and making it hard to breathe, especially later on when the sun came out for a brief period. At 40 kilometres we stopped on the side of the road and devoured the remaining bread from Colton before we commenced our final 20 odd kilometres into Lock.

We rode into Lock and asked about a welder at the Post Office only to be told that he had gone away for Christmas, but maybe the mechanic down the road would be able to assist, and this is where we met Mark Reynolds. Mark runs the local mechanical repair shop and was willing to give the repair job a go. "Bring it round the back and I'll have a glass of cold rain water for you" Mark said in typical country hospitality style, and so we did. About 30 minutes after we had ridden in the repair had been done by means of a mild steel rod and an oxy-acetylene torch, and a coat of paint applied to help keep the rust away, all supervised by the kids who are on school holidays.

All the while the clouds and storms had been gathering and building and just before we were to leave the biggest rain storm in the last 12 years hit the place, and it hit with such force that water was going everywhere including through the workshop. Water tanks were overflowing and the place was awash with water, the main street looking like a river and there was an air of excitement in town. Without locking up, Mark got the school bus out and we went for a drive around town to inspect the water and the football club's brilliant idea of funnelling the town's storm water into a dam with which they can then water the oval. Big rain is the social event of the year and half of the town was out to check it all out, including how well the dam was filling. By now the storm had intensified and it looked like the whole town would have plenty of rainwater in their dry tanks.

Lock has a caravan park but on inspecting it as we rode in, and then thinking about it as a campsite and the amount of rain that was falling, a $50 room at the local motel/deli/bar seemed like a good idea, so Mark rang ahead and told them we would be coming. We had just arrived and got into our room when the storm intensified some more and the power went out, so after a shower and change into clean dry clothes, we are doing our journals waiting for the power to be restored so we can have a meal in the bar and watch some TV before bed. Of course if it is not restored then we will break out our stove and cook up and then go to bed hoping for a drier day tomorrow. As I said, being on the road presents many challenges.

Today's Stats

From: Bush Camp at Mt Wedge

To: Lock

Ride Time:
5 hrs 8 mins

Distance:
63.1 km's

Av Speed:
12.2 km/h

Max Speed:
24.5 km/h

Max Altitude:
291 m

Max Climb:6 %

Av Climb: 1 %

Weather: Wet, wet and more wet. 33 deg C.

Friday 22 December 2006

After yesterdays challenges today's ride was a breeze, and the motto for today was "never waste a tailwind". We slept in at the Stockman's Diner Hotel in Lock and awoke to a grey overcast sky and what appeared to be a tailwind. As yesterdays storm and two inches of rain left most of the Eyre Peninsular without power for some time yesterday we settled the bill, rode back through town and turned left towards Cleve. Interestingly enough there was little sign of yesterday's deluge.

The wind was indeed behind us as we climbed up out of Lock and it remained behind us for over 50 kilometres, making the riding easier than we have had in a long time, the kilometres flying by. There was not much of interest today other than the helicopter flying low along the powerlines looking for damage from the storm yesterday. The terrain was that of rolling hills with wheat or sheep paddocks on both sides and the view across the area only broken by the thin strip of bush that separated the road from the paddocks.

The terrain remained the same as this area is definitely the bread basket of South Australia and just when we were looking for somewhere to boil the billy and have some lunch we spied a sign for a rest area. As we pulled up in the rest area, complete with table and chairs, we noticed that there were some abandoned buildings so of course an inspection was called for. We found the remains of a tennis court, club house (good enough to camp inside of) and some toilet blocks at what was, according to our map, Alsbra Park. The small area, about 5 acres in size was dotted with trees and in some areas old concrete slabs, testament to buildings that used to stand there. We are not sure what the area was used for but surmise that it could have been a farming community recreation area at some stage. Coffee and lunch over with we moved on, discussing our options for both today and Christmas. A short while later we could see Dearke Peak sticking up above the horizon. The peak is named after the explorer John Dearke who died of spear wounds in 1844 at age 38, Dearke is buried on the Western slope and his grave is now a tourist attraction.

With about 21 kilometres to Cleve we came to the small town of Rudall which consists of about a dozen houses, two very large silo's and the railway running through it. A climb out of town and the wind changing direction made our legs complain and our excellent speed drop. Not far out of Rudall a look around the area showed lots of dark grey clouds and rain so we commenced looking for a suitable campsite, with option B being accommodation of some sort in Cleve.

With no campsites in immediate view we continued on, searching the bush on both sides of the road for somewhere to camp as it again climbed and climbed and climbed. Not a very noticeable climb but the fact that the riding was getting harder and harder, and my altimeter was showing an increase in altitude every time I looked at it showed that our eyes were not playing tricks onus, and we climbed like this for the final 9 kilometres into Cleve. Along the way we came to large concrete dips (floodways) in the road where creeks run during rain, and the closer we got to Cleve the more dirt and debris was across the road, the mud being spat up as we rode through it, aided by the vehicles that were passing us, despite their slowing down because of the road hazard the dip and mud presented. A look up the creek bed showed evidence of a large body of water having recently moved down the creek and across the road, possibly from the storm that passed through Lock yesterday.

With the rain falling we rode into Cleve, once again providing the locals with something to look at. Large speakers and wires running through the place evidence of the Christmas pagent that was being set up. Cleve is a nice town, typical of a large country town in a pastoral area, clean, tidy and welcoming. A double lane street allows for good traffic flow and a nice garden and grassed area down the middle. A check at the Newsagents confirmed where the caravan park was and the type of facilities available. A further enquiry at the roadhouse next to it provided the answer. Yes, they run the caravan park, yes they have a vacancy, sorry, the only accommodation we have is an old park home which has everything you need except linen and the water connected. Having already checked out the possibilities for a tent site we decided on the park home, which upon looking inside, was not that bad. It has a kitchen, complete with bay window, lounge room, complete with carpet, lounge suit and recliner chair, a table and chairs, air-conditioner, fridge and of course a bedroom. The en-suite is there but with no water connected it is a case of a short walk over to the ablution block for showers and toilet. With a very cold wet night expected, the fact that it is dry and warm is a bonus.

Today's Stats

From: Lock

To: Cleve

Ride Time:
5 hrs 13 mins

Distance:
76.5 km's

Av Speed:
14.6 km/h

Max Speed:
26.5 km/h

Max Altitude:
257 m

Max Climb: 3 %

Av Climb: 1 %

Weather: Overcast and rain. Max 21 deg C. WSW tailwind.

Saturday 23 December 2006

Cleve had been a very pleasant stop and we again woke when we were ready, something we have been doing for a little while now, as opposed to the early morning starts to beat the heat or conditions of the Nullarbor. The other thing that we have been doing of late is taking accommodation rather than just finding a campsite on the side of the road.

We left Cleve and were immediately climbing the first of a number of ranges, the highest being 241 metres. We also passed Yedulknie Weir with its heritage listed pump house and Crossville Corner, the only remnants of life being the stone walled church and now abandoned and derelict school. The ranges were long slow climbs and had some twists and turns to contend with. The road continued to wind its way through station land with the welcome looking station homes with their shady veranda's and often many sheds and out buildings housing farm machinery of all sorts.

As we made our way towards Cowell we could see the wind farm on Mount Millar. The final range, some 21 kilometres from Cowell was particularly hard on the legs and lungs but the downhill on the other side was wonderful, despite the headwind that was trying to slow us down. The landscape through here was fire scared and apart from the black tree skeletons the only thing growing was dry grass.

Halfway down the range we came to Middle Camp, a place used by early settlers. It consists of an old shearing shed and crofters cottage, and was used as a halfway resting place from Wangaraleednie Station when carting wool to Cowell for loading.

Shortly after Middle Camp, we again came to the memorial to May Gibbs, creator of the Gumnut Babies (books and series) which is a nice stone monument under a tree near where her first home was.

We continued to drop in elevation and before we knew it we were riding into the very busy main street of Cowell. It seemed like the whole district was out doing the final shopping for Christmas and many shops, including the Tourist Information Centre, had already closed. A stop at the supermarket to re-supply our dwindling food supply and we were off to enjoy the view from the Harbour View Caravan Park where we are looking directly over the harbour, jetty and the township of Cowell.

Today's Stats

From: Cleve

To: Cowell

Ride Time:
3 hrs 24 mins

Distance:
46.8 km's

Av Speed:
13.7 km/h

Max Speed:
49.5 km/h

Max Altitude:
241 m

Max Climb: 8 %

Av Climb: 2 %

Weather: Overcast. Windy. Max 22 deg C.

Sunday 24 December 2006

Some mornings are just a delight to wake up to, and today was one of those mornings. We went to sleep with the curtains open last night, the last thing  we saw before we closed our eyes was the lights of Cowell, the first thing we saw this morning was the harbour view- magnificent!

We reluctantly packed up and rode off towards Lucky Bay where the new ferry goes across the Spencer Gulf to Wallaroo. The 11 kilometres to Lucky Bay was dirt, hard packed and full of pot holes and corrugations and unfortunately rather busy with vehicles, the drivers of which must have thought they were on a race track, and were totally oblivious to the rocks their wheels were throwing up, or the dust that was created and even riding on the upwind and opposite side of the road made no difference to their speed.

We eventually arrived in Lucky Bay, a small settlement full of fishing shacks and a few houses and nothing else of any note except the ferry. Being early and having to wait for the ferry to come in allowed us to boil the kettle and enjoy a coffee. Paying for the trip was an interesting experience as the price list says that cyclists are $30 each and the bicycle is $5. Unfortunately the lady who does the bookings did not know what to charge us because we have trikes and a trailer, so after calling her office, we ended up paying $110, $25 each for us and $30 for each trike which is the same as for a motorbike.

We loaded on with the cars and foot passengers, located a spot near a pole and lashed the trikes to it - just in case. There is a nice indoor seating area on the ferry but as Joanne does not travel well by sea, we took up a windy position on the top deck behind the bridge. This place was fine for a while but became too cold for me so we moved down onto the half open car deck and sat in the trikes. It was funny to watch the cars bob up and down as the ferry rolled its way across a reasonable swell.

We arrived in Wallaroo and once the foot passengers disembarked we were given pride of place at the front of the cars and were allowed off first. A short climb up the ramp and we were in the car park where, like at Lucky Bay, there were as many people watching the ferry as waiting for it. Once again we we were like movie stars as the camera's came out to capture our leaving the ferry. Wanting to stay in town tonight so that we could go to a pub tomorrow for a Christmas lunch we took a spot in the caravan park just near the jetty, only to find out later that there are no pubs open tomorrow, so Christmas morning will be a case making some Christmas phone calls and then riding on instead.

Today's Stats

From: Cowell

To: Lucky Bay then Ferry to Wallaroo.

Ride Time:
1 hrs 32 mins

Distance:
15.9 km's

Av Speed:
10.3 km/h

Max Speed:
25.5 km/h

Max Altitude:
32 m

Max Climb: 8 %

Av Climb: 2 %

Weather: Sunny. 25 deg C.

Previous Page    Next Page