Keep Cycling! Perth to Gold Coast - 2022

I completed our NZ Passenger Declaration forms this morning. Then we climbed Hummock Hill, just behind the motel, to admire the views of Whyalla. This impressive sculpture of a scuba diver is just outside our motel. Below, views from Hummock Hill. Whyalla's unique, circular jetty. The foreshore is quite shallow. The sand beneath makes the sea appear pale blue in comparison to the dark blue of the deeper water. Whyalla has a busy steel mill. Steel and iron ore from the Iron Knob mines is barged out to awaiting ships. During WW2, the area was protected by a large, manned artillery gun. Behind the motel is a tranquil park with an aviary and the biggest tree I've ever seen! I forgot to mention that, on the way back, we detoured into Whyalla's main street and shouted ourselves to a lovely coffee and cheesecake!  Old habits die hard!

A few weeks' ago, at the Nullarbor Roadhouse, we met Jody Hamilton, an ABC journalist, doing an article on people she met on the Nullarbor Plains. She recently sent us the online link to the video and story she wrote about us for ABC. The whole thing just about sums up the reason why we're here in Australia and why we put ourselves through some challenging situations. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-28/octogenerian-new-zealand-cyclists-conquering-nullabor-plains/101477654?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web Hopefully you'll be able to access the link. 

We were determined to get our homeward bound flights etc sorted ASAP so we could enjoy Whyalla before we go. We booked with Quantas (with several stopovers) and arriving in NZ at an ungodly hour. Quantas, it seems, charges $20 per kilogram for bike boxes. We calculated that we could EACH be charged up to $400.  We decided this morning that we would sell the bikes for what we could get for them or, if all else fails, donate them to charity.  We removed several extras and eventually donated them to Vinnies (St Vincent de Pauls). We'll donate the tent to them before we leave. Time to investigate the Whyalla foreshore. A new jetty offers glimpses of dolphins seasonally. Today there were a dozen fishermen fishing for sprats from the jetty to use as bait to catch crabs, a local delicacy. And a cheeky pelican waited for the odd sprat to come its way. A barge was being loaded with iron ore prior to taking it out to an awaiting ship anchored o

During the night, in the tent, Del was aware of trucks and rock crushing machines working on the nearby hills.  He woke me at 4.00am and we went through our breakfast and packing trailers and tent routine. Del's theory is that if Iron Knob's a series of hills and Whyalla is by the sea, then today's route should be downhill.  We pedalled out of Iron Knob and immediately we hit the switchback highway again, but this time with a ferocious head wind.  The landscape was bare of trees or shrubs and covered in low lying scrub, so offered no protection from the relentless wind. The road and the wind continued all the way to Whyalla.  AND we saw our first, one and only, in 2 months of cycling through the Outback, LIVE KANGAROO!! Made our day! It hopped onto the road, studied us carefully, then hopped back into the bush! And what a lovely seaside town Whyalla is. After booking into our motel, we set off to find a bike shop to scrounge a couple of bike boxes. Then we found

We started the day with the intention of a bush camp at about 50kms. We had the trace of a tail wind and decided to make straight for Iron Knob, 92kms away! We photographed Kimba's famous Galah statue as we were leaving. We passed fields of wheat and canola that gradually morphed into a landscape even more tree and shrub less than the Nullarbor. The highway was like a switchback railway- up and down, up and down. We walked lots and had some lovely long downhills. Then the bare hills came into view. Trucks and machines were at work and there seemed to be a mini settlement established at the base of the hillside. We eventually arrived at Iron Knob. It's a relative ghost town now. The caravan park is run by volunteers and mainly caters for caravans. We erected our tent on the only bit of green that we could find - right next to the toilet block! Unless the few caravaners here decide to have a rave up, it shoul

Well folks, we've been reviewing our plans! What an experience this has been! We've cycled over 2000kms, crossed 2 time zones and have survived some very challenging conditions. We're just not doing the daily mileage that we expected to do - hills, head winds, trailer weight and age being the main factors. This has meant more bush camps (over 25 so far) which in turn has meant carrying more heavy water supplies and food, which most certainly contributed to Del's broken spokes. With the hills of the Flinders Ranges, Broken Hill terrain and crossing the Great Dividing Range (some 1740kms), we realise that, at our age and with Del's bike problems, it is a challenge that would be lengthy, gruelling, potentially dangerous and probably beyond our ability. (We've cycled Coffs Harbour to Coolangatta on a previous trip.) We have decided to continue to Iron Knob then turn south to Whyalla, a major town with an airport. From there, we'll prepare to fly to Adelaide, the

I'm a sneezer! In NZ, I sneeze every day - pollen, dust, perfumes etc. In Australia, my sneezes disappear! So why did Del and I have a sneezing fit at our bush camp last night?  We were surrounded by flowering Acacia bushes, that's why! It was -1 degrees when we set off for Kimba this morning. Fingers and toes were frozen! Had a bit of walking up hills but otherwise a good run through and arrived soon after 11.00am. Disappointed to find that we couldn't access our room at the Kimba Hotel/Motel until 3.00pm!!  Walked around the town, had lunch in a coffee shop, did a little shopping for essentials and took a photo of Kimba's amazing, painted silos before collecting our room key at 3.00pm. Discovered that the young Australian runner, Nedd, who's aim is to run 100kms a day for 40 days, is staying at the motel. He started in Perth and hopes to finish at Bondi Beach in Sydney.  He's such a pleasant, modest 2

It was a very grey morning with rain threatening when we left Wudinna at 6.30am. We considered staying another day at the motel until the weather cleared up but decided to take the plunge and head off, hoping that we'd find a camp spot and get the tent up before the rain came. A good decision! We had a tail wind for most of the day - and no rain! As we left, we passed a tall, simplistic sculpture dedicated to the Australian Farmer. The highway from Wudinna provided several good downhill runs. These were usually followed by long, gradual inclines and we walked the steepest ones. Flies became a nuisance so we donned our fly nets. We had to smother our legs with Bushman to keep the flies away from the cuts and scabs (result of bush camping)! Passed a monument to Charles Darke, the explorer.  He came to a gruesome end from the sound of it! More pretty spring flowers are emerging along the roadsides. Eventually we found a camp

On previous cycle trips, in my blogs,  I've mentioned leg cramps.  They're a daily experience, so rarely get a mention now but last night a series of painful cramps kept me awake and pacing the room. Del's solution: Eat salted potato chips or put a dab of salt on your tongue.  No potato chips available but the latter seemed to work. I suppose that cramps are to be expected when one's cycling every day! Today it's raining! In between showers, we took a short walk around the town. No one is around - not even vehicles! The town has a bank, bakery, supermarket, hair dressers and police station. The community sports ground caters for cricket, AFL and a weekend social but where are the people? We enjoyed Continental Breakfasts this morning. They were included in the tariff. For lunch, we've ordered 2 chicken paninis from the pub. Like all Australian meals, they were enormous!!  Microwaved dinners tonight.

Managed to stay awake and have dinner at the Minnepa pub restaurant last night. Apart from the usual chicken or beef schnitzel, there was an interesting selection of dishes on the menu, considering that the town seemed to be short of inhabitants! We chose salmon with salad and sticky date pudding. Feeling really spoilt! Slept like a baby! Today the weather is clear, sunny and still and by midday was 23 degrees. The road to Wudinna is a cyclist's dream. We set off early and made good progress, stopping to chat to Dutchman, Richard, whom we met walking in the opposite direction. He'd was walking from Sydney to Perth, pushing a trailer that contained his tent and possessions.  We passed through several small towns, each with its own silos (eg Yanni, above). and more wild flowers are appearing by the road side. Acacia bushes were in full bloom, as we approached Wuddina. We were a little taken aback to discover that Wuddina was another

As we neared Wirrulla, this water pipe appeared and has been running alongside the road ever since. I don't think it's anything to do with the Golden Pipeline but, with vast areas of wheat in the early stages of development, I guess the farmers can't afford a drought! The settlements along the route to Wuddina are all dominated by large grain silos - Minnepa for example. Look closely. Can you spot me holding up the first 2 silos? The 'town centre' had 8 abandoned shops and a smattering of neglected houses. We were surprised to find a coffee shop here - and a small motel attached to the pub.  We opted for a room for the night, especially after hearing that, if we went on to Wuddina, we'd have a very long hill to climb before we got there! To be truthful, it's the bed that appeals to me! Del did the washing while I worked on my blog. The pub offers dinners from 6.30pm. But can we stay awak

The Wirrulla Caravan Park overlooks these impressive grain silos. They were drenched in a pink hue as we cycled off this morning. Both Wirrulla and Poochera are small settlements. Both take advantage of the caravanners who take off to explore their massive country at the first opportunity. They offer somewhere to park. In Poochera the pub owns and runs the caravan park, which, like Wirrulla, is alongside enormous grain silos. When we arrived, the pub and park appeared closed. Del asked a couple of locals what the story was. We were greeted with much enthusiasm. They'd just heard our interview on the local ABC radio! "Put your tent up and call into the pub anytime after 4.00pm," they advised.  Obviously no public holiday for this pub! We both had welcome showers and plan to have a pub meal tonight. The restaurant doesn't open until 6.00pm. Hope we can stay awake until then!  

We had planned a bush camp tonight. Trouble is, around 50 kms, there was no bush! Apart from a few scraggly trees, bush has been removed and there are hundreds of hectares of wheat in its place. We decided to head for Wirrulla, another 46kms further. I learnt yesterday that Thursday 22 September had been declared a public holiday in memory of the queen.  Today was Wednesday 21. If we went full throttle, we could buy stores from the Wirrulla general store, even dinner! We battled a cross wind most of the way. When we arrived, the store had closed early!  We were both tired.  We found the caravan park, put up the tent, had tinned salmon and noodles for dinner, then went to bed. No rocking needed for us! Sorry, no photos again.

It poured today! In between showers, we walked into town to buy food stores and shout ourselves to  barista coffee. The afternoon was spent relaxing and watching TV in our motel room. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks reasonably good - a 10% chance of rain and a southerly cross wind. We'll enjoy a shower tonight and prepare for take off tomorrow. We'll head for Wirrulla, Kimba, Iron Knob and then on to Whyalla, not Port Augusta as originally planned. It should take around 10 days if all goes well. We've just learnt that Thursday 22nd September is a Public Holiday in Australia to commemorate the Queen's funeral. Unlikely to find anything open!

It's Monday 19 September.  We have 2 days in which to get Del's bike fixed, get a haircut and stock up with supplies. First setback: The one and only bike shop in Ceduna sells a few bikes but has no bike mechanic and does not offer servicing! Ouch! Second setback: The two hairdressers in town are both fully booked for a month! Double ouch! Solution: The hair can wait but the bike must be fixed. Del's decided that he'll fix the spoke himself -  somehow. Firstly he bought a pair of heavy duty pliers. Then he set to, removing the broken spoke and forcing the new one (bending, twisting and tugging with the pliers) until it was in position and secured. Not a perfect fix - but very close to it! (I held my breath throughout the operation!) Just needs a little tuning now. To complete the service, Del degreased and lubricated the chains of both bikes. With careful nursing, the wheel and its new spokes will last until our next bike shop in Whyalla. Fingers crossed!