Theaussiechallenge Post # 29 Banka Banka

Day 30 140 days to go. Distance: today 154km total 2937km. It’s 8.15pm Sunday 5/8/12 Banka Banka campground. Ive just come back from a campfire where a bunch of the folk staying here are gathered round playing the guitar and generally having an awesome time together. What an amazing day it’s been and that is such an understatement. I have been humbled by the generosity of folk from the day’s start to end. Robin, Terry and Sam are staying here a second night tonight. Last night they asked the manager, Bob if we could stay free which he agreed. They then asked Anne and David who they had met here at the camp to look out for me on the road and let me know that a free camp had been arranged. About 20km before Three Ways they pulled up alongside me to pass on the message. They were so lovely and bigtime interesting and we chatted for an hour. They work at the university in Townsville, is it James Cook? Anyway it was an incredably random and good good experience and fine folk met. They donated $25 before heading and the news gave us a great momentum to get through to Banka Banka this arv. Since arriving I haven’t stopped meeting and talking and being encouraged and I’m on euphoric high. Terry said he wanted to go round and collect donations and took off with the receipt book on a mission gathering $145 from the vanners staying here. Then Bob invited me around the campfire and with beautiful words of encouragement, handed around his hat and gathered another $25. I could rave and rave and rave about the people I am meeting but it’s best captured in the gift of knowing that the strength of the human spirit is based on kindness and this makes anything possible. I am so fortunate to be experiencing this stuff first hand. The opportunity is a blessing and a gift and counts to me and Rube bigtime biggest. Thankyou from the bottom and with all my heart. This is the stuff that fuels us onwards with wings on our peddles as part of the Theaussiechallenge. I was just about to go have a shower and a woman, Margaret came up with a cake of goat’s milk soap to pamper the bod. How delicious to scrub myself so squeaky clean. I met this girl over at the camp kitchen who’s a hairdreser and she offered to cut my hair to ‘make me feel good.’ I was all ‘thankyous but no thankyou’ as I’m loving having wild and woolly hair enjoying the freedom of the right side of disheveled. I think Jackie my hairdresser back home will enjoy cutting out the dreds which are matting at a rapid rate and I love it!!!! It was 75km to the Three ways then another 75km here so a long day in total but the best day ever. Before leaving 41 Mile Bore rest area this morning this fella pulled in to check out the spot on his way towards Kununarra to visit family. Interesting interesting man. Bruce is enjoying learning about the history of places along his route and was telling me more about the wool industry of old from Balcaldine to Winton. Apparently this area from the early to mid 1900’s was so rich in wool production, it was the leading economic pull for Australia during this era. The business farming community were able to finance their own railway to transport the wool through the area. Bruce has invited me to stay with him and his family when we come through Kununara and I can’t wait to pick up our conversation where we left it today over a cuppa or two. Thankyou mate it was special to meet you and look forward to catchin up later this month yayayaya. Bruce did an oath up before I headed. It was really signififcant to hit three ways and start to head north on the Stuart. I soon met another woman cyclist just out for a day’s ride from Tenant Creek. She had binoculars to enjoy the birdlife and we spoke for a while mostly about the natural beauty of the land and conservation issues with campers. So I think that’s about me for tonight’s blog as it’s been a later start and my stomach is eating itself with the starvs big time. We have another 150km tomorrow through to Elliot so dinner and bed’s sounding pretty good indeedy. I’m still very much in the afterglow of today and rightly so given how cool it’s been. Ops I think I’ve said that already. Oh well it’s my blog so I can rave all I like 🙂 A huge jump in cash donations from today’s crazy generosity of $195 total $769.35 with 32 oaths in 30 days. I think that’s pretty amazing. Thank you Anne and David and Terry and Bob and all the traveling vanners at Banka Banka campgrounds you rock my cycling socks 🙂 Talk soon x