shecyclesolo

Day 22 148 days to go. Distance: today 115km total 2053km. It’s 7.20pm Saturday 28/7/2012 Cloncurry. I’m sitting at Wal’s Camp all squeaky clean after some serious scrubbing off dirt and sunscreen from the last few days. Boy does that feel better. It’s such a great camp here just outside of town and away from any noise except lots of crickets yay. Margaret the owner put me in a grassed area freebie spot away from the vanners so it’s peaceful and quite and delish num num. I even have reception so I can upload my posts since Longreech. A couple of the holiday makers came over for a chat and to make a donation. I met Elizabeth who’s a nurse and was very interested in white ribbon and talking relationship dynamics. She said that she was over a Vanuatu recently and met a woman who has set up a domestic violence service which is very progressive given its a patriarchal society. I also met Del from Bribie Island who wished us safe travels and all the best for the cause. Thankyou ladies for the interesting conversations and donations totally $15 yay. Cloncurry is allot bigger than I thought it was going to be and it’s in a beautiful area. About 30km out the landscape became quite hilly with unusual rock formations. There’s a new native in the area flowering yellow flowers and against the blue sky and red rock it looks amazing and made for some great photos. I stocked up on supplies now leaving Mt Isa free to give Rube some attention and maybe even find somewhere to load some photos which will be great. We need to buy some new spare tubes and a tyre for the trailer as it burst 10km into it today. Rube also needs a degrease and lube so we may have a day off in Mt Isa if needed. Tomorrow’s Sunday so not sure what will be open but we might be able to sort her out Monday morning and still do our kms for the day.

We had a pretty emotional experience soon after sorting the tyre out. We rode across a kangaroo that had been hit but was still very alive and sitting in the roadside grass. Poor darling man he was so broken he couldn’t move his bottom half and was bleeding internally. It was an easy decision to put him out of his misery but allot harder to do it. Thank goodness Graham had told me how to humanely kill animals I come across. His advice was spot on and it was only minutes before the fella could be at peace. I held his head and heart while he passed away. It was necessary but a bit tough and both Rube and I had big tears afterwards. Then we realized we have our own ‘spirit of Australia’ with us now for as long as the beautiful man wants to hang round and look out for us. I can just picture him now kicking back on Rube’s trailer taking in the scenery with his earphones on listening to some cool tunes and having an icy beer. Nice!!! 🙂

We saw a huge black bore that had been hit and killed and the bumper bar was laying beside. We also saw a roo that had been hit and was at least 6 foot tall. Both must have caused such an impact. A feral cat crossed the road in front of us. He was tabby in color but twice the size of a domestic cat. He stopped and watched us coming but slowly sauntered off not fussed at all. I’d never seen a wild cat before and I can see why they cause so much damage to the native wildlife. He looked every bit the hunter so in his realm. We startled a group of emus eating along the roadside grasses. They shi# themselves and ran off with their long necks stretched outwards and their tail feathers bouncing. They are so fast. We were doing about 30km per hour at the time and they ran past us and into the bush. So cool to see!!!! The creeks we pass are all dry but you can appreciate how much water must wash down them with the rains. The dry river scenes are so classic Australian and make greta photos. It’s another stunning evening clear clear starry skies and time now for dinner. Talk soon x ps $360.35 cash donations 22 oaths 22 days yay.

Day 21 149 days to go. Distance: today 100km total 1938km. It’s 5pm Friday 27/7/2012 McKinley. I’m sitting on the front verandah at the Crocodile Dundee Walkabout Creek Hotel enjoying my million dollar coke zero while sitting in the afternoon sun mmmmmmmmm. It’s been sooo windy today like crazy windy but I’m tucked away now out of it and its delish. There’s still another hour or so of sunlight before Ill go set up super tent at the rest stop but Im not in any hurry as its cosy here and windy out there. After riding 100ks against a westerly we’re a bit wind blown and tidy wides. The cokes going down very nicely indeedy. I was able to call home this arv as I haven’t had any reception for a few days now and it was brief but nice to get a home fix. Today started overcast and really cold. I had my thermals on and still had gooseys. But as the wind blew the clouds away the sun came out and made it warmer just head windy and gusty. We had our first break at Kynuna which was a tiny dot town with a roadhouse that sold coffee yay. Instant never tasted so good. I was talking to the worker there Gloria who said that they have one female police officer in town, a single Mum with 2 kids. She’s been there since 2008 and had a tense start but is now doing a great job and part of the community. It must be so tough for coppers in small towns being the local 24/7. I got a photo outside the small station that had a hessian police officer dressed up in overalls and a slouchy hat. The front of the police house had the best vegy garden growing. It oozed a female’s touch. I take my helmet off to Kelly doing it solo and raising a young family. That’s guts!! Our next break was by a dry creek bed that had a solid barrier where we could get out of the wind a while. Despite the tricky breeze I’m soo appreciating the fine wether and it’s making our camp nights a treat. Thankyou mother nature for looking out for us so far. Good vibes from me to you. The countryside was again open plains but with those raised hills periodically on the horizon to break the flatness. The wild flowers bring life to the grass tuffs by the roadside. We saw so many brolgas today in flight all heading westwards. At a guess they’re migrating somewhere that way. Ive heard from travellers the lakes like Eyre are teeming with life and have been now for a few years. It must be heaven in the outback for the birds who survived the years of drought prior. We pass many entrances to huge cattle properties each with their own quirky facade. We stopped at Kooroora Station that had huge cart wheels painted primary colors as well as the gallon drum letter box and the contrast against the brown land and blue skies looked awesome. About 10km out of town a couple in a van drove alongside me for a chat until the next big truck came along. So we pulled over and continued. Sandy and Jan are from Bendigo and like so many others, traveling north for the winter. Sandy’s a mad keen cyclists and follows a circuit of cycle events as they travel around. They were very interested to hear about our travels and cause and gladly took a card to check out the blog. Thankyou for the $5 donation fine folk and for pulling me over to say hi. Stay safe on the road Sandy and keep that cycle fever alive and well yayay!!! There’s nothing too much in McKinley but its a convenient spot on route to Cloncurry tomorrow. The folk at the pub were happy to have me hang out here out of the weather until it’s time to set up camp. Ive ben able to charge up my kit and talk to some folk stopping for a drink and photo. I think its going to be an early night to beddy byes. I’m sleepy in the sun and the thought sounds quite delish. I’ll finish it up there for now and do my have-tos in time to enjoy the sunset. A good day done and dusted with Mother Nature blowing about in a tizz 🙂
It’s 7.30pm and I’m sitting at our camp by the truck stop. Ive met some of the truckees who have stopped overnight for a beer, clean up and dinner at the McKinley Roadhouse. Ive been talking to Wayne from Mt Isa and he seems a good fella like most of the lads. He was interested in knowing more about White Ribbon and is going to let his counterparts know we’re on the road to Cloncurry. He invited me over for dinner but I sadly declined opting for noodles tonight. I was over the roadhouse earlier and checked out the menu which is soo expensive like top pub prices meals from $20-30. Plus I want something a little more substantial than a bowl of chips which is all I could afford at those prices. That’s a huge expense for the truckees unless their food bill is covered in their pay. He was saying how so many city folk don’t appreciate how big Australia is and how long it takes for them to transport the majority of the country’s produce by road. They are definitely the backbone to supplying our supermarkets and ensuring our fridges and cupboards are stocked. Wayne said the weather gets warmer now as you head more north. He was grizzly about the cold nights and couldn’t believe we’re out in it camping. But I have my thermals, grape and gortex on and we’re toasting warm and ready for dinner. It’s 3 weeks since we’ve started and what an amazing time it’s been already. I did a slideshow playback of our photos last night and I love every memory of the places and folk we’ve met. Yay travel!!! $345.35 cash donations and 22 oaths (21 days). It’s time to chase more oaths to stay on top of our 1 per day quota. Onto that tomorrow!! Talk soon x
PS Evan I saw my first shooting star tonight and immediately thought of my handsome young Nephew wishing us many more to come xxxxxxxxx

Day 20 150 days to go. Distance: today 156km total 1838km. It’s 7pm Thursday 26/ 7/2012 (Rest stop 20km east of Kynuna). Rube and I are now under the stars and crescent moon in such a beautiful part of the globe. We’ve just watched the sunset which was an hour long show of bliss. There’s some clouds on the horizon tonight adding to the contrast of colors between the blazing reds. I set up camp and made a cuppa and just took it all in watching the silhouette of bugs against the sky. There’s grasses along the barb wire fence by our campsite and it’s alive now with crickets rubbing their legs in the cool evening. Deep breath…….. mmmmm delish! I look up to the velvet sky and stars growing in brilliance. Life’s pretty dam fine isn’t it?

There’s two other vans parked here, a couple from hobart and another family from Vietnam. I met the father, Long and this is their second time in Australia and loving the outback. My word indeedy!!! I’m so privileged to belong to this place and share it with so many others also in awe of it. Long was telling me of their travels in Tibet and South America. He reckons the Uguizzi falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina makes Niagara falls look like a backyard sprinkler. He said its the most spectacular natural wonderand its a must on anyones bucket list of travel destinations. There’s one to add to the future ‘must sees’!!

We’ve done our longest stint today at 156km and very chuffed with ourselves. We go through to McKinley tomorrow at about 100km and that’s made up one day which is good to have up the sleeve. This morning while packing we were visited by Leona, Brian and Richard also staying at the campsite. They were so excited about our challenge and each through in donations totaling $36.10. I also met Bob at a rest stop during one of our breaks and he chucked in $5. That brings our cash donations in 20 days to $340.35 with 22 oaths how very cool yay!! They leant me their Niko pen and I have drawn our route on the trailer sign and marked Sandgate, Brisbane with a start/finish dot.

About 10km out of Winton we came across two lads driving from Darwin to Melborne in ‘Roxanne’ a Toyota station wagon painted in the best hippy deco. One caption said, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ I like these words allot. The lads were really fun, Bjorn from Sweden and Jason from Brazil. Bjorn has been traveling in Australia just short of 2 years and his visa runs out soon. He’s already planning his next trip out. He was telling me about his cycle adventure through Swedan on an old fix speed army bike. He was a real character and needs to be on the stage. Jason cut his own didjereedoo (can’t spell!!) in Darwin and is now teaching himself how to play it. He’s been shown the art and is still working on his breathing to get the sounds out. Both lads were really quirky and squeezing cool experiences out of Aus. Rube wanted her picture taken with Roxanne, ‘just us girls’ she said. They hit it off straight away giggling like school girls about who knows. Now she wants her own email. Jason said that Roxanne is his foundation so reliable and solid. She’s his even keel as he’s a bit all over the shot. Rube said she’s the one full of super mischief and keeps our day entertaining with naughtiness. How very true. I do love my girl!!!!

The scenery today started and ended with cattle grazing country, open pastures with sporadic water holes, windmills and the occasional tree. Each of these would have a herd of cows hanging out discussing make up tips and world peace. The land had barbed fencing and at each picket there were tuffs of grass that looked like pom poms. They were so cute and dotted the roadside for kilometers. The land changed dramatically and briefly about half way with rocky bare hills weathered and sculptured. They looked so Arizona against the bluest of skies and cotton ball clouds. They made the best pickies. We stopped to smell the wild flowers that grow in amongst the roadside grasses. They have tiny, delicate petals and there are yellow, pink, blue and purple varieties. They feel like early spring and make us smile. There were patches of low lying native trees that were a metropolis of finches ‘beep, beeping.’ We stopped and watched them so busy and important doing finch business. It still surprises me how alive the vastness is!! Hawks are a constant being drawn to the road kill. Their favorite delicacy is pig remains. It’s quite eerie to be cycling and see their shadow on the road and know they’re circling overhead checking us out. Rube calls up, ‘we’re not road kill!!’ and they move on with their progressive diner 🙂 It’s been another awesome day and I totally have the starvs so it’s time for dinner and serious zzzz’d. Talk soon x

The crescent moon
smiles at the stars
with a twinkle in his eyes.
He knows he looks
his Sunday best
for the outback folk below.

It’s a velvet sky of dreams
and wild imagination.
Only the moon and stars
share my thoughts and
I spot a wry smile
from the handsome moon.

Day 19 151 days to go. Distance: today 77km total 1682km. It’s 6.30pm Wednesday 25/7/2012 Winton. It just keeps getting better as I get more into the country west with all its folk, flora and fauna. It’s another world out here that I have never appreciated before and its so cool to be experiencing it the way we are. I think last night I had the best sleep I have had for yonks. It’s totally bazar as we were camped on the highway at a rest stop well used by the road trains. I woke for a wee walk during the night and there were two parked at the stop and I didn’t even hear them. Bliss!!! There’s brolgas calling out in the fields behind the caravan park how cool is that!!! It’s just after sunset and the twilights fading with a sea of stars coming out to say hi. The sunset again was that burnt orange horizon and a deepening blue sky. By all accounts its a typical sunset in the west and I hope to see plenty more as they’re stunning. The weather continues to be totally clear days with chilly nights. Today there was a westerly heading to Winton but we just broke the kms up into lots of stops as there was lots of beautiful things to see along the way. The morning started chatting again with Helen and Russell. They have invited me to stay if we pass their property on the road home. apparently the Highway 1 goes through part of their land near Sydney, where there’s a gate to allow the rural brigade access as needed. These folk are awesome and if it works it’d be great to see them again and share more stories. The brolgas are calling again. They have a real distant call like a chatty guttural cry. Ive been given a handful of donations from folk at the caravan park we’re staying at Winton. Bev and Bruce were one couple and Bev has just popped over again and said, ‘Ive just been on your blog…who’s Ruby?’ I explained our special relationship and she said…’I totally get it but I thought initially you must have had a ferret or something traveling with you.’ Rube’s still laughing!! Bev said she has a granddaughter called Ruby and she had to pop over to find out what the go was. By the way….. she doesn’t think I’m nuts!!! Thankyou Bev and Bruce ($10), Barry ($5) and Val and Keith ($10) for your donations and chats this arv x Our spirit is continuing to ride on the wonderful experiences and generosity of folk we met. This morning I met Peter, a Truckee from Wodonga taking a 3 trailer road train of cattle through to Darwin. It was so interesting talking to him with Helen who has sons who are truckees and with her cattle farming incite. Peter is a hard core truckee and was explaing some of the challenges they have on the road particularly so with the increasing number of vanners. They have such multi layer responsibilities looking after their cattle and truck and maintaining their log book ensuring they have the required stops. Obviously they have a huge responsibility keeping themselves and other road users safe and all the while on a schedule to transport their load on time. They spend so much time away from their families and all the lads Ive spoken to have mentioned the hardship of this particularly with young kids. Allot of the facilities for them are so packed with vanners it makes their stopping a real challenge at times maneuvering their rig to rest somewhere suitable. He said that many vanners don’t appreciate their challenges and this makes their 12-15 hour days pretty tough sometimes. I certainly didn’t appreciate the amount of industry that gets transported on our roads and the Truckies make this happen. They’re such a necessary asset and deserve our awareness and respect. I can’t speak highly enough of the consideration we’re given on the road. Peter was happy to call ahead to let his counterparts know we’re also on the road to darwin. Thanks Mate!!

In our travels today we stopped alongside a patch of yellow and purple wild flowers. They were like a garden feature amongst the brown grass tuffs that cover the pastures. There are marshy lowlands in the fields and we spotted heaps of brolgas. We also stopped alongside a bunch of emus who were so interested in us they came to check us out and were about 20 meters away seeing who these odd socks were googling at them. Once they were satisfied with their investigation they moseyed back across the field. It was awesome to watch and be part of. We passed over lots of creek crossings again and they’re straight out of a Bush Ballad. I’m loving how the empty land is so filled with amazing things to see. We arrived at Winton pretty happy to get off the road and out of the westerly. I found the Pelican Van Park owned by Steve and Narelle. Narelle graciously gave us an overnight site to pitch our tent. They join the growing list of fine fine folk supporting us in Theaussiechallenge. Once again Rube and I are part of shecyclesolo being supported every peddle of the way. Aussie folk are kind and cool and unique characters. It’s a gift to experience this first hand yayayaya. So that’s $304.25 cash donations and 22 oaths in 19 days. Before I go…. I popped into the library today and only had time to check emails before it closed. In my inbox was an email from Kerrie from Balcadine. I thought I’d share it with you as it touched me and was very special to receive. Thx Kerrie xxxxxx Time for dinner and bed. Talk soon x
“hi it was such an honor to chat to you at the ‘Arty’ Sunday night, you are an inspiration. It was also lovely to see you at the supermarket the next day and to be able to five you a hug and wish you on your way. I will be following your travels and wishing you love, health and a tail wind along the way. I hope you travel Australia’s roads with the same beauty given to you as you describe in the words of your blog. Hugs. Kerrie. Xx”

Day 18 152 days to go. Distance: today 120km total 1605km. It’s 7.30pm Tuesday 24/7/2012 Chorregon rest stop (65km before Winton). I was stopped here filling my water bottles unsure if it was the right rest stop when another van pulled in. I went over and checked with them and the next stop was still 40km away and apparently full of vanners. Peter and Helen also decided to stay here overnight and invited me over for sunset drinks and nibblies. Their friends call them ‘The Queen Mary’ as they have all the right treats and mod cons on board. So we saddled up to an assorted platter of cheeses, dried fruits and nuts and crackers and had the best conversation as the sun set over what is the start of the real outback. The countryside is flat and covered with low lying shrubs. It’s mostly grazing land for sheep and cattle stations. The road is straight and long. If you were driving through you could easily think it was barren and quite empty of life other than the grazers. But cycling through we’re seeing another side. It’s alive with birdlife. We have been sung to the whole day by a mixed array of finches and fantails so busy in the grasses. Their songs are a constant beautiful background noise. Theyre oblivious to our passing bye until I call out to the sheep how cute their bottoms are and startle flocks up out of the grasses. That’s been our source of amusement all day and we love it!!! There’s no dull moments if we’re lookjing to see what’s out there. I saw 3 brolgas mooching around a marshy water pond. They are like the blue cranes we get back home but huge standing over a meter tall. Helen was saying that they mate for life and that we most likely say a mother, father and grown baby. We also saw a bunch of wild emus and it looks like a picture book seeing them in the wild. They are such odd bird and ran off when Rube called out to them. Then again she can be a bit scary at times 🙂 I was talking to my folks last night and dad asked if I had seen the Thompson River. We cycled over it on the way out of town Mate and I got a picky thinking of you x It was a late start this morning as I slept in after getting up at 6am when the Pelican Posties were leaving. They woke us up for a picky with Rube. I was still fast asleep and forgot to take one on our camera bugga. When we finally got under way we were hit by a surprise head wind which made the day allot longer on the long road but we had lots to keep us entertained. We soon came across Damien, a fella about 30 from England who is walking coast to coast from Darwin to Melbourne. He is pushing an upright trailer all kitted out with water, food, side mirrors and other essentials. He walks from sunrise to sunset covering 40-50km a day. It should take him about 4 months to complete. He said he’s loving the experience and wild camping each day wherever he pulls up at dusk. What an interesting fella. He loved Rube and took lots of pickies of her set up. She’s now giving cheek in an English accent and thought Damien was pretty alright. Helen and Peter are retired dairy farmers who still own property that their son runs outside of Sydney. Their family is spread across NSW and they spend the most part of the year traveling in between and spending time with their grandchildren. They are such lovely country folk and clearly love their family and sharing stories. The sunset was totally amazing vivid orange and deep blue with a crescent moon appearing with the first stars. Helen was telling me she saw a similiar sunset recently but with the Olgas silhouetted. Then just when they thought it was over a full moon came up behind one of the hills. I loved listening to their stories and its a comfort that their also here at the rest stop. It’s so dark except the light from my head torch and their van window. There’s an occasional call from a cow far off but otherwise its just the sound of the wind that’s very chill bill. The stars are something else and the brightest Ive seen on the trip so far. A good night to spot falling stars. It’s only a short day tomorrow into Winton. Helen and Peter have been to the dinosaur park and were able to see bones being tediously chiseled from the rock using what looked like a very fine dentist drill. The site has volunteers doing this labor as it can take months to expose 1 bone. They also saw meteorite rocks which landed about 2 years ago. They said that one the size of a rock melon weighs about 10 kgs so dense from the forces when it passed through the atmosphere. This stuff is so interesting!! We have had one very hard but very cool day and Im very tidy wides and ready for bed. Dinner first and a hot cuppa to take the edge off the temp. There’s no reception out here so Ill upload this tomorrow in Winton. Talk soon x

Day 17 153 days to go. Distance: today 116km total 1485km. It’s 9pm Monday 23/7/2012 Longreech. Rube and I were waved off this morning by the blackest of cute Barcy (Barcaldine) chickens in backyard of the hotel. She clucked us a safe and good day and it was. The weather is so magnificent and we’re savoring Mother Nature’s good mood while it lasts. We were a bit bleary eyed this morning as the pub folk partied to the jukebox ’til late o’clock. This morning we checked out the town before heading and came across the Radio Theatre which screened silent movies from 1926 then ‘talkies’ from 1931 until it closed when TV came to town in 1974. Beautiful old building along with the rest of the town. Also really historic was a small dot called Ilfracombe. This little place was a treasure of relics including a Furphy Water Cart used in WW1 to carry water to the troops. The drivers were notoriously sources of information and gossip. As could be expected not all their news was reliable and so it was that the word ‘Furphy’ became another word for rumor.

I had two breaks today at rest stops and met truckies Ken from Wangaratta and Scott from Narangba. Both blokes were so friendly and wanting a chat. They get paid by the km and depending on the number of loads they’re pulling. We passed our first road train today carrying 4 carriages. Are they called carriages? I’ll have to sort out the lingo with the next truckie we meet. Both Rube and I have a big truck fettish and a soft spot for the lads doing the long ks. They’re so wanting to help out and call ahead letting other roadies know to look out for us which is just awesome.

We road passed a blue tongue lizard sunning himself right in the middle of the road. How he hadn’t been squished already was dam good fortune so we stopped and scurried the feisty man off the damage path. I only know blue tongues to be black but this guy was brown and thorny and prehistoric looking. There’s so much road kill mostly roos but Ive also seen pigs, foxes, rabbits, cats and hawks. This adds another dimension to the aromas on the road. Another is ‘Links’ deodorant that we 9 times out of 10 get a huge woof of when the trucks pass. It would make a great add. ‘Links…. as tough as our truckies and lasts just as long…….’ mmmm maybe not 🙂

The highlight on the road today was being passed by a group of fellas riding posty bikes and wearing colors with ‘Pelican Posties’ on the back. They each gave us a huge blast with their array of horns and a wolf whistle that put Rube’s to shame. The bikes were at full throttle and sounded like two stroke mowers.

We came into Longreech this arv and Rube wanted her picture taken outside the Hall of Fame and the Quantas museum. It looks so odd seeing a huge 747 parked downtown Longreech which is signposted the gateway to the outback. The scenery is straight out of an Australian Geographic for me and Im loving every inch of those long straight roads. The face of the outback is weathered with smile lines and tough as they come. Like Maureen said ‘it’s all guts no glory’ for the folk here but their friendly laid-backness is a unique treasure.

We found a small caravan park on the other side of town and I couldn’t believe it, also staying here were the Pelican Posties. They were well into ‘beer’ o’clock and welcomed us like old friends. I was invited to have dinner with them and they chucked in a whole bunch of donations and cheekiness. What a great bunch of lads. They are all businessmen from Ballina who are on a fundraising roadtrip to Darwin. They have already raised $50 000 dollars for The Flying Doctors with a target of $100 000. They have invited Rube and I to stay in Ballina on our way through and will set us up in a motel and do a dinner to celebrate our road soon home. This is so far down the track but what an awesome thought to help pass the hours across the Nullabor hey? We’ll definately make that one happen. I can’t thank the lads enough for their generosity, good fun and $131.75 in donations. They also gave me a t-shirt that I have to wear out in Ballina. I’ll have to accessorize it with a belt as it’s size huge and awesome!!!!! They all signed it and I think it’s the best. Thank you lads and safe full throttle to Darwin. Congratulations for your creativity, good humour and fundraising achievements as part of the Pelican Posties. Cheers!!!! I got a great group shot with the lads. Rube had the shi#s until I told her she was getting her picture taken with the bikes in the morning before they head. She’s sleeping now to look her best for the boys. She’s such a flirt.

I later met Chris and Cec who are also staying at the caravan park and they donated $10 and Cec made an oath. So that’s $279.25 cash donations and 22 oaths in 17 days. Yayayayayayaya (deep breath) yayayayayayayaya. Talk soon x

Day 16 154 days to go. Distance: today 95km total 1369km. It’s 8pm Sunday 22/7/2012 Balcadine. Ive realized Im officially dating our magnificent country and have a serious crush on the outback. Ive had folk ask me, ‘Why are you peddling?’ ‘Aren’t you afraid on your own?’ ‘Don’t you get lonely on the road?’ As far as why pedal. This is best answered by sharing some moments from today. The smell of the native tree’s along the roadside is so strong particularly so now the sun is shining and the air is warm. The scent is intoxicating and euphoric. I totally understand why the prolific birdlife is so active amongst it all. Its alive with green parrots and fan tails and finches all busy singing as they work. Rube and I hear an orchestra of the most beautiful songs as we travel along. I stopped along the roadside for a break and whilst eating the orange that Geoff gave me this morning, I watched a family of fantails swooping a pond to catch bugs and other tasty treats. earlier I had seen families of camels and emus roaming the pastures. They were just as interested in us as we were amazed by them. Of course the cows and horses are a constant and I call out to them how beautiful and handsome they are. They watch us go by chewing their cud all in a day’s graze. Why peddle indeed 🙂 Are we afraid? Hell no not any any time in our travels. We have discovered first hand the universal kindness of folk and the strength of this kindness as part of the human spirit. This karma is so powerful. I would rather live my day to day a part of this strength. If I let my fear of the ‘what ifs’ determine my choices then Id be missing out on the pure joy of sharing unique moments with unique folk. I’m such a creature of habit and am proud of my new addition of waving to ‘passer byers’ knowing we’re on the same side, sharing the road ahead. I love feeling so open to people and opportunities to cross paths with new experience. I know that ‘no comfort zone’ is by no means uncomfortable. In fact its quite the opposite. This space builds acceptance for change and the unplanned for and above all, a feeling of being part of the One human spirit. I believe it to be universal and a good good dam good good thing indeedy. So no… We don’t get lonely on the road. Rube and I have each other and share a common belief in this stuff.

We arrived in Balcadine this arv and I thought I’d try my luck asking at the Artesian Hotel if I could get a cheap room. They have let us stay free of charge as their support for Theaussiechallenge. Thankyou to Phil and Shona and their son Quade. What generous and caring folk. I shared a diet coke with Quade and some mates of his who were great company and fun and cheeky and so incredibly real. Quade happily did an oath and Kerry told me of a 75 year old woman who cycles around Australia living a nomadic life of travel and writing. She has apparently written a book called ‘Pedals-The cycling Grandma.’ She told Kerry it’s this or an ol’ peoples home so her choice is to live while she still has life. Has anyone heard of this book? The Artesian Hotel is 1 of 11 hotels in Balcadine. Built in 1887 its the only original pub standing and has a red cedar cellar. It’s classically country and genuinely warm and welcoming. Across the road is the ‘Tree of Knowledge,’ memorial. As taken from the Lonely Planet, ‘Barcaldine gained a place in Australian history in 1891 when it became the headquarters of a major shearers’ strike. The confrontation led to the formation of the Australian Workers’ Party, now the Austral-ian Labor Party. The Tree of Knowledge, a ghost gum near the train station, was the organisers’ meeting place and now stands as a monument to workers and their rights.’ The tree stands under a box structure thats a huge wind chime. I was taking pickies of the site when I met a couple from Mapleton. In our short meeting we had the most interesting conversation about politics and human nature. I exchanged details with Elsa and Nick and I know we’ll be crosing paths again. what a cool couple. They donated $10 and Nick made an oath.

Before leaving Jericho this morning I stopped at the local cafe. I chatted with the manager, Stacey over a coffee on the house. She was telling me how Jericho has lost many of its residents to the mines over the last 10 years. The townsfolk are trying to attract young families to rebuild the health of the community. I so wish Stacey and the Jericho folk all the best. Its a small dot town with a huge heart and character. Thank you for your $5 donation x

I had breakfast with Geoff this morning and he told me heaps more about places on route around Australia. He’s one interesting man. He said his ‘lady friend’ reckons GEOFF stands for ‘Geriatric, Eccentric, Old Flammin’ Fart.’ Sounds like she’s as cheeky as he is. I hope our paths cross again.

So our cash donations are $137.50 with 21 oaths in 16 days. I have taken so many photos today of cool folk and moments. Why peddle ‘Theaussiechallenge?’ Because it’s a dam fine thing to do for the soul, for the cause and for the story to share with you. We’re safe and happy with a bunch of bonus steak knives each day. And thats a good good thing to be part of. Talk soon x

Day 15 155 days to go. Distance: today 138km total 1274km. It’s 7pm Saturday 21/7/2012 Jericho. Rube and I are by our first campfire on the banks of the river in Jericho. Bliss!!!!! What an incredibly beautifully delishly awesome way to end a long day’s ride. We’re feeling pretty chuffed with ourselves having crossed the Drummond Range and done a whole bunch of kms in what’s now the start of the Queensland outback. I love love love it!!!! Overnight was clear and cold and we had a chorus of dingos serenading us to sleep. Their echoes were eerie but very cool. Rube’s been out of control all day singing ‘aaarrrrooooooo dingos of Bogantungan.’ This is to the tune of ‘Werewolves of London’ if you hadn’t figured it out. She’s taken the wolf theme to a whole new level by wolf whistling at all the cows. The outback don’t yet realize what they’re in for. Look out I say!!! Well what’s girls to do on those long stretches hey? And there were plenty of those today but the road was kind in most parts after the range crossing. Even then it wasn’t as tricky as we had anticipated and we happily spun our way over in low gear and enjoyed the scenery. Between Rubes wolf whistles and my ‘Ace of Base’ singing we’re pretty much a traveling circus and keeping each other in good spirits. Being a total novice of the outback I loving every peddle and stopped for heaps of pickies along the way. We met a couple Maureen and Michael at a rest stop during our first break. They are from Taree north of Sydney and have driven the highway 1 up the coast and across to Normanton and onto Darwin. They’re now making their way to the coast to enjoy the good weather and coastal route back home. They offered me a coffee and a Monte Carlo and we chatted for ages about travels and the Australian primary industry and trades with China. Totally interesting. They have taken photos of us with Rube and said they will make a donation online when they get home. Very cool!!!

The fire’s burnt down and there’s enough of a slight breeze in the night air to keep the embers alive and dancing. What’s an outback adventure without a smokey grape!!! I have all the warm gear on as the nights are chill bill getting down to zero. This morning it was so cold I couldn’t get the metho to light for the cooker. I looked the right idiot rubbing the burner until it lit much like enticing a jennie from a bottle. The breaky coffee tasted extra yum after that effort.

We were cycling through the Great dividing range today and passed a sign that said alt 444m. Nothing to cause a nose bleed but a cool landmark. It’s also one of the catchments for the Lake Eyre Basin. Another signpost said ‘Major Mitchell explored this area in 1846.’ Does anyone know more about Major Mitchell. In answer to the name of the bottle trees which we saw lots more of today, they’re Boab trees (Thanks Nicole and Poppy xx). We also saw above ground ants nests, only short ones no more than 1 meter tall. They’re an engineering feet and dotted the landscape for the most part of the day. Cactus plants are also prolific some the size of trees.

And then we arrived at Jericho. What a very cool place indeeedy. The pride of the town is a drive in theatre dating back to 1968. There are boxed hessian seating at the back and the parking area’s grassed taking up to 50 cars at a guess. It still shows double feature flicks once a month on a Saturday night. When we rode in we were checking out the ‘one very small street’ town, when I came across the ol’ fella I met again yesterday, who’s name is Geoff. We walked through the drive-in chatting about sites to see between here and Darwin. He’s such a good heart and full of cheek. His first word were ‘you must have hitched!!!’ I bit much to his pleasure…bugga!!! He’s invited me to breaky in the morning which is lovely and a great way to start the day. To end today the sun set over the river and glowed through its tree line how stunning and a photo treat!!!

We’re off to Balcadine tomorrow at a very sociable 83km away. There’s enough fire to space out watching while I devour dinner which will taste particularly good tonight after today’s effort. ‘Aaaaaarrrrroooooo from Rube!!!! PS How’s your thinking about joining in on the spell-a-thon idea of sponsoring us a cent per km. If its a bit too much for one wallet, maybe you can grab some other folk in the office or family or friends or neighborhood etc to join forces and do the group supporty thingy. Just a thought!!! Talk soon x

Day 14 156 days to go. Distance: today 107km total 1138km It’s 7pm Friday 20/7/2012 Bogantungan. This place is sooo cute. It’s got a few old homesteads and an even older railway station and a phone booth and thats about it. Theres a little medium strip and shelter where the rest stop is and Im sharing it with two other vanners. I met them both when we arrived. Maureen is one lady who comes from a small town 200km north of Wilpena sound in the Flinders Ranges. I talked to her for ages and she was full of information about the weather and history of her local area. She was saying about the 7 year weather cycles in Australia and how now we are in a ‘wet’ era following the years of drought. Maureen reckons that nature gives us the best predictions in weather if you know how to see the signs. When there’s rain coming birds will be busy filling their bellies with fatty seeds. Ants will move their nests into above ground mounds. Kookaburras will sing their whole song which lasts about 45 seconds. The water level of the ground will rise which you can see in underground bores and wells. This stuff was soo interesting and she had me hanging off every word. She also spoke about the history of Chinese immigrants in her area from the late 1800s. Apparently they originally wanted to go to Victoria as the weather is perfect for growing their vegies. But the government put a levy on immigrants coming into the state so they opted for the Flinders Ranges area where they worked in the copper mine to earn enough money to move to Victoria. During this time they lived along the railway as there was always good water supply for the steam engines and for growing their crops. When the copper mine closed many moved then to the gold fields and eventually to Victoria. When the Chinese immigrants moved they did so by foot and would walk hundreds of kilometers between these places. Maureen commented about how resilient the culture was. I loved our chats and she was all shy but agreed to have a photo with me to remember our meeting. The old railways station here has been restored and is a historical treasure. I took lots of pickies in the afternoon light just beautiful !!! The cattle trains come through here still on their way to Rocky where most of the beef as well as coal is shipped for export to China. Rocky is a major shipping port and it must be a site to see the big boats come in to load. I dooo love big boats. Cotton is another major produce in this area and apparently the farmers were able to harvest this seasons crop before all the rain came. The roadside is sprinkled with cotton buds that have blown from the road trains. A cattle train came through Emerald last night and I could hear all the cattle protesting. It came back from Rocky this morning when I got up with empty carriages. I hope every one of those cattle feed apreciating bellies around the world and that they come back as a cool critter enjoying much cooler things the next life round.

Before I left this morning a couple came over and told me they thought what we were doing was awesome and gave us two bananas for our travels. Ive saved them for the Drummond Range crossing which will be tricky by all accounts. We had our first break at Anakie where I met an ol’ fella I has met prior in Duaringa. He’s 71 and enjoying life on the road nowadays after working in the mines across Australia since he was 13years old. He has a few health problems now as there were no smoke chimneys to funnel the toxic gases when he was younger and his body obsorbed yucky stuff like cianide and other poisons. Nowadays there are smoke stacks up to 200 metres tall to rid the toxic wastes. No wonder the ozone is pi$$ed off. he was so lovely and topped up my water bottles using the rain water he collects off his van’s awning. He then foilters it for his drinking supply. What a clever fella. He’s going onto Jerico tomorow so I may see him again yet.

The scenery today was again beautiful and the day perfect with chrystal blue skies and a good chill in the air. We rode out of Emerald pass the old railway station which was beautifully restored and dated back to 1900. The traffic was less particulalrly after Anakie as the road trains head off to Rubyvale and the gem field country north of here. The road was undulating over the small hills and ranges and at high points we could se out to the Drummond Range which was in its glory against the blue sky. It’s so pretty after all the rain as all the ponds and rivers are full and dotted across the rolling fields. I passed a vanner who called out for me to stop. He’s been on the road for over ten years and always stops and checks on cyclists to see if theyre ok. He was an old’ hippy fella now into publishing Australian flashcards of wildlife for schools and anynone interested. He’s based in Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast and goes to the Woodford Folk Festival each year. It’s a small world and I told him to look out for me this year.

I set up camp when I arived and then enjoyed sunset which was stunning. It was a classic cold sunset when the sky goes all pastel blue and pink. Tomorow we enter the outback proper once we cross the range and onto Jerico. This town sounds classic and it’ll be great to share it with you tomorrow night. For now its time for dinner and an early night for a big day ahead 125kms including the Drummond Range wicked but should be beautiful. Talk soon x

Day 13 157 days to go. Distance: today 81km total 1031km. It’s 6.30pm Thursday 19/7/2012 Emerald. I love the smell of mozzie coils buts there something extra cool with the scent in the air camping by the river in Emerald. What a beautiful rest spot location. The weather today has been just beautiful beautiful blue skies quite cool and great for cycling. Did I mention it was blue skies!!! Lordy Rube and I didn’t know ourselves today soaking up the rays like two bears out of hibernation. And it feels like that, like everything has woken up and fluffed out like a canary. The dew overnight was as if it had rained but with blues skies beaconing we packed up with smiles all round and singing, ‘I saw the sign’ by Ace of Base. It popped in my head in Pomona and has been our roady tune since.

The landscape between here and Blackwater has been stunning with grazing fields and rolling hills. The grasses are alive and bustling with birdlife. Ruby calls out her best tweet tweets when we pass. It seemed that everythng was glowing in the sunshine and against the blue skies. I found myself regularly stopping to take pickies to try capture the color across the fields. The grasses were shimmering silver. We passed this area of trees where there were hundreds of hawks soaring in the thermals. They must have been feeding on insects in the air or something as they weren’t swooping to the ground just gliding overhead and across the treetops. Ive never seen anything like this before and we watched for ages wanting to be gliding with them. The soil has changed to a vivid red and its color against the blue skies, particularly when the road cut into the hills, is fabulous.

We had our break at a tiny place called Comet that had a cafe and a park and thats pretty much it. I popped in for a $2 coffee and was given a second on the house which went down equally as well. The folk were crazy friendly like most people Im meeting. I’m loving the people contact and the colorful mix of characters. There was a huge road train stopped in the park and I had another tonker toy moment in awe of its size. It was a bright sky blue Kenworth with a mouth and teeth in the front. It sounds kinda corny but it really looked great and Rube and I were making ‘oooooahhh’ noises. The driver was sitting in the cabin and I stopped for a chat. He had only recently bought the new rig and was very chuffed we thought it was smick moo. His name was Wayne and jumped out to show me around his pride and joy and happily pose with us for a photo. When Rube saw the teeth she yelled,’see he has a mouth!!!!!’ Laugh out loud she’s very funny!!! Wayne said he would call ahead and let other truckies know we’re on the road and to give us a wave. So every roadtrain we’re now waving and flashing them big grins in exchange for good road safety karma. It’s a good feeling to feel they are on our side!!! Wierd timing as I got a text this arv from Thea and Graham suggesting we ask truckies to do just that. Great minds I say. So that will be our routine now as we come across the road train lads having a road side rest.

Ive been seeing a number of entrances to huge cattle stations usually with a grand archway of sorts. We stopped at a particularly cool one today called, ‘Destiny Downs’ hanging in cast iron with bull heads on either side. It looked awesome with the blue sky backdrop and another good picky. We also saw our first bottle shaped tree, standing all shapely and proud on its lonesome. I cant remember their name. Can anyone help me? They are apparently common now as we get into the outback and across NT to WA.

We arrived in sunny Emerald at about 2pm and stopped to wonder rounds the shops for a butterfly moment. I got chatting with two local fellas who’s first comment was ‘you’re nuts’ then after chatting a while they were totally supportive and admired our ‘tenacity.’ They suggested we buy portable CB radios to be able to call and isten to the truckies. You can get really expensive ones of course but you can also score ones that will do the job for around $60 which is pretty good considering the communication it opens up. I’ll have a look round when I get the next chance or else check it out in Darwin when we have a few days off.

So its 13 days now to the NT border and another 16 days to Darwin. No rest days in between for us wicked women but the kms are pretty reasonable averaging 96km per day to cover the 1240kms between here and there. I double checked the distances and days this arv and we’re on track which is super exciting. We’re just in the last couple of days starting to feel in the grove of peddling again and it feels pretty dam good!!! Rubes as happy as a pig in mud we both are yayayay. Its such a difference cycling in Aus in a number of ways obviously, but definately with respect to communication. I’m able to chat and keep regular contact with family and friends and this keeps us close to those who rock our world.

Its through to Bogantungan at 96km and just before the Drummond range which we cross then Saturday and onto Jerico. I met a lady here this arv who raved about Jerico and said it even has an old drive in theatre. She has been a camper vanner for the last 10 years traveling across the States and Australia. She’s traveling with her cat ‘Patch’ who’s 10 years old and as handsome as they come. She got him in the states and brought him to Australia to continue their incredible journey together. She was walking him on a lead by the river when we got to talking. Her name is Barbara and both she and Patch are very quirky and cool. I’ve also met ‘Tony’ traveling from Sydney who was checking out Rube and thought she looked pretty red hot which of course she does. We were airing out our gear in the sun when he came up all keen for a chat. He wanted to know about ‘White Ribbon’ and donated $10 and made an oath as he two daughters and reckons its a pretty good cause. Total $122.50 cash donations and 19 oaths in 13 days. Ive got the starvs so its time for dinner. PS the mozzie coils working a treat. Talk soon x