Country Archives: Australia

I spent the past days in Sydney, waiting for my Indian visa application to come through, doing lots of sports (cycling, running, some swimming), some (but really not much) sightseeing. Stayed in a hostel in Coogee Beach.

Sydney Opera

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Yepp, that's Sydney, too

Each year Bicycle Victoria, a non-profit organization promoting cycling, organizes the Around the Bay in a Day mass ride around Port Phillip Bay. This year more than 15.000 riders joined the fun. Apart from individuals, many companies and universities participate with teams and Martin, working for Monash University, urged me to join the Monash team. I finally agreed and decided to attempt the 210km distance in anti-clockwise direction (ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento).

It’s been a month since I last cycled fully loaded, but I’d done some training rides mostly on Saturday and Sunday mornings along the bay in the past weeks. Many locals use the early hours for training rides, too, and it was great fun to be able to keep up with their expensive road bikes despite my using my heavy-duty touring mountain bike with unchanged tires.

The actual ride today was awesome. There were some 5.000 riders who went in the same direction as me. I finished after pretty much exactly 7 hours of net riding time and an average speed of 30 kph!

Riders waiting to get on the ferry, Queenscliff

Near the finish line

Melbourne at night

Got up early to go to the railway station and catch The Overland train bound for Melbourne. The ride’s not too spectacular but it was a good chance for me to catch up on some sleep, which I did do mostly in the dining car. :)

Martin and Lynnette picked me up in Melbourne. We met 2 of their friends on the streets and went for some Indian food with them.

I slept well but was disturbed by Lucy the mouse in the middle of the night. Lucy was rummaging through my rubbish and I managed to take a picture of her.

I continued on Parmango Road slash Balladonia Track towards the Eyre Highway. In some places the track felt like corrugated iron and cycling was difficult. I tried to ride off the road but that wasn’t possible everywhere. Progress was slow then.

Pretty exhausted I made it to Balladonia Road House where I am the only guest in the dorm room. I had a big burger for dinner and will sleep well for sure.

Cycled: 91km

Can you spot Lucy?

A somewhat more adventurous day (compared to the previous ones). :)

The paved road ended not long after I left in the morning. The track was quite ok even though a couple of signs at the road side had painted a bleak picture yesterday. The farmland disappeared and made way for light forest.

My shelter for the night was an abandoned homestead, Deralinya, about half-way between last night’s camp spot and Balladonia Road House at the Eyre Highway.
Deralinya appears to be a well-known place amongst outback travelers, as there is a well-signed guest book, some emergency rations (probably out of date), mattresses, self-drawn maps, and other goodies.

Cycled: 88km

The end of the paved road, and the end of inhabited quarters

Orange-naped snake?

Deralinya, at last!

This is becoming chaotic

The past days I spent in Esperance. Among other things I met a local couchsurfer, David, for some chatting, and I saw Sally the seal.

Then today I left the town and continued eastish, first on Fisheries Road, to Condingup. The countryside is heavily used for agriculture. Then I turned off onto what I thought was called Balladonia Track, but OpenstreetMap nowadays calls it Parmango Road. According to the map, Balladonia Road is a rough(er) track somewhat more to the east. I don’t have working GPS with me so I can only guess that I’m on Parmango Road, really.

In the evening I pitched tent between the narrow strip of trees next to the road and a fenced-off field of rapeseed.

Cycled: 102km

Ready to go

Looks like a good spot for the night

I left early for this long ride today on the South Coast Highway. A somewhat uneventful ride which took quite a while and I arrived in Esperance after nightfall. It also took me a while to find the local hostel. For some reason I knocked on the wrong door and the person there didn’t know anything about a hostel.

I’ll stay here again for a day or two to stock up on food and energy before the long ride through the real outback and across the Nullarbor plain towards Adelaide.

Cycled: 202km

The last two days saw me hang around Ravensthorpe. There is not much to do here, but I saw the local charity shop, library, and pub.

Yesterday I saw a big snake near my ‘flat’. A neighbor told me that they were all harmless down here, but checking at the library revealed that it was possibly a Tiger Snake (which is somewhat dangerously venomous).

Today, then, I weathered off a massive thunderstorm under my tin roof, as well as outside.

A rather short day today, and not much to report. The countryside hasn’t changed much either.

I checked into a container at the local camp site. I’ll stay here in Ravensthorpe for a day or two to relax a bit before attempting the long ride on the South Coast Highway to Esperance.

Cycled: 75km

Wave Rock is interesting and impressive.

I was there quite late (around 10am) and spent an hour looking around.

Then I went on eastwards, and later in a southeastern and southern direction. My Coles bags are starting to show some wear, but I’m sure they’ll keep me company for a while longer (also, there are no alternatives).

In Lake King I tried to get a room in the local pub/hotel. Everything was fully booked, so I pitched tent on the local camp site.

Cycled: 137km

Wave Rock!

The Hippo's Yawn

What's that?

After a cooked breakfast I left Corrigin to the south-east, towards Kondinin. Left and right of the road is farmland, mostly flat.

I’m still wearing my cycling helmet, and a thin long-sleeve jacket against the sun.

For some reason it was already dark when I arrived in Hyden. I’ll visit Wave Rock tomorrow.

Cycled: 126km

Snow? Flooding!

My original plan was to go east from Beverly over minor tracks. However, yesterday I had found a wallet with bank cards at the side of the road, and later at night a cell phone. Beverly had no open police station – however, Brookton, a bit to the south, does. So after a visit to the Beverley Aeronautical Museum I first continued south on the Great Southern Highway, then turned into Brookton, where I dropped off phone and wallet. I can, if no-one else claims it within a year or so and if I’m still in Australia, call myself happy owner of a new cell phone. Yay.
From Brookton I went east, to Corrigin. I’m still (and will be for a while) in what is probably considered densely populated station country. The land left and right of the road is often fenced in and used for agriculture or grazing.

Cycled: 126km