2 sleeps to go!!

This is sooo exciting! Collis picked up 2 overseas riders yesterday and 2 interstate riders today.
Tonight is the dinner and I'm a little nervous as it started to rain this morning. Of course we were going to have a BBQ. It would be nice if the Gods allowed us to eat outside but there is plenty of room in the house. Collis will still have to cook on the BBQ though. I have a quick shop that needs to be done and then all should be ready. Instead of a heap of hamburgers I may do some morroccon balls which can be cooked in the oven.

My bag is packed and gee it was hard packing for 6 months. I have been allowed only one sausage bag as well and it will be weighed along with everyone elses tonight. Collis said one of the riders (no names) has his usual HUGE bag which he struggled to lift. I said if he can't cut down his stuff he will have to carry some on the bike. Collis will struggle with this but I refuse to lift this riders bag and he will have to do that himself (all the way). We are getting tough this ride.

Food boxes have little stickers on them this year hoping this will help them find their boxes when they are soooo hungry.

Time is nearly here.

Even though we are still completing the preparations for all rides, we are starting to concentrate on the finishing touches for the 1st & 2nd legs. Once we are underway we will finish off preparations for the other legs.
Our plan is to provide each rider with a book of the blog so we will be doing one for each leg.
I hope to encourage the riders to contribute photos and experiences to their journey so the blogs are more personal for them.

The first blog is well underway with lots of information already situated on and : http://melbourne2cairns2013.blogspot.com.au/

The blog for the second leg will be on: http://cairns2darwin2013.blogspot.com.au/

Once the other blogs are commenced we will publish their addresses.

Training Ride Photos

Bairnsdale to Bright 

January 17th to January 19th 2013

Day One

Bairnsdale to Omeo

The leader??

Day Two 

Omeo to Mt Hotham

The others are way ahead. Oh well.

Feeling on top of the world.

Day 3

 Mt Hotham to Bright

Morning is breaking.

Where have all the mountains gone?

The day started off chilly but didn't last long.

Thanks Jacquei for the photos.

Emerald Springs & Doon Doon

Emerald Springs roadhouse accommodation has been booked and they are holding 3 cabins for those that want to upgrade on these nights.

We will no longer be staying at Pine Creek.

Doon Doon Roadhouse is closed so YES we have added another bush camp onto the itinerary and we hope to be camping on the Durham River. There is a rest area that allows 24 hour camping.

Itineraries have been changed and should appear on the website this week.

Changes to accommodation- Pine Creek & Doon Doon

Just received an email from Doon Doon Roadhouse in WA on the Darwin to Broome ride stating that they are sorry for the inconvenience but their camping ground will be closed for the year of 2013. Collis rang them straight away to confirm and it is true. Apparently they were having work done on the toilet blocks when something drastic went wrong and it will take the whole year to sort it all out.

There is a spot on the Dunhum River but it is a 24 hour public rest stop and these aren't always very pleasant. It is about 20 kms short of Doon Doon making the ride on that day around 90 kms (was 110 kms) and the next day would go up to 115kms (was 95 kms). Too far for the riders to ride for a meal so therefore I will have to add another bush camp meal onto the itinerary. Hopefully there will be some water in the river, not too much though. Here are some pictures from the internet showing some of the extremes of the Dunhum River.

If the rest area is not too busy and the water is not too high then we probably will give it a go for camping.

Pine Creek

We have been trying for months to contact our friends in Pine Creek re- accommodation at their small intimate caravan park but without success. They are still living at the park but they do not seem to be taking any guests.

Collis is currently investigating a night (on the way to Darwin and one night on the way from Darwin) at a different stop called Emerald Springs. It looks very nice as they have renovated the roadhouse and are continuing to update with a swimming hole and a lake. We are waiting for a response from the owners as to whether they can cope with a large group of rowdy cyclists. 

Will update the itineraries once these changes have been confirmed.

Training ride completed.

Well, the training ride has come & gone so quickly and my main concern is the cycle around oz, which is 6 months long, will fly by just as quickly. Previous rides have been an average of 5 weeks long and because we are all so busy, the time flies by without you even realising it.

We all arrived in Bairnsdale on Wednesday afternoon/evening and met up for the ride discussion at 6.30 pm at the Big 4 caravan park. We ended up with 12 riders and 8 in the support crew. The discussions were centred on the forecast of 38C the next day. Jacquei had flown down from Brisbane with Qantas but her bike went to Mackay; then they lost the bike in Brisbane but eventually it arrived at midnight via courier. Very frustrating time for her and worry over in what state the bike may arrive. Theo & John arrived late as they drove down from Pt Macquarie in the one day.

The plan was to leave at 6.30 am on Thursday morning so as to miss some of the heat. The wrong morning to sleep in but it happened. 5 riders headed out at 6.30 am but the rest left about an hour later. The morning weather was quite pleasant with an undulating ride through various types of landscapes. Morning tea was between 9.30 and 10.30 (at the 50 km mark) with all riders, bar one, arriving as planned. Unfortunately Theo's bike (3 months old) had a fatal break on the derailleur hanger. He was taken to Bairnsdale by his wife but no-one was able to fix it for him. So disappointing for Theo but unavoidable and he was then not able to continue with the ride. After morning tea the weather heated up dramatically. The hills increased, the wind got hotter and in their faces and the water supply became luke warm. They arrived at Swift Creek in dribs and drabs for lunch with 1 rider pulling out at lunch break. We were down to 10 riders out in the heat. 2 more riders plus one of the support crew (who rode out to meet them) were brought in via car. At 4 pm we were down to 8 riders with 7 safely arriving at the Omeo caravan park. One rider was still out there on her own so we decided she needed to be brought in before she collapsed. She was disappointed but was not thinking straight at the time.
It was a tough, tough day and everyone of those riders should be proud of there achievements. Great dinner with the whole group at the Golden Age hotel. Early to bed.

11 riders left Omeo at around 7.30 am. The female support crew went shopping for food supplies for the nights dinner at Mt Hotham. Today there were very few (if any) down hills, it just seemed to be one steep hill after another all the way to morning tea. It was hot out on the road but cooler than the day before. Most of the riders were looking stronger today but 4 were still suffering from the ride the day before and pulled out at morning tea break (which was at the 25 km mark). One rider described his problems beautifully stating "I have no petrol in my legs". This left us 7 riders to complete the ride up the mountain without any further dramas. They stopped at Dinner Plains for lunch before riding onto the lodge we had booked for the night. All riders were in by early afternoon and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the pub, walking the area or reading in the lodge. Lorraine cooked a lovely spaghetti sauce with Jacquei doing one of her famous Coleslaws and Jan & Allen doing a great tossed salad. Plenty of food with quite a few leftovers- where was Robbo when we needed him. Everyone kicked in with the clean up and it was all finished before we knew it. A small group had  a competition at the pool table with Kathy & Collis as the champions until Tim challenged Collis in a solo match. Tim won 2 games in a row before we all headed off to bed.

Theo, Caroline & John left us in the early hours of the morning as they wanted to get an early start back to Pt Macquarie. Planned a 'sleep in' the next day as it was all down hill with only a few ups & downs before the main descent. Very steep descent which required alot of concentration to prevent a nasty fall. Arrived at Harrietville in time for morning tea before racing into Bright where the ride was completed. Robbo was here to meet us but refused to take some of the leftovers.

The ride was enjoyed by most although some were bitterly disappointed with the bike performance, a couple disappointed with their own performance and most disappointed with the weather dished out to them. None were disappointed with the views or the experience. All riders have a much better idea of how much training they will need to do before they start their stage of this years Cycle Around Oz.
We could not have asked for a better training ride- everyone has gained some knowledge from the experience.

Bike boxes

We have received an email from one of our forward thinking cyclists who will be travelling from Melbourne to Broome. His suggestions are good and could be incorporated with some coordination. Collis and I are contacting cycle shops in the major cities regarding assistance with the assembling of bikes and we will also ask if they are able to supply bike boxes as required. We will forward on the names of these shops as they reply in the positive to us.

Here is the letter:

  Just wondering if there’s been any thought about getting bike boxes as people finish stages. In my case, I’ll be looking for a bike box to fly back from Broome. I’ll have a bike box when I arrive in Melbourne which someone else is welcome to use when they leave Melbourne – either at the end of the ride, or to join one of the stages. What would be ideal is if someone Melbourne who’s joining the ride in Broome could use my box so I can use it from Broome to home!

Alternatively, any thoughts on obtaining a bike box in Broome would be appreciated (My bike has a big standard frame and is difficult to  pack into a bike box typically available from bike shops -  an ‘airline’ full size box is good (140cm long x 80cm high x 30cm wide) – or a bike box from a cycling organisation (eg. Bicycle Vic, or Bicycle Qld) that organise bike transport for tour events).

Would you think about shipping (new?) bike boxes to ride departure points (stage ends) for people leaving the ride at the stage points (with cost to be paid by riders using the ‘service’)?

Riders who are interested in these suggestions can let us know and we will see how we can organise this.

Xmas shopping list for 2013 ride.

If family and friends are having trouble thinking of something for you for Xmas then this list might help.

From past experience, riders do tend to bring more equipment than they need. As we are limited for room, it is important that you keep equipment to a minimum.
Cycle Across Oz will only carry a maximum of 15 kgs per rider which includes all camping equipment but not your bicycle.

Essential items are:
Multi tool
Patch kit and spare tyre, 2 tubes, spare cables, spokes and nipples.
Bike lock & pump
HELMET- must be worn in Australia whilst riding.
Minimum of 2 water bottles.
Tent
Sleeping mat & sleeping bag
Crockery & cutlery for one
Insect repellent, bum cream & sunscreen
Clothing & toiletries
All bicycles must be fitted with a mirror or helmet mirror.

This all MUST fit into one bag per rider- sausage bag or equivalent. If using panniers, no more than four will be carried in vehicle. No bicycle boxes, bags or cases will be carried by Cycle Across Oz.

Xmas is nearly here and then it's 2013!!

While Collis doses quietly in front of the TV watching Australia get slaughtered by South Africa, I thought I would just summarise where we are up to in our preparation for next years trip.

Number of sleeps to go before we leave Melbourne: 110
We leave Melbourne 23rd March 2013

Number of sleeps until the training ride: 45
Training ride is 17th January to 19th January 2013 inclusive.

Number of weeks before the final payments due for the first three stages: 8 1/2 weeks
Stages 1, 2 & 3 full payment due by January 31st 2013.
Stage 4 full payment due by June 1st by cheque or cash.
Stage 5 full payment due July 1st 2013.

Total number of riders officially booked into the ride: 27
16 males- one more male is very interested.
11 females- one more female recently enquired.

Number of riders doing the whole ride: 6
Six riders so far booked in for 14,000 plus kms.
1 rider booked in for 4 stages.

Stage that is full and still receiving enquiries: Stage 3 Darwin to Broome.
If further riders wanting to do the whole trip they will still be able to do Stage 3.

Average age of riders: 54

Number of nights with confirmed accommodation bookings: 128 nights

Number of bush camps for the whole trip: 16 nights
2 further bush camps recently added due to NO other accommodation available.

Number of meals provided: 37
Cycle across oz has added some breakfasts into the itinerary this trip and some BBQs.

Number of Rest Days: 27
We organise a rest day at towns that are places of interest and normally every 4 or 5 days.

Days under 50 kms: 3 days
50 - 100kms: 21 days
100- 150 kms: 58 days
150 kms plus: 31 days

Longest stretch: Mt Isa to Three Ways Cairns to Darwin
Mt Isa to bush camp 150 km, Bush camp to bush camp 150 kms, Bush camp to Barkly150 kms and finishing with Barkly to Three ways 185 kms.

2nd longest stretch: Kalgoorlie to Eucla (Perth to Melbourne)
895 kms over 6 days then a rest day.
Need lots of bum cream here.

20 weeks!! OMG, we better pull our finger out.

We had a lovely catch up last night with the Princess. She just reminded us how special and life changing these trips can really be. Our last trip from Broome to Perth was pretty amazing with some great friendships forged and some spectacular scenery and some just down right wonderful moments of "I am so glad I'm alive and witnessing this".  I could be exaggerating just a little bit but it depends on who you talk to and their attitude to the whole 'journey'. There will always be moments and some that I may just contribute to but on the whole it was fantastic. Thanks Princess for your enlightenment.

Looking forward in catching up with Princess' side kick next month and I hope we can go out drinking and get in some dancing while she's here. Princess will be joining us and hopefully maybe some of the other past riders in Melbourne can catch up with us as well. This lady helped save my sanity a couple of times last ride, so I owe her alot.

Training ride in January is all organised and we have booked our accommodation, so hopefully all riders have booked theirs as well. The itinerary has changed slightly due to accommodation costs and availability but we don't actually change the route. The boy from Shep is riding up and over on his own and hoping to catch us on our way over from Bairnesdale to Omeo and then ride with us to Bright.

Collis and one of our newly recruited riders did a ride last weekend up to Mt Dandenong and back to test her skills and his as well. Collis will be riding the training ride as this is one route he has always wanted to do. I will be providing the morning tea and back up on my own for this so I also had a test run with driving the truck around sharp corners, watching out for riders along the way and providing morning tea and lunch. I was pleased that I had plenty of left overs after the trial run but of course I was feeding only 2 people. I will have to learn to use the generator before the training ride too. All these new skills!!:))) By the way our new rider impressed Collis, we will call her Miss Determination. This is one lady that is in her 60's, had not ridden a bike for many years, did not own a bike before she signed up to do the whole round trip and is now comfortably riding up mountains and doing 100kms+ rides. Proud of you Miss D.

Haven't found anymore roadhouses, pubs or caravan parks that we are planning on staying in to have closed down. Thank God for that as it increases the workload and organisation time 10 fold trying to locate another in the vicinity of where we had originally planned to stay. So far 2 bush camps have been added to the trip as there just wasn't anywhere else to stay in the area we needed. No problems really as the bush camps are always enjoyable except for those who really don't like tent living.

Better go and get the next edition of the newsletter ready for editing.

23 weeks until March 23rd 2013

The time is just flying by this year, may have something to do with organising this trip. Last week we went to the Leisurefare at Sandown and bought further cooking equipment and a generator. Yesterday we went to the Bike Expo in Melbourne and checked out the range of bum creams. During the week Collis got a new bike rack built and applied; so it is all happening.

We are tossing up whether we should do some advertising or not. It has been a couple of weeks since our last applicant came on board. Currently we have vacancies on all legs with fewer on some than others.
The current vacancies are:
Melbourne to Cairns- 6 spots left
Cairns to Darwin- 5 spots left
Darwin to Broome- 3 spots left
Broome to Perth- 8 spots
Perth to Melbourne- 6 spots

The training ride in January is looking good with at least 20 people coming along so far. Should be a fun 5 days (3 days riding).

I have been practicing some new recipes for the bush camps and have been cooking large amounts trying to work out the correct amounts we will require. The menu will have to be fiddled with depending on the ingredients that will be available at all the towns with grocery shops. Hopefully this ride we will not be running out of nibbles for morning teas; I have been making all sorts of treats and testing them on the family.

Nearly time for the next Newsletter with 2 of our past riders highlighted.

We are still placing accommodation bookings for across the Nullarbor but it is nearly done. We will be ringing everyone again in the new year to check they have us in and then again a couple of days before we arrive to confirm everything.

Cairns to Darwin ride

Banka Banka to Elliott 150 kms

Banka Banka is an historical cattle station which was the first operational pastoral lease in this region, and a supply camp during World War II, providing meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables. It was occupied and run by the Ward family and is still the site of a mudbrick homestead and camping area. "Philip and Mary Alice Ward bought Banka Banka Station in 1941. Mary supervised the development of an extensive garden at the station. The homestead was a regular stopping place for travellers and Mrs. Ward's hospitality became legendary. In 1945, Philip Ward was among the first to truck cattle by road. After her husband's death in 1959, Mary ran the station. Due to her efforts, a government school for Aborigines opened at Banka Banka in 1961. She was known as "The Missus of Banka Banka." In 1970, suffering ill health, she sold Banka Banka and moved to Adelaide, where she died two years later."(Wikipedia)

The corned beef sandwiches at Renner Springs are highly recommended. This may have to be our morning tea stop at 58 kms.

Renner Springs

Renner Springs

Elliott is a small outback town with very little on offer us but it is available for a nights accommodation.

Cairns to Georgetown - 395 kms

Cairns to Yungaburra - 70 kms

We only have one other day on this leg with a 70 km day and that is from Bang Bang to Burke & Wills. 70 kms is the shortest day this ride. Leaving Cairns behind we head for the Atherton Tablelands. Nice flat ride up till morning tea which we have at The Little Mulgrave River rest area. Yungaburra has an elevation of 750 mts therefore we have a climb after morning tea. The road we take is 20 kms of constant climbing before we flatten out and have some undulating terrain until we hit Yungaburra. The riders that are not good at climbing will need to let us know before they decide to tackle the hill as there are very few places along the climb for us to stop and pick people up. If a rider does not think they can do it we will take them up the hill. Unfortunately we can only fit 3 riders in the car at once but we may have another 2 cars as crew cars which should be able to fit a few more riders. I am trying to find out if there is still a train that goes up the mountain other than the tourist train. The views on the way up are spectacular and worth the effort if you think you can make it.

Yungaburra is an historic town and is famous for it's 18 heritage listed buildings. The town got started off in the mining boom days but nowadays its economy revolves around tourism. The landscape around Yungaburra has been shaped by millennia of volcanic activity. The most recent eruptions were over 12000 years ago. We will be camping out at the backpackers, which the riders can upgrade to a dorm if they want. The backpackers will do a BBQ for us at a cost which will be covered by Cycle Across Oz. There are also platypus tours at dusk if anyone is interested.

Yungaburra to Mt Garnet- 105 kms

Today the terrain is gently undulating all day. Some of the tourist features along the road are:
1. Curtain Fig Tree

2. Malanda Falls

3. Millaa Millaa Lookout (Morning tea)
4. Ravenshoe (lunch)

Tonight we stay at the Mt Garnet caravan park. This was an interesting looking caravan park when we stopped there on the way down last year. Nice shady gardens with a great looking camp kitchen for the riders to cook up a storm if that takes their fancy. I know a couple of girls that love to cook.
The manager's partner, when we stopped there, was willing to provide massages for the riders at a small cost; not sure if they are still there or not.

Mt Garnet to Mt Surprise - 125 kms.

We haven't travelled every inch of this road but the locals at Mt Garnet told us that the road is good with little traffic. We take the Savannah Way turnoff and the road is single lane at times (the trucks and roadtrains are few and far between) but care will need to be taken at all times and especially when trucks, cars or caravans are passing.

Mount Surprise is a railway town on the old Cairns to Forsayth Railway line and is the first Gulf Savannah town we will see.

It is the centre for gem fossicking with quantities of topaz, quartz, spinel, garnet, cairngorm and aquamarine. They say we are a chance of finding some at various spots around town. Mount Surprise sits on the edge of the immense Undara lava field caused by ancient volcanic eruptions in the McBride Plateau. The surrounding country is flat, wooded savannah grasslands, with isolated hills.

We have our first rest day at Mt Surprise. That wasn't too hard for the start of the trip, 300 kms and then a rest day. Later down the track we go quite a bit longer between rest days due to the lack of accommodation and barren surroundings. Mt Surprise looks like a nice town to rest awhile.

Mt Surprise to Georgetown- 95 kms

This should be a pleasant ride today in both distance and scenery. The Savannah Way is unique. We cross over the Einasleigh River which should be well watered and a nice spot to cool off in the middle of the day. We may stop for morning tea here depending on what time we leave camp today, it is only 32 kms from Mt Surprise. Today we climb 270 mts over the Newcastle Range. If it is a hot day, there is a great pool at the caravan park we will be staying in.

Across the Paddock- Clare to Robe 470 Kms

We arrive in Clare on August 20th 2013. Clare is a beautiful, green part of this country. After weeks coming across the nullarbor (the treeless plain), it is just a delight to arrive in a town like Clare. We have another of our rest days here and there will be plenty of time to visit the wineries. The Clare Valley has more than 40 cellar doors. Clare Valley’s wineries lie along a narrow 40 kilometre corridor, between Auburn and Clare. The towns are spaced closely together. Great opportunity for the riders to order their favourite wines and those bottles as souvenirs for those waiting at home for us. Most wineries will do home deliveries.

Wineries are not the only thing to do in Clare (this is starting to sound like a tourist promotion). Explore conservation parks to see giant 50,000 year old wombat fossils, stunning native wildflowers and majestic colonial homes such as Martindale Hall.

There are boutique businesses in historic bluestone buildings. Markets sell produce made using antique presses and grindstone “technology.”

There are always the pubs to check out as well.

Clare to Gawler- 95 kms (Not a huge day)

This will be the last day of the local school holidays so we better keep an eye out for harassed parents rushing home on the final day and thinking about everything that has to be done before they start back at work. Thank God it is a short day. The drivers will be unlikely to be thinking about us.

Gawler prospered early with the discovery of copper nearby at Kapunda and Burra, which resulted in Gawler becoming a resting stop to and from Adelaide. Later, it developed industries including flour milling and manufacturing steam locomotives. Not a huge amount od things to do in Gawler but a pleasant stop over.

Pretty scenery especially when the wild flowers are out.

We need to take extra water on board here as the water at our next stop is not very nice. Everyone will need to remind us before we leave the town.

Gawler to Wellington- 135 kms

Today we are skirting around the outskirts of Adelaide. Morning tea is at a place called Palmer which is just east of the Adelaide Hills. Therefore I think we may do a little climbing today.

Lunch will be at a lovely town called Murray Bridge (needless to say on the great Murray River). Murray Bridge is the fourth most populous city in South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Whyalla. I like this town with lots of fond memories of previous holidays in this town.

Wellington is a very tiny settlement which is really nothing more than a couple of dozen houses on the banks of the Murray River. The buildings are old and nice quiet walks are available.

Wellington to Salt Creek - 100 kms

The countryside we are travelling through is usually very lush and it can be a very pleasant ride. Once we hit an area known as the Coorong, it changes again and it becomes what I think as more interesting. The environment around her is quite unique in Australia. It is a timeless, untamed wilderness with diversity that nature has provided. There is a long, narrow lagoon that runs parallel with the coastal dunes for 140km. The beach stretches 200km from Encounter Bay to Lacepede Bay, uninterrupted except when the mouth of the great Murray River opens to the sea.

We were having difficulty locating accommodation for all of us in this area because places we had stayed in previously had closed down and new places chosen also shut down recently. Fortunately we have come across a "Roadhouse" at Salt Creek which will be able to accommodate us. We were worried we were going to have to change course and miss this area of Australia.

Salt Creek to Robe - 140 kms

Riding to another rest day at Robe. Travelling along the coast for most of today (hope the weather is being kind to us otherwise it could be pretty cold). Should have the wind up our tails today, making riding pretty easy. Mostly just one town that we go through and should hit that around lunch time. This will be Kingston. Kingston is at the southeastern end of Encounter Bay and the Coorong. The main industries are fishing, winemaking, sheep and cattle farming and recreation, the district having a large influx of tourists during holiday periods throughout the year. The northern entrance to the town is dominated by the Big Lobster, fondly named "Larry" by people in Kingston. Many great pubs, hotels, and shops can be found, and Kingston also hosts one of the best fish and chip shops in Australia. "Macs Takeaway" has twice won awards for their outstanding fish and chips (might have to be on the menu for lunch).

44 kms on from Kingston is Robe. Robe is a town and fishing port on the South East Limestone Coast of South Australia. The town's distinctive combination of historical buildings, ocean, fishing fleets, lakes and dense bush is widely appreciated. Robe lies on the southern shore of Guichen Bay, just off the Princes Highway. Robe is a very pretty town and it will be great to have a rest day here.

Western Australia- Nanutarra to Minilya - 350kms

Nanutarra to Giralia Station- 155 kms

Riding from Nanutarra directly to Minilya it is actually only 216 kms but then we would miss out on the jewel of Australia's coastline. So we have chosen to turn off at Burkett Road and head down towards the coastline. Our first night's stay will be at Giralia Station. We stayed here last year and had a great night with some of us camping and others opting to upgrade into some dongers.

We were pretty hot by the time we set up camp here last year and they have this lovely service of drinks on the homestead verandah. Very welcome luxury, a bit of a novelty having ice cold drinks. Following showers and drinks we all pulled together in the kitchen to cook up a gourmet dinner of Japanese curry! It was a nice night in comfortable surroundings and lovely people (curry was pretty good also).

Giralia to Bullara Station- 36 kms

Last year we travelled from Giralia to Coral Bay (105 kms) with a head wind nearly all the way. Everyone was exhausted by the time we got there but because it is a beautiful spot they all soon forgot their previous discomfort. We were going to repeat the experience BUT we have come up with an alternative plan.

Watching a TV travel show last weekend I discovered another station along the same road which looked just as nice as Giralia- that was Bullara Station. Bullara does sunset tours (at a price and small numbers) and also an outback tour. These looked pretty good if anyone is interested. 

Collis has phoned the owners, they were very nice sounding people and he is arranging some accommodation for us. Because of the short day and the lack of food availability, Collis & I will make a run into Exmouth to get some fresh supplies and will add another meal to the itinerary.

We should be able to get some snorkelling in here as well.

Bullara Station to Coral Bay- 60 kms (Another short day)

Then onto to Coral Bay. I must say this was my favourite spot last year, so next year we had added an extra days rest here. But now we have brought it back down to 1 rest day due to our change in plans. We should arrive early in the day so we will still have nearly 2 full days here to enjoy the biggest reef, closest to the land in Australia. At Coral Bay we upgrade into the Backpackers accommodation with a pool and dorm rooms. Not a bad spot all in all and a couple of nice restaurants in close proximity.

Outback Queensland- Clermont to Charters Towers 370 kms

 Clermont to Belyando Crossing is 170 kms. BIG DAY!!

Collis and I stopped at a roadside fruit stall on our way out of Townsville and we were told to try the steak sandwich at Belyando Crossing. We were told they were the best in Australia and they were to die for!! As lovers of a decent steak sandwich and looking out for the best steak for one of our riders we had to try it. The experience was so bad that I got the giggles watching Collis trying to finish it (he hates to see food wasted). I had to walk out of the cafeteria/restaurant- I thought the fruit stall holder must have been talking literally.

Since then I have been worried about what will be available for the riders to eat. They sold other things other than steak sandwiches so I thought it couldn't be all bad. Looks like I may have been wrong by some excerpts from a web site called "Caravan Park Photos" which weren't very complimentary.


I think we may have a BBQ that night, due to the uncertainty of the riders getting a large nourishing meal. We planned on a BBQ a couple of nights previously at Emerald to celebrate our half way mark but this may be a better place to celebrate the half way mark, just because.

The people working there were a very young bunch but very friendly so Collis & I decided it wasn't too bad with the camping area looking dry (with very little grass) but it was a large area with power and the toilets looked clean. The cabin accommodation didn't look fantastic so I wouldn't advise people upgrading. According to the previous website we may need to remind the riders to have a supply of ear plugs and not to camp near the car park as apparently the bar can get lively on some nights.

Cycle across oz has very little choice as to where we lay our heads especially after such a long day, so hopefully the pub will be quiet for us that night. It's a bit dangerous for us to take off at 3.15 am and we don't encourage any of the riders to leave before sun up.

Belando Crossing to Bush Camp 130 kms approximately
Not such a long day but you won't want to be too tired either. Small gradual climb from here but mostly the road looks straight and mostly flat. Very lonely road with very little traffic and not many buildings (if any). A few mining properties around here that provides the mining truck traffic and entrances that ensure you don't feel welcome to visit. Lots of road kill along this road so it should be a busy day spotting wild life that hasn't been run over.
We have picked out a nice area for lunch at the Cape River rest area, hoping there is plenty of water in the river. Bush camp area looks pretty good on the corner of a side road with plenty of wood for the fire and flat areas. No shower this night.

Bush Camp to Charters Towers 70 kms


Nice short day today and we should be arriving at our caravan park before lunch if all goes well. It is unlikely that we will stop for morning tea today. Drink stops will happen but it takes us much longer to pack up and clean the camping area after a bush camp so we probably won't catch the cyclists before town.

Michael and Anna will be driving also so they can provide water top ups as needed. The main thing we noticed when we drove down this way were the number of dead but also live snakes and lizards out on the road. We will have to keep an eye out for them while camping especially first thing in the morning- best to stay in bed until first light so you can see what you are stepping on. Don't mean to scare anyone as with all our travels and camping trips we have never had snakes bothering us at all.

Charters Towers is a very historic town and worth the time to tour on the rest day. Collis is hoping he may run into Bob Kater (some politician) in the main street as this is his home town. We should hear him before we see him although if he is wearing his customary 10 gallon hat then we may see him first.