Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 061 - Darwin

Day:  061

Date: Monday, 31 August 2020

Start:  Darwin

Finish:  Darwin

Daily Kilometres:  0 (click here for Julie's Strava and photos from our walk)

Total Kilometres:  6234

Weather:  Hot and mostly sunny

Accommodation:  Hotel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Scambled eggs on toast

  Lunch:  Egg salad sandwich/Chicken salad sandwich

  Dinner:  Bangers & mash/Pork belly with watermelon salad, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Our morning walk around Darwin (see below)

Lowlight:  We were formally notified that our request to enter Western Australia (WA) has been refused.  Not unexpected, but disappointing neverthess.  The issue of opening state borders has become very political in Australia.  It's particularly hard to see why people who for the last three weeks have been in the Northern Territory (NT), which has had zero COVID-19 community transmission for months, would not be allowed into WA.  We are allowed into South Australia (SA), so we'll be heading in that direction now.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept in late, then had breakfast in a cafe opposite our hotel, before taking a long walk around through the attractive Bicentennial Park which borders the city on one side and overlooks Darwin Harbour on the other.  It was hot and humid, but lovely shady trees and breeze made it quite pleasant.  Along the way were various memorials and explanations about the Japanese attack on Darwin during WW2, and subsequent local military activities, as well as other information about Darwin's history and geography.

At the southern end of the park we continued walking around the foreshore until we reached the attractively developed Waterfront Precinct, which had a small beach and protected swimming area surrounded by parkland and restaurants.  Nearby was a wave pool for the more adventurous.  Plenty of people were sunbaking and a smaller number swimming.

Everywhere we walked in Darwin, we saw orange electric scooters, both parked and ridden.  Apparently, they are part of a 12-month trial by the city.  By casual observation, they are a great success, being used by all ages and genders.

From the Waterfront Precinct, we walked back to our hotel via the Smith Street Mall, stopping for lunch at an alley cafe along the way.  Later, Julie returned to the beach for a swim and sunbake, while I spent a few hours fruitlessly grappling with Facebook to reinstate my account.

In the evening, we had a nice dinner at a downtown pub, enlivened by the arrival of the local Hash House Harriers (a very fit-looking group …. not!) for a hydration stop, and then purchased the last of our supplies for the next three days, during which we are unlikely to see a store, or have internet access.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 060 - Mary River to Darwin

Day:  060

Date: Sunday, 30 August 2020

Start:  Mary River Wilderness Retreat

Finish:  Darwin

Daily Kilometres:  117 (click for Julie's Strava and photos and click here for her Strava and photos from our walk)

Total Kilometres:  6234

Weather:  Sunny, hot and breezy

Accommodation:  Hotel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg, bacon & tomato roll

  Lunch:  Chicken & bacon melt sub

  Dinner:  Pad Thai, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Reaching Darwin, which is a major milestone, and the northernmost point in our travels.

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We left the campground at 6:30am, just as it was getting light enough to ride without lights and headed west towards Darwin, crossing the quiet Mary River almost immediately.  The first kilometres were through the scenic Mary River National Park, winding between low forested hills in the early light, after which the country opened out and became flatter.

We reached the Corroboree Park Tavern roadhouse after 25km and just over an hour, and enjoyed breakfast at a table on their shaded verandah.  From there, we rode into Darwin's rural area, where there were more signs of civilisation (and more traffic), cattle grazing and mango orchards.  The road was flattish and we had a nice following wind for much of the time, so the kilometres were passed easily.  We crossed the wide Adelaide River floodplains then the Adelaide River itself, and before we knew it had rejoined the Stuart Highway and the final run into Darwin along the busy road.

We stopped at a camping store in Palmerston in late morning to get a few things and then again, 10km later, at a Subway to get some lunch.  Although it was very warm, I was still surprised when Julie (the girl who loves warm weather), suggested sitting inside in the air-conditioning rather than on the shaded verandah outside!

After lunch we found a bike path paralleling the Stuart Highway and followed that into the centre of Darwin, stopping at a carwash en route to wash the worst of the caked red dust off our bikes in case our booked city centre hotel balked at storing them or letting us keep them in our room.  We reached the hotel (best value accommodation of the trip so far - 4.5 stars and $81pn) soon after 2pm and checked in.  I persuaded the receptionist that the bikes were clean and not too big, and she agreed to let us keep them in our room.  We took them up one-by-one in the small lift.  Julie then went for a swim and caught up on some phone calls while I spent time formally applying for an entry permit into Western Australia in ten days time.  I'm not optimistic.

Soon after 5pm, we walked north from town for 3km to Mindil Beach and the famous Sunday sunset markets.  It was packed with a very multicultural mix of all ages enjoying the spectacular sunset from the beach (made more so by bushfire smoke in the far sky) and/or some of the delicious food from the large range of cuisines on offer at the stalls.  Many were enjoying the music provided by a band and others were browsing the craft stalls, though there weren't many of those.  Social distancing seemed to be a thing of the past.  We bought some Asian food for dinner and ate it on the beach, before a final look around the stalls and a walk back to the hotel.  A very pleasant and relaxing evening.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 059 - Jabiru to Mary River

Day:  059

Date: Saturday, 29 August 2020

Start:  Jabiru

Finish:  Mary River Wilderness Retreat

Daily Kilometres:  141 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  6117

Weather:  Hot, sunny and breezy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Peanut butter & pita bread

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Soup, macaroni cheese, ice-cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  As we neared the South Alligator River around 9am, but sometime before we reached it, we could smell its damp swampy aroma, and then, suddenly, the forest ended and we were crossing its vast, mostly treeless, floodplain.  The river itself, which was bordered by trees, was wide, opaque green, and flowing strongly northwards.  We had a look for crocodiles, but couldn't see any, though there were some clear tracks up the muddy bank into the undergrowth in one place.  It was interesting to see the same river we had taken our Yellow River sunset cruise on two days ago, completely transformed as it neared the sea.

Lowlight:  The only two roadhouses along our route today were closed because of COVID-19.  We weren't counting on them being open, but it would have given us some cold drinks and food options on another hot day's ride.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Having had another late night, by our standards, we slept in a little and didn't leave our Jabiru campground until 7:15am.  Our goal for the day was the Mary River Wilderness Retreat, 140km to the west along the Arnhem Highway, and we were hopeful that at least one roadhouse along the way, the one where we hoped to buy breakfast, would be open.

Most of the first two hours riding was through dry woodland, with the occasional dried up creek crossings, and a couple of recently burned sections which we could see (and smell), two of which were still smoldering close to the road.  Later in the day, when we looked back along the highway, we could see a plume of smoke rising on the horizon.  Maybe the fires we had passed were worsening.

We reached the South Alligator River (see above) around 9am, and a couple of kilometres further on, the South Alligator Roadhouse.  It was disappointingly closed, though was clearly still being looked after, with sprinklers watering nice lawns outside.  We had been hoping to buy some breakfast, and maybe lunch to take with us, but settled for a break on the grass in the shade.  While we rested, the roadhouse owner came by and had a chat, telling us he planned to reopen soon (but too late for us!).

Back on the road it had become hot with a fickle wind that was mostly from behind or across, but occasionally against.  The roadside was cleared of vegetation for a good margin on either side, meaning there was zero shade, and we baked as we rode, going through our fluids quickly.  Along the way, we exited Kakadu National Park, marking the end of a superb visit.

Fortunately, despite the conditions, we were making good time on the relatively quiet undulating road, and after a couple of routine breaks, and one more closed roadhouse, we reached the Mary River Wilderness Retreat around 3pm.  We toyed with the idea of riding a further 25km to another roadhouse with camping and cabins (would have phoned first to make sure it was open!), but we were hot and tired and decided this was far enough.

We checked in, asking whether they had any cabins available (they did not), and settled for a grassy tent site.  The place is a little upmarket, and quite busy (Julie was told by another guest that Northern Territory (NT) residents are eligible for a $200 matching government grant for money spent on NT tourism, which may explain it), with spacious lawns, recreation facilities, bar and bistro, and bordering the Mary River, another we had crossed upstream in Kakadu when it was just a creek.

We were early enough to do laundry and for Julie to have a dip in the pool before microwaved dinner in the camp kitchen and a welcome earlier night.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 058 - Cooinda to Jabiru via Ubirr

Day:  058

Date: Friday, 28 August 2020

Start:  Cooinda (Kakadu National Park)

Finish:  Jabiru (plus return trip to Ubirr)

Daily Kilometres:  150 (click for Julie's Strava and photos and click here for Strava and photos from the walk)

Total Kilometres:  5976

Weather:  Hot, sunny & windy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg & lettuce sandwiches

  Lunch:  Egg & lettuce roll/Chicken salad roll

  Dinner:  Spaghetti & meatballs/Bangers & mash, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  The 360° views from the lookout atop a rocky butte at Ubirr were breathtaking.  Green floodplains, blue wetlands, jagged improbable rock formations, distant escarpments and forests as far as the eye could see. No signs of civilisation bar one nearby vehicle track, no sounds but the wind, and only Julie and I up there to savour the moment.

Lowlight:  Not a biggie, but the couple of kilometres into Jabiru at the end of our long day were uphill and into the wind.  Not fair.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 5am, but for some reason it took a little longer to pack up (in total darkness) and it was 6:15am by the time we pedalled out of Cooinda, past the tourists boarding the shuttle bus for the dawn Yellow Water cruise.

Originally, our plan for the day was to ride the 60km to Jabiru, a small tourist (and uranium mining) town with a supermarket, then continue on another 40km to Ubirr, another of Kakadu's great attractions, camp there and visit the sights.  However, we would have to return the same 40km to Jabiru tomorrow and we had heard the mosquitoes were bad and drinking water quality questionable at the Ubirr campsite.  It seemed a more attractive alternative might be to find somewhere to stay in Jabiru, leave our gear there and make the return trip to Ubirr with unloaded bikes.  Maybe we could even find a half-day tour to Ubirr from Jabiru, or get a hire car for the day, and leave our bikes behind.

The morning ride to Jabiru was excellent, with quiet roads and the usual superb bush sunrise, but it was already quite warm and the wind was picking up by the time we reached the town.  Our first stop was at the caravan park, where we were able to get a tent site and set up, even though it was only 9am, and confirmed there were no tours to Ubirr, and was nowhere to rent a car.

After setting up camp and unloading our bikes, we rode the 2km into the supermarket and bought food and drink for today and tomorrow and returned to the caravan park where there was a camp kitchen and fridge to store some of the food.  After eating a late breakfast and working out what we needed for the ride to Ubirr, it was nearly noon by the time we set out, somewhat unenthusiastically, in the hot gusty weather.  The Northern Territory is experiencing unseasonably hot temperatures (high 30s Centigrade) which, combined with days of strong winds, have created officially "catastrophic" fire danger, with a number of bushfires already burning and some National Parks (including Litchfield, where we hope to be early next week) closed.  There are no fires near us, but conditions are extreme.

Anyway, about 10km into our hot windy ride to Ubirr, I was beginning to regret not staying near the camp pool and fridge back at Jabiru.  But, gradually, the country became more interesting, with high rocky escarpments to one side and lush wetlands to the other, with some shady sections through creek valleys, and my mood improved.  We reached the Ubirr carpark at 2pm, and had lunch in a relatively cool shelter, though anything that wasn't tied down was getting blown away.

After lunch, we set out on the Ubirr loop walk that passed by multiple indigenous rock art sites, some dating back about 5,000 years.  They were very impressive, with great detail, and located beneath magnificent rock overhangs or in natural rock galleries.  There was even a drawing of the extinct thylacine {Tasmanian tiger) which disappeared from this area 3,000 years ago.  We took the detour that climbed up to the superb lookout (see above) before visiting the final few rock painting sites and returning to our locked bikes in the picnic area.

By now it was 3:30pm, so we began our return journey to Jabiru, via a short detour to the nearby Cahill Crossing, a causeway across the East Alligator River that leads into Arnhem Land and a number of indigenous settlements.  It was a tranquil scene, with the opaque green river just high enough to flow gently over the causeway into the tidal river estuary below and some locals fishing from the causeway, while others hung out nearby.  However, the tranquility was fragile, with a number of crocodiles visible in the river, including a very large one which had been chomping on something on the river bank not far from the fishing locals, who were keeping a close eye on him.  When he did leave the bank and begin swimming directly towards them, only some 30 metres away, they unhurriedly lobbed a few rocks in his direction and he disappeared under water.  A sign by the road warned there had been a recent fatal crocodile attack at this crossing.

Enticing though it was to stay and watch life at the river crossing, it was getting late, so we got going again. The scenery on the ride back to Jabiru was made even more pleasant by the rays of late afternoon sunshine, and the unloaded bikes made the rises and headwind sections more tolerable.  We finally returned to camp around 6pm, and after a much-needed shower, had a late dinner.  It had been a good day, but a long day.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 057 - Cooinda

Day:  057

Date: Thursday, 27 August 2020

Start:  Cooinda (Kakadu National Park)

Finish:  Cooinda (Kakadu National Park)

Daily Kilometres:  0 (click here for Julie's Strava and photos of our walk, and here for Julie's Strava and photos of our cruise)

Total Kilometres:  5826

Weather:  Hot, sunny and windy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Peanut butter & Ryvita

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Chicken roll, lasagne, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Difficult to choose, but possibly seeing a 4+ metre crocodile resting on the bank with what looked like the remains of a young bullock in its mouth.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Last night, Julie was chatting with some ladies in the camp kitchen/laundry about our plans in Kakadu, and soon afterwards we were generously invited to join them - Fiona, Elaine and Kelly - on their 4WD trip to the remote Jim Jim Falls today.  They are on a week's vacation from their jobs in Darwin.  Our original plan had been to lounge around the campground until our booked Yellow Water sunset cruise at 4:30pm, so the chance to instead spend the day visiting one of Kakadu's big attractions was too good to pass up.  (I had tried, a week ago, to book a commercial 4WD tour that included Jim Jim Falls, but they have ceased operation during the pandemic.)

We met them at their cabin at 7am and set off on the 1.5 hour drive (during which we saw two dingos), much of it on rough unsealed road and track to the JIm Jim Falls carpark, from where we hiked/scrambled into the magnificent gorge through a boulder-filled rainforest.  Sheer cliffs towered high above the gorge catching the early sunlight but where we hiked remained in shadow.  It took nearly an hour to reach the plunge pool, about 100m across and bordered by sheer cliffs on three sides.  We were dwarfed and awed by our surroundings, thinking about how ancient this place must be and wondering what it must be like during the wet season when water would be thundering from high above down into the pool.  The water was clear, deep and inviting, and eventually we all took the plunge, despite it only being about 9:30am, and the sunlight still absent.  It was cold, but not freezing, and it was exhilarating to swim out and look up.

After our swim, we rock-scrambled back up the gorge to another pool bordered on one side by a sunlit and warm beach backed by cliffs which supplied a small amount of shade. We hung out there for another hour or so, sunbaking, chatting, swimming in the beautiful water, and trying not to burn our feet on what had become very hot sand.  It was idyllic.  Eventually, it was time to leave and after hiking back to the car, our new friends delivered us back to the campground soon after 2pm.

After buying some food for dinner and storing it in the camp kitchen fridge, we relaxed for an hour or so, then caught a shuttle bus a short distance to the dock for our sunset Yellow Water cruise which toured the wetlands around the confluence of Jim Jim Creek and the (misnamed) South Alligator River.  It's hard to describe how good the cruise was (or how many pictures we took!).  We saw plenty of crocodiles, buffalo, wallabies, wild boar, and a fantastic range of birdlife and vegetation, along with an incredible sunset.

We got back to the campground at 7pm, enjoyed a late microwaved dinner, and after a shower got to bed around 9pm after an excellent day.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 056 - Pine Creek to Cooinda

Day:  056

Date: Wednesday, 26 August 2020

Start:  Pine Creek

Finish:  Cooinda (Kakadu National Park)

Daily Kilometres:  167 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5826

Weather:  Hot, sunny and windy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Peanut butter on Ryvita

  Lunch:  Jelly beans/Peanut butter on Ryvita

  Dinner:  Chicken roll, lasagne, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant, but both exhausted

Highlight:  The first 60km, riding into rising sun through the waking bush along the very quiet Kakadu Highway (five vehicles in three hours) was very special.   When we finish this trip, our fondest memories will be of the early morning riding in the bush.

Lowlight:  It's tough to choose between the wind, the flies, and the closed roadhouse.

1.  After breakfast, it was one of those days where when the road veered left we cheered, and when it veered right we cursed.  The hot wind was strong and there were places where it felt like we were fighting for every inch.

2.  Whenever we took a break, or our cycling pace slowed, flies descended on us, getting in our faces, eyes and ears, despite the insect repellent we were using.  Julie resorted to her headnet on our breaks.

3.  Our plan for the day was to ride the 60km from Pine Creek to the Mary River Roadhouse, the only place to resupply during the day, have breakfast there, and buy lunch and drinks to take with us.  Alas, it was closed indefinitely, presumably a casualty of the pandemic downturn.  We did manage to get some water, though, and are carrying enough extra food to survive such disappointments.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It was to be a long day's ride so we rose early and left Pine Creek in darkness at 5:45am, soon joining the Kakadu Highway and intent on riding the first 60km to the Mary River Roadhouse without a break.  The riding was beautiful along the winding and undulating road with an increasing number of rocky outcrops scattered through the forest bathed in the orange light of the rising sun, and the occasional buffalo grazing in the woodland (see above).

Sadly, when we got to the Roadhouse, it was closed (see above).  We stopped on a picnic table out the front and I walked into the caravan park, which was still open, though sparsely used, to get four litres of water to add to the four we were already carrying.  I was stopped by the caretaker on the way out, but he was happy for us to take the water.  We only had about 105km to go, which we thought we could accomplish with two breaks, so this seemed like plenty of fluids, but as it turned out, Julie used all of hers and I only had 600mls left by the time we reached Cooinda at the end of the day.

Soon after leaving the Roadhouse, we entered the famed Kakadu National Park, and encountered our first granny-gear climb for some time.  It didn't go on for too long, but the wind had become quite nasty by the time we reached the top, and stayed that way for the rest of the day.   We made a short gravel road detour from the road to the Bukbukluk Lookout which gave views over the tree-carpeted park to the west, north and east, with low hills and rocky escarpments in the distance.  The forest has a tropical feel to it with tall palm-like trees mingled among the more usual forest trees and small tree-ferns on the forest floor (I apologise for my extremely poor botanical knowledge).

After the lookout, though the forest and road remained very interesting, we were in survival mode, battling the wind, heat and hills, barely able to get off our bikes when we stopped for our two breaks.  We were going through our fluids fast, and our conversations were monosyllabic. We were both done.

Nevertheless, we persevered and eventually reached Cooinda, a main tourist centre in Kakadu just after 4pm.  We checked in, buying some cold drinks and ice-creams at the same time, which we inhaled at a picnic bench to help our recuperation before we went to find a tent site and set up camp.  After showers, we found some microwaveable food in the store and ate at another picnic table in the campground.  Then it was off to bed and more recuperation.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 055 - Katherine Gorge to Pine Creek

Day:  055

Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Start:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Finish:  Pine Creek

Daily Kilometres:  119 (click for Julie's Strava and photos and for our walk here)

Total Kilometres:  5659

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Fresh fruit salad, peach-passionfruit danish/chocolate croissant

  Lunch:  Chicken, avocado & bacon sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chicken schnitzel, salad & chips/Rump steak, salad & chips, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Very nice following wind for most of the day that made riding the hills in the heat much easier.

Lowlight:  The Stuart Highway between Katherine and Pine Creek was quite busy with trucks, road trains, caravans and other traffic, yet despite being a major highway, had a very narrow road edge (25cm/1ft wide, or less) for us to ride on to get out of the traffic lane.  We had to constantly watch our rearview mirrors for overtaking traffic, especially when there was oncoming traffic, and assess whether we needed to get off (drop off) the road edge onto the soft/rough gravel for safety. 

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We packed up in the dark and left the Katherine Gorge campground before the sun rose to retrace our steps (tracks) back to the town of Katherine, 29 kilometres away.  It was pleasant riding, despite a few hills, with the sun rising behind us and lighting up the hills and escarpments ahead and to the sides.

Katherine was busy (relatively) with weekday morning traffic when we arrived at 8am and rode to the supermarket and bakery to get breakfast and other supplies.  We ate breakfast sitting on the grass at a nearby park before buying some sandwiches for lunch at a service station on our way north out of town on the Stuart Highway around 9am.

With only 90km to go, and a following wind, we made good time along the busy road (see above) which passed through dry, and sometimes burnt, savannah woodland dotted with some very big termite mounds.  To the right, out of sight, a couple of times we heard the sound of heavy locomotives on the Adelaide-Darwin rail line (home of the famous Ghan train).

We took our usual 30-minute breaks every 90 minutes, sheltering from the fierce sun in the shade of trees, and attracting the usual toots and waves from passing traffic.  Around 2pm we pedalled into the sun-baked old gold mining town of Pine Creek and found our way to the hotel-motel and checked in.  We always enjoy an early finish for the day.  It gives us time to loaf around for a few hours, and no doubt for tired muscles to recuperate.

In the late afternoon we went for a short walk around the historic town and up to a lookout overlooking the town and one of the old open cut mining pits now filled with water.  Gold was first found here in 1870 and was still being mined late last century, though the town seems very sleepy now.  We stopped in at the pub for dinner on our way back from the lookout.  Whie the meal was OK, the nearly hour wait for it to arrive was not.  Then it was back to our room for another early night.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 054 - Katherine Gorge

Day:  054

Date: Monday, 24 August 2020

Start:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Finish:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Daily Kilometres:  0 (click here for Julie's Strava and photos from our canoe trip)

Total Kilometres:  5540

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Toasted ham, cheese & tomato sandwich/Toasted chicken & avocado sandwich 

  Lunch:  Trail mix, ice-cream

  Dinner:  Soup, macaroni cheese

Aches:  Julie cut her toe when she slipped on a trail in the gorge

Highlight:  Our five-hour excursion up through the Katherine Gorge by boat and canoe was excellent.  It started with a boat trip, along with about 30 other participants, through the spectacular first part of the gorge, accompanied by expert guide commentary, including information about the unlikely-to-be-dangerous freshwater crocodile inhabitants.  We disembarked at the end of the first gorge and hiked a few hundred metres across a rocky bar to reach our canoes in the second gorge.  We then had about four hours to explore as far up the gorges as we cared to go.  For most of us that meant paddling the length of the second gorge, portaging the canoes 100m across another rocky bar, then paddling the length of the third gorge.  The walls of the gorges were generally sheer rock cliffs, but it was amazing how individual trees, especially pencil-thin palms, and small hanging gardens had grown in the most unlikely places.  Here and there were feeder canyons to explore.  We hiked up one, at the end of which was a beautiful big pool that Julie swam across (on the way back she slipped and cut her toe), and at another we clambered up to view some ancient aboriginal rock art.  At other places, we beached our canoe to sit and admire the view and/or Julie went for a dip.  The other canoeists did similar things while one family with children spent time scaling high up the cliffs to then jump into the river (memories of recklessly taking young Aaron, then about 8 years old, jumping off the cliffs at Johnson's Shut-Ins in Missouri).

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our booked boat/canoe excursion didn't depart from near the Katherine Gorge Visitor Centre until 9am, so we were able to sleep in a little before wandering down to the Visitor Centre around 8am to buy some drinks and toasties for breakfast, which we ate on their magnificent shaded deck overlooking the Katherine River valley.

From there it was a short walk down to the river and the start of our very enjoyable excursion (see above).  After the excursion returned to the dock just before 2pm, we hastened back to the Visitor Centre cafe, scheduled to close at 2pm (COVID-19 hours), and bought an ice cream as a reward for all of our paddling, which we enjoyed on their deck.

With nothing else on the agenda for the day, we returned to the campground to read (and swim/sunbake, in Julie's case) for the rest of the afternoon.  Dinner in the camp kitchen followed in the evening then an early night.  Pedalling instead of paddling tomorrow!

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 053 - Katherine to Katherine Gorge

Day:  053

Date: Sunday, 23 August 2020

Start:  Katherine

Finish:  Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)

Daily Kilometres:  30 (click for Julie's Strava and photos and here for our walk)

Total Kilometres:  5540

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Fresh fruit salad, passionfruit danish/chocolate croissant

  Lunch:  Corned beef, cheese & pickle sandwich/Chicken & avocado sandwich

  Dinner:  Bangers & mash/Chilli con carne, vegetables & rice

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  A very pleasant and scenic hike around the 5km Baruwei Loop later in the afternoon when the heat had diminished a little.  After we had gone a kilometre, a sign that said the walk was closed for upgrading, but we decided to take our chances that it was still passable.  The trail wound its way up through a (relatively) cool and shady small canyon whose rock walls were lined with palms before emerging on an arid plateau scattered with scrub and boulder outcrops.  It passed by the edge of the plateau giving good views over the river valley and tourist area before descending a little to the Baruwei Lookout with a spectacular view up the Katherine Gorge with its rocky walls lining the dark green and inviting river.  Another, more formidable, fence and sign warned the trail back down to the tourist area was closed, but by this time we were not going to retrace our steps, and being late Sunday afternoon thought there was little chance of getting into trouble.  So it turned out, and we returned to camp unscathed and unprosecuted.

Lowlight:  Although we only rode a short distance today, a brisk headwind made it very hard, and occasionally unpleasant, work.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We only had 30km to ride today, from Katherine to Katherine Gorge, so we slept in then walked to the supermarket and bakery around 8am to get some breakfast and final supplies.  Back at the motel we ate breakfast while I got my fix of current affairs TV before packing and leaving at 10am on a very warm and sunny morning.

The road to the Gorge was to the east, directly into a strong headwind, so it was hard work and slow progress as we followed the out-of-sight Katherine River upstream to the Gorge.  Along the way, it was a mix of woodland, grazing land, hobby farms, a few orchards, and an eclectic mix of resorts, camping grounds, restaurants and curios.  Nearer the Gorge, the country became hilly with some brown rocky bluffs marking the start of the Gorge country.

We reached the National Park Visitor Centre at noon and booked a very expensive tent site for two nights.  There is a camp kitchen with fridge and microwave, along with a very nice swimming pool, and plenty of grassy potential tent sites, so I guess we are getting some value for money.  After putting our drinks and some other food in the fridge, we erected our tent, locked our bikes to a sturdy tree, and had lunch in the open air kitchen sheltering from the strong sun.  After lunch, Julie spent time in the pool while I did some email and listened to the football.

Around 4pm, as the day cooled a little, we set out on the 5km Baruwei Loop Walk from the campground which climbed up onto the dry escarpment overlooking the tourist area and and then visited the lookout offering views up the first part of the Gorge before we descended to the river and returned to the campground (see above).

After showers, we microwaved dinner and ate it in the camp kitchen watching the orange glow of the setting sun light up the escarpment in front of us.  A magic end to a pretty lazy and enjoyable day.  It is Sunday, after all!

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 052 - Mataranka to Katherine

Day:  052

Date: Saturday, 22 August 2020

Start:  Mataranka Homestead

Finish:  Katherine

Daily Kilometres:  115 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5510

Weather:  Hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese, tomato & pickle sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese, tomato & pickle sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chilli con carne, vegetables & rice/Grilled chicken & bacon pasta bake, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Well, not quite a highlight, but it appeals to my Presbyterian upbringing.  While shopping in Katherine this afternoon, I bought electric hair clippers and did some self-grooming later in the afternoon.  The price of the clippers, $20, certainly beat the $57 I paid for a haircut and beard trim in Townsville!  And I'm willing to carry the extra weight.

Lowlight:  I was riding about 5 metres behind Julie, when unbeknownst to me, she just missed a dead snake lying on the road edge.  In the second or two it took me to reach the same spot, it became apparent the snake was not dead, and a very annoyed writhing snake passed beneath my pedals before I had a chance to think or do anything about it.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Knowing another very hot day was forecast, we decided to get on the road early, even though we had a relatively short day in prospect, 115km to Katherine.  We sneaked out of the sleeping resort in darkness at 5:45am and cycled the 9km to Mataranka, and a just-opened service station, where we bought a couple of flavoured milks to consume as part of breakfast later on.  The first signs of dawn were showing in the eastern sky as we left town and headed for Katherine, the largest town on our route since Cairns on the east coast three or four weeks ago.  We were on the Stuart Highway, which we expected to get busier on this Saturday morning, and the service station clerk had warned us of heavy truck traffic.

It was still forest on both sides of the road, with large sections recently burnt and looking starkly beautiful in the rising sun.  Around 8am, with 69km to go, we took a break for breakfast in the shade of a roadside tree, knowing we were going to comfortably reach Katherine around noon, so feeling no pressure and enjoying the moment.

Traffic did increase, as expected, and twice we had to head for the hills when road trains arrived from opposite directions at the same time.  In each case, the one coming from behind gave us some early warning toots, and we quickly steered off the road.  It also got warmer, and after one more break, we were happy to reach the outskirts of Katherine, but not so much to encounter our first traffic light for a very long time.

We were too early to check-in to our motel, so stopped in shade on a lawn adjacent to the busy town visitor centre and ate the sandwiches Julie had prepared last night for lunch.  The town shopping centre was nearby adding to the Saturday pedestrian and road traffic as we later walked the block to our motel.  They kindly let us check in early, so we had plenty of time to shower, do laundry, do some shopping (see above), and take care of some other chores.  We're going to places in the next week with few stores and where we will have to camp and cater for ourselves, so Katherine, with a large supermarket, is a good place to stock up on our camp food supplies.

Later, dinner was microwaved in the motel shared kitchen and was followed by the usual quiet night.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 051 - Mataranka

Day:  051

Date: Friday, 21 August 2020

Start:  Mataranka Homestead

Finish:  Mataranka Homestead

Daily Kilometres:  0 (click here for Julie's Strava of our walk and her photos)

Total Kilometres:  5395

Weather:  Hot and sunny (record temperatures for this time of the year in the Top End)

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese & pickles sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese, tomato & cucumber sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chicken parmigiana, salad & chips

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  We spent a very pleasant 30 minutes or so, at 4 Mile, a quiet spot on the edge of the translucent and inviting Roper River, watching nature at work.  The river flowed silently by, bordered by tall palm trees and other tropical vegetation.  Dragonflies and small insects darted about just above, or on the surface, while small birds swooped low over the river, and occasionally into it, catching the insects.  High in a tree, a pair of brilliantly white cockatoos surveyed the scene, while other, unseen, birds called exotically.  And, across the river and tethered to the bank, floated an open, presumably baited, crocodile trap, hinting at the possible presence of other living creatures.

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After sleeping in, relatively, we left our motel room a little before 8am and set out on the River Walk in Elsey National Park along the banks of the Roper River itowards Mataranka Falls.  The full distance to the falls and back was more than 16km, so we were unsure whether we would go the whole way on what was already quite a warm day.  The path began by passing the nearby exotic thermal pools where people were already swimming/floating beneath the stately palms, including the caravaners who had offered us water and a shower a couple of nights ago.

Most of the walk was through quite dry woodland, but it was easy to see where the river flowed during The Wet.  We passed Rainbow Spring where warm water bubbled up from the artesian basin below, and also the peaceful Stevie's Hole where we stopped and ate our sandwich breakfast.  Further along, we reached 4 Mile where a seemingly little-used boat ramp led to the river and we took a very pleasant break (see above).  Although we could have continued on, we decided to turn back to the resort.  We both had tired legs and it was starting to get hot.  10km was enough.

Back at the resort, we took it easy for the rest of the day.  Julie made a few visits to the thermal pools while I did some more trip planning.  This included working out when we would be likely to reach the Western Australian border (2.5 weeks).  Presently, the border is closed to all but essential workers, and it seems unlikely we will get permission to enter, which will put an end to our Australian circumnavigation plans.  Nevertheless, I will put in a permit application in the next week and we'll see what happens.

If we can't get into WA, we'll head south to Adelaide and then follow the south coast eastwards to Victoria.  However, even that plan may be scuppered unless New South Wales opens its borders to Victoria, otherwise we'll have to spend two weeks in quarantine to get home.

After I joined Julie for her last trip to the thermal pools for the day, we had dinner at the resort cafe, which tonight had a singer going through a long list of country and rock classics (think Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, etc.), and some grey nomads dancing.  Once again, it was a beautiful balmy tropical evening for eating outside and a nice way to finish our stay here.

The resort buildings surround the original heritage-listed Mataranka Homestead, which was apparently used in the film based on the famous Australian book, We of the Never Never, which was written at nearby Elsey cattle station in the early 20th Century by Jeannie Gunn.  She was the first white woman to live in the area and I would love to have seen what life was like in those days around here.  Not easy, I'm sure.

Although the resort doesn't date back that far, it does feel a bit old and rundown, as does our motel room (Julie had a cockroach run up her leg while having a shower).  Regardless, the thermal pools and the Roper River are well worth a visit.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 050 - Daly Waters to Mataranka

Day:  050

Date: Thursday, 20 August 2020

Start:  Daly Waters

Finish:  Mataranka Homestead

Daily Kilometres:  177 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5395

Weather:  Mild early then sunny and hot

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese & pickle sandwiches

  Lunch:  Corned beef & pickle sandwiches

  Dinner:  Chicken parmigiana, salad & chips

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  We began riding at 4:45am because we had many kilometres in front of us and a hot day was forecast.  It was exhilarating, cruising along in the dark beneath a brilliantly starry sky, the smells and sounds of the unseen bush beside us, and only two vehicles encountered in the first 40km.  This was despite now being on the Stuart Highway, the main route between Adelaide and Darwin.  As it gradually became light in the east, the savannah woodland turned from silhouette to dull orange, then muted greens and yellows before finally being fully illuminated by the sun.  A very special first few hours.

Lowlight:  In Mataranka in the early afternoon, many of the local indigenous population, predominantly youngish, were gathering and chatting in the park where we were having a break.  A number were heading for the nearby bush carrying cartons of beer.  I can't believe there are many employment opportunities locally, so it makes me sad to think about what the future holds for these people.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our goal for today was the Mataranka Homestead resort, 177km away, where we will have a day off tomorrow to visit some local attractions.  The resort, so far as we knew, has no store and is 9km from the very small town of Mataranka on a side road.  To avoid having to buy all of our meals and drinks at the resort's cafe and bar, which would likely be expensive, we wanted to buy some food and drink at the small supermarket in town before riding out to the resort.  According to Google, the supermarket would close at 5pm, so we needed to make sure we got there in plenty of time on a day forecast to be very hot.  All this long preamble is to explain why we decided to get up at 4am and be on the road by 4:45am this morning.  It would allow us to cover a good distance before the heat set in, and give us some buffer time to get to Mataranka before supermarket closing time.

It proved to be a good decision.  The early riding was enjoyable (see above) and we made good time.  We didn't take a break until we had covered 53km, when we stopped in a roadside rest area and had breakfast around 7am.  It was already warming up.  We decided to capitalise on our good start by riding the next 41km without a break to the hamlet of Larrimah, where we might, or might not, be able to get some morning tea.  We were in luck, and found Fran's Tea House, now run by her grandson, open for business.  Scones with fresh cream and jam were ordered and eaten with relish, along with the obligatory cold Diet Coke, before we set off into the heat, hoping to cover the remaining 75km to Mataranka in two hops.

After 39km, we found another conveniently-located highway rest stop for lunch and then rode the last undulating 36km to Mataranka under a withering sun, arriving around 1:30pm.  We celebrated our achievement by buying an ice-cream, along with a cold drink, in the supermarket and ate it on the grassy lawn in the park opposite near a giant termite mound.  

After our celebratory ice-cream, we bought food and drink to help keep our costs down while at the resort, loaded up our bikes and rode the 9km to the resort, arriving around 2:45pm.  We checked in, and Julie went for a swim in the nearby thermal pools, while I showered and did some chores.  Like most of the out-of-the-way places we have visited - roadhouses, resorts, stores, campgrounds - this resort seems to be staffed largely by efficient and friendly young foreign backpackers who must have decided to wait out the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Later, we went to the cafe and bought dinner, eating it in their large covered al fresco area, fans whirring above, on a beautiful balmy tropical evening, well-satisfied with our day's work and looking forward to tomorrow's activities and a day off cycling.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 049 - Bulwaddy to Daly Waters

Day:  049

Date: Wednesday, 19 August 2020

Start:  Bulwaddy Picnic/Camping Area

Finish:  Daly Waters

Daily Kilometres:  91 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5218

Weather:  Cool early, then hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muesli

  Lunch:  Corned beef & pickles sandwiches

  Dinner:  Rissoles, salad & chips, ice creams

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  The last 50km for the day was mostly flat and directly into a moderate headwind that, though it may have taken the edge off the temperature, made cycling very hard work.  We were very happy to reach Daly Waters.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Fortunately, our loud drunken fellow camper began losing steam around 9pm and we had a quiet restful night until our alarm went off at 5:30am.  We packed in the dark and began riding at 6:30am when it was just light enough to see without lights.  Having completed 181km of the 272km from Cape Crawford to Daly Waters yesterday, we only had 91km to ride today until we reached our booked motel room, so were looking forward to an easy day and an early stop.

For the first few hours, the riding was easy and the temperatures ideal, as we continued on through the savannah woodland, taking a break for breakfast 8am.  Around 9am, as the sun developed some heat, a westerly wind sprang up and the riding became much harder.  This was exacerbated by the very long straight stretches of road that allowed us to see many kilometres ahead.  As we crested each low ridge, more kilometres of straight road revealed themselves ahead leading up to the next low ridge, yet we never seemed to benefit from any downhill.

The kilometres dragged, but we still made reasonable time, and were very happy to reach the Hi-Way Inn at Daly Waters at noon.  Our room wasn't ready, but we were happy to buy drinks and sandwiches and have lunch on the roadhouse verandah watching the world go by and anticipating a recovery afternoon.

By the time we had finished lunch our room was ready and we spent a quiet afternoon enjoying the air-conditioning, and both feeling very tired after a long day yesterday and a hard morning today.  We had an excellent early dinner (the Grey Nomad's Special) in the roadhouse and went to bed early, planning a very early start tomorrow for a long hot day on the road north.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 048 - Cape Crawford to Bulwaddy

Day:  048

Date: Tuesday, 18 August 2020

Start:  Cape Crawford

Finish:  Bulwaddy Picnic/Camping Area

Daily Kilometres:  181 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  5127

Weather:  Cool early, then hot and sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese & tomato sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese & tomato sandwiches

  Dinner:  Soup, Macaroni cheese

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  At the end of a long hot day's ride, and finding the water tanks dry (not unexpectedly) at the picnic area where we were free camping along with a couple of other travellers, we were working out how much of the precious water we had carried all day we could afford to use for a wash.  Water was still needed for dinner and tomorrow as well.  As we were setting up our tent, a lady from a caravan parked some distance away, walked over and asked whether we needed any water and whether we would like to have a shower in their caravan.  We politely declined the shower, but accepted the offer of water and were given a bucketful which allowed us to have a much-needed refreshing wash.

Lowlight:  After our wash (see above), as we were preparing dinner, a 4WD with two young guys and a dog arrived where we were camping.  One got out, having a loud profane argument with the driver, and obviously inebriated, and then came over to have a slurred conversation with us while his mate set up camp nearby.  An hour later, as I write this we can still clearly hear him having a loud conversation with his mate.  Hope it's not going to be a noisy night.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 5:30am and stealthily packed, hoping not to disturb the motorcyclist camped close by.  Most of the time he was snoring, which was a good sign.  The sun was just rising as we left the roadhouse at 6:45am.  We had purchased drinks and sandwiches last night for today's ride as the roadhouse doesn't open until 8am and we didn't want to hang around until then.  Firstly, we had 181km to ride so wanted to get going as soon as possible, and secondly, it was going to be hot and it's best to make good use of the cooler early hours for riding.

We weren't sure of getting any food or water for the next 272km, so we were carrying enough food for two days plus 17 litres of water and soft drink, adding considerably to the weight of our bikes.  But the road was going to be sealed the whole way, and the hills looked to be gradual, so the weight was less of an issue than for other days.

It was very cool riding for the first hour, but we savoured it, knowing that the forecast high for the day was in the mid-thirties, Centigrade.  Apart from the better temperatures, the early morning riding is always the best.  There are more animals about, and the orange dawn light illuminates the trees and lanscape around and ahead of us.  Not to mention that we are fresh.

Today's ride emphasised yet again what a vast outback Australia has.  Apart from a couple of side roads leading to cattle stations, and a few roaming cattle early on, we were surrounded by savannah woodland all day.  It wasn't all the same.  Different trees predominated in different places, and occasionally, there were stretches of grassland.  From the top of a couple of rises, we could see the savannah woodland stretching as far as the eye could see.  Not only did we ride 181km today with almost unbroken outback bush on both sides of the road, but it was clear that we could venture many kilometres into the bush on either side of the road and it would be the same.  The vastness is awesome.

By coincidence, the day broke up nicely into sections defined by the 10-kilometre signs along the road giving the distance to the Stuart Highway, about 270km from Cape Crawford.  It was 40km to the first picnic area where we had breakfast admiring an impressive view over the savannah, and then it was almost 60km, with a break half-way, to the next picnic area where we stopped for lunch.  From there, we had almost exactly 80km to the Bulwaddy Picnic Area where we are now, which we broke into sections of 30km, 30km, 20km.  Thirty kilometres, or 90 minutes, continues to be our optimal riding distance, with breaks of 30 minutes in between.  Averaging 20kph, as we did when riding today, worked out very neatly.

Traffic was light, but there were a lot of road trains, particularly cattle trucks. The cattle trucks were mostly empty, so some station must have been moving a lot of cattle around.  The road was very narrow for much of the day, so we always got onto the rough gravel edge for road trains, and usually for other vehicles as well.  Even then, I almost got blown off my bike by one road train as it passed.

We arrived at the Bulwaddy Picnic Area at 5:45pm, tired but satisfied with a good day's effort in warm conditions, often with a headwind.  "Picnic Area", sounds a bit grand for where we are.  There are two concrete picnic tables and two water tanks, neither with any water.  Otherwise it is dry, dusty and scrubby with hard stony red earth.  Although maybe used for picnics, most of these double as unofficial free camping areas for travellers, which is great.  The downside is that you may end up sharing with people who cause you concern (see above).  The alternative is to find somewhere quiet off the road where nobody knows you are there.  Tonight, we were hoping, though not expecting, there might be water available (see above), so we took a chance.

Before going to bed, we spent some time admiring the awe-inspiring outback night sky.  The Milky Way was brilliantly visible, as were myriads of other stars.  Very special. 

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 047 - Borroloola to Cape Crawford

Day:  047

Date: Monday, 17 August 2020

Start:  Borroloola

Finish:  Cape Crawford

Daily Kilometres:  112 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  4946

Weather:  Mild to hot and sunny all day

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham salad sandwiches

  Lunch:  Silverside salad sandwiches 

  Dinner:  Fish, chips & salad/Chicken schnitzel, chips & salad

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  We stopped by the side of the road in the shade of a tree for our mid-morning break and compared it to our mid-morning break three days ago on the road from Hells Gate to Borroloola.  Then, we were hot, exhausted, caked in dust, drinking warm water and trying to eat glutinous trail mix (Smarties are not as robust as M&Ms), with many kilometres of rough dusty road in front of us.  Today, we were warm, fresh, clean, struggling to get the last of the not-quite-thawed flavoured milk out of the carton, snacking on still-cold chocolate, and more than half-way to our objective with a following wind and flattish road ahead.  It almost felt like we were cheating!

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

One chore I forgot on our day off yesterday, was to clean and reposition the cleats in our shoes, so we left Borroloola a little later than intended at 6:45am.  After the gravel, clay and dirt of last week, gunk had accumulated around the cleats, making them difficult to clip in and out, so it was worth spending the time, with the gunk now behind us, for a while at least.

It was magic riding on a sealed road again.  We could maintain a good speed and look around more, rather than struggling along focused on choosing the best line to ride on the rough surface.  The sun was rising behind us and there was very little traffic as we rode through the flat savannah woodland dotted with the ubiquitous termite mounds amidst the ubiquitous burnt undergrowth, the result of low-intensity fires common in the arid tropics of Australia.

After an hour or so, we crossed out of aboriginal land onto McArthur River Station land, a vast cattle station (7,000 square kilometres), through which we cycled for the next 100km, apart from some kilometres claimed by the massive McArthur River Mine (lead-zinc-silver).  We stopped for breakfast around 9am, having made good time on a beautiful morning and looking forward to an early finish to the day.

After breakfast, rocky outcrops, escarpments and low hills began to break up the flat savannah scenery, providing more interest and a few gradual climbs.  However, to our benefit, as our road direction swung more to the west, what had been a mild crosswind became a following wind.  Our average speed was about 23kph and we decided that we would only need one more break before our destination, Cape Crawford.  We had that break at 11am (see above), then had an easy run to the Heartbreak Hotel roadhouse at Cape Crawford which we reached at 1pm.

Although we only rode 112km today, it's 272km to the next roadhouse, so we will camp here (no cabins available) where we can get showers and food, and then camp by the road tomorrow night.  There's nothing here but the roadhouse and an airstrip, but it is pleasantly grassed and shady.  We ate our lunch on the broad roadhouse verandah before setting up our tent.  Julie then had a swim in the small pool while socialising with some other travellers while I returned to the verandah for a lazy afternoon.

The roadhouse kitchen reopened at 6pm, and we ate there as well as buying supplies for tomorrow's ride, and had an early night.  Camping by the road tomorrow night, so likely no internet access.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 046 - Borroloola

Day:  046

Date: Sunday, 16 August 2020

Start:  Borroloola

Finish:  Borroloola

Daily Kilometres:  0

Total Kilometres:  4834

Weather:  Warm to hot and sunny all day

Accommodation:  Cabin

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Porridge

  Lunch:  Chicken, cabana & chips

  Dinner:  Chicken parmigiana & vegetables, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  None really

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It was a bit of a nothing day, but certainly welcomed by my fatigued body.  Just walking down to the service station 500m away last night was an effort.

Our day got off to a slow start before we decided to walk 1.5km up to the main part of the small town mid-morning, before the heat set in, to see what delights the "supermarkets" had in store, and to look around. Borroloola is primarily an aboriginal town, but also the home of the shire council.  The public facilities, such as the school, looked well cared for, but the dry dusty sun-baked laid-back feel of an outback town still shone through.  We spread our largesse around town by buying some food and other supplies in both of the small stores before walking back to our cabin under a bright hot sun.

Back at the cabin, Julie took care of our laundry and cleaning the dust off our bags (everything has ingrained red dust), while I did some trip planning and booking (yes, very traditional task allocation!).  I also spent some time cleaning out my handlebar bag, in which I store things for easy access during the day, because a motel cake of soap I had thrown in there had broken open and been pulverised into powder over the last three days, coating everything with a fine layer of soap.  At least it was easier to clean than the egg salad sandwich Julie had pulverised in her handlebar bag early in our trip.

For lunch, we walked down to the service station and bought some take-out, along with supplies for tomorrow's ride, and the afternoon was spent doing some more chores, catching up on correspondence and phone calls, repacking, and generally lazing around enjoying the air-conditioning.  The occupants of the other cabins, most of whom seem to be workers of some description or other, were doing the same thing, lounging around on their verandahs chatting or reading or using their laptops on their day off.

Dinner was a microwaved meal and then more laziness before an early night.  We are looking forward to riding on a sealed road tomorrow.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 045 - Robinson River to Borroloola

Day:  045

Date: Saturday, 15 August 2020

Start:  Robinson River Crossing

Finish:  Borroloola

Daily Kilometres:  108 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  4834

Weather:  Mild early then warm to hot and partly sunny

Accommodation:  Cabin

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muesli

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Pizza, ice cream

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Completing the 317km ride from Hells Gate Roadhouse to Borroloola.  We suspected it would be tough, but it was even tougher than anticipated.  Bikes, bodies and bags were all given a very good workout over three days by the rough road in very warm conditions.  Though we survived, and gained a great sense of satisfaction from the physical accomplishment and from experiencing such a remote part of Australia, not sure we would want to do it (by bike) again anytime soon.

Lowlight:  Knowing we had 108km to Borroloola, where showers, ice creams and cold drinks awaited us, and knowing we had only managed 94km yesterday, we were keen to make a good start.  However, almost as soon as we left camp we struck sand so deep we were pushing our bikes, and we continued to regularly hit similar patches of sand for the first 10km, severely denting our optimism.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 6am and were riding (I use the term loosely) by 7am with a brilliant dawn lighting the sky behind us.  We knew we had a challenging day ahead and were hoping for some early good fortune with the road conditions, but were soon disappointed (see above).

However, there was no alternative but to just keep riding as much as we could, and after 10km the road quality did improve, relatively.  Our pace picked up and we kept going, with almost zero traffic, until 9am when we stopped for breakfast by the road, with 27km done.  While we were eating, two 4WD vehicles towing camping trailers, and carrying three generations of a family from Port Macquarie, pulled up for a chat and to see if we needed anything.  They said they had been following our tyre tracks in the sand for two days and wondered who would be riding a bike on this road.  They kindly gave us some cold water to drink (the water in our bottles is always warm), and we wished each other well.

We caught them again at a creek crossing a few kilometres down the road where they had stopped to let the grandchildren have a play in the beautiful clear running water.  Larger lagoons were up and downstream, and I wouldn't have been keen to swim in them.  Crocodiles!  Other people were also stopped at the pretty creek and one told Julie that we were a topic of discussion amongst travellers on the track.  As we were leaving, the grandparents offered us a cold Tim Tam biscuit each, which was gratefully accepted.

At breakfast, I worked out that if we could manage at least 20 kilometres in each 90 minute spell of riding, we would get to Borroloola by 5pm, in time, hopefully, to find a cabin or motel room, though it was Saturday night in a remote country town and there had to be a good chance all accommodation was taken.  The average road conditions did gradually improve all day, but there were still frequent stretches of sand that required walking, and corrugations slowing progress.  It was also getting very hot, and we took the opportunity to have a splash at the next creek crossing, another beautiful spot, which coincided with a scheduled break.

As the day wore on, we seemed to be just staying in front of our schedule, though it required constant effort.  Nearer Borroloola, I turned on my mobile phone in the hope that as soon as we got reception I would be alerted by notifications, and that's what happened just before our last break at the top of a hill.  I called the caravan park in Borroloola and booked their sole remaining cabin for the night.  It was bigger than we need, and a bit pricey, but beggars can't be choosers.

Knowing we now had somewhere to stay, and with the help of a nice following wind and better road, the last hour flew by and soon after crossing the Macarthur River we were riding into Borroloola.  We stopped at the small service station on the way into town and bought some cold drinks which we took to the caravan park about 500m up the road and checked in around 4:30pm.  Some police were there for some reason, and one of them commented that they had seen us 150km back down the road yesterday.  He was impressed. 

Our cabin, which we have booked for two nights (a recovery day is warranted), is very nice and after showers we walked to a nearby cafe to order take-out pizza, and a small supermarket for some other supplies.  That makes it sound like a normal little town, but what we have seen so far is very dry, very spread out, and a bit rundown.  However, we are very happy to be here (see above).

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 044 - Highway 16 to Robinson River

Day:  044

Date: Friday, 14 August 2020

Start:  Junction Highway 1 & Highway 16, Northern Territory (NT)

Finish:  Robinson River Crossing

Daily Kilometres:  94 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  4726

Weather:  Cool and misty early, then sunny and warm to hot

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muesli

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Soup, 2-minute noodles

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Undoubtedly the fully-clothed dip at the end of the day in the Robinson River. 

Lowlight:  Once again, the corrugations, soft sand/dust and rocks of the road.  This is Highway 1, Australia's premier road, circumnavigating the continent, but you would never guess.  Our average speed today was 10kph, and we frequently had to walk the bikes through dust too deep to ride through, and both had falls.  The whole day was spent trying to guess which line was the best to ride, bouncing up and down over rocks and corrugations, and putting in spurts of effort to get through softer sections.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We didn't have a great day.  It started out OK, when just down the road from where we were camped on an eerily misty morning, we encountered two policemen manning the Northern Territory's COVID-19 checkpoint.  After a friendly chat and a bit of paperwork, we were allowed to continue.

From there, we actually made reasonable time for the 26km to the Calvert River where we had breakfast and replenished our water supplies for the day.  It was like an oasis in the savannah, with cool water lagoons, lilies and tropical vegetation, and would have been a good camping spot.

After the river, our day became very tough.  It was hot and dusty hard work on the bad road (see above) with flies constantly and annoyingly in our faces.  There was very little traffic, which generally fell into two categories, those who waved and sped by covering us in dust, and those who waved, but slowed down to spare us the dust and sometimes to ask whether we needed anything.  Our team's social secretary, Julie, was always up for a quick chat on such occasions.

With only 71km to go from our breakfast stop to Robinsons River, we were hopeful of going further before stopping for the night, but as the day wore on and we were worn down, just making the river became our dream.  The last 20km of road was particularly onerous, taking us over two hours, with long sandy sections and never-ending corrugations.  We were very happy to reach the river just after the sun set at around 5:45pm.  There was nowhere to camp close to the river, and not recommended because of crocodiles, so we took a break, filled every water container we had (we can carry about 20 litres), then had a dip in the very inviting clear river, fully-clothed.  Heaven!  We are absolutely caked in red dust at the end of a day such as today.

After the dip, we pushed our bikes up the hill on the other side of the river and found a place to camp.  Both exhausted, we set up camp as quickly as we could, ate and went to bed hoping that the road is a little better tomorrow.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 043 - Hells Gate to Highway 16

Day:  043

Date: Thursday, 13 August 2020

Start:  Hells Gate Roadhouse

Finish:  Junction Highway 1 & Highway 16, Northern Territory (NT)

Daily Kilometres:  115 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  4632

Weather:  Mild to hot and mostly sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg & bacon rolls

  Lunch:  Ham salad sandwiches

  Dinner:  Soup, 2-minute noodles

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Entering the Northern Territory after six weeks on the road.

Lowlight:  Corrugations, followed by soft sand/dust and rocks.  It was, for the most part, a very hard ride today.  Often our speed was less than 10kph as we sought to make progress through endless corrugations, looking for solid, slightly less uneven, ground and bumping up and down with everything shaking.  I fell off twice when I couldn't disengage my cleat fast enough when the dust became too soft to make forward progress.  We were teased with a few more even sections, but it rarely lasted long  and once we entered the Northern Territory, the road was rarely easy.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept in until 6:30am, knowing that the roadhouse did not open until 7am  and we planned to get breakfast there as well as some sandwiches for lunch (and, of course, some Coke for the road).  We let the tent dry a little, after an unexpected overnight dew, while we had breakfast and then packed up and left soon after 8am.  Later than we had intended, but we were crossing into the Central Australian Time Zone today, so would get 30 minutes back.

The Northern Territory border was 50 kilometres away and we had been told the police would be there to check our entry permits.  In those 50 kilometres, we encountered our first bad roads, and also some crews working on road maintenance.  At one place, we were told to follow a grader through a section as he graded it, but as we suspected, the dirt was to soft to ride on and we ended up pushing our bikes through.  We reached the border in the late morning, but apart from warning signs, no police or any other controls and we pedalled on.  It was in the middle of nowhere, so I was not surprised.

The savannah woodland was quite thick in places and as we got further into the NT, some impressive dark rocky outcrops began to appear.  There were occassional cattle roaming through the woods and a couple of water bores, but no other signs of civilisation apart from a rare passing vehicle or truck (and lots of wrecked ones by the road).

It had become very warm and fighting the testing road conditions (see above) was wearing us down, though we didn't stop for lunch until around 1pm.  We were going through our fluids fast, and although we still had plenty left, we resolved to top up our water, either at a creek crossing (none had any water, apart from one signposted as contaminated, near an old mine), or if offered by a passing motorist.  We got our chance for the latter near the top of a killer hill, up which we walked the last 100 metres, when a passing tourist offered us water and we accepted.  He waited for us at the top of the hill and we drank our fill as well as topping up some water bottles, giving us enough to camp for the night without finding more water,

We had thought, with some luck, that we might reach the Calvert River today, where we do hope to find water, but it was 141 kilometres, and just too far in the hot weather and difficult road.  We kept pedalling, albeit slowly, until around 5:45pm when we followed a track off the road and found a place to camp.  We quickly set up, had a flannel wash, which barely impacted the thick layers of caked dust, ate dinner and went to bed, very tired, knowing we have to do it all over again tomorrow. 

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 042 - Burketown to Hell's Gate

Day:  042

Date: Wednesday, 12 August 2020

Start:  Burketown

Finish:  Hells Gate Roadhouse

Daily Kilometres:  178 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  4517

Weather:  Cool early then warm to hot and sunny all day

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  A few jelly beans

  Lunch:  Hot dog, ice-creams

  Dinner:  Hamburger & chips

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Maybe not really a highlight, but we were happy there was less gravel road than expected.  Probably only 20 kilometres, when we thought it might be up to 50.

Lowlight:  Arriving at the Tirranna Roadhouse, where we planned to get breakfast, at 8am and finding it did not open until 8:30am, according to the sign.  Of course, we could have hung around for 30 minutes to see if it opened (not guaranteed), but we had a big day in front of us and didn't want to waste time.  There was another roadhouse 60 kilometres down the road, so we had a drink and a few jelly beans and kept going.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our stealthy departure soon after 6am from the closely packed and thin-walled cabins at the caravan park was foiled when I accidentally banged the bell on my bike which is quite loud. Curses!

As usual, the early riding was sensational.  The sun was slowly rising in a clear sky behind us (and in our rear-view mirrors) and the savannah grassland around us gradually came to life.  Wallabies, a brolga and an eagle were seen, as well as many other birds and plenty of cattle.  Along the way, we forded the Gregory River, which was flowing and bordered by lush green tropical vegetation.  An oasis in the dry savannah.

After 30 kilometres, we reached the small Tirranna Roadhouse where we planned to get breakfast, but it was closed (see above), so after a short break we continued on.

In another 60 kilometres we reached the Doomadgee Roadhouse, located in an aboriginal community that has made headlines in the past for the wrong reasons.  In fact, we had been warned in Burketown to be careful of our belongings in Doomadgee, but that may just have been some white prejudice showing through.  Anyway, we are always careful of our belongings, and it was no different in Doomadgee.

The roadhouse was a busy place, with a constant stream of locals driving or walking in to buy various things.  A fairly extensive electronic menu was displayed behind the counter, and it turned out we could have anything we liked, as long as it was a hot dog: so that's what we had for lunch, sitting on the nearby grass in the shade of a tree on what had turned out to be a hot day.

Later, when I went back into the roadhouse, a local in his 50s asked me politely whether I would mind telling him how old I was.  He was impressed, and we ended up having a long chat as we waited to be served.  A lady, who I presume was his wife, was in front of us in the queue with a friend.  At one point she turned and took a good look at me in my (flattering) bike shorts then said something to her friend and they both dissolved into a fit of giggles.  I suspect the comment was non-complimentary!

From Doomadgee, which we left around 12:30pm, we knew we were in for a long hot afternoon to reach our goal for the day, the Hells Gate Roadhouse, 81 kilometres away, some of which was going to be gravel road.  By the time of our first break, we both felt very dehydrated, and thankful we had purchased extra fluids at the roadhouse.  Even then, we could have done with more.  The temperature was in the mid-30s (°C), and even Julie, who was earlier saying how much she liked the warmth, was changing her mind!  Despite the warmth, we were still enjoying the ride, with almost no traffic and the end of cattle country.  Now the vegetation was endless savannah woodland which, in many places, had the undergrowth burned away by low-intensity fire, presumably lit by the local indigeous people.  We even saw some brumbies (wild horses), along with the usual wallabies.

With about a litre left between us and only 48 kilometres to go, we were fine, and rode for another 90 minutes, and onto gravel road before we took a final break, and drank the last of our fluids.  We arrived at the Hells Gate Roadhouse a little after 5pm, well-satisfied with our day's effort.  We paid the camping fee (all cabins booked, presumably by roadwork crews) and bought another cold 1.25 litre bottle of drink each, which we drank while setting up our tent in the very nice and large grassy campground.

There were slim pickings at the roadhouse for dinner and drinks, which we ate in the outside eating area next to a loud half dozen "well-hydrated" backpackers, but the staff are exceptionally helpful and friendly, and the facilities are good.

Tomorrow, after 50 kilometres, we cross into the Northern Territory.  There is a border control there to prevent people from COVID hotspots entering.  We have filled out an online application, so are hopeful it all goes smoothly, but you never know.

No internet access for the next two to four days as we tackle the 320 kilometres of questionable quality unsealed road to the next settlement/resupply at Borroloola.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 041 - Burketown

Day:  041

Date: Tuesday, 11 August 2020

Start:  Burketown

Finish:  Burketown

Daily Kilometres:  0

Total Kilometres:  4339

Weather:  Cool early then warm and sunny

Accommodation:  Cabin

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg & bacon rolls

  Lunch:  Egg & lettuce roll, custard donut/Chicken salad roll, chocolate brownie

  Dinner:  Pizza, ice-creams

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  None really

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Not much happened today.  We were slow to get up after our late night and walked over to the town cafe for breakfast, which we ate at a table outside.

Then it was back to the cabin and some laundry, trip-planning and lazing around until it was lunchtime and another walk across the manicured town park to the same cafe for lunch.  It was quite warm by now, but very pleasant sitting in the shade outside the cafe watching the small town world go by (very slowly).

On our way back to the cabin we detoured via the town information centre and exhibits and then the post office, hoping to mail back home a few more things we don't need any more.  Alas, it is closed on Tuesday afternoon.  I returned to the cabin to do some more trip planning, while Julie walked down to see an old artesian bore that still brings to the surface scalding hot mineralised water, where it runs off and evaporates to leave a landscape of mineral deposits.

After more lazing around, we walked to the town cafe yet again to get dinner and had a welcome early night.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 040 - Normanton to Burketown

Day:  040

Date: Monday, 10 August 2020

Start:  Normanton

Finish:  Burketown

Daily Kilometres:  227 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  4339

Weather:  Cool early then sunny and warm

Accommodation:  Cabin

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Ham, cheese & chutney sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese & chutney sandwiches

  Dinner:  Ham, cheese & chutney sandwiches again!

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  Yet again, the first few hours of riding were excellent.  After turning onto the Normantown-Burketown road, a few kilometres outside of Normanton, we saw only two vehicles in the next two hours.  We rode abreast down our private bike path with shadows shortening and the landscape lit up by the rising sun.  Wallabies scampered through the bush and flocks of birds circled or perched in the trees.  Perfect.

Lowlight:  Having made the decision around 6pm to continue on to Burketown for the night rather than camp, the last 50km seemed to take a very long time, even though in reality it took just over two hours, a good time for us.  Part of it was not knowing whether we would have accommodation when we got to Burketown (confirmed by phone with 20 minutes to go), and part of it was that after the last light of the setting sun disappeared, we seemed to be in a kind of endless dark tunnel populated by road-sense-deficient wallabies, kamikaze grasshoppers, and never-ending bumpy floodways.  On the plus side, it was a beautiful crimson-orange sunset, and later, multitudes of stars, best visible in the outback, were awe-inspiring.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

At 6:30am, we sneaked, literally, out of our motel room, since it involved taking our bikes and gear along a narrow wooden verandah past the sleeping occupants of a number of other rooms trying to avoid banging the various tables and chairs that obstructed our path.  (Mind you, yesterday morning, when we were sleeping in, some other occupants had no problem holding a loud conversation outside as they left at 5:30am.)

After loading our bikes in the motel courtyard, we were on our way through the still-sleeping small town of Normanton and soon enjoying a beautiful dawn in the outback (see above).  Knowing that we had 100 kilometres of unsealed road after the first 55 kilometres of sealed road, and an adverse wind, our stretch target for the day was to get to the end of the unsealed road and camp somewhere near the Leichhardt River crossing, leaving 72 kilometres to Burketown, the next settlement, where we had a cabin booked for tomorrow night.  However, we were also happy to stop earlier today if the conditions were too difficult.

Once the sealed road ended, we were relieved to find the gravel road quite good.  There were mild corrugations in places, and some soft edges, but when the wind let us, we made good time.  The wind was from the south, and our overall direction was west-southwest, meaning that whenever our road veered to the left, the wind became a factor, and whenever it veered right, we cheered.  The countryside was also a factor.  Long stretches of open savannah grassland did nothing to dent the force of the wind, but elsewhere, savannah woodland provided some protection.  Overall, it was still enjoyable riding, with our always-welcome breaks taken beneath trees, and if possible, out of the wind on a beautiful day.

It was cattle country, some behind roadside fences, and others roaming freely.  Cattle grids were frequent and we saw a couple of large homesteads from the road.  Usually we just see sign-posted side roads to the station homesteads.

By lunchtime, it became apparent that our rate of progress would get us to the Leichhardt River by 5pm and that's how it turned out, despite some roadworks sections that slowed us a little.  When we got to the river, we found a broad hard rock river bed, with channels/billabongs filled with inviting translucent green water.  No crocodiles were visible, and maybe none were there, but we resisted the urge to take a plunge.  In the distance, near one of the large billabongs, were some trees, looking like over-decorated Christmas trees, filled with hundreds of screeching cockatoos.  Quite a sight.

Camping on the rock riverbed near the billabongs was not an option with our tent, but we could see a number of campervans and caravans in the distance and thought we might try there.  However, when we reached the access side road it was soft sand.  We could have dragged the bikes in there, but decided to see if we could find somewhere more accessible a little further on (we were carrying enough water).

This proved a fateful decision.  Firstly, the country immediately opened out with few trees or places to camp discreetly. Secondly, our direction of travel turned north and we were speeding along with a nice following wind.  After about 45 minutes of fruitless campsite searching as we rode, we decided that, with 51 kilometres to go to Burketown, maybe we should continue on, even though we wouldn't get there until after 8pm.  I tried, also fruitlessly, to get sufficient phone signal to call ahead to the caravan park where we had booked our cabin for tomorrow night to see if we could get the same cabin for tonight as well.  We decided that, if no cabin was available, we could always just pitch our tent in a corner of the caravan park, so kept pedalling as the sun set (see above).

Eventually, I got enough signal to call, but there was no answer, so I left a garbled message …... and we kept pedalling.  With twenty minutes to go, the park proprietor called back and confirmed we had a place to stay.  It took a little while to find the park when we got to the poorly lit Burketown, but we finally made it.  Check-in also took a little while as they were using a COVID-19 form that required the listing of each place we had stayed for the previous 14 days!!

Our cabin is a little pokey and over-priced (and I did find a dead grasshopper on my pillow and another on top of the toilet cistern), but we're grateful to the proprietor for going the extra mile to call back and open after hours to help us out.  Showers were welcomed by our very dusty bodies and now we're having another day off as a reward for completing two days in one (and for having a very late night, by our standards).  Bookings have also been made up ahead, though that may be changed tomorrow.