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.