Julie and I were supposed to be hiking the 5,000km Continental Divide Trail in the US in 2020, but COVID-19 derailed that plan. Instead, we will have an adventure in Australia, circumnavigating the country on our bikes, a distance of about 16,500km taking approximately five and a half months. We will use minor roads where possible and occasionally catch ferries across rivers and inlets to avoid busier inland routes. We will camp some of the time and stay in motels, hotels, etc, at others. There will be stretches of up to five days with no accommodation or resupply available, so we will need to be self-sufficient.

Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 079 - Ormiston Gorge to Mereenie Loop

Day:  079

Date:  Friday, 18 September 2020

Start:  Ormiston Gorge

Finish:  127km east of Kings Canyon Resort

Daily Kilometres:  111 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  8131

Weather:  Cool and overcast early, then sunny, warm and windy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muesli

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Spaghetti bolognaise

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  After a brutal afternoon, enjoying dinner in the lea of our tent as the sun set, listening to Julie's music.

Lowlight:  It must be a few days since I promised not to complain about the wind for a few days!  The wind brought an early end to our day today.  For most of the afternoon we had been cycling west along the Mereenie Loop, a very rough gravel road which would have been hard enough on its own, but we had to deal with a strong north-westerly that blew across the scrubby plains, raising dust and sandblasting every now and then.  After about 20km, the road entered a valley which we hoped might offer more protection, but it soon swung north-west and we were riding directly into a dust storm.  We were barely moving forward and I was having great difficulty seeing because of the dust going into my eyes (and contact lenses).  It was soon after 4pm, and although we had hoped to ride for another hour, it seemed a fruitless and painful endeavour.  We found a clump of trees just off the road that offered a little protection, and after I managed, with Julie's help, to remove my dust-filled and very painful contact lenses, we set up the tent and camped for the night.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

It was a wild night, with the wind howling and occasionally rain beating down on the tent.  It didn't seem like a good day to be tackling the Mereenie Loop, 140km of rough gravel road that we had to use to get to Kings Canyon, our next stop.  Our alarm was set for 5:15am, but when the time came, I suggested we stay at Ormiston Gorge for another day, do one of the longer walks, and hope the weather was better tomorrow.  However, after lying fitfully in bed for 45 minutes with the wind abating, we changed our minds, packed up and began riding at 7am.  There was a mild headwind, but it wasn't too bad, and we enjoyed the sunrise, especially as it lit up the massive Mt Sonder, the end of the Larapinta hiking trail that we had been paralleling.

The ride became even more enjoyable as the road swung to the south and we got some tailwind support from the steady north-westerly. The road climbed gradually up to Tylers Pass where we detoured up to the lookout which gave a fantastic view to the south, including the awesome Gosses Bluff, looking very much like the splash from a crashing comet, which is exactly what it is (140m years ago).

We then had a nice descent and made good time to the point where we turned west on Larapinta Drive which became a rough gravel road, also known as the Mereenie Loop.  The road passes through aboriginal land, and we are supposed to have a permit to cross and camp, but when I asked for the permit at the Alice Springs Tourist Information Office, they said they could only issue the permit for cars and that I would have to go to the Central Lands Council, several kilometres away, for a cycling/camping permit.  I didn't bother, and as we began riding along the road today, there were no signs requiring a permit.  If we get stopped, we will happily pay.

The riding became tough, not only because of the rough, gradually climbing, road, but also because we were now riding into the strong north-westerly wind.  We also realised that our app, Maps.Me, had misled us about the distance to Kings Canyon, and that it was 45km further than expected.  Bummer!  Despite these setbacks, we just got on with it, and travelled along barely making 10kph much of the time.  Amusement was provided by two passing rented campervans, the occupants of which both asked whether the road was like this all the way to Kings Canyon, to which I replied yes.  They continued on, very slowly, but I doubt they had read the fine print on their rental contract, because I'm sure they were not supposed to be on the Mereenie Loop.

Some more amusement was provided by discovering a dead camel behind us after we stopped for a break, but the wind was so strong, we couldn't smell it anyway.  After 25km of difficult riding, the road turned northwest, and life became even more difficult (see above).  Eventually, we gave up and stopped early, leaving us about 127km to go tomorrow, which should be OK if the wind drops, but not if it continues to blow.  We started out today carrying 17+ litres of water, and still have 8+ litres left, as well as sufficient food for several days, so not making it to Kings Canyon tomorrow night won't be a disaster, but we would really like to get there.

After we set up camp, first having to remove copious amounts of old camel dung from the area (they obviously like to shelter in this clump of trees from the wind and sun as well), the wind continued to blow and everything now has a fine layer of dust on it.  But we are comfy and will have an early night and an early start tomorrow.

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