Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 099 - Blinman to Wilpena Pound

Day:  099

Date:  Thursday, 08 October 2020

Start:  Blinman

Finish:  Wilpena Pound

Daily Kilometres:  64 (click for Julie's Strava and photos)

Total Kilometres:  10351

Weather:  Cold, windy and mostly cloudy

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cereal, toast and apple

  Lunch:  Soup, macaroni cheese & corned beef

  Dinner:  Hamburger & chips, donut/muffin

Aches:  Nothing significant

Highlight:  The whole 64km ride from Blinman to Wilpena Pound was spectacular.  The road was a bit of a winding roller coaster, and the west wind was icy and strong, but the scenery was magic.  Rolling hills, some topped by rocky bluffs, pine covered red-soil slopes, aged elegant eucalypts in puddled creek beds, distant sun-dappled mountains, and finally the mountainous crags of Wilpena Pound, made it a very interesting ride.

Lowlight:  While Julie was changing the SIM card on her phone (we have a backup SIM from another carrier), the card and holder catapulted out of her phone and disappeared into a large swathe of small pebbles surrounding our picnic table.  It took about ten minutes of careful searching to locate both.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

With only 64km planned for today, we felt no urgency to make an early start, the wisdom of which was confirmed when a temperature check yielded 5°C without the considerable wind chill.  We ate the continental breakfast that came with our room, then repacked our now mostly dry gear, before heading off at 9am after stopping in at the tiny general store/bakery to get a snack for morning tea.

It was cold and we were wearing more gear than usual, but at least it was dry, the sun was occasionally breaking through the clouds, and we were on sealed road.  We felt no time pressure, given the relatively short journey to Wilpena Pound, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery (see above), taking just one break along the way, but making plenty of photo stops.

There was much evidence of yesterday's rain, with lots of standing water by the road, and debris and water across the road in many of the floodways.  Some parts of the journey were through sheep grazing country, with homesteads visible in the distance, and other parts were through sections of Flinders Ranges National Park.  It's one of my favourite parts of Australia, and I have visited here many times in the last 50 years.

After a last 5km beat into the wind, during which we overtook a couple of mountain-bikers out for a ride, we reached Wilpena Pound Campground and checked in around 2pm.  It is nestled in a valley just outside the Pound, a massive bowl created by a ring of mountains which also tower over the campground.   It's a busy and big place.  Peak season and the last few days of school vacation, mean that there are many families camped here.  There is also a resort with a restaurant, bistro and accommodation along with a small supermarket.

After we set up our new tent for the first time, we showered, had a late lunch and did laundry and a few other things, before walking down to the bistro for dinner just before 6pm.  It was fully booked, but they let us eat at an outside table.  It was freezing, and we were happy to head back to our tent and some warmth after eating.  I heard on the news this afternoon that a number of nearby locations have experienced record cold October temperatures, and it feels that way.