Week 24

Day 162

Saturday 7th December 2019

Wagga Wagga to West Wyalong.

We waved good bye to the lovely and generous Fiona and Richard and headed north out of Wagga Wagga.

We didn’t get far... when we saw a crowd of cyclists out for their Saturday morning ride at the obligatory coffee stop. We also spotted a bike shop which opened shortly.

We stopped and the cyclists pulled up two extra chairs for us and bought us a coffee. We chatted about our ride and waited for the bike shop to open.

Alice (tandem) was still refusing to shift up using her front derailleur.

We have also changed our route (for the spot watchers). We were heading for the coast north of Sydney - then travelling along the coast to Brisbane. As a result of the fires and smoke around Sydney and along the coast we will be staying inland and heading north through areas of New South Wales which are suffering sever drought.

After two coffees we said good bye to the cyclists of Wagga Wagga and headed to #Kidsonscycles. Rohan Taylor was brilliant- he sorted Alice’s shifter and fitted brand new cables. Thanks Rohan.

We finally left Wagga Wagga, with a happy Alice, and headed north. We stopped after about 20 miles for a sandwich - after that there were no towns or villages for over 70 miles. We travelled along gravel roads - loosing a bottle of water - which resulted in us being pretty thirsty by the time we arrived in West Wyalong a gold mining town. We are staying in a authentically retro motel run by a lovely women who will be retiring in a few weeks.

Day 163

Sunday 8th December 2019

West Wyalong to Parkes.

Headed off in search of a cafe - finding a general store in the centre of town which opened early to serve the gold miners. Ordered large sandwiches and coffee and set off. The next town was 64 miles away. Although we did find a rest area aptly named “Marsden” - clearly expecting Raz to stop and notes we were travelling through the Shire of Bland.

It was hot and getting hotter. We could see the vegetation getting sparser as a result of the sever drought this area has been suffering for the last few years.

We finally arrived in Forbes which was shut - as it’s Sunday. Found a dominos pizza - which had air con - ate pizza and tried to cool down.

Onto Parkes - starting to get really hot (not just hot) - finally arrived to discover that Parkes is famous for its Elvis Festival and for its radio telescope (apparently)!

Day 163

Monday 9th December 2019

Parkes to Dubbo.

Woke up to the smell of smoke. A fire had started about 50 miles away - the wind had shifted and the air was full of smoke. It was scary to see the impact of these terrible fires which have significantly effected Australia.

We had breakfast in McDonalds and set off. We could feel the smoke in our eyes and see the impact as we looked across the fields which looked yellow in the smog.

Due to popular demand we took a detour to visit the Parkes Observatory - which was one of several radio antennae used to receive live television images of the Apollo moon landing (its does other amazing stuff too). The dish was huge and we were fortunate to see it move! We chatted to a guy who had read about our trip on an Australian cycling social media site - who knew!

We headed to the aptly named Peak Hill - except it wasn’t actually a peak (so maybe it should be renamed Hill) - it was the hill that kept giving.

The smoke eventually cleared and we noted on the Australian Fires website that the fire (near us) was now under control (although many fires are continuing to burn - particularly along the coast).

It was very hot today with temperatures getting into the 40s. We also had a headwind. It was hard going on the hills but we eventually reached Dubbo where we met the lovely and amazing Tanya Piggott Hall who had driven from Newcastle to meet us with bike stuff and sorted accommodation for us! We enjoyed the evening chatting to Tanya at the local club.

Today I was thinking about my amazing wife Sally Light who’s birthday it was today. I’m sad not to be with her on this special day.

Day 165

Tuesday 10th December 2019

Dubbo to Coonabarabran.

Had breakfast with Tanya during a Wahoo melt down crisis, (lost data - which we sorted), and finally set off on route to Mendooran passing through the Goonoo Forest. We saw evidence of forest fires - some of the trees were charcoal sticks. We also saw wallabys - but it was too hot for wildlife.

It was hot - really hot - over 40 degrees. It was also hilly. I felt sick with the heat. It was impossible to keep cool even as we drank litres of water.

In search of the perfect saddle, (and as a result of the saddle sore we had suffered particularly in SE Asia), we had ordered new saddles which Tanya had kindly delivered. We kept stopping to adjust the new saddles but couldn’t get comfortable so put the old ones back on- well have another go when it’s a bit cooler.

We arrived in Mendooran and headed for the bowling club to cool down. Spent the afternoon in the bowling club then finally set off late in the day to ride the next 45 miles. The light was beautiful but it was still hot and incredibly hilly. We arrived in the dark and finally found a motel with a late desk. The lovely women brought us bread and jam for toast - dinner!

Day 166

Wednesday 11th December 2019

Coonabarabran to Narrabri.

We headed to the bakery in Coonabarabran, (which is one of the darkest places on earth - people come here to star gaze but presently the smog from the fires is distorting the view).

It was hot - even early in the morning and there were no towns for over 70 miles. We stocked up at the bakery and set off.

It was undulating and hot as we travelled through the Pilliga forest along the Newell Highway. The flies pursued us. I’ve never seen so many flies. They crawl all over - including inside sunglasses.

We stopped at some of the rest areas which are areas where drivers can pull off the road. There isn’t much shade and there’s no water.

It was well into the 40s - 42 degrees in the shade. It was like being in a hot dry sauna with the temperature on max - except you can’t get out.

I realised I’d stopped sweating and we were both a purple colour- we drank more water which was hot enough to make tea. A truck driver gave us some cool water and some snacks - he was a life saver.

We realised we had a puncture. Back wheel. There are lots of discarded truck tyres at the side of the road. The wires inside the tyres cause punctures. We found a small piece of wire stuck in our tyre and fixed whilst covered in flies.

We finally reached Narrabri and headed for a motel. It’s too hot to camp. Mick and Kerrie at the Kaputar Motel were great. They took one look at us and gave us extra water, did our washing and sent us to cool down in a pool. Another hot day tomorrow.

Day 167

Thursday 12th December 2019

Narrabri to Moree.

Enjoyed a restful evening in #Kaputar Motel, was handed frozen water for our ride as we left - and set off stopping at McDonalds for breakfast. It was hot even though it was still early.

We headed out of town into a headwind which felt like being blown by a very large hairdryer (on hot).

We battled against the wind for about 30 miles before stopping at a service station for cold water.

This area has been in drought for a number of years. It hasn’t rained since 2016. It was prime agricultural land - but now it looks like a waste land. Even the remaining trees look parched. That said many of the people we have spoken to here are very skeptical about climate change.

We carried on to Gurley where the lovely women who ran the post office gave us tea and biscuits. It was very welcome.

We made it to Moree - by this time it was in the well into the 40s. Moree is famous for its spa and artisan waters - we headed to the pool to cool down (although the waters were hot). It was lovely to relax in the waters as everything feels sore at the moment.

Found an original pasta place for dinner. Heard about (an alleged) giant (skeleton) found in Sardinia - the Giant of Monti Parma- who knew!

Day 168

Friday 13th December 2019

Moree to Goondiwindi.

It’s one of those day when there’s not much to say. We set off early with what is disturbingly becoming a regular stop at McDonalds - then we cycled pretty much non-stop for just under 80 miles to Goondiwindi in the heat and the wind.

It was hot but fortunately, not as hot as the last few days - more in the late 30s than 40s.

The evidence of the devastating drought was all around us. Farmers seem to have abandoned trying to farm many of the fields. The wildlife is not as abundant either - although there are still lots of dead kangaroos and the flies are thriving on something other than just us.

I did forget to say yesterday that I was chatted up at the pool by a Serbian with a large moustache- much today Raz’s amusement. Managed to escape by heading into an even hotter pool.

We also crossed over another state border today - into Queensland from New South Wales.

We stopped at the lovely #BorderMotel where we were given a fantastic plate of healthy food on our arrival when the owners heard about our trip.

It was also, (not for you having to read this), exciting as we made it to a real food shop, (not McDonalds or a petrol station), where we brought some nice snacks and breakfast so we can break our McDonalds habit.

We’re heading east tomorrow we have to cross a mountain range to get to Brisbane so there will be a big climb. We’re hoping that it might be a bit cooler.