Sunday 30th September - Day off on the Nullabor

Sunday 30^th September

Sunrise at the Nullabor Roadhouse

Roadtrain in early light

Wombats create a lot of mess with their burrows. 

You wouldn't want them in your garden!

The Nullabor plain to the north is large but the section crossed by the Eyre Highway is quite small.

After leaving the plain this is the first tree I see.

The Southern Ocean at the Head of Bight

Southern Right Whale mother and this year's calf.

Tha' she blows

Mother and baby both have rather unlovable faces!

“Day off” at Nullabor

Get up early to drive north on the fence track to area about 7 km north where book reports the bird we want. Spend 3 and half hours with hardly a sound of any birds but eventually we see 3 male and 2 female Nullabor Quailthrushes. Coming to the Nullabore we really wanted to see the bird named after it. It is really windy again today but it is warm (23 C most of the time) and is coming from the East North East. After setting the bird I decide to get some kilometers cycled to reduce what I have to do the next day. The wind is so strong it is almost pointless but having seen the bird I have renewed enthusiasm and it is easier in shorter doses. It is a new low distance travelled and a new low average speed! – 11.5 mph but it felt like 40mph on a downhill run. The all-day wind noise is like described in Ice Station Zebra the Alistair McLean book I read when young.  I put paper in my ears yesterday when exposed to the noise of rushing wind all day.

After the ride we go ack a bit and go down to the Head of Bight viewing platform to see Southern Right Wales. It is the end of the season but the trip was timed to get here before the last depart in October. Females come close in shore bellow the cliffs to give berth and nurse their young calves. We say about 4 adults each with young. One was very close in and showed interactions with the offspring well. The mothers dive for longer than the youngsters that spend most time on the surface. Don’t know what they do on their dives as they do not eat whilst they are here. Both mother and young have warty, knobly faces but I suppose they love each other! It was cloudy and nearly raining at points but the ocean remained blue.

After enjoying that we go back to the fence track to a place where there were fresh droppings by burrows of the Southern Hairy Nosed Wombats and wait for dark for a spotlighting drive. Unfortunately we do not see any. It is a shame to miss an animal with such a great name!

Back to the roadhouse to do some laundry and for another big pasta meal to stoke up for tomorrow. Fill up in this remote location with fuel at the very high price (by Aussie standards) of £1.23 a litre. In Perth it was more like 85p a litre. It is still very windy outside.

30.68 km today in 1 hours 39 minutes – an average of 18.4 kph. Total so far 1863.66 km. The day after tomorrow should see us halfway through the distance.

Saturday 29th September -150 kilometers of cold, hard headwind across the Nullabor Plain

Saturday 29^th September

Trucks awaiting inspection for fruit fly at the border

Sign at the start of the Nullabor Plain

Book says it is pan flat. The reality is different as this picture shows.

The Bunda Cliffs and Southern Ocean

Bright blue Southern Ocean

Chris trying to help a Bob Tailed Lizard across the road.

The Bob Tailed Lizard is not grateful or impressed!

Talking shelter as a truck kicks up the gravel shoulder.

Trucks carrying oversized loads are common.

Small cyclist crossing the large open Nullabor Plain

Another day on the narrower but generally smoother (and paler) SA road. When there is a truck coming the other way I look behind me and if there is a potential clash I stop to allow the trucks to pass. Otherwise trucks coming my way pull over to pass on the other side which is safer for me. I rather like the trucks coming bay as they push my 5kph faster for a while. The opposite is true for the oncoming trucks which have a bow wave that practically sops me in my tracks even though I crouch down in readiness. Wow that was a strong headwind today. Until 3 pm it was 20mph plus straight in the face and cold at under 16 C max. I had a base layer, my bright jersey and heavy arm warmers and full gloves and was cold pretty much all the time. After 3pm the wind veered to the right a bit but got stronger so I still struggled to hold 20 kph.

It was sunny most of the way and we stopped off at a couple of lookouts which showed the most colourful sea I’ve seen. Almost looked fake. Views were restricted as the Bunda cliffs are crumbling and won’t let people too close. No whales today.

Most of the day is riding across the Nullabor Plain which means treeless plain. It is just low heat type saltbush vegetation. This is the iconic part of the ride across Australia.

Come across a wrecked caravan which was off the road down an embankment. What a mess. Find a like Bob Tailed Lizard crossing the road. Try to help it across but it displays at us and in the end get a bowl and plate to scoop It up and carry it across. It does not look happy the ungrateful so and so!

I was making so little headway that I was almost at the point of giving up and doing a bit tomorrow but in the end I got the full 150 km done and arrived at the famous Nullabor Roadhouse in time for a late afternoon/early evening drive to look or night life. Had good views of a couple of separate Dingos which is a first for us driving south on the fence road leading from a point 1.2 km east of the roadhouse. The fence was hundreds of km long put in to keep Dingos out of Queensland but they were both sides tonight and tomorrow we can see it is broken down in many places.

151.35 km today in 7 hours 22 minutes – an average of 20.5 kph. Total so far 1832.98 km

Friday 28th September. Mudrabilla to Border Village plus a bit

Friday 28^th September

Signpost to various parts of the world at Eucla where there is a short climb to the Nullabor Plain.

Posing in front of the Police Car that did a breathaliser on Mandy at the border between the states of West and South Australia. The policeman did not want to be in the picture.

Yep that's Chis in the pouch of a giant plastic Kangaroo. They do love their large statues.

Time off by the Southern Ocean after the ride.

It was cold in the wind and we did not try paddling.

We see plenty of Kangaroos but the Wombats and Camels evade us.

Old smoker couple coughing in night. As no hurry today, we get out early in half-light to birdwatch along the track marked with a 9 on an old fridge heading south from near roadhouse. Good views of Spiny Cheeked Honeyeaters that are most striking and luckily red bills give them away. Redthroat but not much else around. Lack of calls suggest birds get up late. On way back get really good view of a mae Australian Bustard that moves towards us in stately manner and crosses the rack behind us. On main road see Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo fly over and playing call gets him to come back but sadly does not unfurl its crest.

Set off with gilet and full arm warmers on and they stay on all day and still it is a little chilly. It is supposed to be a southerly today but typically it is really an easterly headwind all day and getting stronger all day. I’m riding with saddle slightly forward and with padding strapped on top to try to stop saddle soreness. Road surface is quite smooth all day and flat apart from the short climb up to Eucla. Pass trees decorated with bras, pants, cups and Christmas tat. Borrow mug for rest of trip to rplace tatty paper cups.

As climb up to Eucla (the escarpment comes to the coast here to form the Bunda Cliffs) I meet a Frenchman running the other way (with fly net over his head.) He is about the same age as me with same glasses. He is running 70km per day and is supported ever 12 km. He has come from Sydney and will get to Perth on October 20^th (when I should get to Sydney.) That is pretty impressive going! My efforts continue to look puny compared with others out there but when I stop at Eucla an overweight couple are amazed at my efforts.

We carry onto the WA/SA border and Mandy has her breath tested by Police on the border. She passes and they let us photo their car but not them (hair too long, he says!) Large fiberglass Kangaroo outside the roadhouse. Check into smart cabin 33 at Border Village at 80km done.

Have lunch then, despite the strong headwind, do another 34 km to bring the total for tomorrow down to 150 km. It is noticeable that Highway 1 is narrower in South Australia and the shoulder is gravel so I cannot safely ride onto it to avoid trucks. If there is a wide load (which have pilot vehicles for warning) I have to stop before pulling off.

The extra bit is along the coast of the Southern Ocean and the wind is coming up from Antarctica and feels like it! I get a Nankeen Kestrel hover over me then stoop to ground only 10 metres away. Nice views of the coast and after I’ve stopped I go back the other way for a kilometer just to show my how vice it would be with a tailwind!

Stop at viewpoints and get Singing Honeyeaters in a kerfuffle with a recording then spot a Southern Right Whale mother and calf heading west very close in. A new whale for us and very pleasing though we had hoped to see them after tomorrow as several spend the winter at “Head of Bight.”

Back to eat at roadhouse with typical cuisine. A good day today and saddle sore seems less of a problem today, thankfully.

114.58 km today in 4 hours 58 minutes – an average of 23 kph. Total so far 1681.63 km

Thursday 27th September Madura to Mundrabilla

Thursday 27^th September

Early walk to see the view down from Madura "Pass"

The man who is walking Perth to Sydney - respect!

Emu with his stripy chicks. It is the male that does the childcare in Emus.

Chris birdwatching near sunset

Sunset near Mundrabilla

Desperate attempts to soften the blow of harsh road surfaces on my sore backside. Not sure it works on the backside but it helps to think I've tried.

Padding on the handlebars helps protect the wrists. I hope.

Just a short ride today and to be honest I cannot remember why I did not combine today and tomorrow into a long but manageable ride. As I’m getting increasingly saddle sore I’m glad I didn’t go for the long day!

As we have a short day we go up to the top of the pass to enjoy the view before I ride. It is like looking down onto the Serengeti. Without the animals and without many birds either.

I start at 9am leaving Mandy to check out. When she comes to catch up with me she meets the young man we’d heard about at Salmon Gums, who is walking from Pert to Sydney for a mental health charity. Mandy chats for a while and gives him a cold coke which he leaves to get warm for later! Eventually she catches me at half way. Throughout the ride the escarpment is on my left at varying distances and the vegetation varies in height with rainfall of the particular area. We do see Wedge Tailed Eagle again but mostly it is just Ravens and Yellow Throated Miners. Although I set a leisurely pace we arrive at Mundarabilla roadhouse before 2.30 pm.

After a shower and a snooze we go out birdwatching but still not a lot showing apart from very good views of a Male Emu walking with his brood of still stripy chicks. See pair of dark Crested Pigeons. In looking for it see Singing Honeyeater and Redthroat well.

A late search into darkness fails to locate Inland Dotterel so back for Spaghetti Bolognese at the roadhouse. 

116.65 km today in 4 hours 22 minutes – an average of 26.6 kph. Total so far 1567.05 km

Wednesday 26th September - Caiguna to Madura via Cocklebiddy.

Wednesday 26^th September

An Aussie couple I passed shortly after leaving the roadhouse at which we'd all stayed last nigh. They were doing shorter days but an even longer trip from the North of Australia, down to the west than across to their home in New South Wales

I take up a place of safety on the gravelly shoulder when I get a warning from a pilot vehicle, that a couple of oversize loads are coming along with their bow wave!

Cocklebiddy - human population 8, one of whom was the amusing manager.

We have seen a number of live and dead snakes, mostly these brown ones. This one raced across the car park towards us which was a little alarming. We don't know if it is venomous as we cannot get to Google out here.

Late afternoon riding due to too long a lunch break.

Our budget accommodation at Madura Roadhouse. Most neighbours were truckers.

Although most guests were truckers the restaurant was rather posh. They even served a salad. Of sorts.

After a blustery finish to yesterday we are surprised to wake up to cold and fog although it is a thin enough layer to see the sun up through it. I wait for it to dissipate a bit before setting off to the east with an intermediate stop at Cockelbiddy Roadhouse. Just outside the roadhouse pass a time zone change of 45 minutes (why not an hour?!)  I come across a retired Aussie couple who stayed at Caiguna last night too and are cycling heavy self-supported bikes and stop every 10km for about 100km a day. They started at Darwin and now are heading back to Cough’s (spelling uncertain) Harbour in New South Wales. I leave them and carry on through a significant distance with many road kill kangaroos. It is really unpleasant both as a sight and smell. The Ravens don’t go hungry here and also we saw Wedge Tailed Eagles helping themselves.

Do really well to Cocklebiddy but then order what turns out to be a very large meal which rather knocks my cycling edge! The manager is quite a character and it has more style and character than the other roadhouses so it is a shame we could not fit a stay here into our itinerary. Mandy buys some secondhand books to while away the time waiting for me.

We follow notes from the bird finding book and go 10 km north on the Cocklebiddy to Rawlinna Road which is a dirt track through arid low scrub. We see White Winged Fairy Wrens and Pippits but not the Quail Thrushes or Blue Bonnets we’d been looking for. We spend almost 3 hours in all so after that it is a struggle to get to Madura before dark. We do it but only just. Madura Pass Oasis Motel is at the foot of an escarpment which is the most significant change on the road since the climb out of Perth. The budget room that was all they had left is OK but we won’t be eating off the floor! Oddly the dining room is almost posh and the lasangne too filling. On another table there is an incredibly boring group of golfers going on about how badly their golf club is run. It’s just a series of monologues on the same subject started midway through the previous monologue. If Armando Ianucci did a skit on golfers, this could be his work.

Going back to the room need the help of Mandy’s trucker chum to unlock or door!

Tomorrow is a shorter day so hopefully my saddle soreness will get some rest.

157.65 km today in 5 hours 39 minutes – an average of 27.9 kph. Total so far 1450.40 km which is over a third of the total trip.

Tuesday 25th September - The 90 Mile Straight day

Tuesday 25^th September

Back to the room I've just left to repair the double pinch punctures I got running over a stone 3 km from the start. I'd let some air out of the tyres to cope with the rough roads, which makes pinch punctures more likely.

In several places on the road the road is marked as a runway for use by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The start of the longest straight road in Australia and possibly the world. The hanky shows it is a sidewind which I was not impressed with at the time but better than some headwinds later!

The road is straight but the white line man has not been told!

The other end of the straight section in late afternoon light. Our next roadhouse is only yards away.

A cold warm down beer, Nobby's Nuts and for once, no flies.

When you plan a ride from Perth to Sydney you most want to do the 90 mile straight and today is the day I am to do it. At 7pm I start early in pleasantly cool sunshine in case the temperature gets up to yesterday’s levels. I only get 3km down the road when I lose concentration and run over a stone on the hard shoulder. I go over it with both wheels and get a pinch puncture on both the wheels! Happily Mandy has put her phone on early so I get her to come out to bring me back to the motel to change both inner tubes and repair the punctured ones that will be my only spares until we get to Ceduna.

Mandy puts me back to start again at 8am. The wind is light and it is tailwind for the first time on the trip. I’m flying along at an average of 20 mph (32 kph) for the first half of the day but by noon the wind is increasing and becoming a side wind from the South. Why is it over the last few days the wind did not budge when it was a headwind?!

Take pictures at the start of the 90 mile straight than settle into the long straight ride.

The vegetation is heath and light mallee all day with no variation. Very few birds seen but I do see 2 or 3 Brown Falcons at one point.

I catch up with a young Japanese unsupported cyclist that was mentioned by the Irishman Mandy met the other day. He has a large load and despite working hard he is going much slower than me even though he is going doing the same trip as me today. He must have started earlier than me and when we meet up later at Caiguna he has spent more than 50% more time on the bike than me plus of course he has not got the luxury of cold drinks in a support vehicle. I really don’t envy the unsupported cyclists at all.

The wind steadily strengthens and gets gustier. On the plus side the traffic is quite light with hardly any road trains heading east and those that do pass give me a wide berth. The road trains the other way almost blow me to a stop but at least I’m ready for them. Every driver asks about the road trains but they really aren’t a problem so far.

The end of the 90 mile straight is immediately before the entrance to the BP John Eyre Motel, Caiguna so pose by the sign before checking in at a pleasantly early 3.30pm. List of chargeable offences is long and room is at best so so. Plenty of room for the bike in the clean bathroom.

Have a look out at the Caiguna Blowhole that is under whelming and does not blow at all! Back to motel where we see the Japanese man arrive and there are two other bikes outside another room, presumably heading the other direction. Large but rather dry meals of Meatballs and pasta or Spicy chicken and boiled rice. The blowhole and food would not be enough to justify coming here!

181.2km today in 6 hours 4 minutes – an average of 30 kph. Total so far 1292.75 km which is 31% of the expected trip total of 4134km. 

Tripadvisor said don't judge the Railway Hotel, Norseman by the exterior!

Th interior is quite Art Deco but our room, in an annex is more like the outside!

We never did see a camel but we did see Emu and many Kangaroos both alive and sadly as road kill

Mandy found this young Irish man leaving Norseman. He's doing about 100km a day and carries all his own gear and liquids. Seemed keen to chat as he'd been alone a while! On the 2nd October I was asked about him when I went into a petrol station the other side of the Nullabor. His relatives were trying to contact him and the police were helping. At least we could work out about where he should be so I hope things worked out.

The roads are a series of ups and downs and there are a few big trucks and road trains as seen here. They pass wide and cause no real concern when I'm on my bike but look a little alarming to Mandy

Orange Gatorade goes down a treat even though it is not as hot as I'd feared.

Me on one of the downhill sections. An ordinary car passes me but most vehicles are camper vans, SUVs with Caravans or Roadtrains

Sunset behind Gum Trees. A typical Aussie scene

Monday 24^th September

Let ourselves into the main hotel where, as promised, we were able to make ourselves breakfast. It’s the first breakfast at a hotel since we arrived. Left Norseman at 7.30 am in cool sunshine and still air. Mandy stays behind to shop and fill up with fuel.

At the north end of town, I turn right on the Highway 1 – the famous Eyre Highway that I will follow for the next 11 days. Traffic is fairly light with the fact it is a WA public holiday reducing the flow of road trains from the West. There are noticeably more coming the other way. This may change as the Perth Aussie Rules Football team (The Eagles) are playing a final in Melbourne next weekend and so many people are on the way east on the Eyre Highway according to the TV news tonight. Lucky we have our hotels booked.

The hills I’d expected outside town did not seem to exist and the whole route is flattish and runs through open Mallee woodland that is fairly scrub like by our standards. I see a single Emu close to the road but he/she was soon running away when I took an interest.

Mandy caught me up after 68 km having done her chores and having met an Irish solo cyclist who set off from Norseman after me. He has a heavy bike loaded with camping gear and food for the next 10 days! He only aims to do 100km a day so will not get as far as us today. I just don’t know how he can stand going so slow and drinking warm water and not much of it for his trip. Apparently he seemed keen to talk and was finding the isolation and the camping a bit of a problem.

The temperature rose to 33 C and stayed there so I met up with Mandy every hour to get a cold drink – much better than my water bottles which tasted as though they’d been filled from the hot tap!

The wind increases but it is a sidewind from the north and so I do the ride in a quicker time than yesterday’s shorter ride. It was the longest planned day of the trip – 120 miles but it was not as hard as yesterday. We reach the lonely roadhouse at Balladonia where we are to spend the night. This place is famous (well not very famous) for being the location of crash site for major parts of the Skylab a few years back.

The motel is not very marvelous for the money (it is the most expensive night’s sleep on the trip) but it is the only one here.

191.32km today in 6 hours 51 minutes – an average of 27.9 kph. Total so far 1111.55 km which is over a quarter of the expected trip total of 4134km.