The Long Ride Home
Update
26 Aug 2018
Well - between my seriously sporadic updates Shane has made it to Yass!! From his facebook page
Day 23 - Cootamundra to Yass - 107km. Saturday 25 August.
Another early start this morning saw us on the road by 4.45am. It was a relatively short but hilly day and we weren't sure how long it would take us to get to Yass. To be honest, I expected another long grinding day today but at least some of the hills had a downhill side. There were a few buggers to get up but also a couple of good downhill runs, so it all kind of evened out.
We passed through Wallendbeen, Harden and Binalong before reaching the Hume Highway for the last 15km into Yass. At Binalong, we saw the grave of John Gilbert, an Australian Bushranger, who was shot by police near Binalong.
"There's never a stone at the sleeper's head,
there's never a fence beside.
And the wandering stock on the grave may tread,
unnoticed and un-denied.
But the youngest child on the Watershed,
can tell you how Gilbert died."
We were going to travel to Murrumbateman tonight but there is no accommodation available. Instead, we compromised and will spend our last night at Yass before embarking on the last leg home to Canberra tomorrow - a distance of 88km.
Dad and I had a pleasant lunch in Yass then settled in to our motel room for a quiet afternoon. I think we will both be keen to get going as early as we can tomorrow morning.
Update
19 Aug 2018
In Shane's own words....
Day 16 of Riding - Port Augusta to Burra - 205km. Saturday 18 August.
Today is Long Tan Day / Vietnam Veteran's Day. It is also the day I did my first 200+km ride. We were on the road by 4.30 this morning to cover the 205km to Burra, arriving 10hrs later just after 2.30pm, maintaining an average cycling speed of 22kph.
The journey was characterised by hills - lots of hills - as well as rain storms, headwinds, tailwinds and crosswinds. From Port Augusta, we passed Port Pirie, then went through Crystal Brook and Spalding, en route to Burra, a charming old colonial mining town.
Today also included the best and longest downhill section I have encountered so far. 5km of downhill between Crystal Brook and Spalding, winding through gullies, gorges, wheat fields, villages and farmhouses. It was lovely and the downhill run was not unwelcome.
We've settled into an old stone miners cottage for the night. It's solid, spacious and comfortable, with whitewashed stone walls and everything we will need for a comfortable night.
Tomorrow is another big day, 193km to Renmark but the map tells me it is all downhill. We will see about that. :-)
Update
19 Aug 2018
Day 16 from Port Augusta to Burra
Update
19 Aug 2018
Gary Stroud [aka "Mr Stroud" to those of Shane's age :-) ] at the rest day in Port August. In Shane's words...
est Day - Port Augusta - 17 August
A very quiet day today. We did some personal administration this morning, some shopping, washing and sightseeing. We then had a quiet lunch on the Port Augusta Esplanade, which wasn't entirely unpleasant. :-)
We then spent a quiet afternoon, re-packing the trailer and getting everything ready for an early start tomorrow. We're travelling 205km from Port Augusta to Burra, and hope to be on the road by 5.00am.
All in all, a welcome respite which we made the most of.
Update
19 Aug 2018
In Shane's own words:
Day 15 - Kimba to Port Augusta - 155km. Thursday 16 August.
A good day today. We left Kimba by 6.00am to cover the 155km to Port Augusta, via Iron Knob. The road had more downhill sections than I have been used to and we made good time, arriving in Port Augusta just after 1.00pm.
I found a bike shop and had the trike serviced, rotating the front tyres, re-indexing the gears, checking chain and gear cassette wear and generally getting a professional to give it a good going over. It should see me home now.
Dad and I booked into a cabin park and have settled in nicely to a brand new, 2 bedroom cabin, which will do us nicely today and tomorrow. We are having a rest day tomorrow, before setting off for home again on Saturday. I've already arranged to see a locksmith tomorrow to get some keys cut and to see an electrician to see if he can do anything about the intermittent "Bad Connection" fault on the RideKick trailer. A day at leisure will be nice, for a change.
Dad and I got some nice fish-&-chips to take back to the cabin for dinner and we will both be having an early night. The good thing is we will both be able to sleep in tomorrow, probably as late as 7.00am. Woo-Hoo.
Update
19 Aug 2018
My apologies for the patchy updates. Shane's facebook page is definitely the definitive blog! Having said, Shane cycled to Port Augusta this week where he had a rest day.
Update
12 Aug 2018
Day 9 Madura to Border Village – 198km
Friday 10 August.
We were on the road by 5.00am and had the road to ourselves for the first couple of hours. Sunrise was beautiful as we travelled from Madura across what was once the floor of the ocean. To our left (North) was an escarpment and to the right (South) was an endless expanse of flat, low scrubland as far as the Great Southern Ocean, way over the horizon.
We rolled into Mundrabilla (114km away) about 9.30am and each had a driver reviver before heading off for Eucla and then the Border Village. The roads were good, the tailwinds were strong and we made good time. I chuntered up the Eucla Pass, just as the rains came. The last 12km into Border Village was cold and wet but it had been a long day and I wasn’t stopping for anyone or anything.
The Border Village Roadhouse provides clean and comfortable rooms, albeit a bit “cosy.” Still, it has everything we need and we’ll sleep well tonight, before heading out early tomorrow morning to the Nullarbor Roadhouse, 187km further down the road.
Very slow internet again today, so no videos until we can access better service. It's a shameful state of affairs for a supposedly developed country.
Update
12 Aug 2018
Just in case anyone gets lost on the Nullarbor...
Update
12 Aug 2018
The route so far
DONATIONS42
RMB
Mon, 3 Sep 2018
$ 150
A whip-round from some of Shane's kind and generous work colleagues.
A whip-round from some of Shane's kind and generous work colleagues.
$ 150
Anonymous
Sun, 26 Aug 2018
$ 50
$ 50
Marc La Galle
Sun, 26 Aug 2018
$ 220
Well done Shane, whilst you have been riding, I have been fundraising.
Well done Shane, whilst you have been riding, I have been fundraising.
$ 220
Kerin Facey
Fri, 24 Aug 2018
$ 100
Donated by Kerin Facey from Forbes - at Cootamundra
Donated by Kerin Facey from Forbes - at Cootamundra
$ 100
Sandra and Dave Law
Thu, 23 Aug 2018
$ 50
A good effort for two great causes.
A good effort for two great causes.
$ 50
