Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Finley to Griffith

Day: 008
Date: Friday, 4 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Finley to Griffith .
Start: Finley
Finish: Griffith
Daily Kilometres: 168
Total Kilometres: 775
Weather: Mostly sunny with a light southerly breeze.
Accommodation: Cabin in campground in Griffith, NSW.
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  An apple and a couple of donuts
  Lunch:  Pie, pastie and thickshake
  Dinner:  Chicken parmigiana.
Encounters: Saw quite a few emus early in the day, including a mother and about six chicks.
Highlights: A very nice day’s riding in sunshine, warm enough to wear a T-shirt for most of the day, with a following southerly breeze.
Lowlights: Getting a call from Barb at 6:30am to tell me that my step-brother, Bob, had died during the night from cancer.  It had seemed likely to happen some time soon so wasn’t a surprise, but sad nevertheless.  I have been trying to decide, with Barb, whether I should break my trip to return for the funeral in Melbourne .  I was grateful to get a call later in the morning from my brother, Alan, who always had a close relationship with Bob, to tell me that he didn’t think Bob would want me to come back for the funeral, and I’m inclined to agree.

Journal:
I woke at 6:30am and shortly after received a phone call from Barb telling me that my step-brother, Bob, had died overnight from the cancer he had been treated for during the past 18 months.  Although expected, it was still very sad.

I packed up and left around 7:30am under clear blue skies, but in very cold temperatures.  It was busy along the Newell Highway , but drivers were unfailingly courteous in giving me a wide berth when passing.  The weather warmed quite rapidly and it was very pleasant riding through the arid grazing land.  I began to notice quite a few emus in the paddocks off to my left, although most took fright at my approach and raced away.  No chance for pictures.

I reached Jerilderie soon after 9:00am and enjoyed some fresh donuts from the local bakery for a late breakfast, sitting in the sunshine watching the small town doings and reading the paper.  I then continued along the Newell Highway for a short time before turning left onto the Kidman Way , which will be my route all the way to Queensland .  Traffic was greatly reduced and it was warm enough to wear just a T-shirt, for the first time on the trip. A nice breeze blew from behind and I was humming along on the flat road at a good speed listening to the regional ABC on my headphones.

I had a very late lunch at a roadhouse at Darlington Point and then continued on through the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area to Griffith , passing increasing cultivation including citrus crops and vineyards.  I reached Griffith just before 5:00pm and checked in to a cabin in a caravan park.  Barb and I used to visit Griffith frequently with our friends at Easter back in the 70s to run the Bacchus 12000 which had big prizes, attracted very high quality fields, and was invariably very hot.  The race was generally followed by, and sometimes preceded by, scenes of debauchery at local wineries. For dinner, I walked around to the nearby Leagues Club and ate in their bistro.