Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Cunnamulla

Day: 013
Date: Wednesday, 9 August 2006
Summary: Riding from 60km south of Cunnamulla to Cunnamulla.
Start: 60km south of Cunnamulla
Finish: Cunnamulla
Daily Kilometres: 60
Total Kilometres: 1555
Weather: Cold early (1°C) but mild and sunny for the rest of the day with a moderate northerly (head) wind.
Accommodation: Motel in Cunnamulla , Queensland
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Apple and pastries
  Lunch:  Toasted focaccia sandwich and milkshake
  Dinner:  Chicken parmigiana for dinner.
Encounters: The Cunnamulla townspeople were all very friendly and interested.
Highlights: Having half a day off to catch up on washing and e-mail and rest the legs.
Lowlights: The 60km ride into Cunnamulla was supposed to be easy, but there was a reasonable headwind and it was a bit of a struggle.

Journal:
Although I frequently awoke during the night, I pretty much slept through from 7:30pm to 6:30am, perhaps an indication that I’m quite tired.  I got up just before sunrise and packed up in the 1°C cold and set off at around 7:30am, anticipating an easy ride into Cunnamulla.  However, I soon realised there was a headwind, and some minor undulations, which made it hard going.  I had only had an apple for breakfast and not much for dinner the night before, so that may not have helped.

As always, if you just keep cranking the pedals you get there in the end, and I reached Cunnamulla at 11:00am.  It was a sleepy little town with broad streets, verandahs over the footpaths, and a few stores which carried a combination of goods.  There were even a few Queenslander-style houses on stilts.  Like most of these outback towns, there were plenty of boarded up stores, derelict properties and bare red earth, indicating declining local economies.

I bought a paper, drink and a couple of pastries and ate them in a cafe, before finding a budget motel on the edge of town.  After a shower and baggage sort out I returned to town and mailed back clothes and maps to Copa that I would no longer need.  The bag felt quite heavy, so I hope I notice a difference, although I’m going to have to start carrying more water from now on which may offset the weight loss.  After lunch in another café, I did a load of washing and spent two hours in the library reading e-mail and sending diary updates and pictures with some difficulty, whilst chatting with the two librarians.

I had a counter tea at a nearby pub and went to bed early.  I’m a bit concerned that, having decided not to take a day off in Charleville, I now have three 200km days in succession.  I can do it, but I think 160km is probably the optimal long day.