Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Charleville to Tambo

Day: 015
Date: Friday, 11 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Charleville to Tambo.
Start: Charleville
Finish: Tambo
Daily Kilometres: 198
Total Kilometres: 1956
Weather: Cold early (1°C) but warm and sunny for the rest of the day with a moderate east (head early, following/cross later) wind.
Accommodation: Very basic hotel room in Tambo , Queensland .
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Apple and pastries
  Lunch:  Two pies and a milkshake
  Dinner:  Beef sausages
Encounters: I rode into the very small town of Augathella , which was a little way off the highway, looking for something for an early lunch, and decided it must be the obesity centre of Queensland .  I cruised past the only hotel in town where, on the verandah, were four of the biggest guys I have seen enjoying a morning beer and then, when I stopped in at the general store, I was greeted by two more of the biggest people I have seen.  There must be something in the water there.
Highlights: In the late afternoon I crested a ridge to find a sign saying it was the highest point on the Queensland Mains Roads system (hard-to believe, but maybe they meant west of the Great Divide).  The ridge also marked the southern edge of the Cooper River catchment system from where all water flows into Lake Eyre .  From the ridge there was a very gradual descent into a vast basin which was treeless except for occasional lines of scraggly gums that indicated where there were dry watercourses.  The straight road disappeared into the far distance and a road train that went past me at high speed was still clearly visible several minutes later.  You could see mountain ranges to the north and east, some of which would have been part of the Carnarvon National Park that Barb and I have enjoyed visiting on several occasions in the past.
Lowlights: The first two hours riding of the day when it was freezing cold made worse by a steady headwind.  Not only were my fingers and toes frozen, but I could tell it was going to be a long day unless the wind changed.

Journal:
I left the motel at 6:15am, stopping at the town bakery on the way out to pick up some pastries to eat later for breakfast.  It was very cold and I quickly realised that the headwind was making it even colder.  The wind was an easterly and I therefore had it against me until I reached Augathella (83km) in late morning.  The terrain had become more hilly and my average speed must have been under 20kph.  The countryside, which was a mixture of grass and scrub, looked quite healthy and the cattle all seemed in good condition (to my very untrained eye).  The few homesteads I could see from the road also looked large and prosperous.

I rode into Augathella, which seemed a pleasant Queensland-style small town in the hope of finding a bakery for an early lunch, but finally ended up at a roadhouse where I got a couple of pies and a milkshake.  While at the roadhouse I called a hotel/motel in Tambo to book a room for the night.  I had heard on the ABC that it was some kind of anniversary weekend in Tambo with a number of events scheduled and crowds expected.  No motel rooms were available, but the publican said he had a basic hotel room that he would hold for me.

To my delight, when I set out from the roadhouse for the remaining 115km to Tambo, I found that the wind was now either across me or from behind, and I made much better speed during the afternoon.  This road, which is now the main route between Brisbane and Mount Isa , is a little busier, but still not bad and there are often long periods with no traffic in either direction.  Almost all motorists and truckies give me a wave when they pass.

I reached Tambo, which is a very old town around 5:15pm and checked into my very basic hotel room.  I doubt that it has changed much since shearers stayed here in the 19th Century!  The town was buzzing as the Tambo Shire celebrated its 125th anniversary and the pub was humming until well after midnight, making it difficult to get to sleep.

I’ve only got two more days now on sealed roads before 500+km of gravel roads in little-travelled parts of the outback.  I’m starting to get a bit apprehensive about how rough they will be and how slowly I will have to travel.