After riding my mountain bike from Adelaide to Darwin in 2005, I was keen for another such adventure, but one that returned to the kind of back roads I travelled when riding from Sydney to Melbourne in 2004. I hatched the idea of riding from the southernmost tip to the northernmost tip of mainland Australia, and rather than riding along the main (coastal) highway, try and ride a straight-line route that would necessarily take me on back roads and through a variety of terrains and climates.

Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Muttaburra to Hughenden

Day: 018
Date: Monday, 14 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Muttaburra to Hughenden.
Start: Muttaburra
Finish: Hughenden
Daily Kilometres: 205
Total Kilometres: 2518
Weather: Mild early but warm to hot and sunny for the rest of the day with north-east wind.
Accommodation: Motel in Hughenden , Queensland .
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Peanut butter roll
  Dinner:  Hamburger and milkshake
Encounters: I saw quite a few kangaroos during the day.  In late morning a guy in a station-wagon passed me and then pulled up further down the road and got out.  It turned out he was a New Zealander of similar age to me who was travelling Australia and bike-riding each of the circuits recommended in the Lonely Planet guide to cycling in Australia.  He had his bike and trailer in the back and was headed forCairns for his next circuit.  He was very friendly and we had a good chat.
Highlights: Seeing the lights of Hughenden at the end of a very long and exhausting day.
Lowlights: Encountering a strong headwind and very rough trail early in the day, which frequently reduced my speed to less than 15kph.

Journal:
I had set out in the 6:00am pre-dawn gloom in the optimistic hope that, if things went well, I might reach Hughenden in one day, instead of the planned two, and be able to give myself a day off.  I was, however, quite apprehensive about how tough the trail would be and knew I might have to camp out.  Before long I was struggling to find a good riding line on a trail that varied from rocky, to corrugated, to sandy.  To compound the challenges the trail began to climb very gradually into open undulating grassland and the wind sprang up from the north-east.  It was tiring work and my optimism evaporated as I struggled to maintain a speed of around 15kph and I began resigning myself to camping on the road.

As the morning wore on the trail veered slightly to the left, meaning that the wind became a crosswind, and changed to mostly baked and cracked mud.  The latter allowed greater speed but was quite bumpy.  My spirits lifted as my speed rose, although every time the track veered right the wind slowed me again.

A few cars and trucks passed and some of the cars stopped to ask whether I was OK or needed anything, which was nice.  All waved.

The day passed riding through the undulating grasslands in increasing temperatures and I was drinking plenty of the nine litres of fluid I was carrying.  Despite the fatigue, I enjoyed the solitude and scenery.  Mountain ranges were appearing to the north and east and I had the sense that I was gradually climbing into the foothills.  The sun finally set around 6:00pm with 30kms to go to Hughenden so I kept riding.  The last hour 15km was on sealed road which made riding in the dark easier, although it was very narrow with no white road markings.  I had both hands on the brakes at all times in case of sharp turns or roadkill lying on the road.  The lights of Hughenden appeared in the distance with 10km to go and I reached town at 7:30pm, checked into a Fawlty Towers-like motel in the centre of town, showered and got a hamburger from a nearby take-out shop.  I was very tired and my quads were stiff and sore, but I was pleased with my effort and looking forward to a day off tomorrow.
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