Day: 033
Date: Tuesday, 29 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Gunshot Creek to Jardine River Ferry.
Start: Gunshot Creek
Finish: Jardine River Ferry
Daily Kilometres: 86
Total Kilometres: 4084
Weather: Warm to hot and sunny with easterly winds.
Accommodation: Camping at Jardine River Ferry, Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli
Lunch: Snacks
Dinner: Salmon, sausages and vegetables
Encounters: Two couples of similar age to me, who had passed me on the road during the day, invited me to join them for dinner. They were good company and the salmon, sausages and vegetables they gave me were a welcome alternative to the peanut butter rolls I had been planning.
Highlights: Reaching the Jardine River Ferry, which only operates between 8am and 5pm, at 4:45pm was the highlight of the day. Not so much because I wanted to catch the ferry across, which was my original intention, but because the kiosk where the ferry tickets were sold also sold cold drinks and ice-creams. I was parched after a very long day on the road and immediately bought four 600ml bottles of Diet Coke, downing one in a nanosecond, and an icecream.
Lowlights: My expectation had been that the going would be tough for the first 26km until I reached the Development Road (Northern Bypass Road) and then would be easier (but not easy) to the Jardine River Ferry. As it turned out the Development Road was nearly as tough as the OTL, with very long stretches of soft sand and plenty of huge corrugations. I had hoped the 53km would take me three hours but instead it took five. It was hot hard work and, to top it off, I was running short on water, so was rationing myself until a kind motorist stopped and asked me if I would like any water. They gave me a litre of water with ice in it!
Journal:
By the time I packed, breakfasted and filled water bottles from the creek (200+ metres away), it was about 7:45am before I got rolling. I had also spent a bit of time trying to work out what was making the strange clicking noise in my front wheel and put some air into the shocks in case that was the problem. No progress! The OTL continued as before, but was more pleasant in the early morning light and cooler temperatures and I was expecting slow progress. The countryside continued to be mostly heathland with some nice views from the higher elevations. I had intended to refill my water bottles at Sailor Creek, the last creek I would cross for the day, but was past it before I realised, so was left a bit short of water when I reached theNorthern Bypass Road at about 11:00am, which was roughly in line with my estimate – 3+hours for 24km. At that time I thought I still had a very good chance of making it to Bamaga for the night (107km) but after another hour realised that I wasn’t making much better time than I had been on the OTL. There were very long stretches of sand, often with just a few hundred metres of firmer going or corrugations in between, and I was constantly getting on and off the bike and occasionally still falling off when I misjudged sand depth. It was exhausting and hot work. The road was generally quite wide, meaning shade from the forest seldom sheltered the road. Without my sunglasses I was constantly getting grit from passing cars and the gusty wind in my eyes as well. I must have looked a grimy and exhausted sight. A few cars and minibuses passed me and gave me waves and occasionally stopped to ask if I needed anything. I took up one of the later offers, when I was down to my last litre of water, and got a litre of iced water which was delicious. The last 24km, although rough, had shallower sand which allowed me to keep moving at a better rate, and I reached the Jardine River Ferry at 4:45pm. I was still thinking of pushing on to Bamaga (45km), but the lady in the kiosk selling ferry tickets persuaded me that I would be better to stay in her campground, which had hot showers, than end up travelling in the dark on rough roads with no certain place to stay. She said I could stay for free, and also said I needn’t pay for the ferry ($88 per car!).
I set up camp and two separate groups of people came over to me and asked whether I had got a lift to the campground. They had passed me back on the road and could not believe I had made it to the campground so quickly. One couple had also seen my wheel-tracks and footprints on the OTL and were trying to work out who made them and how. It never occurred to them that someone would ride a bike along the OTL.
After I set up camp, I had a nice shower, which made me feel much better, and was then invited to join two couples for dinner. The salmon and sausages were a lot better than my three-day-old (at least) breadrolls and peanut butter so I accepted.
I will catch the first ferry in the morning and head to Bamaga for brunch. As soon as I have good phone reception, I’ll try to book a cabin on the beach at Seisia, adjacent to where my boat leaves, for the remainder of my time on the Cape . Seisia is 5km from Bamaga, but a much more desirable place to stay. I’ll plan to travel to the tip of theCape on Thursday.
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