Day: 028
Date: Thursday, 24 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Old Laura to Hann Crossing.
Start: Old Laura
Finish: Hann Crossing
Daily Kilometres: 85
Total Kilometres: 3534
Weather: Warm, partly cloudy and humid with easterly winds.
Accommodation: Hann Crossing National Park back country campground, Lakefield National Park , Queensland.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli
Lunch: Peanut butter roll and apple
Dinner: Muesli and muesli bars
Encounters: A dingo pup on the road and a wallaby.
Highlights: Eating my dinner (bowl of muesli) sitting on a rock at sunset overlooking the deep and peaceful North Kennedy River (there’s crocs in there!).
Lowlights: I found the rough road physically very draining and began wondering if I might be sick. I stopped early.
Journal:
I packed up in the pre-dawn gloom and hit the road about 7:00am. I had hoped it might be in better condition, but I was very disappointed to again encounter almost non-stop corrugations, interspersed with sand and rocky bits. The best speed I can manage on the corrugations is about 12kph and everything, including me, is being shaken vigorously.
I stopped around 8:30am and had breakfast next to a beautiful lily and lotus covered lagoon and then continued on the bone-jarring way. At this rate, I knew I had no hope of reaching Musgrave (170km away) today. About an hour later, the road changed into baked mud which, while still rough, allowed greater speed and I once again entertained the idea of getting to Musgrave, although I could only do it if the road did not deteriorate again. At 11:30am I deviated 3km off the road to the Kalpower Crossing Campground to have an early lunch and refill my water bottles. I needed to be prepared in case I had to camp out again. The countryside is mostly flat savannah with long dry grass and a reasonable number of trees and endless castle-like two metre plus anthills and/or termite mounds. The road also frequently passed lagoons and creeks with water in them and lush vegetation surrounding.
After lunch the road deteriorated again, and I began to feel very tired. I think that using every muscle to maintain control and concentrating hard is taking its toll. I began to think that I might be better to aim for Musgrave tomorrow night and use up one of my spare days to have an earlier night, rather than push on and end up having to camp by the road. I decided to stop at the Hann Crossing campground which I reached about 3:00pm and, after a bit of looking around, found a site. I retrieved some water from the river, watching carefully for crocodiles, and had a wash and set up camp. I followed this with a bit of a walk and an early dinner of muesli, yet again. Something else would have been nice, but I didn’t bring enough bread.
I have 85km to get to Musgrave tomorrow which I should be able to manage, regardless of the road condition. If I’m lucky, and the road improves, I will be able to have an early stop and, hopefully, get a motel room (which Musgrave is supposed to have, but who knows). I went to bed soon after 7:00pm, looking forward to a long night’s sleep.
Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Cooktown to Old Laura
Day: 027
Date: Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Summary: Riding Cooktown to Old Laura.
Start: Cooktown
Finish: Old Laura
Daily Kilometres: 109
Total Kilometres: 3449
Weather: Warm, sunny and humid with easterly winds.
Accommodation: Old Laura National Park back country campground, Lakefield National Park , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: The “Big Brekkie” from a Cooktown café
Lunch: Peanut butter roll and apple
Dinner: Peanut butter roll and muesli bars
Encounters: A few kangaroos early in the day.
Highlights: None really.
Lowlights: Fell off my bike three times in soft sand, unable to get my feet out of the toe clips in time.
Journal:
The campground was awake early as all of the Variety Bash guys left well before 6:30am. I had decided to get breakfast at the nearby café when it opened at 7:00am so didn’t get up until 6:15am. After breakfast, I picked up some bread rolls at a bakery and left town about 7:50am.
The road was sealed at first but after 20km turned to gravel as it began to climb through the Great Dividing Range . The mountains aren’t that high but still tough work on a bike. I stopped for a quick morning ice-cream at a small store and then continued on. As the road climbed, its quality deteriorated and progress became slower and slower. The countryside went from lush tropical to dry arid forest as the day progressed, although there was at least a bit of water in most creeks and rivers.
Eventually I reached the other side of the mountains and crossed the Normanby River , one of several I had to wade through during the day (checking for crocs first!). I heard later a tourist had rolled their rental 4WD just after one of these crossings. After the Normanby River the road really deteriorated and was a constant sequence of corrugations, rocks and soft sand. It was also quite warm and I was getting very tired and hot. Three falls, the last of which drew blood from my right elbow and shin, did not improve my mood. In the end I decided that rather than try and press on to Kalpower Campground, which was supposed to have the best facilities, I would stop at Old Laura, which had no facilities and get going at an earlier hour tomorrow. It’s more than 160km to Musgrave, my target for tomorrow night.
I only covered 109km today, but it was hard slow work, and probably a good sample of what awaits me for the next week. Nevertheless, I only have 800km to go now, which doesn’t seem much.
Date: Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Summary: Riding Cooktown to Old Laura.
Start: Cooktown
Finish: Old Laura
Daily Kilometres: 109
Total Kilometres: 3449
Weather: Warm, sunny and humid with easterly winds.
Accommodation: Old Laura National Park back country campground, Lakefield National Park , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: The “Big Brekkie” from a Cooktown café
Lunch: Peanut butter roll and apple
Dinner: Peanut butter roll and muesli bars
Encounters: A few kangaroos early in the day.
Highlights: None really.
Lowlights: Fell off my bike three times in soft sand, unable to get my feet out of the toe clips in time.
Journal:
The campground was awake early as all of the Variety Bash guys left well before 6:30am. I had decided to get breakfast at the nearby café when it opened at 7:00am so didn’t get up until 6:15am. After breakfast, I picked up some bread rolls at a bakery and left town about 7:50am.
The road was sealed at first but after 20km turned to gravel as it began to climb through the Great Dividing Range . The mountains aren’t that high but still tough work on a bike. I stopped for a quick morning ice-cream at a small store and then continued on. As the road climbed, its quality deteriorated and progress became slower and slower. The countryside went from lush tropical to dry arid forest as the day progressed, although there was at least a bit of water in most creeks and rivers.
Eventually I reached the other side of the mountains and crossed the Normanby River , one of several I had to wade through during the day (checking for crocs first!). I heard later a tourist had rolled their rental 4WD just after one of these crossings. After the Normanby River the road really deteriorated and was a constant sequence of corrugations, rocks and soft sand. It was also quite warm and I was getting very tired and hot. Three falls, the last of which drew blood from my right elbow and shin, did not improve my mood. In the end I decided that rather than try and press on to Kalpower Campground, which was supposed to have the best facilities, I would stop at Old Laura, which had no facilities and get going at an earlier hour tomorrow. It’s more than 160km to Musgrave, my target for tomorrow night.
I only covered 109km today, but it was hard slow work, and probably a good sample of what awaits me for the next week. Nevertheless, I only have 800km to go now, which doesn’t seem much.
Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Cape Tribulation to Cooktown
Day: 026
Date: Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown.
Start: Cape Tribulation
Finish: Cooktown
Daily Kilometres: 104
Total Kilometres: 3340
Weather: Warm, sunny and humid with south-easterly winds.
Accommodation: Campground in Cooktown , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Peanut butter roll and apple
Lunch: Hamburger and chips
Dinner: Quiche, salad and chips
Encounters: The Variety Club Bash, a convoy of 180 retro rally cars, were travelling the same route, turning what I expected to be a mostly solitary wilderness experience into a constant stream of blaring horns and dust. They were very supportive and friendly, but I could have done without them. I also met a German cyclist travelling southwards. He was on a trip from Perth to Melbourne around the northern coasts. We stopped and had a chat for a while.
Highlights: Negotiating the Bloomfield Track successfully. I was a little apprehensive, knowing that there were some very steep hills.
Lowlights: The Variety Club Bash participants not only spoiled my day a bit, but booked out all accommodation in Cooktown, where I had been hoping to get a motel room before my final push to the Cape .
Journal:
I left at 7:00am and enjoyed the early morning ride through the fantastic rainforest. However, I hadn’t gone far when an SUV passed me and told me that 180 Variety Club Bash cars were also travelling along the Bloomfield Track today. Great! Shortly after they began to pass me, always giving me a cheery wave and toot, but also raising plenty of dust. Around 8:30am I found a nice little perfect secluded palm-fringed beach where I stopped for some breakfast and a stroll. It was beautiful.
I then continued on and soon reached the massive climb I remembered from our previous trip up here. The road was concreted over to stop erosion, but the grade must have been about 20-25%. It was all I could do to make forward progress pushing the bike. Some entertainment was provided by one of the Variety Bash cars which, despite several attempts, could not make it up the hill and eventually had to be towed. The hill went on and on, and I made slow progress, stopping every 10 metres or so to get my breath. I finally reached the top and then had a nerve-wracking descent. With all of the weight on the bike, it is not very stable and I used the brakes a lot to keep myself at a modest controllable speed. There were several creeks that I had to wade across along the way.
At the bottom of the hill I reached the scenic Bloomfield River and crossed at the causeway (before the causeway was built, Barb and I had been stranded mid-river in our SUV when the engine stopped in deep water once, but that’s another story!). I took a break in Wujal Wujal and another shortly after at a roadhouse, letting most of the Variety Bash cars get past me, although it made me later than I had planned. At the roadhouse I spent quite a while talking to the young owner who was interested in mountain-biking and was shortly embarking on a solo 500km canoe trip down the Mitchell River. He also ran tours to the Cape . I called ahead to some accommodation in Cooktown, but everything was booked out except one campground where the owner said he would hold his last spot for me.
I continued on and made good time until the huge climb up to Helenvale. It was a real grind through the rainforest on a narrow track. I passed a few broken down Variety Club Bash cars along the way. After Helenvale the road was sealed and I made good time to Cooktown, arriving about 5:30pm and set up my tent. I had to queue for a shower, which had run out of hot water. Cooktown was full of Variety Club Bash participants, in various states of intoxication. I went for a walk around town in the twilight before getting dinner at a café adjacent to the campground. Given that the café opened at 7:00am and knowing that I would be bush-camping tomorrow night, I decided to get breakfast there before leaving in the morning and then trying to make it the 166km to Kalpower campground, the only one with facilities in the Lakefield National Park.
Date: Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown.
Start: Cape Tribulation
Finish: Cooktown
Daily Kilometres: 104
Total Kilometres: 3340
Weather: Warm, sunny and humid with south-easterly winds.
Accommodation: Campground in Cooktown , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Peanut butter roll and apple
Lunch: Hamburger and chips
Dinner: Quiche, salad and chips
Encounters: The Variety Club Bash, a convoy of 180 retro rally cars, were travelling the same route, turning what I expected to be a mostly solitary wilderness experience into a constant stream of blaring horns and dust. They were very supportive and friendly, but I could have done without them. I also met a German cyclist travelling southwards. He was on a trip from Perth to Melbourne around the northern coasts. We stopped and had a chat for a while.
Highlights: Negotiating the Bloomfield Track successfully. I was a little apprehensive, knowing that there were some very steep hills.
Lowlights: The Variety Club Bash participants not only spoiled my day a bit, but booked out all accommodation in Cooktown, where I had been hoping to get a motel room before my final push to the Cape .
Journal:
I left at 7:00am and enjoyed the early morning ride through the fantastic rainforest. However, I hadn’t gone far when an SUV passed me and told me that 180 Variety Club Bash cars were also travelling along the Bloomfield Track today. Great! Shortly after they began to pass me, always giving me a cheery wave and toot, but also raising plenty of dust. Around 8:30am I found a nice little perfect secluded palm-fringed beach where I stopped for some breakfast and a stroll. It was beautiful.
I then continued on and soon reached the massive climb I remembered from our previous trip up here. The road was concreted over to stop erosion, but the grade must have been about 20-25%. It was all I could do to make forward progress pushing the bike. Some entertainment was provided by one of the Variety Bash cars which, despite several attempts, could not make it up the hill and eventually had to be towed. The hill went on and on, and I made slow progress, stopping every 10 metres or so to get my breath. I finally reached the top and then had a nerve-wracking descent. With all of the weight on the bike, it is not very stable and I used the brakes a lot to keep myself at a modest controllable speed. There were several creeks that I had to wade across along the way.
At the bottom of the hill I reached the scenic Bloomfield River and crossed at the causeway (before the causeway was built, Barb and I had been stranded mid-river in our SUV when the engine stopped in deep water once, but that’s another story!). I took a break in Wujal Wujal and another shortly after at a roadhouse, letting most of the Variety Bash cars get past me, although it made me later than I had planned. At the roadhouse I spent quite a while talking to the young owner who was interested in mountain-biking and was shortly embarking on a solo 500km canoe trip down the Mitchell River. He also ran tours to the Cape . I called ahead to some accommodation in Cooktown, but everything was booked out except one campground where the owner said he would hold his last spot for me.
I continued on and made good time until the huge climb up to Helenvale. It was a real grind through the rainforest on a narrow track. I passed a few broken down Variety Club Bash cars along the way. After Helenvale the road was sealed and I made good time to Cooktown, arriving about 5:30pm and set up my tent. I had to queue for a shower, which had run out of hot water. Cooktown was full of Variety Club Bash participants, in various states of intoxication. I went for a walk around town in the twilight before getting dinner at a café adjacent to the campground. Given that the café opened at 7:00am and knowing that I would be bush-camping tomorrow night, I decided to get breakfast there before leaving in the morning and then trying to make it the 166km to Kalpower campground, the only one with facilities in the Lakefield National Park.
Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Cairns to Cape Tribulation
Day: 025
Date: Monday, 21 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Cairns (Brinsmead) to Cape Tribulation .
Start: Cairns
Finish: Cape Tribulation
Daily Kilometres: 133
Total Kilometres: 3236
Weather: Mild and cloudy at first, then warm, sunny and humid with south-easterly winds.
Accommodation: Basic cabin at backpackers resort, Cape Tribulation , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Cereal and toast
Lunch: Pie and sausage roll
Dinner: Sausages and vegetables for dinner
Encounters: In Mossman I bumped into the New Zealander who had stopped his car to have a chat with me a week ago when I was riding from Muttaburra to Hughenden. He was now on his bike (a recumbent with trailer) following a route recommended by Lonely Planet. I invited him to give me a call when he came down to the Sydney area.
Highlights: It was a day of highlights. Perhaps the best was the beautiful sunset stroll I had along the sweeping palm tree-fringed Myall Beach at Cape Tribulation, freshly showered after having completed a very satisfactory day’s riding.
Lowlights: My bike computer started playing up in the first few kilometres and, despite changing its batteries, it still only seems to be working intermittently. It’s not a great problem, although it does help a bit with navigation and time management. My right knee was quite painful for most of the day.
Journal:
I got on the road shortly before 7:00am and negotiated the early morning peak hour traffic as I headed north. I noticed my bike computer wasn’t working and changed the batteries, but it still seemed to be malfunctioning. Not a critical problem. The early part of the trip was through suburbs and then cane fields, before the road travelled along the beautiful coast with a thin strip of sandy beach against a backdrop of steep jungle-covered mountains that occasionally formed precipitous headlands. I had a nice following wind, and despite the narrow road and busy tourist traffic (minibus after minibus heading for the Daintree) and occasional sharp hills, thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
Near Port Douglas the road swung away from the coast to Mossman and began passing through cane fields still against the same mountain backdrop. Some of the cane was being cut and loaded into the narrow gauge rail wagons that are used for local transportation to the mills. Around this time, I actually caught a guy out training on his road bike, so I must have been travelling OK!
In Mossman I stopped for a break and bumped into the New Zealander I had met a week earlier in outback Queensland . I continued on to the Daintree River ferry stopping occasionally to have a look at some of the very pretty beaches. After the ferry the road was narrow and winding as it passed through dense tropical rainforest. Both sides of the road were a chaotic jumble of vines, leaves and trees and it was very beautiful. I had to negotiate a couple of steep mountain ranges as I continued north and resorted to walking at one point when the road became too steep. It was also quite humid and I was sweating a lot, although the breeze helped cool me off at my frequent stops to admire the views or beaches.
Around 4:00pm I reached PK’s Jungle Resort where I had earlier called to book a basic room and checked in. It is the same place where Barb, Aaron, Alicia and I had camped on our trip round Australia three years ago. After a quick shower, I went for a very pleasant walk along the nearby beach before dinner. Although it’s only 103km to Cooktown tomorrow, I’m quite apprehensive about some of the very steep hills and rough trail I know I am going to encounter, particularly for the first 35km.
Date: Monday, 21 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Cairns (Brinsmead) to Cape Tribulation .
Start: Cairns
Finish: Cape Tribulation
Daily Kilometres: 133
Total Kilometres: 3236
Weather: Mild and cloudy at first, then warm, sunny and humid with south-easterly winds.
Accommodation: Basic cabin at backpackers resort, Cape Tribulation , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Cereal and toast
Lunch: Pie and sausage roll
Dinner: Sausages and vegetables for dinner
Encounters: In Mossman I bumped into the New Zealander who had stopped his car to have a chat with me a week ago when I was riding from Muttaburra to Hughenden. He was now on his bike (a recumbent with trailer) following a route recommended by Lonely Planet. I invited him to give me a call when he came down to the Sydney area.
Highlights: It was a day of highlights. Perhaps the best was the beautiful sunset stroll I had along the sweeping palm tree-fringed Myall Beach at Cape Tribulation, freshly showered after having completed a very satisfactory day’s riding.
Lowlights: My bike computer started playing up in the first few kilometres and, despite changing its batteries, it still only seems to be working intermittently. It’s not a great problem, although it does help a bit with navigation and time management. My right knee was quite painful for most of the day.
Journal:
I got on the road shortly before 7:00am and negotiated the early morning peak hour traffic as I headed north. I noticed my bike computer wasn’t working and changed the batteries, but it still seemed to be malfunctioning. Not a critical problem. The early part of the trip was through suburbs and then cane fields, before the road travelled along the beautiful coast with a thin strip of sandy beach against a backdrop of steep jungle-covered mountains that occasionally formed precipitous headlands. I had a nice following wind, and despite the narrow road and busy tourist traffic (minibus after minibus heading for the Daintree) and occasional sharp hills, thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
Near Port Douglas the road swung away from the coast to Mossman and began passing through cane fields still against the same mountain backdrop. Some of the cane was being cut and loaded into the narrow gauge rail wagons that are used for local transportation to the mills. Around this time, I actually caught a guy out training on his road bike, so I must have been travelling OK!
In Mossman I stopped for a break and bumped into the New Zealander I had met a week earlier in outback Queensland . I continued on to the Daintree River ferry stopping occasionally to have a look at some of the very pretty beaches. After the ferry the road was narrow and winding as it passed through dense tropical rainforest. Both sides of the road were a chaotic jumble of vines, leaves and trees and it was very beautiful. I had to negotiate a couple of steep mountain ranges as I continued north and resorted to walking at one point when the road became too steep. It was also quite humid and I was sweating a lot, although the breeze helped cool me off at my frequent stops to admire the views or beaches.
Around 4:00pm I reached PK’s Jungle Resort where I had earlier called to book a basic room and checked in. It is the same place where Barb, Aaron, Alicia and I had camped on our trip round Australia three years ago. After a quick shower, I went for a very pleasant walk along the nearby beach before dinner. Although it’s only 103km to Cooktown tomorrow, I’m quite apprehensive about some of the very steep hills and rough trail I know I am going to encounter, particularly for the first 35km.
Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Cairns
Day: 024
Date: Sunday, 20 August 2006
Summary: Rest day.
Start: Cairns
Finish: Cairns
Daily Kilometres: 0
Total Kilometres: 3103
Weather:
Accommodation: Staying with cousin, Phil, and his wife, Denise, in Brinsmead, a suburb of Cairns , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Encounters:
Highlights:
Lowlights:
Journal:
I spent the day relaxing, catching up on family news, purchasing a few items and, with Phil’s help, working out how to add a 5 litre water container to my carrier.
Date: Sunday, 20 August 2006
Summary: Rest day.
Start: Cairns
Finish: Cairns
Daily Kilometres: 0
Total Kilometres: 3103
Weather:
Accommodation: Staying with cousin, Phil, and his wife, Denise, in Brinsmead, a suburb of Cairns , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Encounters:
Highlights:
Lowlights:
Journal:
I spent the day relaxing, catching up on family news, purchasing a few items and, with Phil’s help, working out how to add a 5 litre water container to my carrier.
Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Ravenshoe to Cairns
Day: 023
Date: Saturday, 19 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Ravenshoe to Cairns (Brinsmead).
Start: Ravenshoe
Finish: Cairns (Brinsmead)
Daily Kilometres: 140
Total Kilometres: 3103
Weather: Cool and cloudy in the morning and warm and sunny for the afternoon with south-easterly winds.
Accommodation: Staying with cousin, Phil, and his wife, Denise, in Brinsmead, a suburb of Cairns ,Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Pastries
Lunch: Two pies and a milkshake
Dinner: Barbecue
Encounters: There was the drunk who staggered out of the pub in Gordonvale while I was having lunch outside of the adjacent bakery in my biking gear who thought I was there (and dressed for) the annual race up the Pyramid, a nearby mountain, scheduled for that day.
Highlights: Firstly, the ride across the Atherton Tableland was very enjoyable (apart from the hills). The road wound around through little rural valleys with dairy farms and occasional plantations punctuated with patches of dense tropical rainforest, occasionally climbing over high ridges that gave spectacular views to the surrounding high mountains. Secondly, arriving at the coast again was a major milestone in my trip.
Lowlights: There were some long and tough hills as I crossed the Atherton Tableland, and my quads and right knee were very tired/sore by the time I got to the final descent. Also, sometime in the first hour, my groundsheet, which I strap on top of my panniers, somehow slipped out without me noticing and was lost. Not a critical piece of equipment, but I’ll try and get a replacement in Cairns .
Journal:
I got up at 6:30am and was about to leave at 7:00am when I got a phone call from Aaron from the US. It was the first time I had spoken to him in a month, so it was a welcome start to the day to hear about how his Gap Year travels are going and that he is enjoying himself. He flies out to Europe tomorrow.
There were several choices for routes across the Atherton Tableland to Cairns and I opted for what seemed to be the shortest, which also used relatively minor roads. It proved to be a good choice, traffic-wise and scenery-wise, particularly for the first 30km when I had the narrow winding and steeply undulating road almost to myself. The hills were tough but the scenery was a stark and welcome contrast to the last few weeks with verdant dairy farms and lush rainforest. It reminded me a bit of the Strezlecki Ranges I had crossed back in Victoria at the start of the trip.
At Malanda, a popular tourist town, which was buzzing on a market day Saturday morning, I found a bakery for a late breakfast at around 10:30am and ate a couple of pastries, read the Saturday paper and watched the world go by, although there was a coolish wind. I then continued on, up some more massive hills, which I don’t think I could have ridden up early in the trip, to the Gillies Range , which marked the crest of the Great Dividing Range . Several people’s ears had pricked up when I said I was going this route, which apparently has a long and dangerous descent. The Gillies Range was crested with beautiful tropical rainforest and, although the road was very winding, it was quite easy to ride (it would have been slow and tedious in a car), and there wasn’t too much traffic. Finally, the long 16km descent began to the coastal plains and I barely touched the pedals the whole way. It was great! The road wasn’t so steep that I had to use the brakes excessively and most of the time I just rolled along at about 30-35km looking at the fabulous scenery below which included sugar cane and grass farms on the flats and lushly forested mountains all around. It also got noticeably warmer on the descent and for the first time in the day I started to warm up.
Once I reached the bottom I pedalled to Gordonvale, an old sugar town, and found some lunch, before riding the last 23km to Cairns in warm weather with a much-appreciated strong tailwind. The journey was capped off by finding a radio station I could listen to which was broadcasting theGeelong football game.
As I rode into Cairns I checked a couple of camping stores I needed to buy a few things, but they were all closed. I had some time to spare, so rode into the very touristy city centre and walked around the shops and beach area for a while and enjoyed a thick-shake at a café.
Then I rode about 12km out to where my cousin, Phil, and wife, Denise, and family live at Brinsmead and received a warm welcome. I plan to have a day off tomorrow to rest up, catch up with the relatives, and purchase some food and small bits of gear to see me through the last 10-11 days of the trip, which will probably prove to be the most challenging, logistics-wise.
Date: Saturday, 19 August 2006
Summary: Riding from Ravenshoe to Cairns (Brinsmead).
Start: Ravenshoe
Finish: Cairns (Brinsmead)
Daily Kilometres: 140
Total Kilometres: 3103
Weather: Cool and cloudy in the morning and warm and sunny for the afternoon with south-easterly winds.
Accommodation: Staying with cousin, Phil, and his wife, Denise, in Brinsmead, a suburb of Cairns ,Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Pastries
Lunch: Two pies and a milkshake
Dinner: Barbecue
Encounters: There was the drunk who staggered out of the pub in Gordonvale while I was having lunch outside of the adjacent bakery in my biking gear who thought I was there (and dressed for) the annual race up the Pyramid, a nearby mountain, scheduled for that day.
Highlights: Firstly, the ride across the Atherton Tableland was very enjoyable (apart from the hills). The road wound around through little rural valleys with dairy farms and occasional plantations punctuated with patches of dense tropical rainforest, occasionally climbing over high ridges that gave spectacular views to the surrounding high mountains. Secondly, arriving at the coast again was a major milestone in my trip.
Lowlights: There were some long and tough hills as I crossed the Atherton Tableland, and my quads and right knee were very tired/sore by the time I got to the final descent. Also, sometime in the first hour, my groundsheet, which I strap on top of my panniers, somehow slipped out without me noticing and was lost. Not a critical piece of equipment, but I’ll try and get a replacement in Cairns .
Journal:
I got up at 6:30am and was about to leave at 7:00am when I got a phone call from Aaron from the US. It was the first time I had spoken to him in a month, so it was a welcome start to the day to hear about how his Gap Year travels are going and that he is enjoying himself. He flies out to Europe tomorrow.
There were several choices for routes across the Atherton Tableland to Cairns and I opted for what seemed to be the shortest, which also used relatively minor roads. It proved to be a good choice, traffic-wise and scenery-wise, particularly for the first 30km when I had the narrow winding and steeply undulating road almost to myself. The hills were tough but the scenery was a stark and welcome contrast to the last few weeks with verdant dairy farms and lush rainforest. It reminded me a bit of the Strezlecki Ranges I had crossed back in Victoria at the start of the trip.
At Malanda, a popular tourist town, which was buzzing on a market day Saturday morning, I found a bakery for a late breakfast at around 10:30am and ate a couple of pastries, read the Saturday paper and watched the world go by, although there was a coolish wind. I then continued on, up some more massive hills, which I don’t think I could have ridden up early in the trip, to the Gillies Range , which marked the crest of the Great Dividing Range . Several people’s ears had pricked up when I said I was going this route, which apparently has a long and dangerous descent. The Gillies Range was crested with beautiful tropical rainforest and, although the road was very winding, it was quite easy to ride (it would have been slow and tedious in a car), and there wasn’t too much traffic. Finally, the long 16km descent began to the coastal plains and I barely touched the pedals the whole way. It was great! The road wasn’t so steep that I had to use the brakes excessively and most of the time I just rolled along at about 30-35km looking at the fabulous scenery below which included sugar cane and grass farms on the flats and lushly forested mountains all around. It also got noticeably warmer on the descent and for the first time in the day I started to warm up.
Once I reached the bottom I pedalled to Gordonvale, an old sugar town, and found some lunch, before riding the last 23km to Cairns in warm weather with a much-appreciated strong tailwind. The journey was capped off by finding a radio station I could listen to which was broadcasting theGeelong football game.
As I rode into Cairns I checked a couple of camping stores I needed to buy a few things, but they were all closed. I had some time to spare, so rode into the very touristy city centre and walked around the shops and beach area for a while and enjoyed a thick-shake at a café.
Then I rode about 12km out to where my cousin, Phil, and wife, Denise, and family live at Brinsmead and received a warm welcome. I plan to have a day off tomorrow to rest up, catch up with the relatives, and purchase some food and small bits of gear to see me through the last 10-11 days of the trip, which will probably prove to be the most challenging, logistics-wise.
Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - The Lynd Junction to Ravenshoe
Day: 022
Date: Friday, 18 August 2006
Summary: Riding from The Lynd Junction to Ravenshoe.
Start: The Lynd Junction
Finish: Ravenshoe
Daily Kilometres: 201
Total Kilometres: 2963
Weather: Cool and foggy early but warm to hot and partly cloudy for the rest of the day with easterly (head) winds.
Accommodation: Motel in Ravenshoe , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Peanut butter roll
Lunch: Pie, pastie and milkshake
Dinner: Chicken stir fry for dinner.
Encounters: None really.
Highlights: Passing through the recent volcanic area near Undarra National Park , with the extinct volcanic cones all around and the black volcanic rock in abundance (the Byrnes’ family visited Undarra in 2003 and saw the fantastic lava tubes and climbed some of the extinct cones).
Lowlights: The road, which was generally just a strip of bitumen wide enough for one vehicle, was busy with tourists and road-trains today. This meant that I was always having to dive off onto the gravel verge and constantly getting sprayed with dust and gravel.
Journal:
I got up at 4:30am after left at 5:00am in the hope of getting a good early run with minimal traffic and wind. It was cooler than I expected and it got to the point where my right hand, which has been experiencing some numbness, was incapable of changing gears using my twist grip. I had to reach across and chane gears with my left hand. As the sun rose, the dawn was made more spectacular by and eerie fog which extended across the road in parts and made the trees ghost-like. Progress wasn’t as fast as I had hoped but I couldn’t work out whether it was the cold or maybe the road was gradually climbing. I knew that during the course of the day I would be climbing up onto the Atherton Tableland.
By 8:00am the road had started to become quite busy with a lot of road trains carrying ore of some description and many tourists. I was constantly getting off the narrow strip of bitumen onto the gravel verge to avoid traffic coming from either direction, although I couldn’t always hear the traffic from behind until it was almost on to me. (Someone later told me that touring cyclists hate this piece of road and I can understand why.)
Unfortunately, the bad traffic conditions were a distraction from the marvellous volcanic area scenery. Extinct cones could be seen in various directions and black volcanic rock was all around.
Later in the day, the road began climbing onto the Atherton Tableland. It would have been good if it was a steady climb but, of course, it wasn’t. It was a constant series of ups and downs with each succeeding “up” a bit longer than the preceding “down”. I could feel my quads using every last bit of the strength they have acquired in the last three weeks.
Finally I reached Ravenshoe, the highest town in Queensland (believe it or not), at 6:00pm after a very long day (yet again the map distance underestimated the true distance as marked by road signs and measured on my odometer). I was lucky to get the last motel room in town and felt pleased with the kilometres covered and metres ascended for the day in difficult conditions. I should have an easy run into Cairns tomorrow and a day off on Sunday staying with my cousin, Phil and his family.
Date: Friday, 18 August 2006
Summary: Riding from The Lynd Junction to Ravenshoe.
Start: The Lynd Junction
Finish: Ravenshoe
Daily Kilometres: 201
Total Kilometres: 2963
Weather: Cool and foggy early but warm to hot and partly cloudy for the rest of the day with easterly (head) winds.
Accommodation: Motel in Ravenshoe , Queensland .
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Peanut butter roll
Lunch: Pie, pastie and milkshake
Dinner: Chicken stir fry for dinner.
Encounters: None really.
Highlights: Passing through the recent volcanic area near Undarra National Park , with the extinct volcanic cones all around and the black volcanic rock in abundance (the Byrnes’ family visited Undarra in 2003 and saw the fantastic lava tubes and climbed some of the extinct cones).
Lowlights: The road, which was generally just a strip of bitumen wide enough for one vehicle, was busy with tourists and road-trains today. This meant that I was always having to dive off onto the gravel verge and constantly getting sprayed with dust and gravel.
Journal:
I got up at 4:30am after left at 5:00am in the hope of getting a good early run with minimal traffic and wind. It was cooler than I expected and it got to the point where my right hand, which has been experiencing some numbness, was incapable of changing gears using my twist grip. I had to reach across and chane gears with my left hand. As the sun rose, the dawn was made more spectacular by and eerie fog which extended across the road in parts and made the trees ghost-like. Progress wasn’t as fast as I had hoped but I couldn’t work out whether it was the cold or maybe the road was gradually climbing. I knew that during the course of the day I would be climbing up onto the Atherton Tableland.
By 8:00am the road had started to become quite busy with a lot of road trains carrying ore of some description and many tourists. I was constantly getting off the narrow strip of bitumen onto the gravel verge to avoid traffic coming from either direction, although I couldn’t always hear the traffic from behind until it was almost on to me. (Someone later told me that touring cyclists hate this piece of road and I can understand why.)
Unfortunately, the bad traffic conditions were a distraction from the marvellous volcanic area scenery. Extinct cones could be seen in various directions and black volcanic rock was all around.
Later in the day, the road began climbing onto the Atherton Tableland. It would have been good if it was a steady climb but, of course, it wasn’t. It was a constant series of ups and downs with each succeeding “up” a bit longer than the preceding “down”. I could feel my quads using every last bit of the strength they have acquired in the last three weeks.
Finally I reached Ravenshoe, the highest town in Queensland (believe it or not), at 6:00pm after a very long day (yet again the map distance underestimated the true distance as marked by road signs and measured on my odometer). I was lucky to get the last motel room in town and felt pleased with the kilometres covered and metres ascended for the day in difficult conditions. I should have an easy run into Cairns tomorrow and a day off on Sunday staying with my cousin, Phil and his family.
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