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Adelaide to Esperance, across the Nullarbor

5/10/2014

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A shorter summery of my experience cycling from Adelaide to Esperance. 

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I took the train from Adelaide to Gawler to avoid the busy roads out from the city. You can bring your bicycle for free on the train and the fare is only about three dollars so a very attractive alternative. 

In Gawler I found a hotel that served fish and chips plus an all you can eat salad buffet and ice cream. All this for under 10 AUD. A good stop if you arrive there at lunch time, especially the salad buffet was great for a hungry cyclist. 

From Gawler there is a bicycle path to Tanunda and it will take you pass Jacobs Creek vineyard. Then you can travel on small quiet roads passing Nurioopta before getting to Kapunda. 

Kapunda is Australias oldest mining town and the library had an interesting display about Sidney Kidman. A local who became the world's largest private landowner. 
From Kapunda I continued on small country roads passing through Marrabel, Saddleworth before getting to Auburn. Auburn is a beautiful small town with many charming old buildings and a nice picnic area so was a perfect place for a lunch stop. From here you can cycle to Clare on the old railway track (Riesling trail) that now is a bicycle track. The track is very good and also has information boards about the historical places you pass.

I stayed at the caravan park in Clare (AUD 20) but if you prefer bush camping it's easy to find a place to camp along the Blyth road. 

From Clare it's possible to cycle to Kadina in one day. Very good road, not much traffic and even if most of it was flat, wide open space I found the cycling interesting. For bush camping you have to get out of Kadina. I found an ok camp spot 13 km outside of the city.
From Kadina it's only 10 km to Wallaroo from where you can take the ferry to Lucky bay. It's possible to buy tickets on arrival and it was 35 + 10 for the bicycle. The ferry passage take about 2,5 hours.

On the other side of Spencer gulf the first small town is Cowell and it has a small general store and a picnic area and was a good stop. From there I followed the Lincoln highway to Port Lincoln. But it was really a boring road, so narrow and without any shoulder line and with lot's of big trucks. I also had headwind most of the time so a much better option would have been to take the Birdseye Highway to Elliston. 
Camped mostly near beaches and it was alright but nothing special. Port Lincoln is a nice small town and has the best YHA hostel I have seen in Australia. Superb management there and very good value compared to what you get on an unpowered site on a caravan park.

The Flinders Highway from Port Lincoln to Ceduna was much better compared to Lincoln Hwy. So little traffic, could be up to an hour between the cars, and some shoulder line. Traveled the shortest way to Ceduna without doing any detours and it took me four days. Stayed at the beachfront caravan park in Ceduna, very convinient right in center of the town. Had big gates that were locked at 8 PM. Felt a bit strange being "locked in". Ceduna is the last stop before Norseman that have a supermarket. So I bought a lot of supplies there for the Nullarbor crossing. 
Crossing the Nullarbor - my experience and some advices

If you would like to cycle between Melbourne and Perth you don't really have so many alternative roads so then the Nullarbor might be the best option. Otherwise I can not recommend anyone cycling there. Why? Because personally for me touring is about enjoyment and this is almost only about endurance. Doing as many kilometers as you can every day until you completed the crossing. And it's not really much to see along the way. There are some sights but most of them require a long detour making them more or less out of the reach. For example to the the Eyre bird observatory it's a 50 km one way ride on a rough gravel road. Requiring at least 2 days but if you have plenty of food and water it might be worth the effort going there. I didn't go there so I really don't know

I did the crossing because I planned to cycle to Perth and also because I wanted to experience the big empty plain, see the Bunda cliffs. But it's a long way for so few sights so I would not do it a again.

Water

Water was much less of a problem then I thought. I always filled up water enough for two (hot) days when I could. And I was actually carrying more then needed, but I wanted to have backup if I got problem with bike or needed a rest day. Never had to pay for the water. Usually I filled up from the taps on the toilets. In Nundroo it had a salty taste but I found it okay for drinking.

In SA there were also three rest areas with water tanks, one about 5-7 km before Yalata. They are filled up by tank cars and I drank it without treatment. The second tank was 40 km passed Nullabor (empty when I got there) and the third was 50 km before SA border village.

There were two rainwater tanks on the WA side but the rest areas were so filthy and I was not in need of water so never checked if it was any water in the tanks. But one of the tanks must had contained some water at least. Because it was a huge puddle next to it. Some vandals had obviously left the tap open. So meaningless but the birds enjoyed their new birdbath...

At Nullarbour I had lunch and asked for water and staff told me where I could get rainwater. At Balladonia there were signs saying water not for drinking, but it's actually OK. Staff also confirmed it and I found the quality very good. Actually the best on the Nullarbor and I carried 25 l of it when I took the Balladonia road.

And then it will always be some drivers that will stop and ask if you need water. I got water four or five times from considerate motorists. 

Food

Food is more an issue then water. I carried food for six days when I left Ceduna and then sent food parcels ahead to SA border village + Cocklebiddy. Because not much food to buy along the road and all roadhouses serve the same sort of food. I had burger with the lot at two places, and it was enough! The truckers might like the menu but for me it was more like buying it to support the roadhouses. I find couscous and tuna much better as cycling fuel. 

Before I sent the food parcel I called the roadhouse to check if it was OK. Both SA border Village and Cocklebiddy were very helpful and it was no problem. The girl at SA border roadhouse was very interested in how it was to cycle across the Nullarbor. At Cocklebiddy I didn't even have to ask for my food parcel, she saw my bicycle when I arrived and said she would be back in a minute with it! 

I posted the food parcels from Adelaide. The cost to send eight kg to SA border village was AUD 17 and four kg to Cocklebiddy, WA was AUD 26. So much more expensive it you send it across a state border. 


Roadhouses

Arriving to a roadhouse is a big event when you are out on the Nullarbor. Offer some break from the monotonic cycling and I found myself always pushing hard to get to the next stop. 

They all have more or less the same menu; burgers, chips and sausage. Some also sell a very limited range of snacks. But no food that are really suitable to bring with you so you better be self sufficient or eat at the roadhouse restaurant. 

The staff I met on the roadhouses were usually very friendly and helpful. Especially the staff at SA border village, Cocklebiddy and Balladonia. 

Road

On the SA side there is no shoulder line and especially a stretch of about 50 km around Yalata was boring. Because rolling hills and not clear sight and lots of trucks meant that I was just constantly looking in the mirror/moving out on the loose gravel/ stopping and let the traffic pass. 

On the WA side most of the road has a shoulder line. The worst section here is on the 90 mile straight road where it's very narrow.  

Surface is generally good. But a factor that you might forget is that the color of the tarmac matters. On a sunny hot day the black tarmac absorbs the heat and emits much more heat compared to a lighter colored tarmac. Just stop and put your hand on the black tarmac and you will see it can get pretty warm! Luckily the most of the road had the lighter colored tarmac. 

Road trains

I pictured road trains at least as a truck with two trailers. But didn't hardly see any of those on the Nullarbor. Usually they are just a truck with a trailer and to me they look no different from the trucks with a trailer that you would see in Europe/Sweden. But if it was trucks coming from both directions I always moved off the road. Just to make the passing easier and safer.

Usually all the trucks also give you plenty of space if there is no oncoming traffic.

Then there are the oversized transports, the really wide ones even had police escort. Always stop and move off the road when you meet them.  
Picture
Oversized load outside of Ceduna
Cyclists

I met three young french guys one day before I got to Ceduna. Two of them had the same bike model as me!
On the Nullarbor I met a couple form Hong Kong and an older man from Perth. Then I also saw a couple passing from my camp site. So in total I saw/met five other cyclists during my ten and a half day across the Nullarbor. 

People

The best thing with crossing the Nullarbor were all the friendly and helpful people I met on the road. I had hardly began the crossing before I was offered water and fruit on my first rest stop. And it would happen many more times during my crossing. So my biggest thanks to you all that supported me! Even if I carried enough to be self sufficient between the roadhouses it was always such a nice and warming gesture.

And being on a bicycle you often got some attention when you arrived at a roadhouse. Sometimes I just reached the roadhouse after cycling almost non stop for seventy kilometers and then you just wanted to cool down, get refreshed and have something to eat and drink. So was perhaps not always the most talkative when I was asked about the trip but I hope people understood it. 

An episodes I want to share. One minibus coming in the opposite direction stopped and the driver asked if I needed water. Before I had time to answer he continued. "I know you cyclist always carrying to much gear, making slow progress"  and handed over a couple of cold bottles of water and a pack of Pringles. That just made my day. And looking at my almost 100 kg of bicycle and load I think he was right in his conclusion!

Clothes

I used a long sleeved cotton shirt, three-quarter pants of nylon, bicycle gloves, helmet with fabric attached around it to protect ear and neck from the sun, sandals. Most important is to cover as much of your skin as possible as it helps to minimize the loss of water and protect you from the sun. 

A light colour is always to prefer as it's cooler and it's also offer better protection against flies and mosquitoes. 


Weather and wind

I left Ceduna on the 13th of March and arrived in Esperance on the 27th of March. The weather during that period was good. No real hot days, usually up to around 34 degrees and never over 38 degrees. 

I had several cloudy days and also a rainy day. 

Wind was almost never an issue. This time of the year it's best to travel from east to west but I hardly had any tailwind. At least no real strong tailwind, it was more like a breeze and only lasted for parts of a few days. 

Around Yalata and Nullarbor I experienced strong headwind making the progress very slow and hard. But it only lasted for parts of the days. 


Camping

No fences and houses so in a way all the Nullarbor are free for camping. But because of all the low vegetation and bushes you better get off the main road where a track or dirt road is. There are many rest areas but most of them do not have any toilet or any other facilities then a bin. Because of it you would probably find a lot of toilet paper or tissues lying around so not always picturesque camp sites. So I usually bush camped.

Even if it was very easy to find a place to camp I found the quality of camping not so good. The ground/soil is very loose and combined with the condense it makes camping a bit dirty. Can also be a challenge to find shade and wind protection.  

Wildlife

On the SA side I didn't see any wildlife, not even a kangaroo. But a couple of nights I could hear dingoes howling.

Much more wildlife when I got over to the WA-side. Kangaroos, Emus and Wedge-tailed Eagles. I hoped to maybe spot some camels or wild horses when I cycled on the Balladonia road. But as one local I met on the road told me all you would see on the road is some horse poo. And he was right. 

Flies

I cycled across the Nullarbor in March and on some sections of the Eyre highway the flies were annoying. Lots of small flies trying to get into your eyes, mouth, nose and ear. Even if it was annoying it was still not so bad that I needed to put on my mosquito net hat. And compared to the Horse flies/March flies they were almost like "pets."

On the Balladonia road I was from dusk to down constantly under attack from Horse flies/March flies. Their incessant buzzing and dive bombing were every bit as annoying as their painful bites. They were not deterred by attempts at swatting them away and made their kamikaze attacks right onto my face, hands etc. It was a nightmare stopping for lunch and I tried to keep all pauses as short as possible. When riding they were buzzing around me looking for a chance to bite me. Usually they aimed for my hands because I wore black gloves or my lower legs. 

I used mosquito repellent containing deed and it helped for a short while. But I tried to minimize the use of it. Best was when I could get into my tent. But it was first after five pm that it was possible to seek cover in the tent. Before it would be too hot and impossible to stay inside.
Balladonia road.

Going from Balladonia to Esperance you have two options. Either continue on Eyre Highway over Norseman or take the more direct route via the Balladonia road. After almost eleven days on the Eyre Highway I wanted some change and I also thought that Balladonia road looked much more interesting.

I was not sure about how easy it was to navigate it but after asking the staff at Balladonia Roadhouse I learnt that it was actually only one road to follow so really no navigation skills needed. The road is gravel and most of it is only for four wheel drives.  

I carried about 25 liters of water when I left Balladonia as I wanted to have enough water for three days at least. That would allow me to get to Condingup 210 km away. I was prepared for a rough ride and had read a report written by a couple that had cycled the road six years earlier. They had done it to Condingup in three days and I hoped that the road conditions had improved since then.  First day they had camped after 68 km and my plan was also to do at least 68 km. If I could do it I knew that I was doing as good as them at least.

The first 37 km of the road was just rough gravel and was alright for cycling. Speed was of course slow but still not so bad road. Not corrugated, only big pot holes, and lots of deep wheel tracks but it was possible to navigate between them.  Then the four wheeled section began, big signs was telling it, and the condition of the road became much worse. Really big washboards, almost covering the entire track. But by trying to cycle on the very edge of the road I could avoid the worst parts of it, but still it was very rough. Speed was about 5-8 km an hour and it was really hard work even to keep that speed. But with no traffic on the road I could keep all focus on finding the best way through. I didn't have to worry about traffic.  During my two days on the road I only met three cars each day and I was riding from early morning until about five PM.

About ten km onto the four wheel track I met the first car. The driver stopped and asked if I knew where I was going and he also confirmed that it was only to follow the track to get to Esperance. He also told me that there were nothing to see along the road, only some horse poo and that’s all. And he was right. I didn't see any wildlife and not so much of the surrounding nature either, because full focus was needed on cycling. So rough and bumpy road that I was a bit worried about maybe have some spokes breaking in my rear wheel because of the heavy load. In the beginning I really tried to avoid all holes and washboards but later I just tried to get forward. It was hot, clear sunshine all day, and so many horse flies that it was crazy. There were just all over me really happy to have one cyclist coming this way.

Even if it was very though I still enjoyed it and was glad that I decided to take this route instead of going over Norseman. At late afternoon I reached the 68 km mark. I was so glad that I also could make it there, no way that I wanted to go any further that day. There was a waterhole there and the other cyclist had written that they had filled up with water there. So I went and had a look, but the water was orange/brown and smelled really bad. Just in emergency you would think about drinking some of it and I was glad that I carried so much water with me. The horseflies finally left at the dawn but then I had already got into the tent.

Next day the road got a bit better for a while when I got to the Parmango road. But it only lasted for some kilometers before going back to the corrugated tracks. Early in the morning I arrived to the restored ruins of Deralinyup homestead. It was really an interesting stop and sight. It is possible to stay overnight in the house, 4-6 beds and a kitchen with basic utilities. Even a rainwater tank so you could fill up with water. I read the guestbook and there and a couple had stayed there the nights before. Writing it was such a nice place and so good to be able to hide from all the horse flies.  Must been really isolated living there in the past as it even nowadays is a remote location.
After a longer break at the homestead I continued and soon I thought that I saw someone walking along the road in the distance. No, it can’t be anyone walking here, must be something else I thought. But getting closer it was actually a young man walking down the road, looking like he was out for a walk in Melbourne or so. Really felt misplaced.

I stopped and asked if he was alright. And he was ok but they had got a flat tyre and the jack-screw that they had was useless. They had rented the car and even if it should be included it was not a functional one. I told him that he better stay by the car and just wait for help. Because there will be some cars passing by, but probably in afternoon as it was a long drive to get there. He agreed and turned around heading back for the car. About 25 km later they passed me, obviously they had got help.  

Road was then finally getting better, this part of road was used by trucks going to a mine so much wider road instead of the tracks. But so much loose gravel and hard to steer and cycle and so dusty. So even if not so much washboards any longer it was still hard cycling. Camped just next to the road, really no traffic so no problems just camping right next to it. 

Next morning I had only about 15-20 km before I got on the tarmac again. Such a relief getting on the tarmac again. It had been 100 km of very rough road and 60 km of just rough road. Now it was just almost cruising down to Condingup. I stopped to take some photos of the tarmac road and a car pulled up alongside me. The driver asked how I found the road from Balladonia. And he also told me that he had seen some cyclist traveling on it during the rainy season. They had really problem then with all the mud getting stuck on the wheel, brakes etc. So must be better to cycle during this time of the year.

Rolled into Condingup and stopped at the local store but with prices like 15 $ for a kg of rolled oats I didn't buy a lot of things. Had lunch next to the sport oval and then continued to cycle towards Esperance.

Knee had been really painful for the last days but I hoped to  make another 40 km before camping for the night. Between Condingup and Esperance it’s 67 km. When I rolled out of Condingup I could see a big cloud of smoke coming up in the distance. Looked like a big fire. But cars was still driving on the road so guess it would be ok. After about 10 km of cycling I had get a bit closer and the smoke cloud looked worse. I saw a tank car next to the road filling up with water from a dam and I decided to stop and ask about the fire. He said it would be no problem. There were cutting down trees and then burning up everything. It was a planned fire. All the countryside around was full of forest plantations. The trees had been planted many years ago and the idea was to sell them to a pulp mill. But now the mill was out of business and the signed contracts was worthless. So all farmers had to cut down the trees and burn them up to clear the land. A costly process and a very sore issue here he told me.

I continued to cycle but after only about 10 km more I was stopped. The road ahead was now closed due to the fire. The burning had went out of control and as a safety matter the road was closed. All traffic heading to Esperance had to take a detour on a gravel road. 

Just my luck I thought, after finishing the 160 km of so rough gravel from Balladonia I had to continue on more gravel. It was just to accept and I tried to push on. But the road was so bad, so much loose sand and gravel on it that it was almost impossible to steer and keep the balance. And it was so dusty that when a truck passed it was a complete whiteout in red dust.  I couldn't see anything for about 5 seconds and everything was covered in a thin layer of red dust. My knee really hurt by now and had the fire in the near distance so had to try to push on in a attempt to get around the fire. 

It was getting late, about 5 PM and on both sides of the road was forest plantation. I didn't want to bush camp there when a fire was out of control some kilometers away, would have been stupid. Tried to continue to cycle but I was going as much sideways as forward because of all the loose sand. I thought I had to get my head torch on and prepare for a long night. But then I was lucky. A pickup truck stopped and asked if I wanted lift? Mike, had seen my zigzag tracks all over the road and offered to take me to safe distance from the fire. 

This was the best that could happen and we managed to get all the gear onto the pickup. Thirty kilometers later I got off the car and began to cycle again. So glad for the lift and I soon found a good camp spot in a forest plantation. 
Next day I arrived in Esperance after 35 km of cycling. It was the morning of 27th of March and twenty seven days since I left from Adelaide. The knee pain was now really bad so I hoped some days of rest would make it better. 

But it didn't help. I tried a couple of times leaving Esperance but the first time I had to give up after 37 km and on the second attempt I only made 25 km. After that I decided that I would have to take the bus from Esperance to Perth. I think the reasons for my knee problem is that the saddle must have lowered itself a bit on the rough washboard road from Balladonia. 

Because I had cycled for more then 7 month and the bike was perfect fitted for me and I had never had any problems it took me a while to realize the very obvious thing. Some millimeter can make a huge difference on the impact of the knee. Even if I adjusted the saddle again it didn't help. Needed a longer rest but I did't want stay that long in Esperance. So I finished my tour of Australia in Esperance after almost 10,000 km. I had already decided that this would be the last leg and finishing in Esperance instead of Perth felt alright. I didn't make it from east to west coast but I did at lest cross the Nullarbor.

The bus ride with TransWA to Perth was an non eventful ten hour journey passing dry yellow/brown farmland with some green dots of Eucalyptus trees. So I didn't really miss anything by taking the bus. But if you have the time you should cycle around the southwest corner instead of taking the shortest way to Perth. I have heard from several other cyclists that it's really scenic and beautiful cycling, some of the best cycling in Australia. 
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Monthly statistic - month number seven

4/3/2014

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A late update of the statistics for month number seven. 

Traveling distance: 2,055 km (9,372 km total) - Longest distance so far on a month. 
Riding time: 113 hours (608 hours in total) - Also longest time spend on the saddle. 
Average speed: 15.91 (Average from the beginning of the tour) - Was almost 16 km/h before I began cycling the Balladonia Road. 

Bicycle problems: 
Four flat tyres and a replaced bottom bracket and rear tire. Flat tires usually never comes at a suitable time. But I must say the first flat tyre Lincoln highway was something almost welcoming because the road was so boring to cycle. 

The rear tyre had a big cut and small sharp stones could then puncture the tube. I put a tyre patch on the tyre and fixed the tube. This lasted for about a couple of days then a new puncture on the exact same spot. Repaired it again and could ride for another day before got the next puncture.

Fixed it but then after only 500 m I had a new puncture. All on the same spot where the tyre had the cut so I decided it was about time to replace the tyre. I use Schwalbe Marathon Mondial 2.0'' tyres and I'm very happy with them. I had done over 10,0000 km in total before I had to replace the rear tyre. And I have had a very heavy loaded bike so think it's a very good. The front tyre is still going strong and think it can do a couple of thousand kilometers more before I need to replace it too. 

I had the bottom bracket replaced again after only 5,500 km. I think it's too short life span but it was a cheap no name product so quality might not be so good. But on the other hand the original bottom bracket also only lasted for about 5,500 km. This is the only problems I really had with the bicycle on the whole trip. Not sure if the heavy load on the bicycle is the explanation to why they need to be replaced so often?

Rainy days: 1 day.

Camping:
Warm shower hosts: 4 nights
Invitation: 1 night
Hostels: 2 nights

Paying camp sites: 3 nights
Bush camping/free camping: 18 nights

New species of wildlife spotted a long the way:
Nil. Was not much wild life across the Nullarbor. Didn't see any bigger animal on the South Australian side, not even a kangaroo. But could hear dingoes howl.  

On the Western Australian side I could see some kangaroos and emus. I hoped to see camels too but I guess they are roaming more inland. 



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End of the tour

3/31/2014

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I have decided to stop the tour across Australia. A troubled knee has made me come to this decision.

After a couple of rest days in Esperance I first tried to leave on Sunday morning. But after only 37 km it was not possible to continue because of the knee. Turned back and bush camped 27 km outside of Esperance.

During the night I thought about my options and decided that I would go back to Esperance and have my bike serviced (needed to have the bottom bracket replaced) and then adjust the height of the saddle and give it a new try. 

Left again from Esperance on lunch time yesterday, felt okay in the beginning but then it slowly got more painful and I just made it back to the place where I bush camped the day before. Was an early stop, just after 2 PM so I still hoped some rest would do good and then see how it felt the next morning.

But no better today and I don't want to spend more time here so have booked a bus ticket for Perth tomorrow. It was not the end I planned, didn't want to finish so short of reaching 10,000 km and the goal in Perth. But I feel I have made the right decision and I'm happy with it. 

I've seen so much during my 7 month of cycling and it's been a great experience so finishing here or in Perth would not really make any difference when I'm later look back on the trip. But now I think I will have some of the most challenging part of the trip left. Traveling by bicycle is one thing but traveling with a bicycle, trailer, four big panniers, two big dry sacks and a handled bar bag as luggage is more difficult! Hopefully I can get it all on the bus. 

In Perth I will arrange for visa for Thailand and then book a flight to Bangkok and say farewell to Australia.
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FIFO cycling - Phim are going back to Thailand again. 

2/24/2014

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Picture
Phim on Sparrow road from Mount Eccles NP.
Phim joined me again in Melbourne and together we cycled to Adelaide. Now she'll go back to Thailand again, flight booked for Saturday. So I'm joking and say she is doing FIFO cycling, like others do FIFO work here. 

A life with more normal daily routines attracts and are waiting there. Not an easy decision as it been great cycling from Melbourne but from here it's possible to catch a flight to Bangkok. The next possibility would be in Perth and that is a couple of months away. 

It will be a big change to continue alone again but I will get used to it again and maybe cycling alone gives you the chance to really experience the true solitude of Nullarbor plains. 
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Monthly statistics for month number six - half a year on the road.

2/24/2014

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Picture
Botany Bay, our first stop on the first day, 25th of August 2013.
Over six months now since we left Sydney. So much has happened since then, feels like ages but still remember all details from the very first day and how exciting everything was. Many are the highlights, met so many nice and helpful people along the way, so much great cycling, stunning views and lovely camp spots!

Been some tougher days too, after four month and on the roads on Tasmania I was really tired of everything. Road fatigue and even had thoughts of quitting the cycling. Hard to see the point with continuing. But I'll guess it's normal. Cycling can be like the roads, very undulating, some days are tougher. But guess you need them to really be able to appreciate the rest. Would be very boring if everything always was on the top. 

Now I'm looking forward to the next leg from Adelaide to Perth. It will be the first really isolated distances with up to 180 km between the roadhouses. But the cycling will be easy, not so much navigation to do. Mostly one road to follow. I will ride on the Eyre Highway until Balladonia where I will take the Balladonia road via Condingup to Esperance. From Adelaide I will go up to Wallaroo and then take the ferry over to Lucky Bay and then to Port Lincoln and all the way around the coast of Eyre Peninsula. I expect it will take about two months before I'll get to Perth. Will do some cycling around in the South west before heading for Perth. 

Traveled distance: 1198 km (7317 km in total)
Riding time: 74 h (495 in total)
Average speed: 15.19 km/h (Average from the beginning of the tour)

Bicycle problems: None, really great bikes!

Rainy days: 3 days

Camping:
Warm shower/Couch surfing: 8
Paying campsites: 13
Free camping/bush camping: 10

New species of wildlife spotted a long the way:
Nil
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Melbourne to Adelaide and the Great Ocean Road

2/22/2014

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We left Melbourne on the 20th of January and arrived in Adelaide one month later, the 19th of February, after 1420 km of cycling. The route included the Great Ocean Road which is one of the most famous Australian roads.

View Melbourne to Adelaide in a larger map
Here is a short description of how we experienced the trip and some advice for others planning to do the same trip.

Camping:

We prefer to bush camp between the towns but on this leg we stayed many nights on camping sites. Main reasons for that were that it sometimes was difficult to find a good bush camping spot and also as we traveled slow and wanted to see the towns, we had to stay on the organized sites. Some camping spots were better then others. We liked the camping in Port Campbell were we stayed at the recreational area. Big, big grassy area, lots of bushes making it a very private and nothing like the sardine cramped caravan parks. It's only opened for seven weeks around New Year, cost is 25 $. Offer basic facilities but it's the camping style we prefer.

Camping on the lawn behind The Beach backpackers in Warrnambool, 22 $ for two people was good value too. 

Mount Gambier Central caravan park, right in the heart of the city, clean facilities and helpful staff. 22 $ for two people was also great value and gave us the opportunity to see the town and have some rest.

The camping in Mt Eccles NP was also great but it was hot. We decided to have a rest day there on a hot day when the temperatures reached almost 40 degrees. But it turned out to be a very long day. We had no books or other entertainment and it was so hot even in the shade. So from 9 AM until 9 PM it was just sitting and waiting for some cooler weather. And when it finally was a bit cooler we pitched our tent. But we soon found out that the ground was like a hot plate. The dark soil had absorbed the heat during the whole day and now it was like sleeping on a hot radiator. It was a hot and sweaty night in the tent. It was first in the late morning that it cooled down a bit. 

The thing with the hot ground was a new experience for us. Having just camped in Sweden and other places with a cooler climate, this had never been an issue before. There it's the other way around and you have to make sure that you have enough insulation from the chilling ground. 
Weather

The weather was mostly good for cycling. We had a handful of hot days were the temperature were around 40 degrees. Some of those days we just rested and the rest we tried to finish the cycling around 1 PM, before it got too hot. 

We had three days of rain. Not really heavy rain but continues rain for most of the day so still made us soaking wet.

Regarding the wind we didn't have any real problem. No strong headwinds, some day it was a bit more of wind but then mostly from the side or even tailwind. So never something that really slowed us down or made the cycling tougher.
Food

We normally always prepare or cook our own meals. If staying in a caravan park we use the kitchen there and every little town also has a free BBQ area. For lunch the standard food on the road is couscous with canned tuna/chicken/ham plus salad. The big advantage with couscous is that you can mix it with cold water. It tastes really good and on most days you don't want to eat a hot meal for lunch so it's perfect then. 

For breakfast we always have muesli and there is no need to use the stove then. I like to have a cup of coffee on the mornings. But being a bit lazy I just mix instant coffee with water. As long as it's black and strong I can drink it... And when you have a cup of real coffee it taste so much better then.

Many days there were total fire bans. On those days you are not allowed to use the stove. If we were camping in the bush it made things easier, because then it's not so much you have to choose between. It's couscous on the menu again:) On the month we traveled we only used about 3 dl of petrol in total.  
Getting to the Great Ocean Road (GOR) from Melbourne:

My advice would be to take the train from Melbourne to Frankston and cycle from there. We began cycling from Caulfield on the Nepean highway. But only after 5 km we had enough of it. We found that the road was far too busy for us and we decided to take the train instead from Patterson to Frankston. As it was about ten in the morning and we were heading out from the city the train was almost empty. So it was easy to get on board even with bicycle plus the trailer. The train ticket is only about 3 AUD so it's a bargain. 

From Frankston we had to travel on the Nepean hwy again but out there it was much less traffic and once we reached Mornington we could turn right and ride along the coast instead. We both felt that it was when the fun began and we would suggest anyone thinking of cycling from Melbourne to Adelaide to catch the train to the outer suburbs. 
From Sorrento you can catch the ferry over to Queenscliff. No booking is required, it's just to roll onto the ferry. The crossing takes about 45 minutes and was 10 AUD/pp. From Queenscliff it's an easy ride to the beginning of the GOR.

Frankston to Torquay

Mostly flat roads and from Mornington you can cycle along the coast to Sorrento. You will have some nice views over the Port Phillip Bay and not so much traffic. So enjoyable cycling. 

Queenscliff is a beautiful small town with lots of old buildings, a lighthouse and is a good spot for a lunch stop and some sightseeing. From there take the road via Ocean Grove to Torquay, the home of Bell beach, a classic surf beach.
Torquay to Apollo Bay.

GOR starts in Torquay but it's first after Lorne you have the really scenic views of the ocean. Road is winding but still a bit of shoulder for cyclists, so good for cycling. There are also lots of turnouts to stop and admire the views.
Apollo Bay to Twelve Apostles

After Apollo Bay the GOR goes more inland and is not really near the ocean until you are near the iconic Twelve Apostles. Short after Apollo Bay you will reach the highest point on GOR, the Lavers Hill. We heard some warnings about cycling the hill but we found it to be very friendly gradient. Not really hard cycling and the climb is over many kilometers. And still it's just 450 meters above sea level so it's a hill and not a mountain. I personally found the cycling tougher after Lavers Hill, when the road was more undulating up and down for some kilometers. 

The route from Apollo Bay up to Twelve Apostles was also the worst part of GOR when it came to traffic. Much of this section didn't have any shoulder, just a narrow and winding road. We always stay as far left as we can and normally the drivers always give us some extra space. But here that was not the standard. Only part so far in Australia where many passed uncomfortably close. Even if the sight was clear, no oncoming traffic they still so close to us as it sometimes felt a bit scary.

We met one Polish cyclist just after the Twelve Apostles and he told us that he experienced exactly the same. 
Twelve Apostle to Warrnambool

The Twelve Apostles are the most famous and recognized lanmark of GOR. The view around here is really fantastic and a highlight of the GOR. But it's more to see on this section, many turnouts from GOR offer impressive views. We found it really great to also see the London Bridge, Bay of martyres, Loch Ard gorge and bay of islands. Port Campbell is about halfway and a good spot to stay for a night or two.
Warrnambool to Nelson

Warrnambool is a bigger town and is on our top list among the towns wee seen on our trip. Beautiful near the coast, size is good, has everything but still small so easy get around on your bicycle and so much beautiful picnic areas. Camped there at the backpacks for a couple of nights before taking an old railway track that been turned into a bicycle path. The path does a loop up through Koroit, an old Irish settlement, before ending in Port Fairy. 
From Port Fairy we continued on the Princess hwy. Stopped for camping at Yambuk lake, great camp site with a very friendly caretaker and beautiful views. From Yambuk we cycled inland towards Macarthur. Straight, flat and empty roads and great cycling. Was a very hot day but could cool down in the pool at Macarthur. Cycled via Mt Eccles and then Cobboboonee rd to Nelson. Recommend doing the detour over Mt Eccles and Cobboboonee rd. Nice quiet gravel roads and great camping.
Nelson to Meningie

Nelson is the last town before SA and we stop there for lunch. Best way to cycle to Mt Gambier is to take the Border rd and then Caroline Forest hq rd. No traffic and there is good camping spots around Dry Creek. Mount Gambier is a bigger town and a good place to resupply. Famous for it's Blue lake. 

Our advice would then be to take the road via Mt Schank, and old volcano with a distinct crater shape. Continue via Tantanoola where there is a good free camping spot. The road up along the Coorong NP is long, flat and mostly straight. Enjoyed cycling there and a must see on the way is the towns of Beachport, Robe and Kingston S.E. Good places for a swim and a rest. Water is really chilly but it's still nice to cool down on a hot day. 
Meninge - Fleurieu Peninsula - Adelaide


Meningie is a nice place to take a break at with two big food shops, big BBQ area next to the lake and free WIFI near the council office. From there we cycled around Lake Alexandria and through Langhorne Creek-Milang-Finniss to Goolwa. Doing the loop around Fleurieu Peninsula instead of heading direct to Adelaide is something we recommend. Victor Harbor is a realy nice stop beautifully situated next to the sea. Walked over to the Granite Island and could see dolphins hunting in the sea. The roads on the peninsula is a bit undulating but not much traffic.

Before you get to Normanville the road along the cost is stunning, big hills on one side and the sea on the other side. Take the Fork tree road and Reservoir road from Normanville for some scenic views over Gulf St Vincent. Avoid the main road as much as you can going to Adelaide. We traveled up to Norluang Center and took the train from there, 3.10 $ and it saved us a lot of time and stress. And by our definition you got to the city once you reached it's metro network.
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Monthly statistics for month number five.

1/27/2014

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Traveled distance: 917 km (6119 km in total)
Riding time: 63 h (421 in total)
Average speed: 14.9 km/h (Average from the beginning of the tour)

Bicycle problems: None
Rainy days: 5 days

Camping:
Warm shower/Couch surfing: 11
Hostel: 9
Paying campsites: 4
Free camping/wild camping: 6
Overnight ferry: 1

New species of wildlife spotted a long the way:
Nil
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A day at the Australian Open, 2014-01-14

1/15/2014

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Being a big sport fan I was very glad that I could time my stay in Melbourne with the Australian Open in tennis. In the eighties Swedish players and fans played a big role in the tournament. Even heard people saying they just went to the game to watch the Swedish fans, but that was in the old days. This year the only participant from Sweden was Johanna Larsson (she lost in the first round). 

But it was another Swede that made the headlines; former champion Stefan Edberg has agreed to join team Federer for ten weeks. Was fun to see him on Rod Laver arena warming up Federer. 

Federer then played an Australian wildcard player and won quite comfortable in three sets. 
Was really a hot day, temperature reached 42 degrees in the late afternoon and must been tough out on the courts. Was also really hard just sitting watching the game. Had a seat in the sun and I frequently had to go out to the shade and aircon area around the stadium. 

Last game I saw was Australian player Lleyton Hewitt (making his eighteen Australian Open tournament) playing Italian Seppi. Hewitt showed a big fighting spirit which is his trademark and managed to come back from two sets down to actually have a match ball. But despite having almost all the fans supporting Hewitt, Seppi proved to be the strongest player and won the match.
Was a great day, seeing Federer, Edberg and then Hewitt, who sat a new record with his 53rd 5-set match in grand slams. But was also very nice leaving the Rod Laver arena after almost 10 hours of boiling in the sweat and heat. 
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Tasmanian leg.

1/6/2014

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I created a map where I marked the roads I had traveled. Looked fine when I saved it but then Google map transformed it to this ####%&66 (censur) map... Looking like I traveled in straight lines between the places. Don't know why, it just look (censur) ridiculous but at least still gives an idea of the route so I decided to publish it anyway... The route around Maria Island is not included in the map. 

View Tasmanian leg of bicycle tour around Australia in a larger map
Distance I traveled was about 1700 km. Tasmania is a very popular for cycling touring. Offer interesting landscape, nature, beautiful roads and views and is small enough to be covered during some weeks of holiday. But you can also easily spend months here. I thought that with 6 weeks I would have plenty of time to see everything but I soon discovered that it was not enough if you really wanted to see the places. So I decided to focus on the east coast. It's flat, have generally better weather compared to the windy and wet west coast. 

Roads and traffic have also been good, as always I avoid the main highways when possible. Never felt really afraid or so even if narrow in some parts. Only dangerous part was when traveling over the bridge to Bridgewater. The bridge was narrow and strong gusts wind from the side made the cycling risky. I had to stop and wait until no traffic to complete the crossing. The motorist generally gives you a lot of room. Many also honks, gives you thumbs up when they see my heavy touring bike. 

Another positive thing is that I've not seen as much road kills and litter a long the roads as on the mainland. 

There are many places that I like but if I have to mention just one place it would be Maria Island. Not as famous as Freycinet Peninsula/wine glass bay but such a beautiful and interesting place. AUD 35 for a return ticket + 10 $ for bringing the push bike. 

The north east of Tasmania gave a very British impression, the most so far of Australia. And with the broad leave trees like Hazelnut, Oak, Birch and lots of farmland with hay drying it was also very familiar landscape and sights to where I grew up in Sweden.  

The coast north of St Helens offers kilometers of empty beaches and some interesting NP. Only problem I had as a cyclist was that it was a bit hard with water. The camp sites offer no water and because I had problem with my water filter I could only stay for two nights before I had to go to St Helens. 

Highlights: 
The Tasman Highway from St Helens to Bicheno, flat good road with not much traffic and along the coast. Easy access to the beaches/cost on many places. 

Wielangta forest drive. Gravel forest road through lush, damp rainforest. Much more wildlife on the roads then cars. Partly very steep with 16 degrees hills but still manageable. Possible to combine with a shorter walk that will take you to some old saw mills and settlement ruins. Saw mill was closed in 1924 because of lack of timber and some years later a fire destroyed the township. 

Grasstree hill road and the Nicholls rivulet rd, would be very fun to ride with a racing bicycle. The roads are winding, have nice gradient and perfect tar. Still fun to cycle with a heavy loaded touring bike but with a racer bike it would be something completely different. 

Walking/trekking, 

Freycinet Peninsula, if you do a overnight walk and get away from the crowds around Wine glass bay the area can be very interesting. Do the walk down to Cook beach where it's a free camping area and a rainwater tank. 

Maria Island, best of Tasmania. Well worth spending a 2-3 days exploring the island. The island has a history of first being a penal colony. Later an Italian entrepreneur tried to run a cement industry and other more and less successful projects. Many of the building from the convict area is still standing today an are now part of the world heritage listed sites. 

Abundant wildlife to be seen on the island, easy to spot kangaroos, wombats, Echidnas etc. Even 51 Tasman devils have been introduced to the island. 

Bishop and Clerk lookout gives stunning views of the island, Freycinet Penninsula and out over the Sea. A must to go.

There is a very well equipped and maintained camping area in Darlington ($7) and a couple of free camping areas further south with tank water provided. 

Bruny Island is also worth some days. Nice camping area on the Neck ($10) tank water. Historical interesting place to visit too. Many of the great historical sailors, (Captain Cook, Blight etc) have landed on the island. The places also still look almost the same as when they stopped at the island. 

Best camping: 

Bruny Island, Maria Island. 
Myrtle recreation area next to the Tasman Highway, about 30 km south of Scottsdale. Beautiful big grass area next to a river, perfect for camping, Hazelnut trees, big kitchen area, showers, drinking water and toilets. And only $ 6. 

Toughest road: The gravel road to Fortescue Bay camping ground, 12 km from the turn off from the main road. The road was really in a bad condition, washboard/corrugated, lots of loose stones, big stones buried in the road surface, winding, steep hills. They day I cycled there was also the hottest day with temperatures of +30 degrees. I turned around with only 2 km left to go because if was not fun and I didn't found it worth going there. Never regretted it.

Hardest times: I'm glad that I spend the most of the time on the east coast. Lots of things to see on the west coast too, but the weather there can be more challenging. When I went there it was rain, rain and rain, with some shorter glimpses of sun and the sky. All the rain and clouds meant that there were no views of the landscape or surroundings too. Therefore I've only have a handful photos from west coast. To give an idea what it was like you could print a couple of photos of West Tasmania. Bring them to the shower and then stand there for eight-10 hours in the cold shower. This will give you and idea of how the cycling was. And if you would experience a three day tour. Just repeat if for three days:) Of course the weather can be better there but you need always to be prepared for the worst. 

It can snow any time of the year on Tasmania. And I also come across snow on the Billycock Hill after a cold and snowy night.  

Getting to Tasmania is easy, there are many cheap flights and also the ferry between Melbourne and Devonport. I took the ferry, easy as you can roll your bike on board. But more expensive compared to the flight and takes longer time. But on the other hand you can save one night of accommodation if you take the overnight ferry (two daily departures during the peak season).
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Night photos

12/27/2013

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I spent the Chrismas camping on the Neck campground, Bruny Island. It was a lovely situated campground, with both water and pit toilets. So a luxury place to have some days off at. 

Didn't do much cycling around the Island, just went to Adventure bay 12 km south and back. The rest of the time I spent around the Neck. Couldn't really fall a sleep one of the nights and when it was a clear night I decided to go out to take some photos. Had been carrying a tripod (+1 kg) for four months without hardly using it. So it was about time to test it.

Never tried taking photos at night time before and as you can't see what you are aiming the lens at it's a bit of try and error. When it's so little light you have to use long shutter times too. I used between 2 and 15 minutes shutter speed. This means you can't take many photos in an hour. And it's a bit boring also just standing in the dark waiting for the shot.... After two hours of photographing I felt ready to hit the bed again. This is the result from the night session. I'm happy with the results and it gives a different view compared to the day shots. 
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