Day 10 – Joe in Port Hedland awaiting a new wheel. Tony travels onto Auski Village

Just spoke with Tony who travelled another 60 km yesterday after I returned to Port Hedland. He stopped at Youll River truck stop overnight. Today he rode on to Auski Tourist Village which is a roadhouse with dongas for accommodation. He reckons it is pretty poor which is a problem because we were hoping to get supplies there. Tomorrow he will head into Karajini and plans to camp at Dale’s Campground. Steve from Riding Way is coming to my rescue and is organising a wheel to be sent directly to me. Hopefully I can be back on the road midweek. Current plan is to meet Tony at Nanutarra Roadhouse early next week.   [Tony] 28/8/2016 - Sunday - Yule River Truck Stop to Auski Roadhouse - 95 km

 

Good nights sleep despite all the trucks pulling in and out. The worst was a refrigerated truck that parked near me and had the generator running from about 4:00 am.  Got up and off by 7:00.  First 40 km were good with either no wind or a slight tail wind.

 

Then the rain started.  Not heavy, but enough to make riding a chore and of course the wind changed to a head wind.  Slogged on and it only lasted about an hour.  Pretty boring landscape although had some nice red rocky outcrops at one stage.  And I saw this Sturt desert pea.

 

Stopped for lunch at about 12:30 and had a bit of a nap.  Got going again after an hour and slogged onto Auski Roadhouse.  Lots of road workers and truck drivers here but not much else.  Certainly no groceries which was a small problem.

 

Set up on one of the few pieces of grass and Bill who I had met at Yule Rest stop set up a table and chair for me.

 

Had a shower and dinner at the roadhouse.  Not bad.

 

 

Day 9 Indee Station to disaster

 

Tony and I packed up early, had breakfast and got on the road by 7.00 am. The ride out of Indee was uneventful. Back on the highway the Road Trains were unrelenting, Tony counted 51 passing us in the 1st hour.

Tony exiting Indee Station

Progress was slow as there was crosswind and we were only averaging 17 kph. I also had a problem with my curb side front pannier. It jumped off and didn’t seem to sitting on the rack properly. I got a fright at one point when a road train pulled up suddenly behind and I looked behind to see another road train running into the verge to avoid hitting the 1st one. I couldn’t see Tony but he emerged shortly after.

A rock pile that someone had put a flag on. It shows the wind was blowing the wrong direction as usual.

After 50km we took a break and had just got back on the road when the updraft from a passing road train dislodged the front pannier again and this got caught in the front wheel. I wasn’t able  to un-cleat quickly enough and ended crashing in the dirt. Minor scrape for me but major problem for for my front wheel which was buckled. Tony and I discussed our options and decided he should continue and I would try and get a ride back to Port Hedland. I gave him some of the food and my gas stove and then waved down a passing car.

Fortunately the 1st car I waved to stopped and John, a pilot working at Mount Newman was able to take me and the bike and all my gear. Luckily he was heading to the airport and the caravan park I wanted is right opposite.

John who drove me back to PH. Not sure about the wool jumper! It was pretty hot in the sun. 

Next problem is what to do next. PH doesn’t have any real bike shops. I rang Broome Cycles who could have a go at truing the wheel but no guarantees and I would have to take the wheel there and back a 1200 km round trip.

Joe updating the blog under the caravan park picnic shelter. This may be my office for the next few days.

Decided the best option is to have a new wheel delivered to me in PH. Unfortunately 700c quick release touring bike wheels are not a stock item for most bike shops. So I may be here for a few days. Hopefully I can rejoin Tony further down the road.
 
[Tony]
27/8/2016 - Saturday - Indee Station to Truck stop - 109 km

Up early and did the 9 km of dirt to the Great Northern Hwy.  Tough going even though it was flat.  Because I was a bit bored, scenery was woeful, I started counting road trains that passed us for an hour.  51 in an hour.  I generally don't mind the trucks but hey, this is too much.
   

After we had been riding for about 50 km, Joe fell off his bike.  The wind from a road train cause one of his front panniers to jump off and Joe couldn't get his shoes unclipped fast enough.  Fixed up the pannier and got going again.  Same thing happened again about a km later.  Truck went passed, pannier jumped off, into his spokes and down went Joe.  He was OK but the front wheel was buckled.

We decided that he would get a lift from a passing car/truck back to Port Hedland.  no mean feat with legs like Joe's.  We were lucky a guy stopped.

I kept going and did another hour before stopping for lunch under a tree and having a kip for a few hours.  Some Kiwis stopped for a chat and gave me some mandarins and a banana.  Fantastic.  Bob had built his own caravan.  Looked pretty good.   

Got going again at 3:00.  Wind was much better and I was going faster than I have the whole trip.  Many times was going to stop for the day, but Bob had told me of a place about 40 km on Yule River truck stop, so I kept going.  Just a truck stop, but it had a table, benches and a toilet.  Luxury.  Of course I will have to put up with the trucks all night.

Nice sunset too.

 

Day 8 Port Hedland to Indee Station

We packed early and decided to ride into Port Hedland for breakfast The actual port is about 13 km from where we stayed overnight. Any easy ride with the wind behind us. We had coffee and breakfast in the only café that was open on the main st. After breakfast we rode along the beachfront to Point Cooke, There is a lot of vacant accommodation and the buildings are all built tough to withstand cyclones.

Back out past the salt stockpile and then down to South Hedland Shopping Centre. We sorted out our Telstra issues by purchasing $2 SIM cards and getting new accounts. If we don’t keep topping up the account monthly they will get deactivated but who cares for $2 every time.

Also shopped at Coles for groceries, bought sandwiches and wasted time looking for Shellite for Tony’s stove. Eventually left around 12.00 as it was getting hot. 65 km to cover to Indee Station which took 3.5 hours with a break for lunch and a shorter break. Tony was finding the going harder as it was his 1st day on the bike. Lots of road trains on this road and we can expect that for the next 200 km.

Eventually turned off onto the dirt road to Indee Station. After 9 km we reached the homestead which could be described as ‘interesting”. The campers facilities are all leftovers from a railway construction camp.The elderly owners are  pair of characters Betty and Colin. Colin bought Indee Station when he was 23 and has been there ever since, he is now 78. Betty, Colin’s wife says she has been there too long!

Happy Hour at Indee Station

They hosted a happy hour where we were able to exchange $2 for can of “Hammer and Tongs” light beer. I drank 3 and could easily have drunk 3 more. The happy hour was conductedaround a  long table and we sat around a chatted with other people in the camp park and some the people who work casually on the station. There was also Greg a friend of Colin and Betty who does some prospecting apparently quite successfully. It was great fun.

Sturt's Desert Pea table decoration. These were gathered from the paddock behind the veggie patch

At the end of happy hour which ran 90 minutes Betty invited Tony and I to stay to a dinner of leftovers which turned out to be Sweet and Sour pork with rice and veggies, followed but melon and ice cream for dessert. It was a different and very enjoyable evening.

Day 6 Pardoo Roadhouse to Degrey River 71 km

Left Pardoo RS around 8.00 am and had ideal cycling conditions for most of the morning. Covered 50 km by 11.00 am and then found some shade for a rest break. No need to push myself as I am now only 90 km from Port Hedland.

Need some big tyre levers for these tyres! 

Today was some of the most desolate country I have seen. It reminded me of old western movies where the Red Indians would line the hilltops watching the cavalry rode into the canyon below. I liked the contrast between the deep red earth and the fresh green eucalypts at Pardoo River. No water there now but there must be impressive flow when it runs. The bridge had significant engineering to withstand the force and there was signs all around showing has previous flow had carved through the rocky terrain.

Discovered I had run out of 2 minutes noodles so I cooked some pasta with a chicken stock cube and pretended it was Mee Goreng. Failure really but it did the job. Also finished off the cheese.

After lunch it was pretty hot so when I reached Degrey Rest Stop I pulled into the picnic shelter. Discovered there was free wifi so I was able to begin updating the blog and check email and Facebook. I decided to stay for a while and read. I was planning another 20 km but couldn’t decide to leave.

Maggie Bennett came and invited me for a cup of tea with her husband John. They were interested in my trip. Had a wonderful afternoon chatting and then joined them for dinner. Moroccan Lamb with cous cous and veggies was way better than my planned lentils and rice.

Maggie gave me some goodies to travel with in the morning. Some fruitcake, a couple mandarins, a small tub of mango in juice (magnificent) and a muesli bar.

Day 7 Degrey River to Port Hedland - Tony arrives

I was on the bike at 6.30 am and rocked all the way to PH with wind assistance. Rode the whole 80 km with only a couple of short breaks to drink and eat - fruitcake and mandarins. 

Look Lisa - No train!

I was at PH just after 10.00 am and passed the airport so I switched on the phone. Message from Tony to say he was landing at 4.15 pm.

Stopped and chatted to a fellow Bulldogs supporter just near the big Rio Tinto Salt stockpile. Had a lovely chat. Heard we had a good win against the bombers but that Easton-Wood is out with an ankle injury. Bont is the new stand-in captain!

Rio Tinto Salt stockpile at Port Hedland 

Rode on to small shopping centre and had a coffee and some lunch before heading back to a caravan park opposite the airport. Cheap and full of permanents working in PH but had all the facilities I need, showers, laundry, all you can eat buffet!

4.30 pm I rang Tony, he had landed and was already assembling his bike so I rode over to find him at the airport. A little while later we headed back to the caravan park.

We camped next to a permanent caravan occupied by a Thai lady, Tom who works for Qantas and BP. She works here to send money home to support her family including her 90 year old mother.
Tom invited us for dinner and cooked us some lovely fried rice. She plans to finish working here in a few years and go home. Despite getting  cheap fares from her QANTAS job she hasn’t visited other parts of Australia.

Later we went and found the buffet but just has an ice-cream cone before bed

Day 5 Sandfire Roadhouse to Pardoo Roadhouse 139 km

Last night the wind increased which made sleeping in the tent interesting. The ground was so hard I hadn’t been able to pegs into the ground. At 3.00 am it was only my weight that was holding down the tent. I was beginning to think I might not be able to ride today if it kept blowing.

Fortunately the wind dropped and today was the best riding day so far. I had to wait until 7.00 am to collect sandwiches that I had ordered the night before. I wish I hadn’t waited, they were really bland.

While I was waiting I chatted with another camper who asked me why I was riding the 2nd most boring road in Australia. The 1st being the Nullabor. Actually I haven’t found it boring, the vegetation and landscape change constantly but I guess if you are in a car travelling at 110 kph you may not see that.

This peacock was wandering nearby while I was waiting. The roadhouse seems to have a large population.

Who’d have thought you could shrink-wrap a helicopter? This truck pulled in for fuel. The driver was repairing the wrapping with the largest roll of duct tape I have ever seen.

On the road the wind was mostly favourable, not a tail wind but a crosswind slightly from behind. I made good progress and knocked off 70 km by 11.00 am. My plan was to do 100 km which would enable me to get to Pardoo for breakfast tomorrow however the cycling conditions were so pleasant I just kept going after lunch.

With 30 km to go I was looking forward to a beer and shower knowing this would be a my longest day in the touring bike saddle yet. I reached Pardoo just before 5.00 pm. It looks fairly basic but the staff are friendly. Nittin an Indian guy behind the counter wanted a selfie with me and the bike, and Kevin who runs the campground couldn’t be more helpful. Also nice to put the tent on some grass. 

Decided to eat in – mistake! I should have checked the price before ordering. Oh well I deserve it after such a long day. Back to Lentils and rice tomorrow!

Day 4 Bush Camp 2 to Sandfire Roadhouse 75 km

The wind did not cooperate with my plan for lunch at Sandfire. I did leave early to get a head start on the wind but it kicked in from 8.00 am and was a strong gusty wind. After a lovely 30 km in cool morning air ,all of a sudden I was struggling to stay above 13 kph.

At 11.00 am I stopped fighting and took shelter under the only tree that offered minimal shade around. Fortunately the wind was keeping the temperature down. I stayed under the tree reading and having lunch for 90 minutes before deciding to get back on the bike.

After lunch the wind was as strong if not stronger and I was riding increments of 10 km between rest stops. I finally reached Sandfire at 4.15 pm. The unpowered camping area is just next to a grove of mango trees that has a noisy population of bats.

There are also pea fowl and chickens wandering around. Not a blade of grass only red dirt.

A large bottle of Orange and Mango mineral water and a shower and I am revived. Checked in with Lisa just to be sure the rescue services aren’t looking for me. Telstra has confounded me again. I can’t recharge my Next G phone without a software upgrade which it won’t do unless I am on WiFi! I know I haven’t used the phone for 12 months but it shouldn’t be this difficult to recharge.

Day 3 Bush Camp to another Bush Camp 97 km further on

Set out early with a plan for breakfast at Goldwire Rest stop. It arrived quicker than I expected after 10 km. Muesli in the shelter at a proper table and seat! There were lots of "Crusties" who had stopped there overnight so I was glad to stopped earlier yesterday and had a peaceful night, Tony who gave me water yesterday was there and he filled up a 5 litre container for me. Chatting with his wife for 30 minutes meant I lost much of the benefit of getting on the road early.

 Not much to see on this stretch of road, I am surprised by the lack of roadkill. All day I only saw 2 dead kangaroos. There are lots of tyre snakes! They look like snakes until you get close enough to see they strips of shredded truck tyres. I reach my planned destination Stanley Rest Stop at 11.45 am and set myself up for lunch under picnic shelter.

Lunch at Stanley Rest Stop

Lots of Crusties here too! (All talking crap). 2 minutes noodles and some wraps with Kraft Blue Cheese. Who’d have thought that the cheese we used to make toasties with in our childhood would become a touring staple because it doesn’t require refrigeration. After lunch I rolled the camp mattress and pillow and settled to read and nap in the heat of the day.

At 3.00 pm I packed up and got back on my bike. I want to be in Sandfire tomorrow for lunch so doing an extra 25 km would mean a 75 km morning. In the end I called it quits at 4.30 pm. Finding a good campsite was difficult. My criteria is for flat ground out of sight of the road. I ended up just of the road behind a tree but easily seen from the road while it was still light.

Proof that I could be seen came when a car pulled up and some young girls asked if I was ok for water. The Aussie girl driver and her two European backpacker companions then gave me some fresh fruit, some green salad and a beer.

A great way to end the day. Lucky for them they didn’t arrive 30 minutes later when I was giving myself a sponge bath! Another magnificent night under a million stars! Of course when the moon rises about 8.00 pm it chases away most of the stars but I have fallen asleep by then. Later in the night when I woke the moon had illuminated all around. Not quite daylight but very bright.

Day 2 Roebuck Plains Roadhouse to Bush Camp 105 km

Up early after good nights sleep. All packed by 6.00. Purchased some sandwiches and coffee. Also decided to buy a couple of 1.5 litre bottles of water. Unbelievable $5.20 each. I got 10 litres @ Woolworths yesterday for $4.00. I got talking to a Crusty who thought I might be Japanese tourer he met at Victoria River a couple of days ago. I know I’m good but VR is a 1000 km away.

I had to say "Sayonara" and finally hit the road around 6,30 am, my plan being to cover distance before the wind got up. I covered 50 km by 9.00 am with a break to eat a round of sandwiches as breakfast. Not much to see although a wedge tail eagle did spread it wings and lazily flap away as I approached. As it flew directly in front of me I got a great view of its massive wingspan.

On the Roebuck Plain

The wind was helpful and I managed 80 km by 11.15 am when I spotted the only shade tree I had seen for some time. My plan was to rest in the shade until 2.00 pm and then ride some more. Another 40 km seemed feasible and would have me reach the Goldwire rest stop. Unluckily the wind switched direction while I was resting.

I had some visitors at my shed tree

One guy (Tony) stopped to let his dog have a break. He refilled my bottles for me and we had a good chat. Another couple stop for chat, the  bloke offered me a beer which I declined. Back on the road the headwind was fierce and I was struggling along at 12 kph, After 25 km I called it quits and decided to bush camp. Curry Lentils and rice under the Milky Way - Magnificent!

Melbourne to Broome to Robuck Plains Roadhouse

Lisa dropped me off at Tullamarine Airport at 6.00 am early enough for me to get my bags and bike box  through the baggage check early. All “Self Check-In” is good until you can’t print enough bag tags. Despite having purchased additional bags the Self Check machine doesn’t allow you to print more than 3 tags. Ok so find the QANTAS service person who sends you to someone who does help you at the same time telling you that this isn’t their job because she actually works in the International terminal. Finally got the bags on conveyor and took the bike box to “oversize baggage”.

Down at Gate 22 no announcements until last minute when there was 30 minute delayed called because there was a failure of lighting on the plane. How many QANTAS techs does it take to change a light bulb? The delay extended to 90 minutes. Apparently the engineers had to get permission from Boeing to allow them to change the LED Globe!

Uneventful flight of 4.5 hours saw me in Broome around 11.30 am. After a short wait my luggage appeared and I was able to grab a trolley and take my bags and bike box outside the terminal. The bright sunlight and heat of Broome was an immediate contrast to the cloudy cool weather of a Melbourne winter.

The first trick was to find a spot to rebuild my bike. Fortunately the crowd from the QANTAS flight dissipated quickly and I was able to wheel my trolley into some shade.  An hour  later the bike was
reassembled and the pannier bags attached. I was very happy that all the parts were there. I have a dread fear of opening the box only to find the pedals are still in Melbourne.

The 1st stop was at the Kimberly Camping Supplies to get a gas cylinder for my camp stove and some 5 litre water containers. According to my plan there is no water for 1st 300 km. Being a main highway I am confident I can flag down some water but would hope that isn’t necessary.

Next off to the supermarket to get supplies. Fitting everything in the panniers was a struggle, Finally a quick stop at Broome Cycles to pressure up the tyres with a floor pump.

The ride out of town was very pleasant. A nice breeze at my back and I thought this is good but as the road bent around near the Cape Leveque turn-off it was in my face. It was also generally up hill. With the temperature in the high 30s it became a bit of a slog.

Finally reached Roebuck Plains Roadhouse at 4.30 pm. I decided that was enough for the day. I had planned another 23km to a rest stop but the temptation of a few beers and a swim were too much.

Broome to Perth route

This is roughly the route we will travel.  Joe flew to Broome on Friday the 19th August and will already be cycling to Port Hedland about 600 km away.