5/9/2016 - Monday - North Mandu to Exmouth

Got up early to see the sunrise, but it wasn't very good.

 I did get a photograph of the Ospreys nest and then on my way back I saw this young kangaroo gazing out to sea.  So I slowly crept up on it.  It would hear me and look so I would stop and was still and it would return to looking out to sea.  This went on for about 15 minutes.  Eventually it took off, but I got a few good pics.

Left camp about 8:00 and visited a Mangrove beach I.e. No beach and a few others on the way out.  Lovely coastline and I'll have to come back and spend more time. Got back to Exmouth, checked into Blue Reef backpackers and took the car back. While I was outside after setting up I had a chat to Yohannah who works here and she had helped me a few days ago at the front desk.  Turns out she is from Belgrave and interested in cycling and touring.  We talked for awhile, but I was taking her away from her duties, so she came back when her shift ended and we continued the conversation. She has some great ideas for some charity rides and has been training going up the lighthouse hill.  Glad it's not me.

Did my washing and then had a chat to Joe who had made it to Nanutarra Roadhouse.  Great going 120 km.  he is going to kick back and have a well deserved rest for the rest of the day. Also had a chat with Simon Righton who is up here cruising around with Catherine.  What a life these retired gentlemen have!!!  We are going to catch up for dinner tonight. Had a good meal at the Potshot hotel with Simon and Catherine who have been going to all the places we will get to, but they are doing it in more style. I intend to get up early and head for Coral Bay tomorrow.  151 km which is a long haul, so depending on wind conditions I may not make it and will camp in the bush.  I've got plenty of pasta and sardines just in case.

4/9/2016 - Sunday - Exmouth to North Mandu Beach

Up early and went to dodgy brothers car rentals, the only place in town to get a car to get me down the far end of North West Cape, Yardie Creek.  Managed to get an old Ford Falcon, which was good, because my bike fitted in the back easily. After numerous phone calls to most of my family I managed to get to the shops and get some supplies.  Very difficult passing up on beer because you've got nothing to keep it cold.

Headed off and visited many of the beaches along the Cape; Turquoise Beach, Osprey Beach, Oyster Stacks and Yardie Creek Beach. The beaches along this coast are fantastic, each one better than the next.  And there is I actually wanted to camp at Yardie, but it is incredibly difficult getting a spot. I went to Yardie Creek, about 100 km from Exmouth to look at the gorge.  Not the best I've ever seen, but still looked pretty good.

Pretty rugged country along the way too.

Had lunch there and drove back to North Mandu where I had a camp site and was going to go for a swim.  I quickly found out why I was able to get a spot at North Mandu and nowhere else.  The beach is all rocks, no sand. Bugger.

When I went down to the beach, I saw this bird on a branch.  Not sure what it is, but it was big, had a curved beak and FN big talons.  Until someone tells me different I'm going to call it a sea eagle.

Jumped back in the car and went to Turquoise beach which was just breathtaking.  Went for a swim in the crystal clear, warm water and then relaxed on the beach. Went back to North Mandu and setup camp for the night.   A few more people turned up including 2 camper vans of female Dutch backpackers.  Joe will be so disappointed. Had a chat with my neighbours and kicked back with some cheap Spanish red.

Went and watched the sunset. Had dinner and sat down with the neighbours again and had few better bottles of Pepperjack that my neighbours Bill and Maricke seemed to have in endless supply.  We sat up into the night and eventually had a cup of tea and went to bed.  No doubt I scared the wildlife away last night.

3/9/2016 - Saturday - Yardie Homestead to Exmouth - 38 km

Saw this bike path on theway back and decided to take it.  Not normally the sort of sign you see on a bike path.Not much happened today.    
Saw a few beaches.

Saw this bike path and decided to take it.  A bit worried after reading the sign though.  Dingoes aren't normally something you worry about on bike tracks.

 

2/9/2016 - Friday - Exmouth to Yardie Station - 38km

Decided to go and see Cape Range NP while I was waiting for Joe, but very hard to find camping spots.  All booked out well in advance but managed to get a night at North Munda beach for Sunday night.  Not perfect, as I really wanted to go to Yardie Gorge but better than hanging around here.

 

Heading off to Yardie Station today also on the north west Cape.  Nice short ride.  Very windy though, but at least it was a tailwind.

 

Went past a naval installation with AFP as well.  Looks like some sort of radar.  Lots to antennas and land with signs saying KEEP OUT.  

 

Great beaches.

  

Went to the Jurabi Turtle Centre and guess how many turtles I saw...none.  Must be moving too fast for me.  

 

Set up camp at Yardie Homestead.

1/9/2016 - Thursday - Barradale Rest Area to Exmouth - 0km

Up early to a picturesque sunrise.  We had egg sandwiches cooked by Cornelia for breakfast and then hit the road about 9 ( I think).  Arrived in Exmouth and did the visitors centre thing to see what's going on.  I checked out backpackers.  All expensive, dorm room $40 tent site $39, so booked into Winstons and got a 4 bed dorm to myself.     Steve and Cornelia are couch surfing so they set me up at Winstons and went on there way.  Hopefully we can catch up again at some point down the coast. 

Spent the rest of the day checking out Exmouth.  Not that much in town, but at least found the local fish shack and got some local Spanish Mackeral for tea. Yum.

 

Internet here is pathetic, unless you go to the visitors centre but you can only get access for 30 mins a day.

 

Spoke to Joe.  He was camped in the bush somewhere between Roeburn and Karratha.  He will ride directly to Coral Bay and I will meet him there in 4 or 5 days.

 

 

 

31/8/2016 - Wednesday - Tom Price to Barradale Rest area - 0km

Spoke to Joe this morning and he now has a wheel and will start riding to Karratha.

I am 3 - 4 days away from Nanutarra Roadhouse and 5 - 6 days away from Exmouth the next major town.   For family reasons I wanted to be more accessible, closer to phone reception and closer to the bus service so I decided to catch the bus to Exmouth.  Went to the visitor centre and the bus was coming through Tom Price on Monday, 5 days away or I could catch tomorrow's bus from Auski 2 days ride away.  Yeah, that's gonna happen.

 

Had a chat to a backpacker Cornelia, charging her computer at the visitor centre and she and her boyfriend Steve offered to take me with them as they were heading to Exmouth too.  What a great offer.

 

So loaded my bike in the back of the van and headed off.

Had a great trip chatting to Steve and Cornelia for hours and the kilometres flew by.  We stopped at Nanutarra Roadhouse for lunch.

 

I saw some fat tyre touring bikes at the roadhouse and had a chat to Dave was riding with his wife and had been riding all over the place from Perth for 4 months and was now heading off to Broome.  

 

We set off again and drove until about 4:00 pm when we stopped at Barradale rest area, one of the best rest areas I've been in.

 

 

We pooled our food and had a great meal of miso soup followed by Asian inspired cous cous with red and green pepper and tuna.  All washed down with a cheeky little Sauvignon Blanc that Cornelia found somewhere.  A super night out under the stars.

30/8/2016 - Tuesday - Karrijini Gorge to Tom Price - 109

 

Left camp about 8:00 and made steady progress out of the park for 20 km.  Then turned towards Tom Price.  Uphill steeper than yesterday, but I had a tailwind so I flew for about 2 hours.

 

Then I reached the big hill for the day. 8% gradient for 4 km.  Didn't feel like 4 km, but definitely felt like 8%.

 

Had a break beside the road in some shade to eat the sandwiches I bought at Auski 2 days ago.  Tasted like cardboard but they did the job. 

 

Coming into TP another big 8%er although much shorter and then another hill just before you reached the town.  I was buggered by the time I got here

 

Went to the visitor centre and was told the only accommodation was at the caravan park 4 km out of town, or the pub across the road.  An easy decision given:

• I had to stock up anyway and Coles was next door to the pub
• I needed a beer
• I wanted to sleep in a real bed
• and there was no way I was riding another metre.

 

Had a good spaghetti marinara at the pub.  Internet wasn't working so couldn't update the blog.

Had a chat to Joe who was frustrated that his new wheel hadn't arrived yet.

29/8/2016 - Monday - Auski Roadhouse to Karrijini NP - 86 km

 

I couldn't leave too early today because I had to have breakfast at the roadhouse to conserve food and I needed to buy sandwiches for lunch for the next few days.

 

Breakfast was either eggs for $11 or eggs and sausages for $13. Too easy.  

 

Got the sandwiches and water and headed off.  The road started going gently up as soon as I left the roadhouse and continued that way all day.  Had a bit of a tail wind at first and then about 2 hours in it started to rain and I got a head wind.  Only lasted an hour though.  

 

Got to Karijini Gorge about 2:30.  Had a look at the visitors centre and then went to the Rangers station to book in at Dales Campground for the night.  Set up the tent and went exploring.

 

Headed for Fortescue Falls and climbed down a very long way to the bottom.  Almost went A over T a few times because of the algae on the rocks.  Spectacular.










 Climbed back out and bushwalked to Circular Pool.  Also spectacular.  I didn't have time to climb down and get back to the campsite before dark so I took a few pictures form above and headed back.  Spoke to have the campsite about cycling around and then managed to get some tea on.  There was only one table and I shared it with a young German student Chris, who was studying law but was on a break and spending it in Australia.  For those that are interested he had spaghetti( a whole packet) with jar of pesto, while I had the old favourite, noodles and sardines.

 

 

We talked into the night and solved many of the worlds problems including Brexit, refugees and other things I can't remember.  

Day 13 Port Hedland to Peawah River (Joe) 90 km

Woke up early and packed up in the hope that the wheel might arrive early. No such luck. It hadn’t arrived by 9.30 am so I walked to the airport to see if I could find the Star Track Express depot. Luckily there was a front desk and I was able to ask about my parcel. It had just arrived on the last flight in and I was able to collect it and take it back top caravan park.

Got everything together and got on my way down to South Hedland Shopping Centre. Couldn’t really got enough pressure in the tyres with the hand pump so I bought a floor pump for $15 from Kmart. Also bought a speedo for $5 but only for the magnet as I lost mine in the accident.

Bought some lunch and groceries and was on my way out of South Hedland at 12.15 pm. Wind was in my face but fortunately there were not so many road-trains. Got to the Newman turn-off and was happy to turn the other way this time.

Heading home after a hard day at the office

Cattle Station front gate, The station house is 34 km away

Peawah River Rest Stop

All afternoon it was a slow slog into the wind with my speed mostly between 15 and 18 kph. I really wanted to get to Whim Creek but the late start and the adverse wind meant I limped into Peawah River at 5.30 pm after 90 km.

Elmo who made my day with beer and dinner

Set up my tent and was offered a beer by Elmo who had his van nearby, He and his wife Val  are from Freo and are winter migrators going North each year. He also offered me a pie and veggies.  Great dinner after a tough day. 

Day 14 Peawah River to Bush Camp 15 km past Roebourne (Joe) 123 km

On the bike at 6.15 am trying to get a head start on the wind. It was tough going as I couldn’t get any rhythm and the air was heavy. Did the 20 km to Whim Creek and was happy to find the pub was just opening for breakfast. Indulged myself and had both Latte and a pot of tea with my eggs.

Whim Creek Pub. A great place to stop

Just outside a memorial to 5 aboriginal diggers from the same family. 5 brothers who served in WW11 only 2 of whom came home.

Sturt's Desert Pea beside the road. These 'Flames' standout from the surrounding scrub.

After breakfast it was a slog into the wind but the scenery was very pleasant. By 11.00 am the wind was more favourable and I started to make some kms.

Just had to get this picture

Stopped for lunch by a dry river under some gum trees. I had to move the tarp twice because the shade moved before packing up and heading on.

Sherlock River is only one I have crossed that had water in it in the last 900 km

I arrived in Roebourne to find a big sign saying camping outside official camping parks was not allowed in the Karratha region with big fines for offenders. Unfortunately the caravan park at Roebourne went broke and the pub closed 7 years ago. According to the Tourism Centre my only choice was a further 22 km out to Port Samson.

I was a bit flummoxed because I didn’t want to ride 22 km in the wrong direction so after a Powerade, Coke and an ice-cream I headed for Karratha knowing I was unlikely to get there before dark. I didn’t get any pictures in Roebourne which is a pity as the town has some interesting historic buildings and a lovely river flowing through it.

At 5.00 pm I pulled over and wheeled my bike 100 metres off the road between 2 rocky hills.
Decided to stealth camp and hope for the best. After 123 km I just couldn’t see myself doing another 25 km today. It is going to be an uncomfortable night as this site is really rocky. Hopefully if I blow the air bed up well it will be ok. I’m a bit desperate for a shower but it might have to wait until tomorrow.