Cycle Oz days 34 & 35 – More rain & a big lobster

Day 34 – More Rain

Not much to say about today. The weather forecast was for a lot of rain and it rained a lot! So it was a good move to take the day off. I always feel guilty for taking days off, there is something in my brain that makes me think I should be on the move all the time to make this a credible journey. But the Germans are much more relaxed about it and don't seem to feel any guilt at all about taking a day off. I need to start thinking like that. Even when you have a ‘real job’ you generally have to only work 5 days a week. Plus I am so tired. Sometimes I find it hard to keep my eyes open.

We took a look at my bike. There was nothing missing from the kickstand, the screws had just rattled loose, so I tightened them as much as I could and then Dominik tightened them some more. Boys are useful sometimes! He also adjusted my derailleur and gave me heaps of good advice about my bike. Both Simon and Dominik have been so helpful and I have learnt so much from them about bikes, countries, taking bikes on aeroplanes and all sorts of stuff I have been making notes about!

We hid out in the tourist information centre to hide away from the pouring rain and to use the free wifi, then when they closed we went to the cafe to use the free wifi there and escape the rain some more. The lady in the tourist information was asking us all about our trip and when we left she was concerned about whether we had somewhere warm to stay, we said yes but we made a mistake there, I'm sure she was going to take us in a feed us!

And that was it. It was just a day of resting and binge watching Travellers on Netflix.

Day 35 – A Big Lobster

Start: Beachport

End: Kingston SE

Day distance: 91.2km

Total distance: 1941.66km

Average speed: 18.7km/hr

Pedalling time: 04:46

Total time: 05:30

The weather forecast for today was sketchy but we were really lucky and it turned out to be a beautiful day. I had bundled up in all my layers which has just become a habit, but I was way too hot right from the start and it ended up being one of those rare days of cycling without my jacket on. Yes!

The road was mercifully flat for the whole day, and with my adjusted derailleur now working as it should, I was able to use my gears a lot more effectively and I was able to cruise along at over 20kph. I was still feeling so tired, even after having a day off and I had to stop myself from closing my eyes for too long. The road was smooth and there were very few cars around. I don't think we were out of the logging area as there were still huge pine forests lining the sides of the road, and signs warning of trucks, but as it was a Sunday it must be the loggers day off.

Up ahead I could see a group of cyclists and they were all waving at me flagging me down, so I pulled over to see what was going on. It was a bunch of Chinese cyclists / paparazzi. Every one of them pointed a camera at me and they were taking photos from all angles, then they all came and stood with me and had their pictures taken individually, then in groups. It was intense. No one spoke any English so we got by with gestures and signs and repeating words over and over in the hope they would suddenly understand. From our limited conversation I got they were cycling to Brisbane and then through Indonesia and Malaysia. When they found out I was ‘one person’, on my own, there were lots of exclamations and shocked faces. They must have been really confused when the Germans came along after me and said they were a group of 3!

I left before them this morning and I managed to get 30km before they caught me up, and then they shot off ahead. The road continued to be great and quiet all day. All the cars that did pass moved right over to the other side, as the road was so straight and flat they could see for a long way. You do got some complete assholes on the roads sometimes, like the man I forgot to mention from a couple of days ago who came as close to me as he could and blasted his horn right next to me, he did the same to the boys later on. Some people just think that bikes shouldn't be on the road at all and think it's really funny to scare the bejesus out of cyclists. It’s not funny, and I always give them the finger, I know I shouldn't but they deserve it. These people are one out of one hundred, but they really stick with you.

Anyway, I made it to Robe and went into town to use a toilet and I stuffed down a sandwich and went back on my way. I thought I may have seen the boys there having lunch but there was no sign. I obviously didn't look that hard because later on they cycled up behind me and they had stopped there for lunch. With only about 15k left to our destination I tried to keep up with Dominik who was out in front, and I managed it! Rolling along at 25kph. It was nice to see that he often lifted his bum off the saddle and changed his hand positions continually as he rode along.

We made it to Kingston at 2pm, an early finish but the day had been great, such a nice ride and such a nice temperature. We found The Crown Inn where we got a room for 60 bucks. Rooms are so much cheaper when travelling with other people. We did the usual stuff…shower, shopping, soda and then went to check out our first ‘big thing’. Larry the Lobster. There are loads of these big things all over Australia so I’m sure it won't be the last one I see!