Robbo was the first up as usual and I was greeted by him at the tea making table at 6.15 am on my way to the bathroom. He was then complaining of nowhere to sit and eat his breakfast because it was dark- Robbo it is dark every morning if you get up before sunrise and you have never complained before, why was this morning any different. I went around reminding everyone they had to finish off all their fruit and vegies this morning before we get to the border. Got snapped at rudely by Mark when I reminded him of his cantelope- I was taken back by the tone but didn't say anything (until later after stewing on it all day). We had a beautiful bag of roma tomatoes which we have to use up for morning tea and probably lunch. Jacquei had a lovely bag of organic carrots which she decided to donate to the pub. Carmen had a bag of fruit which I will cut up at morning tea as well.
The wind did not pick up and it was perfect riding conditions this morning. The group stopped at the pioneer village on the way to Renmark, $2 entry and well worth the effort- "very interesting"said Carmen. Morning tea and lunch were both on the side of the road and the flies were horrendous. Ants were numerous, march flies were biting and the little pesky flies were in their thousands. I ended up in the car as I couldn't tolerate them for long. I used a t-towel and put tissues in my ears but still got attacked. I made tomato sandwiches and tomato wedges with lots of salt for morning tea.
We sat around this morning as we only had 70 kms today. It was a beautiful sunrise with a hot air balloon flying overhead for a short period. It has been predicted to be a warm day today.
Mark left about the same time as everyone else with Robbo coming up the rear. He was going for his seniors meal at Maccas again so he will probably be late. The road was pretty quiet today and they had a tailwind for most of the day. First stop was Redcliffe. They had a market starting later in the morning so we sort of missed out and then there was going to be a parade in the afternoon. Shopping at the opp shops was profitable for Jacquei and everyone grabbed a coffee.
We have entered country which is very similar to outback South Australia. Mostly scrub with wheat fields scattered around. We did not stop for lunch and we were in Werrimul by 1 pm. Collis shouted everyone a schooner and then later he paid for dinner as well. Lovely people who own the pub and they told us quite a bit about the history of the area (it was once a thriving little town). Not much here now except some limestone churches and ruins.
How many male cyclists required to fix a bike pump? Not sure yet because they are still trying. Robbo, Collis and Mark have all had a go at it so far. I will keep you informed. Robbo is busy eating all his oranges in between working on the pump because he has been told he can't take them out of Mildura. The blood sugars will now go through the roof. They could not fix the pump so the girls will have a go at it tomorrow. It will be fixed tomorrow!
Everyone went off in their own directions today. Jacquei walked into town and back (exhausted by the end of it with approximately 15 kms), Jen came back from her aunt's place and I think she caught up with Jacquei or Carmen. Carmen was riding around town and down to the marina. Jim went to the library and read a book from cover to cover. Robbo spent most of the morning trying to fix the pump then after lunch went shopping. Not sure how Bill spent his day. Mark shopped and then went down to one of the locks, watched a paddle steamer then came back into town looking for food. Collis and I went for brunch at the local cafe then went for a drive around the area.
Woke to another clear, blue sky this morning. All down the east coast of Australia is having huge downpours with flash flooding but we seem to have missed the majority of it once again. The Gods seem to bless us with pretty good weather on these trips. Last nights rain only lasted for an hour or so- it was heavy but not long.
We only stopped for morning tea today without a lunch break. We were all, except for Robbo, in town by 2 pm. Robbo is still having trouble with his repaired tubes and had not yet purchased any new tubes. Collis ended up giving him one of his spare tubes which managed to get him back on the road so he could get into the town to buy his own. Apparently he bought 5 tubes from one bike shop and then went to the other shop for some other repairs. He came into camp exhausted and sugar depleted requiring assistance again to get his blood sugar levels back up.
Well I thought the previous night was noisy- last night was worse but then the trucks stopped and it was lovely and quiet. Bill was very pleased with himself as he was once again in a motel room. Everyone was relaxed and well rested this morning. We left around 8.15 without an allocated leader as Mark has refused to take his turn.
Morning tea was at the 40 km mark with a lemon/sour cream cake bought at the general store in Tooleybuc. Lovely cake. Everyone was spread out with Jacquei arriving at morning tea with a huge bag of oranges stored in her raincoat. She had been hoping another rider would help her carry them but he just rode off. She's not wanting to share now although I did remind her of women's lib (we can do anything they can do, even carry 3 kg of oranges in our jacket for 10 kms). Carmen saw the orange stall and took off quickly as she had the pannier that had been used over the last few days of fruit picking.
Bill was the only one who stopped for a lunch break around 85 km mark and the rest rode into town. Robbo was way behind after having another 3 punctures and was keeping us informed of his progress via SMS. All except Robbo were into camp by 2 pm. Nice camp ground and Collis & I decided it was time for us to upgrade to a cabin.
Woke to rain pitter-patter on the canvas from early hours of the morning. No rush to get up when it's raining. The trucks and trains were a bit noisy for the first time last night. Eventually decided to crawl out of the truck around 7.30 to find most cyclists were still in their tents although Jacquei's was down and packed up under cover. Had a lovely hot shower and put on some warm clothing. We had planned to leave around 9 am this morning but we left around 9.30 am although Robbo was hanging around for quite awhile after the others left.
Bill was the leader today and he was looking a bit nervous about the responsibility. He wrote down the instructions and away they went. They were following a course designed by Mark, hope it goes well!
We met Robbo just as we were driving into Swan Hill and he was heading for his seniors meal in at McDonalds before hitting Subway for his lunch. Not sure what time he will get in at this rate. No sign of the others in Swan Hill so they must be on the road. We come across Mark on some road works and he was concerned that his were the only bike tyre marks in the sand. Still haven't seen the rest of them. We came to a bend in the road and we had to look at the map to make sure we were heading the right way, so there is every likelihood that today will produce some confusion.
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| Always plotting! |
Late start again as not so far to go today. Heading to Lake Bogan (name change because Jacquei will be there), so they will ride together most of the way. Jen was the ride leader today and took her role very seriously. She did a good job and may get this position again (not like Carmen who started to head back to Melbourne when she had the responsibility- think this may have been on purpose).
Stopped at the Lodden River for morning tea. I couldn't believe it- I bought a sponge cake with jam and cream for morning tea and only 4 people had any (last time I do that). Gave the out of towners a lesson on what the holes in the mud were caused by- snakes weren't believed, fish was the second choice and finally we said big, black spiders. I don't think they believed any of it. Oh well, they will soon find out- won't they Annie.
We were into camp by lunchtime with a tailwind for the majority of the day but some tough stretches as well. Nice camp area on Lake Boga.
Late start to the morning and did not get out of bed before 8 am. Very relaxing. Bill has taken a cabin again but this time in the caravan park for the 2 nights, the rest of us are camping. The campground is very serene and picturesque. We are all overlooking the murray and it is very treed. Nice camp kitchen and the amenities are very clean and plentiful. The people running the CP can't do enough for you- very pleasant.
Jen and Jim went down to the cafe for a cooked breakfast. I think Bill ended up there as well and then Jacquei walked past and joined them. The rest of us had breakfast in camp before heading off for walks and bike rides around the area. The town has a lovely feel to it as well and Collis & I went on the river gum walk looking at the sculptures and the old saw mill.
The group left around 8.30 am and checked out the wharf of Echuca before getting on the road with the wind behind them. It was a lovely ride today and morning tea was at 33kms beside a lovely lake of some sort. Very relaxed. Lunch was at Cohuna by the irrigation channel- even more relaxed. Arrived at Barham by 3 pm to a very nice caravan park on the river murray. Happy chappies.
The girls went for a walk around town to check out the action for tomorrow, did some shopping and then most of us cooked in the lovely camp kitchen. Collis, Mark and I went to the pub and I played the pokies (winning a whole $4) until Collis decided I had to quit while I was ahead.
The team leader today was Jim, who was wanting monetary recompense for taking on this enormous responsibility. According to the group he excelled at the task and they are happy for him to be the leader on most days. The responsibility must be shared around and tomorrow I think Carmen may need to take her turn. If they are never aware of who may get the job then they may all listen more closely to the briefings.
The majority of the group left camp around 8 am and we all met up for morning tea at the 40 km mark. Jacquei and Carmen came bearing fruitful gifts. They had found peaches on the ground under a tree- a nice treat. 
The wind was not kind to them today and it started to heat up after morning tea so we had hot northerly headwinds for most of the day. Lunch was at Barmah near the river. It was getting hotter but the locals were talking about a big storm that was supposed to come through with a big drop in temperature, lightening strikes, thunder and hail as big as golf balls. We looked to the heavens but couldn't see any sign of the threatening weather- maybe around the next bend. The bend and the storm never came and the relief from the headwinds did not appear until the last 10 kms into Moama. Disappointed with the chosen camping ground so we moved to the one across the road which wasn't a big improvement but reasonable.
Up before the dawn today mainly because we had been in bed for 10 hours already. It's the country air that has you in bed for so long. Most riders, bar Robbo, stayed in their tents until the sunrise and headed off around about 8.30 am. Riding as a group again although Mark left later and did his own thing. They all arrived around the same time for morning tea and Mark about a half hour behind them. We skirted Lake Mulwala most of the morning and had morning tea on it's banks. Jacquei saved a ram who had got it's horns tangled up in some barbed wire.
Mark went off to look at Yarrawonga and Robbo went in search of an old friend who is a priest living in Yarrawonga. 
The remainder of the group got into camp at the resort before the real heat kicked in, even though it was still sitting slightly above 30 degrees. The girls had a go on the jumping pillow until Jacquei hit her head on the ground- it looked like it was going down.
