Anna

It seems there are many Croydons in Australia; this is the one in Queensland, a bit more remote and smaller. Started off with a myriad of bats flying over Georgetown – pretty crazy! – and gas guns being shot to scare them off, which Spike did not like one bit. I was trying to get … Read more

Earlier start to beat the heat, and frankly I did not know what to expect. The Savannah Way is already pretty remote, though there is a route further up north, but I was told it’s pretty rough and with a lot of corrugation, so we opted for this one. The first section was still greenish, … Read more

More climbing today. Started off on a gravel section, which was very nice. Garmin lied and was displaying some mild hills, not like the 13%+ I had to go through. Bastardo. All white clothing today, including the helmet which has a reflective layer, and my brain was a lot cooler. Same elevation as yesterday, but … Read more

Yeah well, I knew it was gonna be tough to climb over 1,400m in the last 40km, after riding 100km, but there it was… It was quite a pretty route, taking the back roads a couple of times, among banana plantations and some very nice country. The infamous left turn happened today. Kinda interesting now … Read more

A little bit more north before we veer left (uhm, west that is). A longer day – just over 173 km – which turned out OK, especially because I finally managed to leave before 6 am, just. The road shoulder on the highway was so narrow and bumpy, so I was zig-zagging in and out … Read more

A bit of a slog today as the wind was wacky and hitting from the front and side for a lot of the ride. Magpies were out in droves as I rode through the smaller towns—I guess they’re all on high alert here at the moment… the heat may be making them go troppo. There … Read more

Another Big Thing, in Bowen – the Mango. I did not realise we were passing opposite the Whitsundays. I could see the ocean from the road there. The route today was fast though a bit longer than usual, on account of being quite flat. I adjusted the gearing yesterday, and the tuning paid off as … Read more

A very nice day, riding almost all of it in flat country. Started off very busy on the Bruce Hwy, and took a slight detour before Mackay on a great country road. Ended up on a gravel patch where we are camped for the night – at least that’s what it’s looking like unless we … Read more

The long horizons are starting to show up. Very rewarding. I love the simple colours of the open country. The smell of sugarcane being cut is everywhere. I saw a very large harvesting machine at work. Impressive piece of design and engineering. I was feeling pretty good on the bike until my butt started to … Read more

It is starting to feel a bit outback-ish now. Today the question of “my way or the highway” had an easy answer, as it was the same way… Bruce Hwy all the way, but not too bad actually. I am used to those b-doubles sweeping past me quite close and I just have to trust … Read more

Could be a milestone, not sure! Longer ride today on relatively flat terrain – except for a nasty little ramp at the start which went up to 18% (eeeek!!). Enjoyed a long section of brand new black velvet asphalt on the Bruce Hwy, a bonus. The wind held off, and I felt good mostly because … Read more

When I said cold before, I did not mean this cold! With the windchill, it must’ve been 1-2c. I still go off in short bibs, but I am now wearing a jacket on top of long sleeves, and I was still frozen. Took me a long time to warm up, on top of feeling tired … Read more