Cycling Australia Diaries

Had an early start today as there was rumor of more bad weather on the way. The rain set in as we began cycling and the sky was bleak. The rain eventually stopped and the sky cleared. However the damage had already been done to the clay sections of road that lay ahead, where we became very bogged down, unable to even push the bikes. A few 4wd were brave enough to come through the slippery mud, barely keeping on the road. After removing our mudguards we were able to slowly get ourselves out of the clay pans.

The northerly winds began blowing in fiercely and the intensity of the sun dried up the roads very quickly. We now faced very strong head winds after consuming all of our energy, so rested in Milparinka for a late lunch.

With 42km still ahead Tim had a stack, losing lots of skin and blood, which delayed us another 30mins. After dark the full moon came out, winds died down and we cruised into Tibooburra late in the evening. Got a room at the Tibooburra Hotel, had a nice meal and a few beers with the locals. The rain and thunder set in not long after midnight.

Currently stuck in Tibooburra as the drought has finally broken and all roads in and out are closed due to the huge rainfall.

Still stuck in Tibooburra.

Departed Tibooburra today and began our journey through the Strezlecki Desert. Passed through very arid, barren rocky terrain for most of the day and crossed into Queensland mid afternoon.

We came back into sand dune country today where the going became very slow and tedious. We were constantly stacking every time we hit a sandy patch and would have to drag the bikes through many areas. We aimed to reach the Santos Station today and when we finally pulled up there, just before dark we found an abandoned, run down shack. Swept away the think dust/sand, cooked by torchlight and slept on the kitchen floor.