Cycling Australia Diaries

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.

Started a little late today as we discovered that our panniers had worn holes through the bike rack (due to continual corrugations) so had to patch it up with gaffa tape. Passed over many sand dunes today and made good progress to the next station where we refilled our water supplies. By mid afternoon we came across rocky desert which slowed us down considerably. Camped by a dry creek bed where we were glad to find some dead fire wood, a scarce resource out here.

The rocky country continued all day today so we had little time to rest. We are generally reluctant to stop very long anyway as the flies swarm in quickly and it is difficult to get rid of them. Late in the day we decided to risk a shortcut taking us across a long dissipated track and a ford. Camped near the Dig Tree on the banks of a broad water hole which was covered in Cockatoos and Pelicans!

Pushed through to Innamincka quickly during the morning and were confronted by many shocked travellers. People are usually suprised to see us out here on push bikes and all seem to be interested in our journey. We eventually worked our way out of the intense sun and into the Pub where we enjoyed some long awaited South Australian Beer.

Decided to have a rest day today, despite having good tailwinds, so that we could save our energy for the upcoming stretch which will be our most remote/difficult. Met a very welcoming local family today who fed us lunch and invited us to crash the night. Sat around the campfire all night drinking beer and chatting.