Cycling Australia Diaries

Cycled just out of town and stopped to have a look at a wind turbine farm at the top of the Atherton Table Lands (1135m above sea level). Rode through thick rainforest and occasional farming land all day which undulated through the Tablelands. Had some very long and steep climbs but were always rewarded with awesome downhills. Arrived at Atherton at 3:30pm and were shocked to see such dense civilisation and to have mobile phone reception (the first since Victoria)! Stayed the night at a great hostel that was full of European backpackers. Polished off a slab of beer and showed some Scottish backpackers that Aussies really can't play darts.

After wasting most of the day in Atherton doing washing and computer stuff we only managed to cycle 33km to Mareba.

A big day today, we cycled 143km to Cape Tribulation and saw the coast for the first time since Wilson's Promontory in Victoria. It was exhilerating cycling 10km of steep, windy downhill road at 60km/h through dense rainforest, down to the coast. Crossed the Daintree river on the ferry just before dusk, then cycled another 50km through the steep and scenic mountains of the Daintree National Park. Cycling after dark, we came across lots of wildlife scurrying around in the bushes, thousands of glowing insects flying around and were almost taken out by a stampeding pig. Stayed at a great hotsel/resort on the beach at Cape Trib, where we met many backpackers and had a few quiet beers.

We had been anticipating the Bloomfield track for months. People had been telling us how difficult it was in a car and that it would be impossible on bicycle as the roads are so steep. The humidity was intense today so we were glad to cycle through several creek crossings. To our dismay, the hills were incredibly steep and we never knew whether to laugh or cry at every bend which seemed to reveal an enless, tortuous climb. There weren't any places to fit a tent in the dense rainforest, so we cycled for hours after dark through sandy tracks and found a nice place right on the beach.

Watched the sunrise on the beach then set out for Lakeland Downs. Had a few more climbs today through Cedar Bay National Park, then pushed onto the Lions Den Hotel for a liquid lunch. We arrived in Lakeland just after dark and with a flat tire.