If the word of the day yesterday was sun, today it was wind! But of the good type (so far).
I’d originally planned to take a rest day in Eucla. But even after yesterday’s smashfest ending, my legs still feel amazingly good and my body certainly isn’t calling for a day off the bike. So instead I’ve decided to have a couple of shorter days. I’m much further down the road than I thought I would be and don’t need to be in Adelaide ’til the end of the month. Life on the road out here is cheap as chips and I can’t afford to hang around Adelaide for several days, so it’s time to slow down a bit. Word on the ‘street’ (read dusty caravan park path) is that there’s a storm front heading our way. It was hard to believe this morning as although it was breezy, there was the same glorious sunshine I’ve been treated to since Caiguna. But if a front is coming in, at least I have a few days up my sleeve, if things get really wild.
So with a short day planned, I hung around the caravan park to finish drying the laundry I did last night and to check out Eucla’s sights. As cruelly discovered last night, it’s on top of the hill and has some wonderful vistas over the sandunes to the coast.
By about 11am everything had dried so I set off into what was by then a strong northerly side-wind. It was a bit frustrating hearing all the storm rumours but not being able to see the forecast for myself. But the caravan park manager told me that there was actually internet at the border! First internet since Norseman. So I made a plan to get online there.
But first I needed to cross the border, which is 12kms from Eucla. That was pretty exciting! The fact that it was the first time I’d been to SA made it even more so. I was thinking it was Shirley’s first time too, before I realised she’d already done this same trip but in reverse and on a bus! She was happy to pose for some photos though 🙂
Ducked into the roadhouse to check the forecast online. Luckily the computer was working. The forecast is for ‘possible thunderstorms’ today and then scattered showers for the next few days. Not too bad. The sun was still shining so it was hard to believe the thunderstorm bit, but one thing I’ve learnt out here is that the weather is schizophrenic. One minute it can be nice and the next nasty. Apparently the wind was due to swing round to the west this arvo (awesome!), increase in strength a bit, peaking this evening then becoming southerly overnight. But the strongest (35km/hr) are meant to be occuring this eve, with tomorrow’s southerly supposed to be only 20-25km/hr. That side wind is going to hurt, but I refused to change my plan for the day. After the border the highway skirts along what is apparently one of the most spectacular coastlines in Australia – the Bunda Cliffs of the Great Australian Bight Marine Park. All the people I’ve met that have come from the east have raved about this section of the trip, so I’m uber keen to take my time and explore and camp as much as possible. So as much as it hurt to not capitalise on the stonking tailwind, I left with a plan to bushcamp on the cliffs somewhere tonight.
I needed to fill up all my water containers as Eucla’s water had been undrinkable so I’d left with the hope that Border’s water would be better. There was a rainwater tank out back, which I sneakily tried to refill from, but it was dry. I tried the toilet tap water, but it made the salty water of Caiguna seem like Evian. So I resigned myself to buying bottled water for the first time this trip. As I was testing the toilet tap water an intrigued lady asked me what my water containers were for. I told her I was cycling across and, as most people do, she asked “why?!”. I haven’t mentioned pay it forward much in this blog so far, but I always explain the philosophy to everyone that asks me why I’m riding (which to date has been everyone I’ve spoken to). Although it’s only part of the reason, I’ve discovered they find it much easier to swallow that “I just wanted to”. Less risk of being taken to Adelaide in an ambulance in a straight jacket 😉 As most people do, this lady really liked the philosophy and as I was slicing my stomach open to hand over a kidney for 6 litres of bottled water, her and her husband came up and gave me $10 to help with the water purchase. How awesome is that?! Again I was blown away by the generosity of everyone on the road and promised to pay it forward as soon as I could. The ironic thing with this trip is that I’m going to have a LOT of paying forward to do by the end of it! Which is great.
By the time I left the roadhouse the wind had swung around to the WSW and strengthened a bit, so I was laughing with the best tail wind I’d had all trip. Flew along at about 35km/hr. I stopped at all the lookouts and everyone wasn’t wrong; this coastline is amazing. Towering limestone cliffs. The strong wind added to the dramatic views by whipping up the ocean. Awesome! As it is so exposed, I’d expected the vegetation to be really barren, but it’s certainly not. Virtually no trees, but the ground is covered in dense, dark green shrubs. It actually looks quite lush. So much nicer than the dirt pastures of yesterday.
One not so great thing. As soon as I crossed the border, the wonderful tarmac hard shoulder I’d been spoilt with in WA evaporated 😦 Apparently it’s like this all the way to Ceduna. But I’ve got used to it already (just need to be even more aware of roadtrains) and there is still a wide (deep) gravel shoulder. Ah, WA and your mining royalty billions, how I miss you 🙂
The only other issue this afternoon were the flies. With the warm, sunny weather they’ve gradually been getting worse. Even the yocals in the roadhouses have been commenting on how they’re unseasonably numerous. Normally, aside from the inevitable ingestion, they don’t bother me unless I’ve stopped for a break. But today it was the reverse. The wind was so strong that when I stopped they wouldn’t land on me, but because I was riding close to the speed of the wind, I created a kind of fly hitchhiking vortex and they just hung around me all afternoon. But I don’t mind them too much as they’re only small winter flies and they don’t bite.
As the sun was started to get lower on the horizon, I picked a dirt track leading towards the cliffs and headed down it to hopefully find a place to camp. I knew this was a risky thing to do on such an exposed stretch of coast, what with the strong winds, but they weren’t too bad and the forecast predicts the winds will ease off over night. Plus, STUNNING place to pitch a tent! Took my breath away (the vistas, not the wind!). See the pictures below. I’ve pitched my tent parallel to the wind behind the biggest bush I could find (which still is only knee height!), but the ground is so hard that my pegging leaves a lot to be desired. No soft, red dirt up here. Knowing that the pegging probably won’t last the night, I’ve guyed the tent to the bush and to Shirley! She looks quite incredulous at being used as a tent peg 😉
Made dinner (instant sweet potato and a tin of tuna) in my tent tonight, as there’s nowhere to shelter out there. As it’s a bit chilly, I used the mint I picked yesterday and some sugar to make some tea. Not quite as yummo as in Morocco, but surprisingly good! Hope I come across some more. Now I’m lying here being battered by the wind, keeping my fingers crossed it eases soon and my tent makes it through the night! Hopefully I’ll still be here to blog tomorrow 😉
Across the Paddock on Shirley 