September Reports

1 October 2009- Trousers Point, Flinders Island

30 September 2009- Trousers Point, Flinders Island
Distance: 42 km
Word of the Day: Tendon

Did I mention yesterday that the hut had a bed with a thick foam mattress? It was hard to roll out of bed and into the damp paddling gear, but the wind was a strong northerly so it was good to start early. Inside the shelter of Flinders Island and with lots of smaller offshore islands the water was flat with just the wind waves forming. This made for excellent kayak surfing. The currents were against me but it didn't slow things down too much, and soon enough I landed here at Trouser Point. The only problem is a sore tendon in my left hand. It seems to be the one running away from my index finger. A nasty lump has formed and it's tender (a tender tendon- are those words related I wonder?). I've had this type of injury before in my wrist and it can take a while to settle down. The weather is turning southwest tomorrow and Friday I think, so I will have until the weekend off the water. It'll give me a chance to walk up to Whitemark where there is a bakery and maybe climb a mountain too.

29 September 2009- Roydon (I think that's the name?) Island
Distance: 61 km
Word of the Day: Warmth

I slept in again and didn't get paddling until about an hour after sunrise. The wind was a little behind but mainly from the side and neither help nor hindrance. The worst of it was the chill of my right arm where the splashes made it wet. I had to put my coat on halfway across. The current took me towards New Zealand for six hours and then back towards King Island for another four. Put together it was close enough to balanced and I hit Flinders Island right on Cape Frankland. Continued to here at Roydon Island and lit a fire immediately. Have now had a cup-a-soup, coffee, half a block of choccy and 2/3 packet of biscuits. Still lacking energy so I could not be bothered standing up to hunt a nice photo for you and snapped this from the verandah of the hut when I turned the computer on. Also saw a seal and several penguins today, they seemed more at home.

28 September 2009- Deal Island
Distance: 4 km
Word of the Day: Conversation

Janine and Laurie are checking the rain gauge at the caretaker's residence on Deal Island. Yep, I'm finally off Erith! The forecast is excellent for paddling to Flinders tomorrow so I paddled across Murray Passage and around to Winter Cove this morning. Realising that I hadn't had a decent conversation in a while, I quickly set up camp and walked the 4km to the caretaker's cottage. Coincidentally I arrived at lunchtime and tucked into a bowl of pumpkin soup. Laurie and Janine haven't had many visitors either so it was a good chance to talk. And that's about all we did for the afternoon. They are three weeks into a 3 month stint out here, their second long excursion to the Kent Group. Now I'll walk back amongst the numerous wallabies for a good sleep. I'd like to be on the water at sunrise to make the most of the expected tailwind. Feels good to be on the move again.

27 September 2009- Erith Island… still.

Just up on the hill today to send out the weekly newsletter, and to let you know that I have gone nowhere recently. But in better news, it looks like I’ll relocate to nearby Deal Island on Monday and then make the long paddle to Flinders Island on Tuesday. Quite spectacular here at the moment with wind blowing it’s guts out- to use a local expression. Listened to the footy on the radio yesterday and was hopping about the hut in excitement. Poor old Saints. Battery not getting well charged with little sunlight so have to keep things brief.

25 September 2009- Erith Island
In a holding pattern…

Between showers I have scurried out of the hut to climb the hill at the western end of the bay. Today (Friday) was nearly a paddling day, but the wind was predicted to be strong and maybe very strong. Looking out to sea now, it’s an unsettled day and I’m happy enough to spend it beside the fire.

Eddie the Erith Island pigeon has been hanging around since I arrived. He has bands on both legs, one orange with numbers and one black. He’s obviously used to humans because I can almost, but not quite, pat him on the back. When I come along the path with sticks for the fire he doesn’t get out of the way, I have to step over him and be careful not to scone him with a trailing branch. Maybe he was blown out here with the strong winds?

This is the view from where I sit to get internet reception. The signal is coming from the Victorian mainland and I have to get right near the top of the hill to connect. It also happens to be where the wind funnels up the cliffs from the north-west. After a few minutes huddled under the raincoat (so I can see the screen) it’s time to walk home before all the heat is sucked out of my skin.

In the hut it is very comfortable. I have discovered that rats and possums (brush tailed) don’t get inside but they can get in the woodbox. I know this because I put my foodbag in the woodbox on the first night. It now has several ragged holes chewed through it, and I lost a few oats. The other animals about the place are mostly spiders… lots of spiders.

21 September 2009- Erith Island
Distance: 38 km
Word of the Day: patience

22 September 2009- Erith Island (Kent Group- Bass Strait)
R&R until weather improves.

This photo doesn’t tell the story very well. The calm and sunny outlook from the hut when I arrived yesterday has turned nasty. A storm blew in from the north-east in the evening and I won’t be going anywhere until it improves. That could be quite a while. The next crossing to Flinders Island is a long 55-60 km stretch and I’ll need 12 hours of favourable conditions to make it safely. Here on Erith Island there is a beaut little hut with a wood stove and all the comforts of a house, just a little bit cosier. Some kind soul has even left me tins of tuna and peaches along with a litre of long life milk. I will have to eat and drink it all as the use by dates are fast approaching or long gone.

The families who continue to care for this hut and maintain it for all visitors are to be heartily thanked. I can’t imagine a more stunning place to be marooned for a while. I won’t post every day because it requires a walk up a hill to get reception and the weather, as I said, is predicted to be horrible all week. The wait will be a good chance to let my blisters calm down and the shoulders loosen up. The change from riding to paddling has been a shock to the system! A more detailed look at the last few days is in the newsletter just sent, which can be found on the Mercury website. I’ll let you know the day before I paddle onwards, until then just assume I am reading a book or watching the penguins.

20 September 2009- Hogan Island
Distance: 54 km
Word of the Day: Uncomfortable- what makes you uncomfortable?

Normally waking up at 5.50 am is not considered sleeping in, but this morning I was hoping to be on the water at first light. I rushed to pack up the wet tent and hit the paddles at about 7.30 am. The wind was mild and from the WNW, a perfect tailwind as I paddled away from the sheltered shores and into Bass Strait. A container ship and a bulk carrier (I don’t know what was in it’s belly?) crossed ahead of me in the shipping lane to Melbourne. The wind started to pick up around lunchtime. It built up to the stage where I felt uncomfortable. The swell was mixing with the wind waves and it was messy with whitecaps and peaky waves. I stopped looking over my shoulder because oncoming waves have extra menace when viewed from the trough. Better just to let them pass under and take evasive action when needed. Very pleased to make Hogan Island and sneak around to the sheltered side of the island (photo) where I’m staying in the hut. As predicted, my shoulders are not happy!

19 September 2009- Rabbit Island
Distance: 24 km (paddling)
Word of the day: Turtle- I can only think of one word to rhyme with turtle, how many can you get?

Call me crazy, but doesn't this rock look like a swimming turtle? And blow me down but it appears to be sitting on a camel! Even better, I am camped on Rabbit Island, and there doesn't seem to be any rabbits. However, there are Cape Barren Geese, mutton birds, and plenty of gulls. This morning it took four trips to carry the kayak and all the bags down to the beach. Just as I was ready to jump in a familiar face (attached to a body) strolled down the sand. It was Woody, art teacher and artist extraordinaire! He lives at Mount Martha and the last I heard his car had broken down and he wasn't going to make it. We decided the launch could wait a while and went to get a drink. When I eventually launched the tide was coming in. Luckily the current was overcome by the northerly wind and it didn't slow me down too much.

Following the channel markers out of Corner Inlet I had a look over my shoulder. It suddenly hit me that I was leaving the mainland (that's what we call it in Tasmania). For the last six months I've been riding and walking and now that part of the journey is over. Yippee!
The wind was gusty and forming perfect sized waves for surfing in the kayak. By early afternoon I decided to stop on Rabbit Island. From here I can reach Hogan Island and, making it a short day, I haven't worn my poor old shoulders out. About to check the weather forecast but reckon I'll be paddling tomorrow.

18 September 2009- Port Welshpool
Distance: 26 km
Word of the day: sea- shore, life, side, star, change... what else?

Veronica runs the caravan park here at Port Welshpool. We got talking. Her son is going to Tassie tomorrow for a weight lifting competition. He's just 19 and lifts about 160kg, that's more than two of me! There was a photo of him on the wall and I judged that I'd fit completely inside one of his thighs. When I landed here in the kayak nearly 6 months ago I knocked on the door and no-one answered. After a quick look around I jumped in the shower before beginning on the bicycle. Feeling guilty, I told Veronica about my trespass today. Thankfully she still let me stay, in fact she didn't seem to care at all. A few others I need to thank are Uncle Bob, Ian and cousin Emily (photo). They bought down the Hope and Grace and whisked away the bike and trailer in 5 pieces. They will send it down to Tassie and I'll put it back together at Little Musselroe Bay, hopefully in a few weeks.

The weather conditions now matter more than ever and I'll be eagerly checking the forecasts. The sites I check are; BOM Bass Strait, BOM Wind Map, Windfinder, and Buoyweather. They probably all use the same raw data but it's comforting to have different points of view. Must say that I'm a teeny bit excited to be back in the water. The freedom of life on the sea is hard to beat. Updates might be a little unpredictable for the next few days along Wilson's Prom but once out on Hogan and Deal Island I should be able to get a photo out with wireless coverage. Speaking of Wilson's Prom, it should be fascinating to see how the bush is recovering from the fires that were still smoking when I passed earlier in the year. Should be some green shoots of recovery!

17 September 2009- Foster
Distance: 106 km
Word of the day: Camera- what is the best camera in the world? (tip: not mine)

We have a problem. It's not that I only have three functioning gears left, or that I have no rear wheel brakes (mind you, the wet and hilly conditions today nearly sorted me out). No, our problem is that my camera display has gone snow white. That means I have no way of knowing exactly what I'm taking a photo of. In the olden days of my 35mm SLR I would look through a tiny window on the camera. But since I bought a compact digital about 3 years ago I haven't once looked through the little window. Now the photos are displayed on a neat computer screen on the back of the camera (there is a little window as well, but it is filled up with dust). So expect a lot of pictures like this one until I reach Tasmania and have a chance to go camera shopping.

Wet riding today, really really wet. At Leongatha I left the hazardous South Gippsland Highway and followed the rail trail all the way to Foster. It follows the old train line where the tracks have been ripped up and a smooth gravel surface installed. Brilliant but dirty.

15 September 2009- Tooradin
Distance: 55 km
Word of the day: Hurry- curry, scurry, furry, pick the odd word?

Cities are mad places. Apart from driving from place to place in a great hurry, goodness knows what everyone who lives in them does? I rode south on Springvale Road being careful to make myself seen. The traffic lights were against me but the wind was a delight as I found the Princes Highway and headed out of the suburbs. Enormous paddock-fulls of new houses are spreading out in a sea of brown brick and colourbond roofing. Every now and then a smaller paddock is filled with a square box full of mega-stores and super-marts. Finally, and quite abruptly, the paddocks filled with grass and small horses and I was out of Melbourne. Granny forced lemon slice and cups of tea on me this morning so I didn't get started until lunchtime- that's why I did a measly 55km. More tomorrow as I hope to reach Foster.

14 September 2009- Nunawading
Distance: 80 km
Word of the day: Monolith- what does it mean and where does it originate?

When I looked at the map in Adelaide I wasn't sure about coming through Melbourne. The stress of city riding after coming off places like the Oodnadatta Track is measurable. Two things changed my mind; the wind blew from the north, and Granny might be in a cooking mood. The western suburbs extend about 20 km from the heart of the city and conditions for cycling vary from excellent (bike lane) to frightening (no bike lane, no shoulder, 3 lanes of traffic). My mirror is dangling uselessly after the wind blew the bike onto it a few days ago, so I just put my head down and hoped for the best. It felt like a game of Frogger dodging opening doors and swerving out of turning lanes. Past the Flemington race track I was suddenly staring up at the glass and steel monoliths of sky-scrapers. Tom, who I had met roadside in north Queensland (he'd been riding a leg with his mate Alan Cunneen who has just finished his own circuit around Australia), was waiting in Kew to catch up for lunch on my way through. Tom is nearly recovered from a broken arm he received from falling off a ladder. It adds weight to my theory that it's more dangerous at home than on the road! Finally arrived at Granny's and followed the smell of lemon slice into the kitchen. I looked in the oven and saw two egg shells lying in the bottom. Worried that Granny's mind was slipping I asked what they were doing in there. Granny tells me they can be crushed up for the compost better when they are dried out. Sounds reasonable.

14 September 2009- Bacchus Marsh
Distance: 76 km
Word of the day: Jolt- is this a verb, noun, adjective, or type of vegetable?

This photo doesn't really tell the story for today. I was briefly on the peaceful Sunraysia Highway, which hardly even deserves to be called a highway, but I soon joined the waves of trucks and cars heading for Melbourne on the Western Freeway. It's a split road with two lanes in each direction and a HUGE shoulder for me to cycle on. If it wasn't for the constant noise of traffic it would be the best riding road ever. For some unknown reason I didn't have much in the tank today and struggled to get 76km. The wind was still from behind, although not as strong, and there were more hills, but something else was slowing me down. It happens every now and then. If I was at home I'd just get a couple of DVD's and buy the paper for a day inside.

At 65km from Melbourne I could just make out the hazy skyline of high rises in the city centre. Wow, that gave me a jolt. It was a very visible marker of what is left to do. On the other side of the city, only a few days away, is the beginning of the last big challenge.

13 September 2009- Learmonth
Distance: 111 km
Word of the day: Ponderously- how many words can you make out of these letters in 2 minutes (like Boggle)?

There are some rolling green hills just outside of Learmonth, where I'm staying tonight. Dotted all over them are dozens of wind turbines. They each have three prongs and seem to turn ponderously slowly. But as I stared up at them and concentrated on the slender tips slicing through the air, I realised that they were actually roaring along. My plan to sling a rope over the end and be propelled like a pebble in a slingshot seemed suddenly to be a bad idea. These hills are the Great Dividing Range. Remember that I last left the GDR way up in north Queensland, having roughly followed it up the east coast from Gippsland, Victoria. Nearly closed the loop!

Crossing the Great Divide took me out of the Murray Darling Basin and into, um... a different one... I'll have to look it up later. The photo shows the Lake Learmonth jetty. Everything is in place for a wonderful day of water skiing, just as soon as the water turns up. It's been dry for at least six years thanks to the worst drought Victoria has experienced in, um... I'll have to look that up too.

12 September 2009- St Arnauds
Distance: 121 km
Word of the day: What is your town famous for?

Yesterday I had lunch in Ouyen at the bakery. Ouyen is famous for the humble snot block (bakery product more commonly called: vanilla slice). It was an excellent snotter, and it got me thinking what other towns are renowned for. So when I stopped in Donald today (population 1200), I asked what local attractions I might visit. "The Bullock's Head" I was told and directed down the road. It's the dead stump of a Box Tree with a burl that looks... well have a look for yourself. For some reason there is also a giant metal carp on the opposite bank. But Donald is not famous for this fish, the stump that looks like a bovine (cow) bonce (head) is the winner.

The stump has been spray coated with something that looks like cement to preserve it. I would have stayed longer but the wind blew my bike over and I decided to continue down to St Arnauds. If it's possible the wind was even stronger today, and right behind me. Sometimes I could just stand up on the pedals, arch my back and sail down the road. If everything goes to plan the weather will swing around to the west and blow me right into Melbourne. I decided to cycle through the city and visit Granny. Plus, city riding will be a totally different experience and instead of dreading it, I'm starting to really look forward to it. Imagine all those exhaust pipes, honking horns, merge lanes... should be bliss.

11 September 2009- 100km south of Ouyen
Distance: 157 km
Word of the day: What flower is that?

Very poor signal here by the roadside tonight. I am holding the computer up with one hand and typing with the other. Capital letters are a huge problem. Big, big northerly today so I stayed on the south bound Sunraysia Hwy. Reached 30 degrees in Mildura and felt more like summer than early spring. The land is mostly flat with paddocks of budding wheat and barley (I can't tell which is which though). The little communities between the larger towns sometimes have a hotel or petrol station, but often the shutters are up and people have moved on. This is one of the Blue Tonge Lizards I saved from certain destruction on the road. With an oncoming truck I scooped this scaly critter up with a piece of shredded tyre and flung him onto the verge. Then I stalked and harassed him through the grass for a decent photo. I was desperately hoping for a good mouth open shot to get the full blue tongue effect. He probably wondered if it wasn't better to try his luck on the road! Big day today and the battery needs charging...

10 September 2009- Calder Highway- 50km south of Mildura
Distance: 102 km
Word of the day: Blue Tounge Lizard

9 September 2009- near Meringur
Distance: 65 km
Word of the day: grain (write a poem using grain, rain and drain.)

This morning I crossed the border into Victoria. At the first opportunity I turned off the Sturt Highway onto a quiet dirt road down to Morkalla. There's no actual town there, just a house. And there's no actual town down the road at Karween, just a sign. The railway used to come out here to cart grain back to Melbourne. Trucks do that now, and there's not much joy being a farmer out here either. The wheat and barley crops are looking sickly and without rain soon it will be another disastrous season. If the forecast 31 degree northerlies sweep in early next week... well, it's best not to talk about the weather anyway.

At Meningur the school shut in 1997 but there's still a post office. The lady there told me to get water down at the Pioneer Village, just leave a gold coin donation. I parked next to the tap and filled up.

I should have kept riding to make up for a slow day (I blame the man-cold), but instead I began to wander around the buildings. They were full of interesting photos and farm tools. In the recreated town hall I had a flashback to my childhood in Ulverstone. It felt like walking into one of the country halls in the rolling hills of north-west Tasmania. Suddenly I wanted to be a pioneer farmer, building rough wooden huts and living on possums and golden syrup. Instead I rode down the road and have set up camp in the scrub, living on rolled oats, peanuts and gingernuts. Tomorrow I will try to cover more distance. I am hoping to reach Port Welshpool by 19th September to begin the paddle back to Tas. Looking at the recent weather patterns I will need to be patient with the wind.

8 September 2009- Paringa
Distance: 84 km
Word of the day: tent (add one letter to make a word that means one part out of ten.)

Sorry for the boring tent photo! Nothing much caught my eye on the road today so I didn't get the camera out until reaching Paringa caravan park. Perhaps I was too busy concentrating on not getting run over by a truck. This road, the Sturt Highway, is proving to be a shocker for traffic. For some reason the semi-trailer's don't seem to like moving over to make room. A few times there was a long empty road ahead and the roaring machines still stayed stuck to the white line about 50cm from my mirror! Not cool Mr and Mrs Truck Driver. With the wind blowing across the road it was blowing me sideways and a few times my wheels slipped into the gravel. That's a dangerous place to be when you're unsteady and have a dozen wheels whizzing past.

You might notice that the boring old tent is actually a different one to normal. In 2006 Sea to Summit gave me the Dart 2 that I have been using until now. It lasted for nearly 400 nights but finally went to tent heaven. The floor, zips and poles were all beyond repair. I'll miss it.

7 September 2009- Waikerie
Distance: 87 km
Word of the day: Routine (Does this word have anything to do with 'route'?

The mid-expedition mini-break in Adelaide is over. The only news to share is that my pants are now clean and feel very light. There's a washing machine in Adelaide with a handful of sand, dust and dirt trapped in the fluff catcher from all corners of Australia- sorry Bec! I have also been infected with a strain of infant flu that is most likely spread in snot. So vocal was my misery that I was labelled as having a man-cold. Apparently the symptoms are a slight sore throat, dry cough and an overactive sympathy seeking gland.

This morning James drove me back to near Eudunda so he could get back to work on time. Being back on the bike didn't feel comfortable, mainly because the seat was too high. I lowered it and then something fell to the ground and clattered along the road. As I was going down a hill it took some time (only front brakes) to stop. Walking back along the verge, I couldn't see anything that belonged on the bike and gave up the search. It remains a mystery. The Murray River (photo) passes through Blanchetown which is proud to announce on a sign that it is home to 'Lock 1 on the Murray'. I guess that's some sort of wall to regulate the water flowing downstream but you'll have to do your own investigations to find out more. Keeping the Murray River system healthy is a huge topic around here, and right around the country.
Here at Waikerie they have a bakery (that's a rhyme), but the town is more famous for oranges. Groves of bright green trees dripping with fruit are all around. There are also plenty of lemons and avacado too. Finally, congrats to Jess the Juice Box for winning the SA mountain pose- I was indeed pretending to be a fly on top of St Mary's Peak. Make your suggestions in the forum for Tasmanian animals now... or before I get there in about 4 weeks!