Sorry JLN, only red dogs up there.
Just got back from Blinman. Completing the Mawson Trail was enough for me this time but I still have a strong desire to head further North during the cooler months. 13 days including 1 rest day and 1 day waiting for the weather to improve. I’ll be posting a day by day journal and photos here shortly.
Nearly done organising photos. I really wish I had taken more.
hoonz
December 18, 2011, 11:12pm
25
'Tis one of the conundrums of cycle touring.
Stop and take zillions of amazing photos vs. stay in the saddle and make your stop over before dark.
Along Bundaleer Road.
Bundaleer Aqueduct.
Climbing up into Never Never Range.
A few gates to open and close.
Through Never Never Range.
Road being graded through Bundaleer Forest. Meant 2km of hiking for me.
Railway crossing out of Gladstone
Was a good excuse to stop for a drink and cigarette.
Pub at Laura
Two other cyclotourists at Laura. Left Sydney in 2008 and are doing Aus anti-clockwise. Both had custom Velosmith frames with Rohloff hubs.
Somewhere near Stone Hut.
Into Wirrabarra Forest.
Motivated by thirst (for beer), detour to Murraytown proved fruitless. Pub was closed… 4 years ago.
Caravan park at Melrose, at base of Mount Remarkable.
Luxurious cabin on my rest day at Melrose.
Taking a break from the wind at the Rotten Creek crossing. Mt Remarkable in background.
More headwinds into Wilmington.
Wilmington was kinda quiet.
Had a few toy museums though.
My 22nd Birthday breakfast at Wilmington. 4 ladies worked at this shop and I was the only customer in an hour and a half.
Climbing up around Mount Eagle.
Views from Mount Brown East.
Steep and stony climb through Richman Gap.
Rolling out of Richman Gap into Quorn.
2 of the 4 hotels.
Returning to Quorn, defeated by freezing headwinds and driving rain.
Going for an unloaded spin around Quorn. Resting out the front of Bikes and Bytes, bike hire and internet cafe.
Up over Ragless Range.
The steep end of Ragless.
There’s a few roos in there somewhere.
At Proby’s Grave.
Willochra Creek, judging by the high water mark, would’ve been up around chest height the day before. Good thing I turned back to Quorn.
Straight into more weather on the Willochra Plain.
Black Jack Hill I think.
Roads to Hawker.
Decided to get off the dirt and onto the seal to race the rain into Hawker.
Got to the pub just as it came down, lucky!