One day, nine stories: Gerd in Australia
This is where I usually introduce my fellow cycling friends to you, dear readers, but Gerd already wrote me the best introduction so here it comes:
Hi friends,
since April 2012 I am travelling around the world on a pushbike. Until Thailand with my former awesome travelpartner Astrid Fischer. Since August last year around Australia, but on my own. Astrid never wanted to cycle in Australia so after 20 months of travelling together and having great adventures, we went separate ways. She is now cycling in Uruguay. But, before leaving to South America, in July she came for 10 days to Darwin and Kakadu and Litchfield National park; great reunion and big fun 🙂
In Australia, I already did over 13.000km. Yes, this is a huge country, well, it is a continent. I started in Perth, then to the highest light tower in the southern hemisphere at Cape Leeuwin, anticlockwise to Albany, Esperance, Norseman, Nullarbor Plain. I left Adelaide (celebrating the 100th birthday of my grandaunt), Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville. Then a side trip to Cairns. I did it by rental car. Yes, sometimes I am very lazy and take a car. Distances are so long and I hate to cycle the same road twice. From Townsville I cycled on the Overlander Highway to Three Ways, on the Stuart Highway to Katherine, then a side trip to Darwin by car. Back in Katherine to Kununurra and then Broome on the bike again.
Gerd regularly writes his blog and it is well worth the read! Have a look here:
Gerd’s awesome cycling adventure.
Enjoy Gerd’s September 5th 2015 in Australia!
Since Sept 5th I am on the way back to Perth. The distance from Broome to Perth along the coast is over 2300km. And it is always windy. Many times over 35km/h of speed and strong gusts… If you ever decide to cycle in Australia, it is absolutely essential to consider the seasons in every state, with the case of cyclones, flooding and wind directions.
Starting with the Roebuck Roadhouse (35km East of Broome) I decided to cycle during nighttime, because wind is very low, less heat and less traffic, especially less oncoming road trains which give you a big headwind as well. Due to the fact that the distance between towns or roadhouses is sometimes more than 300km, it is essential to carry enough water. Not too much, otherwise your bike is too heavy. In Western Australia, where I am now cycling, there are no water tanks at the rest areas, so act wisely. Well, there are always cars and caravans on the road and in an case of a lack of water, you can ask the so-called “grey-nomads” (retired couples, travelling by caravan or campervan) , but I do not want to be depending on others.
After recovering in Broome from the Murray Valley and Kunji Virus (kind of encephalitis, but not as bad and only a small infection), I was in a good shape again. This was my first night ride at all. I got up at midnight and started at 1:30am. I am glad to have a very good front light, very bright, so no risk at all. It became very foggy, big water drops in the air, hilly and the pavement is usually very rough: gravel on bitumen. At 3am I became very very tired, so sometimes I stopped my bike and did a short power nap, head on the handlebar. .
Yes, it is not only a physical challenge, the mental challenge is quite high.
I enjoy cycling during the night and I LOVE THE OUTBACK. So quiet, fresh air, the stars… I like this so much more than the touristic Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast with all the beaches.
Some short stops for eating muesli-bars and at 9:00am, after over 100km, I arrived at a rest area. After taking a seat on a bench, an older lady came to me, and told me that she and her husband just overtook me. She is walking for charity, every day 20km, collecting money for cancer… They invited me for a coffee and some biscuits. I took a nap, and met many more people, a nice family from Melbourne, he originally came from Poland, his wife from Thailand, who gave me some bottles of ginger beer, another fellow cyclist from Perth, a nice young couple from South Tyrol (North-Italy), who invited me for lunch (steak and salad), another traveller on a homemade truck who gave me some water, and in the evening I got again an invitation from the walking lady and her husband for some pasta. A perfect day with many nice people and great conversations! Not all people at the rest areas are having such a big hospitality. Sometimes you entertain them with your story, but an offer for a coffee or tea… forget it. Anyway, it was a terrific end of an exhausting day 🙂
One day, nine stories is about empathizing with other travel cyclists: here’s the other eight stories!
Rachel and Patrick from the USA who follow the rather bumpy Congo Nile Trail in Rwanda: One day, nine stories: Rachel and Patrick in Rwanda
Heike from Germany who cycles through Japan and decides half way through to rather have a sick day: One day, nine stories: Heike in Japan
Baerbel and Johan from Germany and the Netherlands who biked along the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan bordering Afghanistan: One day, nine stories: Baerbel and Johan in Tajikistan
Astrid from Austria who enjoyed a rest day with new friends in Uruguay: One day, nine stories: Astrid in Uruguay
Claudia and Peter from Austria who spent their September 5th in British Columbia, Canada: One day, nine stories: Claudia and Peter in Canada
Luzia and Denise from Germany who had an exhausting travel to a Canadian island: One day, nine stories: Luzia and Denise in Canada
Lisi and Torsten from Germany who biked through the harsh Australian sun: One day, nine stories: Lisi and Tosten in Australia
Annika and Roberto from Germany and Mexico who are biking through Canada: One day, nine stories: Annika and Roberto in Canada
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