Cycling, weather, food, budget and why do we do it?

Cycling

The tandem has been virtually trouble free after very able man from Margaret river's cycle shop straightened the gears damaged on the flight. We were not prepared though for the huge distances needing to be covered to reach food and water, sometimes over 130km.

The other obstacles have been head wind, heat and hills. The roads have been narrow, mainly without a lot of traffic but the road trains can be worrying (to say the least!) as they travel at over 100km/hour and couldn't always swerve around us when overtaking. Flies in areas where there is cattle can be a real nuisance (understatement!). We can cruise at 25-35km/hour and they can't keep up with us, but when we come to a hill and I have to pull hard on the handlebars, they seem to delight in crawling all over my face, drinking out of my eyes and crawling up my nose. Nicole says it is good for my character!

Weather

The wind near the coast changes direction as the land warms up, getting strong by mid-morning on a hot day and reverses in the evening. It somehow always seemed a head wind! The weather is hugely variable and unpredictable. It can be blowing of the desert one day, with a temperature of 40+ C and off the sea the next day, mid 20's C. We had a little rain initially and one thunderstorm near Norseman, otherwise, not a drop until we arrived in Melbourne. The countryside has been absolutely parched. The creeks dried, pastureland brown, campsites rock hard and dusty (we will have to buy new tent pegs). Now in Victoria, it is green again and climate much coolerand very pleasant.

Food

In urban areas, delicious quiches made of combination of organic vegetables and fruits we don't have at home. Enjoyed these enormously. However, often we have had to eat in petrol stations whichg only offer hot pies and chips (with ketchup). John found it extremely hard (in some cases refused) to eat out of paper bags and drink out of bottles! If we are riding hard we do need to replenish the calories we burn so required several main meals and 6-8 litres of water a day.

Budget and accommodation

Our daily budget for accommodation and food is $70 (approx 30 pounds) a day. In Western australia, food prices is a lttle more expensive than at home, camp sites $20- $25 (8-10 pounds). We survived by camping wild in the bush, sometimes wecamped in recreation fields and use their toilets, sometimes even showers. We have also a budget for one-off expenses such as trips out, presents and spoiling ourselves.

Why do we do it?

You may well ask why we do it, many people have asked us and there have been occasions on that trip when we have seriously asked ourselves ! Some rides have been very hot and hard! We have had 2 months in wonderful warmth, seen a huge variety of landscapes, met and talked to interesting people. We have been lucky enough to stay with people we have met on the road and tried to learn about this very varied country and the people who live here. Travelling by tandem is cheap: it enables us to engage with the countryside and people in a way that would not be possible on public transport and it would not be within our means to hire transport or foot the fuel bills for the 2,300km we have travelled.

We are able to talk as we ride, there have been many shared moments, camping on the beach,listening to the sea, watching the sunset after a hard day's ride. All our journeys are journeys of self discovery, and this one has been no exception. It has been the hardest ride to date but there has been much that will stay with us.

John really liked:
The wonderful eucalypt forests. They have made as big an impression as did the South American rain forest.

John did not like:

Eating warmed up pies and chips in petrol stations out of paper bags.

Nicole really liked:

Australian people (most were happy, relaxed, friendly, helpful and generous). The sun, the Ocean, the white sand. The desert, the kangaroos, the emus and the lovely, sometimes strange, often seemingly insignificant flowers.

Nicole did not like:

Mrs Mac's pies, the horrible people who woke us up in the middle of the night at Parry's beach with their headlights and growling dog, John's grumpy moments, the absence of Aborigines on our travels.