May Reports

31 May 2009- Larrimah
Distance: 93 km
Word of the Day: Sheila (This sign is on the female toilets, what do you think the male toilets sign says?)
Larrimah, on the Stuart Highway, doesn't have a petrol station anymore (it looks like one of the bowser's blew up!), but it does have the Pink Panther Pub and Caravan Park. There's a giant fibreglass model of the famous Pink Panther out the front and most of the buildings are painted pink. I don't know if its okay to call females 'sheilas' anymore in Australia, but the YTBC didn't take it to heart. It was a great change to have company on the road today as we head north towards Katherine. I found out the fires beside the road are early season back burns to reduce the chance of big bushfires later in the dry season. Up here the year is roughly divided into the wet and dry times. At the moment it's the start of the dry season and everything is damp and growing well after the wet rains. But as the land dries out over the coming months the chance of bushfire increases. If you're checking this after the weekend, be sure to check the students work in the LEARNING ZONE.

30 May 2009- Hi Way Inn, Daly Waters
Distance: 54km
Word of the Day: AKA (This is an acronym. What is an acronym and what does this one mean?)
There's a good reason I only rode 54 km and stopped here at Daly Waters. It's not because I had three flat tyres this morning, although I did. It's not because the heat and glare bouncing off the road was simply too much, although it might have been. It's because I'm expecting the Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo (YTBC- AKA: Nic) to arrive by bus this evening. Her bike is packed away ready to be put back together, and tomorrow we'll ride north. The YTBC will be with me for two weeks, right up to Katherine and across to Kununurra. We can't go any further than that together because I'll continue along the Gibb River Road and the YTBC needs to fly back to Tassie for work. Coming up into the heat from a cold Tasmanian autumn will be a challenge.
That means I have a few hours this afternoon to post the first work into the LEARNING ZONE. The gang from Miandetta Primary School have done some great work so please take a moment to check it out. And I'd also like to take this quiet Saturday afternoon to say hi and thanks to all the contributors to the forum, it's the highlight of my day to catch up with your posts.

29 May 2009- bush camp on Carpentaria Hwy
Distance: 115km
Word of the Day: Termite (What do termites eat- is there any chance they will ever attack me?)
This is a little termite mound that has been built up through a fallen tree. These mounds are all over the place up here, and they're usually bigger than this one. I passed ones today that would be 2 metres tall and be too round to hug. Sometimes they are pointy and slender and other times short and fat. Where they have been broken by cattle or cars you can see the honeycomb of tunnels that must be a nightmare to find your way around in (if you were a termite).
It was a quiet day on the road and the landscape didn't change. The scrub beside the road has been burnt in patches. I'm not sure, but these are probably planned burns to regenerate the grasses and clear the undergrowth. I'll try and find out more about the use of fire in this ecosystem when I hit the main highway and run into more locals. It's been a bit cooler today thanks to a blanket of cloud. The campsite is in a cleared area off the road that looks like it might have been an old roadwork camp? It's a beauty.

28 May 2009- bush camp on Carpentaria Hwy
Distance: 100km
Word of the Day: Nonetheless (Is it okay to throw these three words together- and what does it mean anyway?)
Thirty kilometers down the road this morning I heard a toot toot behind me. I pulled over and Graham and Yvette came alongside. Yvette held up my GPS and said "Did you forget something?" I'd left it on the grass where I did yesterdays report. They weren't even going my way, so they turned around and went back to Cape Crawford. Lucky me to have met a couple of strangers who were kind enough to do a sixty kilometer round trip just for that! It would have been a pain to have lost the GPS though, I use it every night to get the coordinates for the website map.
I took this photo this morning because I realised I'm probably out of what is called the 'Gulf country'. There will be no shortage of vast, flat wooded plains to come in future months but it has been an excellent journey through the Gulf savannah. Just after this photo was taken my bike overbalanced and the stand snapped off. Then I opened the new tin of Salvital (fizzy saline drink- good when you do lots of sweating). I'd paid big bucks for it in Borroloola at the store, maybe double the usual price. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found that water had snuck in and made the powder into a hard block. Ah well, no stand and no sweet fizzy drink, but a good day nonetheless.

27 May 2009- Cape Crawford (The Heartbreak Hotel campground)
Distance: 110km
Word of the Day: Sedimentary (Put different types of sand in a glass jar to see how sandstone begins. Then bury it 2000 meters deep and leave it there for 14 million years.)
Just off the road from Borroloola to here at Cape Crawford there is a little conservation reserve called... I forget. The maps in the tent and I can't get up and get it. Well I can, but it would be too much effort. Perhaps you can find it on the map, it starts with C and is a long word. After a short walk along the track I came to these stunning sedimentary sandstone formations. They form beehives with dark cracks and crevices between them. This type of rock is common across the northern parts of Australia and it pops up (outcrops) in lots of places. I saw it near Hells Gate roadhouse and will see it again right across to the Kimberley in Western Australia. I also saw a big snake with a black head and orange sandy bands around its body. I pulled up across the road from it as it slid away, but not before it turned with an arched body and warning hiss. Not a friendly customer! I wonder what species it was? When I pulled up at the Heartbreak Hotel to camp the people in the shop were already expecting me. Word travels fast out here.

26 May 2009- Borroloola
Distance: R&R
Word of the Day: Explorer (Can you make a list of Australia's top 5 explorers?)
At first glance this looks like the inside of many small town museums, and it is. But the tree trunk with the letter 'L' carved in it is possibly from one of Australia's greatest explorers- Ludwig Leichhardt! Young Ludwig grew up in Germany eating cheese before sailing across the world to Australia in (just a minute, I'll need to Wikipedia this...) 1842. He quickly decided that wasn't a big enough adventure and set off to walk about 4800 km from behind Brisbane up to near Darwin. If you remember a week or two ago I camped at the Leichhardt River, well Lugwig passed through this area in 1844-45. Returning to Sydney he hatched a new plan to walk west until he hit the Indian Ocean through counrty unknown to European colonisers. And that's where his story ends, he disappeared never to be seen or heard from again. It puts a bike ride through towns connected by roads using satellite communication into perspective!
Today was; museum, supplies, library, greasy rag and a Frosty Fruit. I noticed how hot it gets when you're not riding. The breeze that pedalling creates turns out to be one of the best ways of keeping cool out here!

25 May 2009- Borroloola
Distance: 102 km
Word of the Day: Snotty (What is the history of this word- where did it come from?)
I have been attacked by a red dust monster. It has sprayed snotty red dust all over me, but mainly on my shoes and shins. The only way to defeat the red dust monster is with water. First it turns into a red mud monster and then disappears completely. I found a shower here at Borroloola caravan park and not expecting to get so grubby again for a few weeks when I start on the Gibb River Road. I already miss the disgusting, bumpy, dirty old dirt road. They're more fun. Today I met the road crew who have been busy on their big machines to flatten out the corrugations and fill in the wash-outs. They had three graders, a water truck, another smaller truck and a few cars to do the job. I told them I thought they'd done an excellent job. They said I was mad to be riding a bike out there. Now I'm going to get a meal at the pub and a tall glass of lemonade. Tomorrow I'll clean the bike up and have a look in town.

24 May 2009- Robinson River
Distance: 100 km
Word of the Day: Menacing (Which word comes before it in your dictionary?)
I was just unloading and setting up camp when these guys rode past. They're from a nearby station and are breaking in these young horses. They told me to look out for the water buffalo tonight. What! I didn't realise water buffalo were menacing. I'm beside the Robinson River and it was a long day on the road, including three river crossings. That meant taking off my shoes and slipping on the thongs. The water was never over knee deep but unfortunately I discovered a hole in my trailer bag. But luckily everything is packed in waterproof bags so no damage done. I saw two new animals today- a dingo and a donkey. The donkey was making angry noises so I hope it isn't hanging around with the water buffalo later. The road was great at times and not so great at others. My fingers went numb from the bouncing.

23 May 2009- across the border to Northern Territory!
Distance: 72 km
Word of the Day: Corrugations (Ride your bike over iron roofs to find out more about this word.)
The first three hours and 22 km this morning were in Queensland. The
road continued to be an awful mix of soft gravel and deep corrugations. At the border I crossed the cattle grid and held my breath. Yes! Eureka! The grader had been busy smoothing the road. I continued happily to a creek for lunch. A couple of little (50-60cm) freshwater crocodiles were sunning on the rocks. I tried to sneak up for a closer photo but they silently slid into the water and floated mid pool. Not to be discouraged, I found a rock and sat completely still for a good 15 minutes. A mob of cows came down for a drink and didn't see me, a wallaby did the same, but the crafty crocodiles knew what I was up to. After lunch the flat plains turned into a red rocky range and the first hill for a week had to be walked up. Finally pulled in at Karns Creek to camp. Had to walk a few hundred metres down the dry creek bed to find a waterhole for a wash, but I needed one after a day of collecting fine red dust.

22 May 2009- 30 km past Hells Gate roadhouse
Distance: 75 km
Word of the Day: Goanna (Does this rhyme with banana?)
Brian and Anne have been touring around in a big purple bus with a car attached to the back and a boat stuck to the roof. They've passed me on the road about four times since Normanton. Each time, and today was the last, they'd pull up and say g'day. I was complaining about the flies today and Brian said the best way to stop them buzzing about your face is to cut the back out of your shorts. I might just get a fly net instead. Made it to Hells Gate roadhouse about lunchtime. The tourist season hasn't really started up here and only one freight truck has been through since the big wet, so there's not much on the shelves. I settled for two microwaved pies and two icecreams for lunch. The road has been rough in places, soft in others, and altogether challenging! At Lagoon Creek I stopped to fill up with water and spotted this goanna (anyone know exactly what it is?) coming out of the creek. It wasn't in a hurry to escape and even tried to belt me with it's tail when I got too close! I eventually stopped at a little billabong and have just spent a relaxing hour watching all sorts of birds fishing for their dinner. Tomorrow I'll cross into the Northern Territory. Word on the track is that they've been busy with the grader over the border. Let's hope so.

21 May 2009- 45 km east of Hells Gates roadhouse
Distance: 95 km
Word of the Day: Skewered (Can a bike really 'skewer' sideways, or did I just make that up?)
After lunch, and just past Doomadgee, the road turned into a sandpit. Up until now the dirt roads have been okay, so it was only a matter of time before they turned nasty. For 30 kilometers I spent much time pushing through soft bulldust and edging along slowly where I could find solid ground. Where it's really bad the road widens to 15 meters where traffic has slowly pushed the shoulder further into the scrub. It reminded me of the vast muddy bogs that people create on walking tracks in Tasmania where they pass through wet buttongrass plains. Only up here there is no water or mud, just lots of sand. I have to admit that I lost my temper a few times. When the front wheel hit a soft patch and skewered sideways, and two flies simultaneously buzzed behind my sunglasses, and my ankle lost skin from hitting the stand... well, that was too much. I yelled in frustration, "You are a terrible road and I'm not happy." Or something like that anyway. But then surprisingly the dirt ended and a strip of beautifully laid bitumen was laid down. There have been a few patches like this. In the middle of nowhere, for no obvious reason, the road is sealed. But it will be dirt again soon...

20 May 2009- just past Gregory River
Distance: 112 km
Word of the Day: Stagnant (What two animals are found in this word?)
Frank, from the Burketown visitor's centre, told me about a camp site just past the Gregory River crossing (photo). I was looking for a causeway about 1 km further on. Then I was to turn left on a little track and end up at a shady riverbank site. Somehow I didn't spot it and I find myself in a hole beside a stagnant creek. The riding today was mostly very easy with sealed road and a big tailwind. It didn't take long to reach Burketown so I stopped for a long lunch at the pub. I ran into a couple of people I first met at Normanton and made friends with a few of the locals also. Frank was especially helpful and I stayed a bit longer than planned. So it was nearly dark when I finally stopped.

19 May 2009- Leichhardt River
Distance: 73 km
Word of the Day: Cascade (What does the dictionary say about this word?)
Feral oink oinks cross the road in a large family group. In total there would have been 20 piglets and maybe 10 adults. The station hand (I think they call them ringers) I talked to yesterday said there are many thousands of pigs in the scrub around here. He uses his dogs to catch them and hold them by the ears before he... it must get pretty gruesome!
Lots of animals, a few punctures, and not many people today. The road was in good condition and the punctures were due to a bad inner tube. The holes were on the inside along the rubbber join rather than from hitting rocks or being pierced by thorns. I made it to the Leichhardt River mid afternoon, where a series of waterfalls cascade below the crossing. A freshwater crocodile was sunning on the sandbank downriver while I went for a wash in a pool above. It was bliss! The tent poles needed some major repairs and I spent time fixing more holes in tubes so I have three good spares for the next dirt sections.

18 May 2009- between Normanton and Leichhardt River
Distance: 81 km
Word of the Day: Dirt (How much do think my progress will be slowed by the dirt roads?)
I rode out of Normanton eating jelly beans mid morning. The council crew were working to seal another few kilometres on the road to Burketown. One bloke reckoned it'd take another thirty years to get there though. The dirt road is in good condition with only a few rough patches of soft sand. I crossed the Bynoe and Flinders Rivers without getting wet. The Flinders was particularly beautiful with hundreds of catfish and others splashing about. Later in the day I was talking to a worker from a nearby cattle station and he reckons he saw a couple of big crocs up on the sand bank when he crossed in morning. I was looking carefully but didn't see them myself. But I did see half a dozen motorbike riders being followed by a couple of 4WD's. They were a team riding from Western Australia to Cape York to raise money for RFDS. www.cape2capeadventures.com was the address I think. They gave me a cold drink. I have a rule for out here- if anyone offers me anything to eat or drink, I will accept it. I think it's a good rule for remote places. Overall it's great to be even further off the beaten track. I'll have some adventures in the next few weeks I reckon.

17 May 2009- Normanton
Distance: 153 km
Word of the Day: Lucky (How many popular songs can you think of with 'lucky' in the title?)
This is either the luckiest or the unluckiest frog in Queensland, depending how you look at it. This morning I slipped my shoes on ready to ride to Normanton. It didn't feel quite right as I began lacing up and I decided I had the innersole bunched up at the toes. So I took it off and shoved my hand in to straighten it out. My fingers met this squishy little frog. At first it was stunned but after a squirt with the water bottle it regained alertness. Lucky to be alive, unlucky to have spent a night in my shoe!
Still lots of evidence of the recent floods up here with debris in the fences and big ponds of water off to side of the road. I rode with only a short break for lunch from 8am to 4pm. The distance looks big but the flat road and tailwinds meant it wasn't too tiring. Tomorrow I'll hit the dirt going towards Burketown. I'll have to tighten a few screws.

16 May 2009- Croydon
Distance: 147 km
Word of the Day: Attitude (What was the best thing about Nick's attitude?)
Nick from Melbourne (photo) came lurching towards me today. I tried to bite my tongue but in the end couldn't help asking why on earth he wasn't pedalling the other way. You see, the wind at this time of year will just about always be be blowing some variation of easterly along here. The way Nick was going was the hard way. He replied that he'd left from Mt Isa and liked the idea of finishing in the bright lights of Cairns. Starting from Cairns and finishing in Mt Isa didn't have the same appeal. And besides that he was happy enough and, as he pointed out, he'd get there eventually. I liked his attitude and reminded myself not be a know-it-all about things like 'planning an expedition with good understanding of large scale weather patterns'.
Further down the road I watched from a distance as four Wedge-Tailed Eagles picked over a dead kangaroo on the road. They all soared into the air and circled above me as I passed. Unfortunately I've seen many dead eagles and other birds who like to nibble on the easy feed to be had at roadkills. The bigger birds can be slow to get airborne and get caught out by speeding traffic. It's a good reminder to slow down around roadkill. Plus, on a hot day like today the smell from dead things is not pleasant! I'm staying at Croydon which used to be a mining town. The caretaker at the caravan park told me the biggest employer now is probably the shire council. Long day to Normanton tomorrow.

15 May 2009- Georgetown
Distance: 144 km
Word of the Day: Relaxing (What is the opposite to relaxing?)
It was only a few days ago, but to imagine the busy streets and chattering crowds of Cairns out here is difficult. One of the best things about Australia is the big empty spaces. The people of Mount Surprise and Georgetown wouldn't like me to call their homes 'big empty spaces', but I mean it in a nice way. Being on the road with only a handful of cars and even fewer trucks is much more relaxing. Now I have time to look around without worrying about being cleaned up from behind. And it was a good day for looking around. Lots of birds, including wedge tailed eagles, red-tailed black cockatoos, hawks, colourful parrots and galahs. The cows beside the road even seem more at ease with the slower paced world. Instead of taking fright they often just watched calmly as I whistled past. Have you ever noticed with cows how when they watch you (and you're moving) their heads don't move smoothly but in little jerks? It might have something to do with having their eyes stuck to sides of their head? At lunch I stopped at the Einasleigh River (photo) and took the chance to wash a shirt and yesterday's socks. It's obvious from looking in the trees that there was PLENTY of water through here in the recent floods. It must have been at least a few metres above the road level. More cows, birds, and bush on the way to Croydon tomorrow.

14 May 2009- 60 km east of Mt Surprise
Distance: 115 km
Word of the Day: Understorey (Is the lower level of a house that has two storey's?)
The landscape changed quickly after leaving Ravenshoe. From the highest town in Queensland the road drops gently into drier, open forests with a healthy grassy understorey. At Mt Garnet I stopped for a drink and met a bloke heading to Burketown to fix some phones for Telstra. He's seen the PNG flag on the trailer and explained his old job was with PNG Telecom. He used to fly around the country in a helicopter digging holes and putting stuff in them. Not a bad job!
At lunch this spider (photo) leapt out from under the seat when I was fiddling with it. When I put the camera near it, it would jump at the lens like a maniac. I encouraged it to go down to the ground and left it there. Later I saw two feral pigs in the scrub beside the road. They snorted loudly and crashed through the bush. I know the students at Campbell Street Primary are finding out about introduced species but I wasn't quick enough to get a photo.

13 May 2009- Ravenshoe
Distance: 60 km
Word of the Day: Precaution (We take precautions to avoid unwanted things happening, what sorts of precautions do you take in different parts of your day?)
Helen from Distance Education kindly took me back to join the cycling journey on the tablelands near Malanda. By the time I'd packed and cleaned up it was close to midday. The bike felt smooth after the grease and oil change yesterday and the patchy drizzle wasn't too bad. Then I had a flat front tyre. With all the precautions I'd taken this was a surprise. I opened it up for a look and found that the plastic strip I'd put in between the tyre and tube had a sharp corner and had sliced the tube. Hmm, I thought, that's probably just bad luck and changed the tube over. Then a brown dog chased me down the road with teeth showing. With my thoughts elsewhere I took the wrong road and headed to Malanda instead of cutting across to the Kennedy Highway. Then my back tyre went flat. Sure enough, the other plastic stip had done the same thing and irreparably sliced open the tube. That maded me frustrated and I fumed away on the side of the road changing another tube. More patches of rain washed through and didn't improve my mood. Another two dogs darted out of driveways with snarls. After I'd recovered from the adrenalin burst I cursed them and the grey day that seemed to be against me.
Ten kilometres from Ravenshoe, where I'd decided to stop, David (pictured) waved me to a stop. With a generous smile he offered to give me some fruit from his roadside stall. He reached behind the tarpaulin and handed me four oranges, four grapefruit, a paw paw, and a dragonfruit. He told me he'd spent years in the gulf on cattle stations and fishing for barramundi in the rivers. I learnt that to settle muddy water you put it in a container and sprinkle fine wood ash on the surface. Overnight the ash will settle to the bottom dragging the muddy sediment down with it. You'll be left with clear water on top. This new knowledge and a basket full of fruit made me cheerful. So cheerful, in fact, that I made up a song as I rode into Ravenshoe. It's pretty easy to remember, but watch out or it'll get stuck in your head... "It's not far to Ravenshoe, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho."

12 May 2009- Cairns R&R
Distance: 0 km
Word of the Day: Metric (Is this the word you use after meeting Ricky Ponting? If not, what does it really mean?)
There were two really important jobs to be done today. Firstly, I had to strip the bike down and give it a good clean. This included putting new tyres on the front wheel and the trailer wheel and testing my new pump. It works and it even has a little pressure gauge so I can tell exactly how much air is squeezed in there. At them moment I've put in 60 psi (pounds per square inch. I don't know what that is in the metric measure of kilopascals?
The second important job was to catch the bus into Cairns and watch Star Trek at the movies. If all I did for the rest of my life was pedal around to new places watching movies at the cinema, I'd be happy. The photo today is Tim (who climbed Bartle Frere), MF, and Melindi. It's been a much needed few days of drying out and getting ready for the ride west. Thanks Tim, MF, Connor and Melindi for giving me a home away from home in the tropical north.

10 May 2009- Cairns R&R
Distance: o km
Word of the Day: School (How many times can I write 'school' in one paragraph?)
I visited a school today and didn't see any students. At the School of Distance Education the kids are scattered far and wide and take lessons by computer and phone. The teacher, Helen (pictured), takes the class through subjects just like any other student in a bricks and cement school. About 20 students joined me after lunch for a chat about the journey so far. Before that I dropped into the school for big kids at TAFE. Students at this school are actually adults and they're studying things like kayaking and climbing. That doesn't sound like school! So it's been a day of talking and listening which I don't do very much when riding. It's more tiring than riding 100 km I reckon. The last job today was to buy a new pump from the bike shop which is not a school at all.

10 May 2009- Mt Bartle Frere summit
Distance: 31 km (16 bike, 15 walk)
Word of the Day: Leech (Why do leeches come out more in the rain?)
The most extraordiary sight on the top of Queensland's highest mountain today were these two rat-kangaroos! I know that's what they were because Jet from the forum explained that they are one of only two daytime marsupials found in Australia! Thanks Jet, and the map of Mt Bartle Frere is on the way to your school for your excellent research. Thanks also to the other suggestions, with a special mention to Choco, Maddi P, Stitcher and Lesha for other great animal pose ideas. Good stuff all round.
The team to climb the mountain today was Tim, Connor (rat 1), Liv, Andre (rat 2), Dan and myself. After a short ride we gathered in the rain on the edge of the green jungle where the foot track begins. Thanks to another suggestion on the forum (WW) we knew to expect leeches and prepared by spraying toxic amounts of repellant on my shoes, socks and ankles. It wasn't enough to stop the blood sucking and desperate creatures from tormenting us all day. At any one time there would be up to 20 of them on our boots and trying to find a spot to latch on. If I wasn't amazed I'd have been horrified. The rain dripped through the dark canopy of leaves and made the forest glisten and sparkle. By 3pm, as we slipped down the track and plucked leeches in vain, I was ready to trade the delights of the rainforest for a sunforest. You might argue that there's no such thing as a sunforest. I say, let a soggy team of wet tropics mountain climbers have a little dream. I've been driven in to stay with Tim Trehearn and family for a few days in Cairns. Ooh, and happy Mother's Day to my mum and all the other mum's who let their children play in puddles and get dirty.

9 May 2009- Past Malanda
Distance: 78 km
Word of the Day: Inflate (What is the opposite to inflate- it is also used to express disappointment, like when your tyre gets a puncture.)
It's way past bedtime so I'll make this quick. Raining when I packed up at Innisfail this morning so I put the bright yellow raincoat on. Rained all morning as I started to climb into the hills through farms with fruit, sugar cane and cows. Everything shiny and green. Kept raining when the tyre went flat mid morning. More rain as I changed the tube and realised my pump was broken. Walked for 17 kms up hills in the rain to reach Millaa Millaa by 3pm. Stopped raining, surprisingly, while I used compressed air at the backyard service station (photo) to inflate tyre. A few showers on the way to Malanda for a late rendezvous with Tim and Connor who are coming up Mt Bartle Frere tomorrow. A slice of sunshine peeped through for the first time in 4 days which made me smile. Rode to the turn off to the Bartle Frere track and then loaded the bike onto Tim's car for a drive to where we are staying tonight at his friends place (thanks James). Light rain as we sat on the undercover verandah eating four courses of food which included chocolate cake. Early start tomorrow.

8 May 2009- Innisfail R&R
Distance: 0 km
Word of the Day: Happy (Write a 4 line poem about being happy.)
Where has the day gone? All I've done is wash some clothes and visit the bike shop and it's nearly dark time. I haven't even changed the worn out tyre yet. And the way the rain is pelting down I'm not excited about leaving the tent, not excited at all! At the bike shop I bought tube protector's. They are hard strips that go between the inside of the tyre and the outside of the tube. There are going to be lots of big thorny burrs out west so I'm putting the heavy duty arsenal on the ground (road). There was a guy in the shop who was preparing to go riding the same way I'm heading. His name actually was Guy. He's going lightweight with only the bare essentials. A few water bottles, a piece of toilet paper for a tent, etc. At the other extreme I'm going with the 'kitchen sink' method, filling the trailer and panniers up with extra this and surplus that. But tomorrow it's a sharp ride up to Malanda to prepare for the climb up Mt Bartle Frere on Sunday. The forecast is rain with mudslides and a late volcanic eruption. I'm looking forward to it.

7 May 2009- Innisfail
Distance: 96 km
Word of the Day: Happy (Write a 4 line poem about being happy.)
The camera only came out of the bag for one quick photo today. It was too wet to be fiddling around so I pulled the bright yellow raincoat on, put my eyes to the road a few metres ahead, ignored the passing traffic and got WET. Very, very wet! From Cardwell I didn't stop until until Innisfail, except to quickly have a look at a snake on the side of the road. I went past it and couldn't tell if it was dead or alive. It was only about 30 cm long, and a pale grey with patterns along the back. I quickly put the brakes on, kicked the stand down and walked back to check it out. The cars and trucks ploughed through the puddles and sent a fine spray over me as I bent down with a stick to prod the snake. It didn't move. Not a happy snake.
Many hundreds more little frogs also seemed drawn out by the wet weather and lined the side of the road. Most of them were resting on their backs with their legs out at funny angles. Not happy frogs. Have come to the caravan park at Innisfail to stay 2 nights. Tomorrow I'll sleep in and get a few jobs done in town. I need a new back tyre, it's worn through the balck rubber and is showing a thin ribbon of purple inner. Not a happy tyre.

6 May 2009- Cardwell
Distance: 109 km
Word of the Day: Debris (Think of a way to spell this word so it looks like how it sounds.)
In the background of today's photo you can see the grey skies and green cane fields. Both are common in this part of Australia. Just north of here the town of Tully claims to be the wettest town in Oz! The hill, and I did have to push the bike just near the top, is just north of Ingham. A few months ago it was in the news because it was flooded... twice. It was a major natural disaster for the region at the same time that Victoria was fighting the bushfires that dominated headlines. The only signs of the flood that I saw was debris (bits of cane, leaves, stickes etc.) left behind in trees and caught in signs after the waters receded. The grass in front yards and around cane fields is also about the softest, greenest, juisiest grass I have ever seen! There were also dozens of frogs and cane toads on the road, mostly squashed mind you. I have ridden to Cardwell and am staying in a caravan park for the night. It's raining but I'm comfortable under a tree in the tent.

5 May 2009- Rollingstone
Distance: 95 km
Word of the Day: Notorious (Look it up in the dictionary- what types of things can be notorious?)
I haven't found the ocean, but I did stumble across this little creek at Rollingstone. There's a free camping area here so I pulled up early (just after lunch) and went for a swim. The lady in the shop asked if the water wasn't too cold. I just said I was from Tasmania and she said, "Ohh, it'd be alright then!" And it was too, warm, clean and tumbling over the boulders up around the corner. I sat in the shallow flowing stream and let the water bunch up over my shoulders and try to push me into the deep pool. After a few long days in the last week I can relax as I ride into Innisfail on Thursday for a day off the road. I need to raid the bike shop and visit the post office (PearlB- your map of the ACT will soon be on the way). After reaching Townsville this morning I was on the Bruce Highway. It runs from Brisbane to Cairns and is notorious for heavy truck traffic and sections of very average roadwork. Fair points! There's a chance of rain for the next few days as the south-east wind picks up moisture from the ocean and blows it over the mountainous coastline. This morning I woke to find the tent completely soaked from condensation. It marks a change from the drier inland to the wetter coast.

4 May 2009- Flinders Highway
Distance: 105 km
Word of the Day: Giant (Lots of Australian towns and cities have 'giant' things as tourist attractions. How many can you think of?)
This is day 56 since leaving Campbell Street primary in March. That makes it a neat 8 weeks. Since I left Port Welshpool on the north side of the Bass Strait crossing, I haven't seen the ocean. Riding towards Townsville today I realised I was getting excited at the idea of being beside the sea again. First I had to ride 20 km into Charters Towers. They call it the Gold City thanks to a long history of gold mining in the area. The service station on the way into town even had a giant gold nugget made of fibreglass stuck on the roof. It's a public holiday in Queensland today so it was quiet down the main street. I headed down the Flinders Highway towards Townsville and have camped beside the train tracks. It's starting to feel more tropical up here. The evenings in the tent are warmer and the plants beside the road look juicier. Heading to the seaside tomorrow.

3 May 2009- 20 km south of Charters Towers
Distance: 120 km
Word of the Day: Acre (Which letter can be changed to a 'h' to make a word that I am feeling in my legs?)
I was just talking to Ian. He owns a block of land down the back and found me setting up camp above the road cutting. The tent is actually lying on the old bitumen road which was replaced about 15 years ago. It still has the white lines marked! Anyway, Ian was telling me he has a small block of 6000 acres, plus a few hundred on the other side of Charters Towers. That didn't sound like a 'little' block of land to me, but Ian explained that his cousin next door has 40 000 acres and there was nothing unusual about that. On Ian's block he runs 300 brahman's (cows) for a bit of fun and has to work on another property to earn more money. The brahman's were selected for beef production in this area because they're tough and weren't as prone to tick infestation as other breeds. Apparently there hasn't been a tick problem for decades but the brahman are still a popular cow. Moo.
Today I passed the Cape River which had plenty of water. I took the chance to wash my shirt and socks and fill up some bottles for washing later. Not sure if I'd choose to drink it but if I carry a bit for washing it leaves more of the better water for drinking. Not much traffic, a few low hills, lots of grass, trees, birds, ants and flies.

2 May 2009- north of Belyando Crossing
Distance: 131 km
Word of the Day: Aghast (Practice looking aghast!)
The roadhouse at Belyando Crossing looked dark inside. I grabbed a cold drink out of the fridge which wasn't making the usual buzzing sound that fridges make. The young man behind the counter explained that the generator had broken down 16 hours ago. The petrol bowser couldn't pump petrol without power so there were a dozen cars and caravans lingering outside. Some of them had been stranded overnight and looked fidgety. I asked about water and he told me I could probably drink the water from the tap beside the toilet block. Fingers crossed I had a tough stomach as the chemical they add to settle the sediments from the river can give you the trots. Hmm, I went to investigate. It looked crystal clear and tasted okay so I began to fill the bags. A girl came to the nearby verandah and looked aghast. "Can't drink that! It's river water." She said it as if the river water was poisoned. "Is it poisonous?" I asked, just to make sure. But I couldn't afford to buy bottles so I continued to fill up. So far I'm feeling okay.
These birds are...? I reckon they start with 'l', but maybe 'p' or 'r'. And I'm not thinking pelican or raven. Camped 140km short of Charters Towers. Might make it there tomorrow and have a shower but have enough river water to spend another night out if required.

1 May 2009- halfway between Clermont and Belyando Crossing
Distance: 126 km
Words of the Day: Spring chicken (If you say someone is 'no spring chicken', what do you mean?)
Tom came to a stop on the side of the road and threw a hand out the window to ask me to stop. He's just returning from a bike ride from Brisbane to Ravenshoe (up near Cairns). His friend Allan is riding around the country following the main highway (A1) as much as possible. Allan is continuing with another friend for company and his wife in a campervan following along. They do up to 160 km each day on their road bikes. Wow, and judging by Tom, they're no spring chickens! I might run into Allen up near Cairns if all goes to plan. In the past these blokes have ridden all over Australia, and often to raise awareness and money for medical conditions.
I'm now in a fairly remote part of Queensland, not super remote or amazingly remote, but it's more than 150 km between roadhouses or towns for the next few days. Right now I can hear cattle over the road making snorting sounds and the distant 'boom' of a shotgun every few minutes. Other than that it's just the insects clicking and clacking outside the tent. The winds were excellent and there wasn't so much traffic either. An all around good day.