Distance: 131.29 km
Ridetime: 6:25:23
Average: 20.4 km/h
Max speed: 44.5 km/h
Total distance: 15536 km
I woke before sunrise to the sound of two shuts being fired from a riffle! I knew this would be aboriginals hunting kangaroos, but it still made me nervous. After all I had hidden my tent in a spot where it was hard to see. I only heard the two shuts, then silence again. At least I was fully awake by then!
The destination today was Port Augusta, a city of 13.000 people including a seaport at the head of the Spencer Gulf. An important landmark for everyone travelling in the area, including me, as it marks the very end of the Outback!
Due to the somewhat rude awakening I was on the bike early. It was clear that today was going to be a hot day because at this time I was already sweating. I kept pushing on and made it to the Flinders View after 70 km already at 10:30.
Normally I would have waited at the rest area until the temperature started to cool down a bit again in the afternoon, but: I knew that from this spot it would pretty much be downhill all the way to Port Augusta. Furthermore I could see that the wind would finally be in my favor. Finally I just wanted to reach Port Augusta and the end of the Outback as soon as possible.
As I started on the last 60 km into town it was indeed very hot. The water I was carrying became close to undrinkable (i didn’t have any tea bags) and if I tried to pour something over my head it was burning for the first minute. I didn’t care much though. The wind was finally pushing me onwards at 30 km/h, and I could literally see the end of the outback before me.
After two hours I crossed the bridge into Port Augusta. The smell of water was amazing. I even saw dolhpins playing around in the water. I few moments later I met fellow cyclist Paul fromwarmshowers.org in front of the super market. He took me to his house 40 km out of town in the village of Quorn.
Paul lives in a house from 1870 that was once a bank. He showed me his nice toys including a road bike, 3 motor bikes and an old Ford A from 1928.
One day sleeping in a tent, the next having a 3 course dinner and wine in a old house from 19th century. You never know what tomorrow will bring. This day ended with a cold beer at the pub. Thanks Paul for amazing hospitality and welcome into the civilized world after 1300 km of outback riding.
If you are looking for a tour in the Flinders Rangers check out Paul’s website athttp://wallabytracks.com/.
