As I traveled across Australia’s Nullarbor Plain by bicycle, I quickly became accustomed to a simple morning routine at each campsite. Each day, I would wake up far before sunrise, when it still dark and the air was still cool. The landscape was bathed in a soft, golden light. I would roll out of my tent, stretching my sore muscles and taking a deep breath of the fresh, desert air.
I would pack up my campsite and start my day’s journey. I would carefully load my bike with all of my gear, making sure that everything was secure and balanced. I never set a breakfast on campsite. Just drink a water to bring the body new energy. As I pedaled off into the vast, empty landscape, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom and adventure. Despite the challenges of the journey, I was constantly in awe of the beauty and solitude of the Nullarbor.
I cycled another 12km to Eucla – a small city. But it is on map only because they have a police station and a telegraph. A restaurant on a gas station offered less food than the Border Village. I used this place to make a call to Ivan and report to him that I’m ok and now continue my travel in the West.
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The roads in Western Australia were a dream to cycle on, and I took full advantage by pedaling at my maximum speed towards the next roadhouse. As the sun began to set, I was pleased to see that I would make it to Mundrabilla before darkness fell. I set up my tent under a tree in the caravan park and went to the restaurant for a bowl of warm soup. I also bought some milk for my morning muesli.
As I was settling in for the night, I noticed that there was only one other car in the caravan park. The driver, John, an old man traveling with his wife to the east, approached me and offered me all of their remaining vegetables — carrots and cucumbers — since they wouldn’t be able to bring them to Ceduna. I gratefully accepted, and we chatted for a while before retiring to our respective tents for the night.
After a refreshing shower, I took the time to charge my camera and phones, preparing for the adventures that awaited me the next day. I had planned to start out early, but I needed to leave a deposit for the shower keys at the reception and couldn’t get them back until 6 am. Despite this minor inconvenience, I was determined to make the most of my day.
By the time I hit the road, I was fully energized and ready to tackle the 175 km that lay ahead of me. As I pedaled along the scenic roads, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the opportunity to explore this beautiful part of the world. With each passing kilometer, I felt more alive and invigorated, eager to see what new wonders awaited me around the next bend.
27th April 2014
I wore a fresh t-shirt, underwear and jacket. I washed my pants and now they were absolutely clean. I looked perfect, but only one thing was wrong. Fortunately it was only me who knew about it. It was my dirty and smelly socks.
I cooked muesli with milk that morning, brought the shower key back to reception, waited a few minutes until the rain got slower and started my everyday cycling routine. I had a friendly wind that day, but it was raining all morning.
I met a kengaroo on the edge of the road. It didn’t even tried to hide away. I came very close and the kangaroo was just staring at me. It looked sad and lost. I pushed it away from the road so that a car would run over it.
When I cycled 2 km further it dawned on me that I could feed her with carrots. But I didn’t turn and moved forward. The rain finished after 12 but at the same time the wind changed. Only 10 km left to the next roadhouse Madura.
All road in that area was covered with blood drops. It dried since summer and you can imagine how many animals died here. Roadside is full of kengaroo’s bones. And only the crows remind you that the life exists here. The Western Australia is not such a beautiful area like the Eastern part.
Finally I reached Madura Pass. It is located on the hill. I ate one chicken burger there and bought a bottle of Cola. I also have pumped my wheels and made a call to Ivan. Bar manager there had a good collection of banknotes from different countries, but none from Russia. I made a present and gave him 100 Russian rubles. He immediately attached it to the door. But I forgot to say him that this banknote is unique because I guess it’s the only one in the world with images of naked man penis.
If you make an uphill after Madura heading to west you can have a beautiful overview of savanna.
Strong wind is blowing from the North. My speed is less than 12 km/hour. I have two options for a night stay – a rest stop on 62km mark and the next one after 50km mark. Closer to sunset I reached the second one. So I have only 48km to cycle next morning. I pitched my tent in the bushes, washed myself from the bottle of technical water and felt asleep.
I made day 159 km that day.