Day 30 - north with a detour to Daly Waters - Unfinished Business

May 30, 2023

Day 30 - north with a detour to Daly Waters

I had a terrific night at "Termite Downs". The neighbours remained quiet. I was away by 8 and once again cycling through country I find very attractive. I hadn't gone far when I came to a memorial to Sir Charles Todd, Postmaster General of the Province of South Australia. It was under his command that the Telegraph Line was built and communication with Britain possible.

A monument to Sir Charles Todd. I think they renamed a river in Alice Springs after him too. The Telegraph Line was finished about a decade after Stuart explored the area.Today we would still be consulting!

There was a rest area nearby that I didn't enter. It looked well equipped.

I thought I might be imposing if I used the table behind the behemoth. Yes, it's one rig!

Unfortunately, there are more and more dead wallabies on the road as I travel north.

The wildlife of Australia one roadkill at a time. Macropus agilis, agile wallaby. This is the same genus, Macropus, as the large kangaroos.

It's funny how a simple roadhouse can pull you in when distances are so big. Dunmarra did that to me after just 45 km. I hadn't had breakfast that long ago but still managed to slip in a large plate of chips, a gigantic vanilla slice and wash it down with a decent coffee. It would want to be for $7, but this is not the lentil belt where we live.

Dunmarra - a typical NT roadhouse. The roadtrains left as I arrived

I was there for two hours and so got stuck in and knocked over the 50 km to Daly Waters, where I felt an obligation to ride 4 km from the highway to look at the town. On the way I explored the heritage trail - WW2 and Stuart stuff, and this took me down a steep embankment into a creek bed. Nothing is very well marked. I never did find the "Stuart Tree".

Daly Waters, I guess. There were pools elsewhere.

I finally emerged in caravan hell. I realised that you don't come here for the heritage trail. You come here to write something on the wall of the pub. I didn't have the energy to write "Leave the termites alone" so after chatting to some motorcyclists on a dirt tour I hoofed it out of town.

Most people think that I am doing it tough. I feel the opposite.

It was 4pm and I wanted to do another 30 km north in order to leave less than 140 km tomorrow. This didn't prevent me from stopping for the odd photo.

I left it late to find a good camping spot - away from the road, good access, dirt (the grass is a metre high) and with a good stash of firewood. I've thought for a long time that these spots find me.

Today's ride: 137 km (85 miles)
Total: 3,676 km (2,283 miles)

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