It’s a small world, Cat man and transport sorted

April 2, 2024

Pemberton rest day

Pemberton is a pretty chilled town, perfect for a rest day. Number 1 on the list is to do some serious washing. Our clothes are disgusting! On reflection our custom made jerseys being predominantly white was a rookie error. My sleeves are dark brown fading to a gravelly beige which I’m not confident will be magically transformed by a simple wash.

After a sleep in, a lazy breakfast and a trip to the supermarket for some heavy duty soaker and detergent it was off to the laundromat. Whilst the Sards promised whiter than white I’d have settled for a little less brown and that’s pretty much what happened.

Before and after. A marginal improvement at best.

Earlier today I’d booked my bus ticket from Albany back to Perth. They only allow 2 bikes in the hold of the bus so those spots can be tricky to secure.
Having a coffee whilst waiting for the dryer to do its business, another cyclist rolls in and sits down for a chat. Turns out Rod is from Canberra and is mates with Eric, our favourite barista in Bungendore. In fact Eric’s looking after his dog whilst he’s away and told him to look out for us. Conversation then turns to how we arrived in Perth. We flew but Rod drove his van across the Nullarbor to Albany from where he started riding north on the trail. He was going to fly back to Albany on completion and then drive back to visit his cousin in Fremantle.

Half jokingly I suggested that we drive his van back to Perth saving him the hassle of coming back to pick it up. Within 5 minutes we had his car keys and he was back on his bike. Truly a win win situation.

Most people are kind and trusting like Rod. He also contributed to the fundraising.

Within 10 minutes of Rod leaving a guy dressed in a full cat-suit strolls by pushing a wheelbarrow. I’d heard about this guy from a rider a few days ago who camped next to him. He is pushing his barrow from Carnarvon down to Albany and then across the Nullarbor to Sydney. I’m not exactly sure why he’s doing it and why he’s wearing a cat suit but good on him. It’s better than playing the pokies.

Jin was up for a chat and seemed a friendly guy.

Tomorrow we head off on the most remote part of the Munda Biddi track before swinging down to the coastal towns of Walpole, Denmark and finally Albany.

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Matthew HealeyIt was a long time ago that Cathie and I were travelling with my mother through south west WA. We spent a night in Pemberton. We climbed the Gloucester tree and scanned the surrounding treetops from the upper platform and pondered the dilemma of treating and lowering a man from the middle of the climb, an event which had occurred the previous day. He had experienced a heart attack on the way up. Apparently he survived the heart attack and also the tortuous descent. That night we chose a restaurant which had rustic features which blended in with the tall trees in this part of WA. My mother made the mistake of ordering the seafood platter; after all Pemberton was, and still is a considerable distance from the coast. The platter was carried to our table by a young man, who was probably on his first outing as a waiter. He looked nervous, he wore a white shirt that billowed in the breeze and it was so large that he had to fold the sleeves a considerable distance down his forearms so that his hands were accessible. He took an eternity to reach our table from the door exiting the kitchen. He looked like he was about the drop the platter at any moment. He almost dropped the platter as he lowered it onto the table. The seafood was largely pieces of battered fish. As we dug into the pile we also discovered a couple of yabbies, not strictly seafood as they are freshwater crustaceans, and a large number of fish fingers. The platter did not match my mother’s expectations and most of it was left uneaten. I am not sure whether my mother was brave enough to order a seafood platter in subsequent gastronomic outings.
I am enjoying the blog. Matthew
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7 months ago

Dennis LangleyThanks Matthew. The Gloucester Tree was closed for maintenance so we couldn’t climb it. We too have had a lot of deep fried seafood. Gummy shark tastes pretty good.
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7 months ago