July 14, 2024
Cycle Day 58 - Rottnest Island to Lake Leschenaultia
Ferry - train - bike
Rottnest Island to Fremantle = Ferry
Fremantle to Perth to Midland = Train
Midland to Greenmount = bicycle (lost most of the time using Google maps!)
Greenmount to Lake Leschenaultia = bicycle (Heritage rail trail)
Lake Leschenaultia campground - unpowered tenting = $20 (it is $40 on a Friday and Saturday night - thank god it is a Sunday night!)
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Hot night for our last night on Rottnest Island - 12 degrees. Todays high regardless of where we were going to be was suppose to be 19 degrees but I don't think so Michael! Well the weather bureau really got todays weather wrong - it was cold and wet and we spent the day running away from the incoming rain.
So our day began nice and early as we were booked on the 8.30 ferry. It wasn't a great start as we had to leave our food bag in the camp kitchen and last night we had some food stolen from our food bag and it wasn't a Quokka. There were 3 different tenters last night and one of them decided to help themselves to what was left of our yoghurt, an unopened packet of wraps and the last of our lovely multigrain bread. I was livid that they took the remaining bread as I was looking forward to that for brekky.
And below is just one more photo of a Quokka that I took while waiting for Neil to get some bread. The poor bub was desperately trying to get back into the pouch and mumma was not having it until she had finished washing the bubba!
By the time we got to the jetty there were a few spots of rain so we got out the radar images and could see rain was coming for Rottnest and then then mainland.
There wasn't alot going back at that time and so it wasn't as chaotic as Thursday when we came over. A pleasant passage going back and we managed to stay ahead of the bulk of the rain - just a light shower as we crossed.
We then caught the 9.27am Fremantle to Perth train and this train once at Perth became the Midland train so we didn't have to get off and switch trains which was a bonus. So we managed to get as far East as we could by doing this and all the while we kept looking behind us to see if the rain would catch up and constantly looking at the radar and we could see that the rain forming out in the ocean was dropping just below us the more we got inland. We got to Midland and then had the terrible time of trying to find the rail trail using Google maps which wanted to take us via roads that were closed so we just jumped on the Great Eastern highway which was ok and sometimes we went on the road and sometimes we rode the footpath, fortunately it was only for 5km but the whole time I felt lost as they mustn't be recipients of the mining tax that everyone pays as the councils can't afford street name signs! Eventually we found the rail trail at Greenmount and we started it after a cuppa and cake.
Straight away you start gently climbing - because it is a railtrail the climbing is no more than 3% so it is pleasant riding for the legs which have only done minimal cycling in the past 10 days! There seemed to be alot of cyclists coming towards us (so coming downhill) - this railtrail is a loop and we are just doing the northern half to get to our destination and out of Perth suburban range. Basically it is uphill for at least 20km and on the way you encounter alot of cyclists, walkers and families. Especially from Swan View up to where the trail diverts to the tunnel and up to Parkerville from there it thins out with walkers and families. It is good to see that this rail trail is popular just like the Warburton one. It is a well formed wide path too and not at all like the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail!
So from Greenmount you are still in suburbia and this is one sign that caught my eye ... it has 8 o's in it!
It is nice scenery through the trail and starts out up the side of the mountains
before going into bushland.
Basically you climb to about Mt Helena. But what really annoyed me about this trail was the effin cyclists -now as far as I am concerned if a cyclist says hello to you or raises their hand to say hi then it should be reciprocated - well the cyclists here in WA certainly have a cork shoved up high in their arses as they couldn't or wouldn't even lower themselves to say hi. Off course regardless of any age of a cyclist there is one thing you don't do and that is to annoy an aging female cyclist in her 50's ... why? ... because she is hormonally challenged and it came out today ... LOL we came across 4 male cyclists spread over about 50m so I said hello to the first, no response, so I said it a little louder for number 2 and 3 and still no response so by now I am hormally peeved and I yell hi to number 4 rider who had probably witnessed riders 1-3 ignoring my hellos and so because I yelled the final hi I think he was too scared to not say hello - but he did say it so that was ok. I mean FFS at least 80% of our greetings were ignored - that is just rude. You never get this from a fellow cycle tourer - when 2 meet it is like finding your long lost Aunt or Uncle or Cousin and you both just can't stop talking to each other!
Anyway our luck with the rain ran out and around Mt Helena it really began to rain so we sought shelter at the local swimming pool until it passed. From there we decided to take the road to Chidlow (5km down the road) as we weren't quite sure what state the trail would be in after so much rain. There wasn't alot of traffic and it was sort of downhill a bit. At Chidlow you turn and go to Lake Leschenaultia and they have a paved bike/pedestrian path the 2km to it so we took that.
I forgot to take a photo of the campsite but the lake is nice.
I think it is a popular place in Summer and the park closes to the public at 5.30pm but campers (with cars) get a key so they can come and go through the locked gates. The campground is basic with a kitchen with no jug/kettle but everything else. We really need a jug above everything else! We were a little wet and cold so we set up the tent in case more rain came and had a shower and put warm clothes on. Oh that felt great to have warm clothes on and not the ones we just cycled in and slept in like we had to do before we got to Perth - actually Neil didn't have to do that as remember he carried all his winter clothes with him while we were in the hot weather while I foolishly sent mine home and arrived in Perth wearing every piece of clothing I had - you know all my summer outfits that I had been sleeping in and riding in! I seriously need to let this go - I am working on that!
Anyway it is cold and wet up here and tonights low is going to be 4 degrees so the sleeping bags will be just fine!
There are some birds here that are not afraid of humans and there are signs everywhere not to feed them but they still come up to you on the table and will sit next to you and not be afraid of you at all - they just want your food!
Tomorrow we ride to Toodyay - we are struggling with the pronounciation of some towns around here!
Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 4,441 km (2,758 miles)
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