July 23, 2024
Cycle day 66 - Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie
Cycle day 66 - Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie = 39km. 5123km cycle toured so far on this trip.
Kalgoorlie discovery park - unpowered $118 for 3 nights (with member discount)
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Although a really short day today we really felt heavy in the legs. The alarm went off after we got up as it was a warm night - 10 degrees and a slight breeze was blowing all night so that meant a dry tent. We checked the radar and we could see the rain was 200km behind us and Elders '48 hours' was still saying possible shower at 12pm in Kalgoorlie with heavyier showers at 3pm - this part of Elders is incredibly accurate with regard to the time the rain will fall so based on that we packed up in record breaking time - we were ready and on the road by 7.15am!
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There was not much rain cloud about and the bulk of the rain will come from the west but there is showers passing to the north of Kalgoorlie and we don't think it will drop southwards between Coolardie and Kalgoorlie.
Plenty of traffic about this time of the morning - going to work in Kalgoorlie or in amongst the numerous mines along this stretch of road. It is pretty miserable looking country and it has a few hills in it and I am almost sure they were originally slag heaps from days gone by!
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The shoulder is wider than the day before but it really is shitty - I tell you it was like riding on corrugations is just shook the shit out of you! but the road was too busy to ride on. The road is in a north east direction and we have a north west wind so it was a cross wind but the foliage or slag heaps buffered the effect of that wind!
We were making good time and guessitmated we would get to Kalgoorlie at 9.30am. Probably a tad to early to check in at the Caravan park. We did take a small break at 20km and looking ahead to Kalgoorlie there was really black skies so we covered everything up and put the camera away.
But as it was it did not rain at all and all vehicles coming from Kalgoorlie were bone dry! We did look up the population of Kalgoorlie and surrounds and it is around 40,000 which is alot bigger than what I thought but as you arrived in town you could see all the new businesses that are there to support not only the nickel and gold mines around here but I also suspect supporting the mines around Meekatharra which is north of here. This place has an airport and there were some big planes leaving as we came into town - maybe fly in fly out workers?
Just before our campground was a Supa IGA so I ducked in to get tonights dinner so that if it does rain soon we at least have tonights dinner (mince for hamburgers) and like I suspected the food is ultra expensive what will all the mining wages/taxes that are added to the price of goods! Tomatoes was $13 per kg. A block of 175g Cadbury chocolate on sale at $6 (I refuse to pay more than $3 and that is what it usually is from Woolies when it is on sale) they had alot of premade meals - frozen, fresh and use by all pre done meals so that caters for the single population that goes with the mining theme around here.
By 10am we were at the caravan park checking in, 10.30am tent up and ready for the rain (which started spot on when Elders said it would!) and now I am writing this blog while it is raining outside. It is a shame our afternoon is wasted sitting in the tent doing nothing as there is so much to do before starting out from here on Friday - there is 2 weeks worth of food to buy (logistics are sort of worked out) and lots of little odd jobs to do like get more dry sacks as some of ours are falling apart, get some bungee cords as we have to try and carry the 2 weeks worth of food- we will not rely on the roadhouses stocking much food that we can use. I think biscuits are ok there but not sure what I will do with fly spray and a sandwich! We will have some dinners or lunches at the roadhouses but we don't really intend to stay at them unless they have water with the camping fees (most don't so we will be buying water - thank god it is cold and water consumption for us is markedly less than when we were up north!). I also have to find time to get a hair cut, do our laundry as we have been living in most of our clothes for a week and they are so dirty that they can stand and walk to the laundry by themselves! This rain is only here for this arvo and night so tomorrow it should be clear to be out and about.
We are camped on an island that will be surrounded by caravans and we suspect we will be the only campers as per usual!
Today's ride: 39 km (24 miles)
Total: 5,123 km (3,181 miles)
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