August 5, 2024
Cycle day 76 - Mundrabilla RH to Border Village RH
Cycle day 76 - Mundrabilla RH to Border Village RH = 80km. 6045km cycle toured so far on this trip.
Unpowered tent site= $18 plus $2 each for a 10 minute shower. No water but bought 10 litres at $18.
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Good idea to camp under the trees last night as it was a relatively dry tent when we packed it up. At brekky (5.30am) it was 5 degrees. A clear day with no winds really just a very light (5km per hour type) winds blowing from the north and it became warm - at least 21 degrees.
Had a beautiful start to the day when we got on the road, going east we get the sun in our face so any photos taken don't quite have that clarity. So when I looked up and saw that there were sort of clouds or fog lining the tablelands I thought I would give this photo a try ...
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and I thought it came out well with my point and click camera. Just further on we came across a Major Mitchell that was flittering amongst the salt bush and trees and I stopped to take a photo and it took off, then its partner came to join them and they just wouldn't settle and let me take a photo so this was the best I could do ...
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We had an idea that the winds would be light today and that our 80km to the border would be a pleasant ride. Coupled with the fact there were hardly any traffic today was an added bonus. Very few trucks and cars (either way) and just the normal amount of caravaners. So it was looking like a really great day for a bike ride ... until we got pulled over by the cops!
I kid you not. They were travelling west and flashed their lights at us (you know the blue and red ones) so we pulled over and they turned around and parked behind us. Meanwhile everyone that is passing us (both ways) is seeing all of this and we are wondering what is going on. I am going to make this (hopefully) short and sweet as basically what happened made me absolutely livid and gets my blood pressure up and then I won't sleep for thinking about it!
The 2 cops got out the car and approached Neil (I was in front of him) and all I could hear from the young cop is that this is not a formal caution or something like that. It was hard for me to hear exactly so I had to turn the bike around and approach them. But all I could gather was something about double file. And I just stood and listened to the lecture (that was given in a nice friendly way) the 2 cops gave us about safety etc. Like I said I just stood there listening and Neil did all the talking because for some strange reason they only spoke to him even though it was me that was travelling behind Neil and technically the so called double filing that they pulled us over for was done by me but they did not look at me once or include me in this unofficial caution about double filing is not safe etc. So standing there listening to this I am getting really annoyed and angry and I can feel the menopause in me rising and I am telling it to calm down so much that I am biting my tongue.
So basically they told Neil that we should be riding single file, behind one another and Neil should have a high visibility vest on, off which Neil pointed out that the back person wears the vest as they are seen first. The cops then mention they have had 3 cyclists killed so far this year on the Nullabor ... Neil said we are aware of that and proceeds to tell the cops that any cyclist hit from behind is NOT at fault. The cops could not reply to that.
So they bid us safe travels and we thank them for their concern and we go on our merry way and OMG I was just livid with them that they have the audacity to pull us over and talk about what is safe for us when nearly every effin caravaner and car driver on this effin tour of ours doesn't give us the legal required space when they effin overtake us and they lecture us about our safety! Even Neil was a bit pissed that they pulled us over on this double filing ... so let me explain our double filing (but first I will mention our roles - front person: looks out for all the shit on the road and unsafe surfaces. Back person: keeps an eye on the traffic behind us - trucks, cars, caravans etc. but also has to see oncoming traffic and judge whether the 2 will meet at us on the road. So our double filing, which is generally only done by me ... why? because I can't see the oncoming traffic when I am single file behind Neil unless I drop back a long way. Why don't I do that then? because then Neil can't hear me yell over the roar of traffic and winds that he needs to move into the shoulder or get off the road. Our so called double filing is me sitting slightly out behind Neil in a staggered position so my front wheel is probably in line with his back trailer wheel. Now I ride like this until someone over takes us, when I see they are behind I check front for oncoming traffic then assess - drop to single file as no oncoming so has plenty of room to give us the 1.5m gap or tell Neil to move into the shoulder as it is a truck or tell Neil to lets get off as there is oncoming and they look like they might meet at us. Neither of us ever ride so our bikes are side by side or double filing (unless we are on a very quiet back road in where there is absolutely no traffic whatsoever!) But off course I don't know what is best for our safety and only vehicle drivers and cops know what is best for us!
One of the issues we have had on this tour is vehicles squeezing through when oncoming are coming so at that point and time - there is us that have been pushed into the shoulder because we can see the vehicle behind us (usually are caravaner) has misjudged completely and is at our side giving us their interpretation of 1.5m (most of the time it is about 50cm clearance between us and their caravan) then there is them in the lane and then on the other side of the road is the vehicle or truck that has seen all this and has moved over into their shoulder so the caravaner/vehicle behind us can give us space - off which they don't use and still overtake us and remain in the lane ! - this is what we have to put up with day after day after day .... entitled road users that think cyclists shouldn't be on the road.
By the 60km mark both of us had finished venting especially as double filing is not illegal on the roads - it is not something we would do or encourage on a road like this (only the quiet ones which no one uses!) but to be accused by the cops of this double filing was an insult to us as very experienced cyclists as what they witnessed (but did not consider) was me looking out for our own safety within the rules of the road code.
OK end of story.
So we continue on and the final 20km to the border was uneventful except for a little hill back up the Hampton Tablelands of which the road has been following since Madura.
It is just a short sharp hill and we comfortably did it in 3rd gear. We ducked into Eucla RH to get some bread and Neil came out with a frozen loaf of multigrain bread. It is another 12km further to the border with South Australia.
There is nothing going into South Australia until you get to Ceduna so we were able to just ride through. However you do get checked going into WA like we did about 5500km ago when we crossed from the Northern Territory into WA.
The Village Border roadhouse is just there so we decide that we will pick up water and stay here tonight before doing the 180km across the Nullabor plains where there is absolutely no trees and we will be camping out in the open and keeping a somewhat low profile when doing our ablutions!
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It is an ok caravan park, not alot of people here but definitely the cabins and probably the motels are popular to stop in. The showers are hot and were long - 10 minutes for $2 is good but I ended up turning the shower off before the 10 minutes! Also there is a laundry so we could handwash our shirts and a few other bits and pieces and those that don't dry in time we can hang of the bike tomorrow.
Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 6,045 km (3,754 miles)
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You’re right why don’t they pull over cars & warn them 3 cyclists have died on the road & to make sure you give cyclists their passing width, it is 1.5 metres in NZ & here you’ll be lucky if they give you 1.5cm!!!!
Sounds like those cops came from the cop school of jocks 😂
3 months ago