Cycle day 87 - Iron Knob to Port Augusta - Far too much luggage

August 18, 2024

Cycle day 87 - Iron Knob to Port Augusta

Cycle day 87 - Iron Knob to Port Augusta = 69km. 7017km cycle toured so far on this trip.

Discovery Port Augusta caravan park - unpowered $30.60 per night with discount.

No fog this morning and if there was one it was a very light one. No wind and a very calm morning. Cool at around 6 degrees but the forecast high today for Port Augusta is 20 degrees so it is set to be a lovely day to ride.

It is a relatively flattish ride to Port Augusta with a few minor rolling hills here and there. The traffic is very light for most of it until we joined the road from Whyalla (last 25km).

Before then the roadside has very little foliage for us to bushcamp so it is just as well we stopped at Iron Knob. But what we did see was at least 21 emus today - more today than our previous 4 months! The first mob was a big one with at least 10 that we could see. It is funny to watch them as they see us and instead of running they stand still hoping we don't see them but we do as there is always one of them that has to move and then we spot them.

this was a big mob of emus - at least 10 of them

What we forgot was this side of the road (on our right) is a military zone. So these emus could be SAS in disguise!

probably just as well we didn't continue yesterday as we would have had to camp outside this fence line!

There were also lots of kangaroos in amongst all the salt bush with the emus. We saw hardly any WA.

The road into Port Augusta is quite scenic with huge ranges (well huge by our standards in what we have been seeing since we left Darwin!).

With one of the ranges having windmills - about 30km before getting to Port Augusta.

Once the road from Whyalla joined us at about 25km before Port Augusta we had to ride completely in the shoulder as the traffic was heavy along the Whyalla road - alot of cars and caravans finishing the Eyre Peninsula loop and plus we find out that also the Whyalla show was on so hence the increase in traffic.

Now the shoulder since it has started (about 300km in from the WA/SA border crossing) is shite, it is just bitument slapped down on unformed dirt and so it is really rough to both drive and ride in (caravaners always complained when having to go in it for the wide loads come through) so imagine how we feel having to go in there for them, trucks and other vehicles to make ourselves safe and their lives easier to pass us as they can't be relied on to drive properly and to the road code/rules! Anyway we had 25km of it and boy was it hard going, it is like riding on an unsealed road with flat tyres and to make it even worse for our situation we came across an emu seperated from its young, who was on the other side of the extremely busy road and when they saw us they just panicked and ran ahead of us with the young one threatening to cross the busy highway. We had to stop and hope they sort themselves out, eventually the young crossed safely and then we restarted and the mother and chick ran alongside us for about 3km. They were fast and neil is at the back telling me to go fast and overtake and I'm yelling at him that I am trying and pedalling as fast as my little legs will go and then the emus tire and we finally pass and they stop and realised that we meant them no harm! but wait there is more - just ahead of them was a ewe and a lamb and they did the same, FFS I am beginning to pick up the pace again and who would have guessed sheep could run so fast, I tell you I was fading with all this fast riding and racing the emus and sheep. Eventually we passed them too and then life just easier for us - We could see we were on the outskirts of Port Augusta.

windmills on the range about 30km out from Port Augusta

Our caravan park is one of the first ones north of town and we get there just before 12pm. We made good time and when we arrived there was no one about but now they are all starting to arrive. We have stayed here before but there is so much change within the park. It is nice here and the kitchen is fabulous - 2 stoves, sinks, toaster, kettle, pots and pans etc. So we are happy to be here.

our camp spot - it is just us at the unpowered section at the moment

We will have a rest day here tomorrow and then move on and head for home.

Today's ride: 69 km (43 miles)
Total: 7,017 km (4,358 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0