Day 167: Mt Gambier to Portland

November 11, 2022

Start: 7:20am
Distance: 113km
Ride time: 6:57hours
Average: 16km/hr
Max: 41km/hr
Finish: 4pm

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing the town clock chime on the hour. It was a very pleasant ding and didn't keep me awake.

I saw two giant dragonflies on the way out of town.

After a while on the road I saw maybe 50 bikes in trees and along a fence.

The property had some wallabies and kangaroos that were fenced in. I assume it was a rescue place.

The road was hilly all day and hard work. I had a small crosswind. The temperature was cool which helped a lot. Occasionally there was misty rain. This didn't bother me as it wasn't heavy enough for me to wear my rain jacket.

I was very excited to cross another border.

It's also my last time zone change. I'm now on the same time as Canberra.

I stopped at a servo in Nelson for a cold drink and was able to capture a stationary log truck.

There were lots of these trucks heading to Portland. The road shoulder was small. With the hills and the winding road, I was constantly watching my mirror for these vehicles.

Most of the scenery today was pine plantations.

This park was small and surrounded by pine trees.

For a short time I was happy to have native vegetation on both sides of the road.

After a very big day, I made it to Portland. The hills were very tiring and it was a big distance for me especially after the last couple of days.

The port had an enormous pile of woodchips. In the right of the pic is a truck being tipped vertically to empty it of woodchips.

I went to the caravan park in the main street and was refused entry as they are "having work done."

I then went to the caravan park about 1.5kms away and it was good.

Canberra is about 1,500kms via my coastal route.

I had yummy Chinese for dinner. It's nice being in bigger towns for the variety of food.

In one of the trees above my tent is a koala and her joey! It made today's effort well worthwhile. 😁

Today's ride: 113 km (70 miles)
Total: 9,643 km (5,988 miles)

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Winnie HomersmithCame across your journal from a link on Crazy Guy on a Bike (Scott from Portland, Oregon). I love Australia & love bicycle touring & am having a great time following your journey. I hope to do a much more modest tour in your amazing country before too long. Meanwhile, if you do get to the USA to tour & are on the west coast, we are in the San Francisco bay area & love hosting fellow cyclists!

Your attention to the wildlife & trees & flowers really add a lot to us armchair travelers' experience. Thanks for doing this!
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2 years ago

Vince McCarthyHi Winnie,

Thanks for saying hi. Yes, Scott is way ahead of me now. Thank you for your generous offer of hosting. Very kind of you. It will take me a long time before I do another big tour. I need to spend some time at home with Serena and Yoshi.

Seeing the flora and fauna of Australia is very rewarding to me. Thanks for reading. Vince
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2 years ago