September 15, 2022
Day 59: Billabong - Galena Bridge Rest Area
Today was to be my last day on the North West Coastal Highway and it didn’t want to let me go without a fight, apparently.
It was cool this morning and overcast. I got a coffee from the roadhouse which even I have to admit in my current standards wasn’t great. I bought an eggs Benedict wrap, for some reason believing that would be vegetarian. It was not. I also bought 3L of water, having never had to drink bore water yet, but put some bore water in my second bladder just in case. All in all, not my best purchases of the trip. Although the wrap was quite delicious, but made me very thirsty.
It meant I faffed until after 7, when I should have got on the road as quickly as possible. The absence of wind in the morning made me forget that it was coming.
I made it about 30k before the wind picked up. That’s better than nothing, but still left 90k, which is quite a long way, as it turns out.
The road was undulating at the beginning. The dirt was still red but the trees were getting bigger. The flowers along the side of the road were spectacular.
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I made it to the Nerren Nerren Rest Area at 10, but only stopped for a toilet break. I was feeling relatively pleased about my progress, 45k in 3 hours is not too bad. It took me another 6 hours to do the next 75k. That is not great average speed.
As soon as I pulled out, the wind seemed to pick up. I saw an emu with his chicks on the road. Typically, they went right to one side then ran across to the other in front of a camper van. Luckily it had slowed enough. Killing a baby emu is not in anyone’s holiday plans, and seeing one killed is certainly not in mine.
The country became sandy again, sand coloured not red, and coastal heath low scrub, including banksias although they weren’t in flower.
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After about 80k, the soil must’ve got better cause the bigger gum trees came back and I had lunch in a rest area which went a long way back from the road but had no picnic tables either.
I hardly saw my shadow at all today which made it hard to measure the passage of time and kept it cool. After lunch, the road was flat for a while with more mallee and wildflowers.
A little while after that, were some roadworks. I got an escort through a one lane section. I started out on the side that was blocked off but ended on the side people were driving on. I must’ve missed the switch. I also missed what they were actually doing. There was no sign of work, except two tree looping trucks turning up as I went through. The roadworks went up a hill and an agricultural landscape opened up.
It was a dramatic and sudden change. It also meant there were birds around that I haven’t seen for ages like black cockatoos and magpies. The fields were not great wind breaks. I was also tired so this was I reckon the slowest 10k since the Gibb.
The Galena Bridge Rest Area was 2k earlier than I was expecting which was a total bonus. There’s camping on both sides of the Murchison River but I followed the offical signs to the north side where there are adequate toilets and nice picnic tables. I set my tent up near the river but there’s too much weedy greenery to actually access the river. The lady who I talked to at the rest area before the turn off to Bullara/Exmouth, whose name is Diana I discovered, is here, having had a lovely time in Exmouth and been to Denham as well. She gave me some water so I don’t have to deliberate about drinking the Billabong bore water. It feels cold tonight so I’m tucked up under my sleeping bag. I may even have to zip it up for the first time of the trip.
Today's ride: 120 km (75 miles)
Total: 4,105 km (2,549 miles)
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