Day 1 - Bendigo to Moonabel - Australia Gold Fields, Grampians and Great Ocean Road plus The 7 Peaks

October 29, 2019

Day 1 - Bendigo to Moonabel

Hot and windy

We started off from Bendigo about 9AM for a long day to Moonabel. We rode through a very rural area that Was historically linked to the gold rush in Australia but is now mostly farm country. Early in the ride we were on a busier roads but as the day progressed we were on extremely quiet roads. There was a lot of bird life but no magpie swarmings in our group and we only saw 1 live wallaby. It was quite cool early in the day but that didn’t last long and the temperatures reached 91F/36C which is awful hot for someone from the west coast in October. Since it was day 1 there were a few misadventures (others not me) that resulted in a very long day for me. I didn’t arrive at our accommodation until 4:30 PM so the first thing I did was stop for a beer followed shortly there after by a psecond plus more water. I drank at least 6L today but I was still not quite rehydrates due to the hot dry weather. Tonight we are staying at the Summerfield Winery in some lovely cottages. We had a nice wine tasting (mostly red) followed by a wood stove pizza for dinner.

A shout to a buddy back home who had her own misadventure that resulted in a broken collar bone. Get well soon WJ.

I wandered about before breakfast and past the local war memorial in Bendigo.

This only 1 of 4 such panels with the names of local men who died in the Great War. Australia like Canada was there from the start in 1914 and they paid a heavy price.

Look at the number of Williams on this panel and they were all likely related. RIP.

Deb modelling the latest head gear to ward of the swarming magpies. I opted not to do this rather I listened to the locals who say swarming season is over.

The van and trailer in a bit of a predicament.

A replica of the largest gold nugget found in this area, it is called the Welcome Stranger. I was valued at over $4M.

The proprietor preparing for our wood stove pizzas.

Today's ride: 107 km (66 miles)
Total: 1,367 km (849 miles)

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Yvonne McLeanThat was a long day, especially in that kind of heat. Looks like the wine and pizza were well-received. After a rest I hope today's ride is shorter and/or cooler or both!!
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5 years ago

Mike AylingG'day Margaret
36C is no longer unusual this time of year as climate change kicks in.

I was swooped by a magpie in a Melbourne suburb last Sunday but he did no damage. The best advice is to get out of his area as soon as possible.

Stay hydrated.

I have ridden most of the roads covered by your tour at various timesand Ipt goes through some interesting country.

Mike
Mike
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5 years ago

Wendy JonesI made your blog! thanks for the shout out!
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5 years ago