October 21, 2015
Day 2: Halls Gap to Dunkeld
Distance 67km
Average 13.5km/h
Weather: cool Our journey today would start in Halls Gap and would end in Dunkeld and we would not pass any buildings along the route after cycling through town. Leaving the Halls Gap Eco YHA we rode through town along the C216 - Grampians Road, which followed Fyans Creek which feeds into Lake Bellfield, and Dairy Creek, the sky was covered by grey cloud with a chill in the air. We rode and rode and rode our bike slightly up hill and it seemed their were few down hills to break the monopoly, soon the kilometres rolled past as we looked up at the rugged steep and craggy slopes of the sandstone Serra Range which loom over the adjoining farmland plains on our right, with low open shrubby woodlands on our left.
On and on we rode accompanied by cloud and a chilly feel in the air, every now and again we were passed by an occasional car which always gave us lots of road space, the winding road was only two lanes wide with double white lines down its centre. Once we were passed by a tourist bus whose passengers all waved and shouted us on, this was a welcome break to looking at the empty roadway ahead. Now and again we would stop to have a drink of water, a biscuit and take photographs of interesting sights along the route, for example, a photo of Michael standing with the bike in front of a sign proclaiming that we were now standing on the Great Dividing Range - road level 424 metres - a milestone on our cycling journey.
Soon Michael had spotted the Wannon Crossing Campground (a free camp site surrounded by a forested area, with easy access to walks in the Southern Grampians). Located 35km south of Halls Gap and 30km north of Dunkeld it made the perfect place to stop for lunch. We turned left into the spaciously cleared grassed area surrounded by trees, which had wooden tables and benches. Unfortunately the haze in the air had now turned to very light drizzle but after eating lunch we packed up and passed a school group of teenagers and their teachers who were diverting from their walk to eat lunch at our lunch spot: with waves and cheers to send us on our way we were off again.
Afternoon came and the slightly uphill pace of the bike only altered when Michael had to pull the bike from the left hand edge of the road to correct the awful camber on the road: which insisted on sending the bike off the road and into the dirt. Michael soon explained that using lower gears exasperated this situation and we agreed that higher gears were best. Just before Dunkeld a lady driving a 4x4 stopped at the junction of a side road, to say that she had seen us on the other side of the mountains and wondered when we would reach Dunkeld, and was happy to tell us that we were now on the outskirts of the town. My happiness knew no bounds until I realised that per usual it seemed Dunkeld was built on a hill, it must help to keep the marauding hordes at bay. We were very pleased to reach the town and leave the grim saw-toothed looking Grampian ranges which form such a dramatic end to the Great Divining Range, which start thousands of kilometres away in northern Queensland.
Michael had chosen to stay at Southern Grampian Cottages (which looked like log cabins) which were soon reached, and we were being shown to our log cabin by the owner. The cabins were all well appointed and each cabin was surrounded by their own gardens/bbq area; all the cabins stood around an ancient towering gum tree which was lit up like a sentinel at night. The chickens shared the spacious native gardens with two aviaries: one housing adult and yellow baby chick quails and the other housing zebra finches and lorikeets.
We cycled the short distance into town to buy groceries and visit the information centre; later that evening we walked the short distance along the picturesque Salt Creek Trail into town and discovered that the trail was being used as an outdoor exhibition area for the town's Lost In Sculpture 2015 competition. We reached Cafe 109 Bistro & Bar located near the General Store and across the road from the information centre, where we chose a curry and a roast for dinner. After dinner we strolled along the road and joined the Salt Creek Trail behind the information centre where we looked at the art exhibits and read an information board which explained the flood plain near the creek had once cut the town in two when it had become flooded and children could not cross to the other side to attend Sunday School. Our attention was next diverted to a side street to view a huge yellow banksia rose bush, which was policed by a black and white Magpie who hovered over us until we had returned to the track.
Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 121 km (75 miles)
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