Day Nine - Benalla to Alexandra

Distance: 116.68 km
Riding time: 5:06:24
Average speed: 22.8 km/h
Maximum speed: 60.5 km/h
Bum soreness: 5/10

I went through Bonnie Doon today! Stoked about that. How's the serenity? 'Twas good indeed. I made great time from Benalla to Bonnie Doon. Partly due to the relatively flat roads and partly thanks to my recently-rested legs.

My bonnie bike and I in Bonnie Doon.

It was great to ride through Bonnie Doon but there's not much there. I stopped for a break, a snack and a bit of emailing at the community centre.

The fire danger ratings are a good corollary of riding conditions:

the lower the better.

It's hot and sunny again today - around 31. I can't believe I'll be back in Melbourne tomorrow. It feels like ages since I left Sydney and will be a little sad that this adventure will be ending.

Free sauce! OMG, OMG!!!

There were quite a lot of cars with caravans or boats on the roads today. I guess they were headed to or away from the largely depleted Lake Eildon. I'm pleased to say that 99% of the cars on my trip been courteous and given me pretty much a whole lane of space when they passed, even when I was riding on the shoulder (where they exist!). Most road train trucks have been good too. There have been only a handful of near-death exceptions but mostly the traffic has been good. A big thank-you to the drivers of Australia.

How's the serenity?

I stopped in Yarck and could not believe my luck with the awesome little road-side general store. They have an excellent pie/pasty selection. I got a vegetable korma curry pie. Probably the best pie/pasty I've had on my trip. Plus the air-conditioning didn't hurt either :)

I've arrived in Alexandra and have been pleasantly surprised. It's a lovely little town with some good places to eat and a library with kick-arse-quick free Internet.

See y'all in Melbourne tomorrow.

Sponsor my ride, donate to a good cause

As a lot of you all know, I've been riding my bicycle from Sydney to Melbourne. That's around 1000 kms. For my non-Aussie friends, that's about the same distance as London to Berlin.

My ride is coming to an end tomorrow (Friday) when I arrive in Melbourne. It's been a tough slog - especially Thredbo! - but I've had a ball, met some great people and seen a fantastic slice of this great country. Just scroll down if you want to read previous days.

I've also been using this trip as a way of supporting a very good cause: Cancer medical research and the ACRF (Australian Cancer Research Foundation). They've been partly responsible for developments in the treatment of leukaemia and helped fund the Australian-invented cervical cancer vaccine. I've donated $100. I know it's coming up to Christmas but if you can spare anything, it would be going to a very good cause:

http://www.acrf.com.au/

Day Eight - Wangaratta to Benalla

Distance: 46.63 km
Riding time: 2:16:16
Average speed: 20.5 km/h
Maximum speed: 40.8 km/h
Bum soreness: 6/10

Today I had a luxurious sleep-in: 8:30am! Lovely! Even better, Hayley and I had a great eggs Florentine breakfast in the quaint centre of Wangaratta. Not as pretty as Beechworth but bigger and still with a cosmopolitan feel with lots of old colonial buildings.

One of the pretty, old buildings in Wangaratta.

People enjoying a coffee in Wangaratta.

However, despite the late start my legs are still feeling sore and heavy. Thankfully today was only 47 kms along the boring but flat Hume highway. I left Wangaratta with my next stop being the nearby Benalla. I stopped in at Glenrowan - the town where Ned Kelly's last stand was held (Ned Kelly is a bit of a national hero, a Robin-Hood-type bushranger killed in 1880). There's not much there but it's pretty enough. I got a few snaps with the big Ned Kelly and had a nice long chat to one of the many "grey nomads" I've met on my trip. He was 65 and travelling around Australia in his camper van for the second time. I think I'll be doing that in 40 years... and not on my bike!

Melbourne is finally on the big, green signs! I'm getting close!

Ned Street, how appropriate.

Ned and I.

Close up of Ned.

My trusty Google Maps. I'd be lost without it.

I've now checked in to a motel and am loving the luxury of air conditioning, watching TV a generally lounging about. Tomorrow I'm back to the usual 100+ kms. I'll hopefully be making it to Alexandra and then - most excitingly - I'll be arriving home the next day! Some beers are in order for Friday night me thinks!

The Hume, lots of traffic but a big shoulder.

I've obviously been watching too much of The Wire...

I couldn't help but notice the name Mc Nulty.

Benalla is nice enough but seems to lack some of the charm of places like Beechworth. It does have a lovely lake though.

Lake Benalla.

Day Seven - Corryong to Beechworth

Distance: 149.67 km
Riding time: 7:48:24
Average speed: 19.1 km/h
Maximum speed: 60.1 km/h
Bum soreness: 7/10



Yesterday was hilly but today was the longest of my trip. I started riding at 6:30 am and didn't get into Beechworth until about 12 hours later, around 7pm. I was buggered! I stopped for lunch in Tallangatta and had a wee nap in the park. I made it to Yackandandah by the afternoon and it was a lovely place to stop. It's a small town with only one main street but it's very pretty and still has some of the Gold Rush opulence of yesteryear. Well worth a visit if you're in the area. 

Early-morning shadows.

My legs and even hips are starting to feel the strain of a week's riding without a break. In lieu of a proper rest day, tomorrow I'll take it easy and just cycle the 40 kms or so to Benalla (1/4 of yesterday's ride). 

Some fantastic terrain.

I got to Beechworth and had a bit of time to check out the old gold rush town before meeting my friend Hayley. It's such a pretty town. Grand colonial buildings and stone-paved streets remind you of its former glory days as rich gold mining town. I loved Beechworth and I know I'll be back here soon enough.

Me, in Beechworth, outside the fantastic Tanswell's Commercial Hotel.

Hayley, our matron and myself.

I met up with Hayley and we went and did the ghost tour at the old Beechworth Asylum. It's a huge heritage-listed complex on top of a hill overlooking the town. It was a great experience as the place still feels really creepy. Many of the rooms are still original and have a cold, institutional feel to them, complete with autopsy tables, electro-convulsive therapy tables, etc.

The autopsy table.

Day Six - Thredbo to Corryong

I knew this day was going to be tough so I got up early, opened the blinds and checked for snow. No snow, just raining phew!

My trusty stead - sans panniers - waiting patiently.

I left Thredbo and started the climb towards Dead Horse Gap. It was bloody cold!

My girliest jump outside Thredbo.

Some of the beautiful water-ways that I rode past.

Dead Horse Gap is the highest sealed road in Australia. The roads were great, winding, awesome views and totally devoid of traffic. The whole day I reckon I was passed by only a handful of cars. Makes for some very nice cycling, if only it weren't for those pesky hills.

1582 metres high.

One of the few times I had emergency call reception.

The greatest sign in the world!

Kangaroos!

Resting up at Geehi campsite.

I made several stops: at Leatherbarrel Creek and Geehi. I was trying to ration my food and water as there are no services until Khancoban, about 85 kms from Thredbo. As it turns out I had plenty of water. I think it was so cold that I wasn't really sweating much and so didn't need to consume as much water.

I saw a bunch of wildlife, including one kangaroo that nearly hopped out in front of me at 50 km/h!

Wildflowers.

I finally made it to Victoria!

The mountains were hard but I was able to distract myself with some killer views. There were also some very fast down hills. I'd love to do that route on a road bike without all the weight of the panniers. You could absolutely scream down some of those roads.

I was so stoked to see the mighty Murray river in the distance (the border between NSW and Victoria). I know I've still got quite a way to go but it feels like I'm in the home stretch now. Lots of fist pumping approaching the border :)

Christine and her lovely family and friends.

I made it into Corryong - supposedly the town where the man from Snowy River comes from - and had an awesome dinner with Christine, her family and friends... oh and their gorgeous dog Joe!

What a cutie.