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.