Day 109, Thursday, 16 July 2009

Distance travelled – 119.3 km
Avg speed –  20.3 kph
Max speed – 40.0 kph

Bush Camp to Bush Camp

We got under way at 8.30am with the intent of doing at least 100km before knock off time. It was about 5 degrees when we left and Mark rode with full fingered gloves for most of the morning.

Just before lunch we came across a flock of Corellas on the side of the road. We had stopped at the crest of a small rise to look at the imposing emptiness ahead and the birds rose impressively into the air. As we stopped to photograph the birds a car travelling towards us stopped just up the road and the driver hopped out and took a photograph of us. I suspect he was as impressed with finding cyclists out here as much as we were impressed with the nothingness in front of us. He had driven through it so perhaps he knew something we did not and he was recording the last ever sighting of us. But we have a story to tell about Corellas. Last December when we were riding to Adelaide along the Murray River we stayed a night at the caravan park at Lake Cullulleraine. As I was finishing my shower I heard a number of shot gun blasts and as I started to walk from the shower block a fellow, from the caravan next to where we were camping, walks past the door with a shotgun at the ready. I began to wonder what had gone on outside – Where was Denise? – Should I go outside? Then I remembered that he had mentioned that the park had problems with Corellas damaging trees and that they were trying to scare the birds off. At the time we thought the owners of the park were trying to scare them off. This was not the case.  This particular ‘resident’ had taken the matter into his own hands and was blasting the birds with his shotgun, all with other park users around him. Later a couple of Asian tourists discovered an injured bird and brought it back into the park hoping that someone could help it. Nope! The local fellows dispatched it by pulling its head off. We are not sure what these tourists thought but they quickly retreated to their van. The only good thing was that the bird in its dying throws bit the fellow who was trying to kill it. It was an uneasy stay knowing we had a fellow with a shotgun staying next door to us. Now every time we see or hear Corellas we recall our stay at Lake Cullulleraine.

As it turned out we did nearly 120 km before we found a good campsite just before 4.30 behind a ‘Borrow’. A ‘Borrow’ is a depression in the ground next to the road where they have taken soil or rock to build the road. Our borrow was well off the road and provided a nice secluded place to camp, have a wash and watch the sunset before a dinner of Beef in Red Wine. Dessert was fruit cake and custard followed by filtered coffee.

Zoom into the map and use the 'Satellite' layer to see our new location.

 

 

A flock of Corellas beside the road.

A new way to tell the world you are not happy with a business' service. In the middle of nowhere - 135km West of Camooweal, 125km East of Barkly Homestead.

When we cannot find a coffee shop we choose to sit in the shade of a tree.

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