More of the Same! Gold wire Rest Area to Stanley Rest Area - 63kms

Both slept well and up by 5.30am. 

Headed off at 7.30am, but conditions were much the same as yesterday.
Wind, wind, wind - strong, blustery and in our faces. At times, the gusts blew us off track and made the bikes hard to control.

We crawled up long, endless hills only to find that, at the top, they continued.
Eventually limped into Stanley Rest Area at 1.30pm. 

➽ TO DONATE to our chosen charity, the Neurological Foundation of NZ via our GiveALittle Page 

Uphill Slog! Roebuck Plains Roadhouse to Gold wire Rest Area - 120kms

Up at 3.00am and on the road by 5.00am.

Light wind to start. Signs of recent flooding of the bush could be seen in the moonlight. The sunrise was spectacular and I couldn't resist my one and only pic of the day. 

As day broke, flood damage to the road became more  obvious and we had to negotiate around numerous potholes and uneven areas. 

With daybreak came the headwind and progress was quickly down to a crawl. 

Caravaner, Geoff, flagged us down with a donation. Thanks heaps for your support, Geoff.

Ten hours later we limped into Goldwire Rest Area. 

Barely had time to pitch the tent, unpack and prepare our freeze dried dinner before night fell at 5.30pm.

We were exhausted! A short ride tomorrow, so not such an early start, hopefully.

➽ TO DONATE to our chosen charity, the Neurological Foundation of NZ via our GiveALittle Page  

 

Headwind! Broome to Roebuck Plains Roadhouse - 33kms

With just a short ride today, left Broome at 8.45am. Decided to ease the weight in the trailers by carrying 3kgs of water each in our backpacks. 

Just our luck! We hit a strong headwind all the way to Roebuck Plains Roadhouse. Took us most of the morning to get there, with lots of recovery stops along the way.

No time for photos so have included a few pics from Broome.

Took a donga for the night - quiet neighbours this time - except for the flocks of beautiful lorikeets that gathered to roost on a nearby tree, chattering noisily. 

Will get an early night tonight to prepare for an early start tomorrow with a 120kms ride, unless a headwind forces a shorter ride. 

Will probably be out of mobile reception for at least a couple of days, with 285kms to the nearest Roadhouse. Wish us luck! 

➽ TO DONATE to our chosen charity, the Neurological Foundation of NZ via our GiveALittle Page  

Broome Time! Last Rest Day in Broome.

Another lovely day in Broome. With most of our shopping done, we took a Broome Explorer Bus 7kms to beautiful Cable Bay. On the way are numerous resorts, hotels and a couple of caravan parks.

Cable Bay is a tourist's paradise, with luxury hotels on the beach front and a restaurant/cafe.

Strong winds had caused the beach to be closed to swimmers, but the azure blue sea with its pale, sandy beach was a feast for the eyes. Apparently camel rides are available further up the beach.

Back at the motel, we did a trial pack of the trailers with our 18L of bottled water and extra food supplies. 

Hoping for downhills and a tail wind tomorrow. Feeling rested and revitalised and will leave with fond memories of Broome.

➽ TO DONATE to our chosen charity, the Neurological Foundation of NZ via our GiveALittle Page  
 

Stocking Up! Rest Day in Broome

So lucky with the location of our motel - close to Coles, bike shop and camping supplies. It's in the Chinatown quarter - a bustling area with popular cafes and boutique shops. Famous for its pearls, specialist pearl shops line Dampier Terrace, by the Broome River. Pearl diving in the region was originally introduced by the Japanese.

Del cleaned and lubed the bike chains and bought a thorn proof tube for my rear tyre. He has one in his rear tyre, too, and has had no problem with it since. Fingers crossed! 

Meanwhile, I went for a quick, much needed hair cut. 

Had a tasty vegetarian quiche and salad for lunch then off to Coles for 15L water and food for the next camps.

Another Milestone! Roebuck Plains Roadhouse to Broome - 34kms

Yay! We've made it to Broome! Left the Roadhouse at 7.30am, in daylight for a change!

A leisurely ride with a long, gradual incline and occasional head wind all the way to Broome. A reasonable shoulder to cycle on, which we appreciated as the traffic was very busy in both directions.
Around 10kms from Broome, I developed a puncture in my rear tyre which Del fixed.

Arrived around 11.00am and greeted by Peter and then Bindy with donations. Thank you both for your kind words and support.

Took a room at the Roebuck Bay Motel then off to find Broome Bikes to buy a thorn proof inner tube, chain lube, a puncture kit and new cycle glasses for Del (his others were disintegrating slowly).

Love Broome! It's small but touristy, with cafes, restaurants and gift shops.
The Japanese introduced pearl diving to the area. 

Spending 3 nights here, resting, restocking and discovering more of this popular town.

➽ TO DONATE to our chosen charity, the Neurological Foundation of NZ via our GiveALittle Page   

Floods! Nillibbubica Rest Area to Roebuck Plains Roadhouse - 72kms

A freezing start at 5.00am this morning - fingers, toes, lips numb with cold. Even struggled to mouth the words to "Sun Arise"! 

Straight, flat road - should have been the perfect ride except for 40kms of unmanned road works!
Record rainfall in the rainy season had resulted in swollen creeks and rivers and flooded roads. 

This area of the Great Northern Highway and plains was severely affected, which explains the healthy rivers and creeks we saw yesterday.  Areas of the bush are still under water. 

Road damage is major with potholes, corrugation, edges of road washed away etc. With so much bumping, we were concerned for our rear axles, which take the weight of the trailers. 

Arrived at the Roadhouse at 11.00am, had early lunch, then settled into our tiny, budget room to do our chores. 

This is big cattle rearing country - and they're very proud of it - statues and photos everywhere.
Steak tastes good, too - even in the hamburgers! 

➽ TO DONATE to our chosen charity, the Neurological Foundation of NZ via our GiveALittle Page