Bicycle Tours in South Western Australia:

Midland - Lancelin- Moora & return

7 days, cumulative distance 450 km [map]

Day 1, Midland - Gingin

Monday 29 October 1990.

I left Midland rail terminal at 9:25 and went up the Great Northern Highway. Winds were strong from the side, sometimes with and sometimes against me. There was intermittent rain. I stopped for a drink at 19710. As I passed through Bullsbrook a Macchi trainer passed so low over me that I could smell its exhaust. I rested again at 19724. A shower of rain passed over the road but I missed the worst of it - most of the rain fell ahead of me, as I was to find splashing through puddles some time later. I turned on to the Brand Highway at Muchea. On this last stretch to Gingin a noisy thunderstorm approached from the west, but I was able to get ahead of its path and could see it passing behind me. I only got sprinkled.

The distance to Gingin from Midland is actually 66km, not 59 as stated on the Lands Dept. map. The 5-kilometre pegs on this day's run told me that my odometer was reading consistently 4% low. A small plastic wheel runs on the front tyre, thence by a worm gear and cable operates the speedo- and odometers. This wheel becomes worn and periodically needs a retread, after which it reads low for a while. It reads high when it is worn, so it all averages out over a long period. But on a limited trip it is important on the first day to calibrate the odometer, which is used to guide the rider to the correct turnoffs when maps are inaccurate or road signs missing, or unsealed tracks are being used.

I arrived at Gingin at 1:41. Motel units for guests are alongside the old hotel building. The unit was $25 for the night. This proved to be the best value for money of the whole trip. The bar was full of RAAF personnel having their lunchtime beer. When one of them with an extra pip on his shoulder said "When you're ready, gentlemen" they put down their glasses, ready or not, and left.

As I set off to walk round the town a heavy shower fell and I had to shelter under a tree. The same happened just as I approached the hotel on the way back. Gingin has historical interest which has been made the most of by local people. The old railway station is being restored, opposite the one remaining hotel. A detailed story about each point of interest is on a board in front of it. There is a beautiful scenic walk through the wetlands around Gingin Brook, with an abundance of plant and animal life. This is named the Jim Gordon Walk after one of Australia's four Victoria Cross winners, who came from Gingin and won the VC in 1941. The storyboard didn't say whether he survived the war.

I had Chicken Kiev for tea. The old building shook to the blammering of a TV in the public bar. One of the patrons must have been deaf.

Reading at Gingin: 19755km. Corrected day's ride: 66km.

Cumulative distance: 66km. Average km/day: 66.

Day 2, Gingin - Lancelin

Tuesday 30 October.

From the Lands Dept. map, which did not give the distance from Gingin to Lancelin, I had guessed it at 60-odd km. The night before riding it I increased the estimate to at least 70 km.

I left Gingin at 7:28 on a cold, overcast morning with intermittent drizzle. The wind was strong WSW, against me for half the day's journey. When I got to the Brand Highway and turned onto the Lancelin Road I had already done 5km and a sign said 'Lancelin 75km.' There were going to be 80km, 35 into a headwind and the rest with the aid of the wind backing more SW as the day went on. I decided to take four drink breaks at 16km intervals, having four 250mL cartons of fruit juice with me. I assumed, correctly, that there were no shops on the way.

I rested at 19772, again at 19788 at the three-way (Lancelin-Yanchep-Gingin) intersection. Approaching this, I had a long, steep climb in bottom gear into a stiff headwind. The view from the top of the climb was good, then there was a plunge down and another climb to the intersection.

Some way ahead a sign announced 'Road works next 16km'. In fact only 10km of road was in an unsealed condition, and only 2km was so bad that it had to be walked. It was an unexpected hardship though. I passed one group of machines and workers with red flags, then ran thankfully onto what I thought was sealed surface, only to be ordered loudly to get off what was in fact half a km of cement powder.

I took another rest at 19805 before the road works, and the last one at 19821. I became very thirsty during this day and made a note to drink plenty before starting each day in future. 1 litre of fruit juice is not enough for an 80km ride even in cool weather. The last run into Lancelin should have been easy but I was becoming weak and had cramp in my left foot. Each km was an effort. It was a joy to mount a hill and see the sea and the town with its water-tower in the distance.

Many flowering bushes were visible now with pale pink-violet flowers folded like tulips or rosebuds, though having the texture of hibiscus. The leaves were star-form.

The motel was at the far end of town. $45. I arrived at 1:02, dumped the heavy luggage then rode back to the shop to buy breakfast, postcards and drinks including 2L of milk for the morning. After a rest I had a swim at the beautiful beach opposite Lancelin Island. This was a lovely and soothing experience, after which I was very cold. After a shower and change I went for a walk round the town and decided to buy fish and chips and eat them on the jetty while watching the fishing. I stayed there for two hours while it got dark. The lights went on and the fish started coming in, for some people. A woman called Helen was catching a fish a minute, while her friend Terri caught two in two hours, then took her kids and went home. Another man was filling a bucket with fish while his mate cast repeatedly without success.

One man had ridden 2km on his bike to fish and was not looking forward to riding home. He was amazed by my feat of riding in from Gingin and told everyone else on the jetty. Terri gave him a lift home, his bike precariously spread across the roof rack while he and Terri each kept one arm out of a window to hold onto it. Apparently this was a custom of theirs.

It was a beautiful evening but the wind blew cold and strong. I walked back along the beach, then over the sandhill to the motel. TV reception was patchy. Slept OK.

Reading at Lancelin Inn: 19834. End of day: 19835.

Corrected day's ride: 83km. Cumulative: 149. Av. km/day: 74.5.

Day 3, Lancelin - Cataby

Wednesday 31 October.

After breakfast in bed (milk, brie, jam roll) I went for a lovely morning swim, then got going at 8:57.

There would be tailwinds nearly all the way on this day.

The Lands Dept. map showed no back roads across country to Cataby, only the long way round by sealed road, looking like about 80km. Fortunately I had a copy of part of an RAC map showing all roads and distances in the area in complete and accurate detail. This showed that there were back roads to Cataby, including about 33km of unsealed track, giving a road distance of 64km to cross a straight-line distance of only about 40km. It also showed 84km as the road distance via Regan's Ford and Brand Highway. I decided to take the shorter way. There was an element of risk because the area would probably be uninhabited and unserviced and the unsealed track might be unbikeable, but I couldn't hack another 80+km day.

In any case it is necessary to backtrack 10km of the way you come into Lancelin, to get back out. I did this, looking at the sea receding behind me, then turned onto KW road. I rested at 19852 at the intersection of this with Sappers Road. 5km up Nilgen Road, after a hard climb I came to the top of a hill to be faced with the horrible sight of the black sealed road falling steeply before me and the ghastly white of the unsealed road rising just as steeply on the other side of the dip. There was an orange stain visible half-way up the white strip. I have learned to fear white roads, made of sand and limestone rather than red gravel and clay, and I wasn't wrong as I hit the interface on a downhill run with jolts and skids. The surface was terrible and I had to walk most of the next 5km, battling flies and mentally calculating how long it would take me to walk to Cataby if that was what I had to do. The orange stain turned out to be a brief patch of laterite gravel, which hinted at better things to come.

I came to the intersection with Dingo Road. This turned sharp to the right and there was nowhere else to go, as a 'No Through Road' sign against Nilgen Road told me. A curved swathe of sand and stones, through which it was hard even to walk, had been kicked up by fast-turning vehicles. However, once on Dingo Road, the surface gradually turned to gravel and improved, being in fact bikeable, though still difficult, all the long way to the Brand Highway.

I rested again at 19870, at the intersection of Dingo Road with Mimegarra Road, saw an orchid and was bitten by large flies. At the last rest, at 19885, I looked for a track that might connect me to Caro Road and save me 10km, but could not find one. Here my bike slipped over. Trying to catch it I got a row of cuts in my ankle from the chain-ring. I covered the wound quickly with a sock before the flies noticed it and by the time I reached Cataby it had stopped bleeding.

The country was beautiful and wild with flowers in profusion. A detailed botanical tour would be rewarding. There was one plant that looked like rye-grass only for the yellow daisy-like flower on top.

After a climb, a long straight gentle descent began, at the end of which was Brand Highway, clearly visible from 2km away by the large trucks that could be seen whizzing back and forth without raising dust.

I passed the first roadhouse and reached Cataby Motel 3km later. I was sore all over, particularly in my right hip, because the cramp in my left foot had led me to favour it. The bike was dusty and would need cleaning and oiling, but it had come through with no problems or failures. The soreness and stiffness from this day would last for the rest of the trip. Fortunately 3 easy days lay ahead.

I reached Cataby Motel at 1:41. $30 for a room inferior to that at Gingin - small, no TV, no flyscreens. The hot water system was solar with boosters and you have to run the tap for a long time before hot comes through. This is wasteful and they should redesign the system. I had a long rest and took some codeine against the aches and pains.

After shower and change I tramped through nearby bush and saw wildflowers and flowering bushes. One bush seen in profusion during the day was inspected closely. The flowers cover the ends of each branch and are a very pale grey, giving a brilliant pale violet sheen to the country when the bushes are present in numbers. I think this is called Smokebush.

At the roadhouse I ordered the mixed grill, which turned out to be a huge plate of cholesterol. A T-bone steak, a chop, two sausages, two fried eggs, two rashers of bacon and chips. I felt justified in eating all this but left the fat.

After 'phone calls I went back to rest and read. Trucks going by sounded like low-flying aircraft. I had a bad night. I couldn't get comfortable and sleep was hard to capture with my heart pounding in my ears.

Reading at Cataby: 19899. Corrected day's ride: 66km (inc. 33km unsealed road). Cumulative distance: 215km. Av. km/day: 72.

Day 4, Cataby - Moora

Thursday 1 November.

I left Cataby at 8:32. The turnoff was only about 200m down the highway. Once on the Dandaragan Road it seemed increasingly difficult to push the bike, and I thought that the previous day's work had done me in. But after a couple of km I looked back and was rewarded with a panorama of the country behind. On long country rides I become affected by 'hill-blindness' and can't often tell whether the road ahead of me is climbing, falling or level. I first noticed this in 1978, when on entering Margaret River for the first time, from the north, I couldn't understand why the bike wouldn't run easily 'downhill' from the bridge to the hotel. I even got off to check the wheels and chain, then looked up and saw that in fact I had to climb quite steeply from the bridge to the hotel.

There were tailwinds or favourable cross-winds all the way on this day. I stopped for the first rest at Dandaragan store (19917), bought a drink and talked to the proprietor. I rested again at 19930 at a point that I judged would be the furthest north I had been on any of these rides, about 6km east of Muthawandery Road. I hope Mutha came back in time to wash the dishes. After a brief pause at 19946 to relieve cramp I arrived in Moora at 11:53. The motel unit was $45. The TV antenna didn't work so I found a use for the length of wire I had thrown into the luggage at the last minute, hooking it up to get adequate reception of GWN and ABC.

Usual routine, then I went for a slow walk round the town, being still sore from days 2 and 3. There are many attractive houses and abundant gardens full of flowers. I looked into a shop selling delicate glassware and beautiful crystals, picking my way round two women who were sitting in the middle of the floor engrossed in discussing the politics of some local organisation. The proprietor apologised for this and said it was not usually so. I looked at the Anglican Church which I last visited in 1957, and was able briefly to go back into a past self and remember how the new country looked and felt to a boy newly emigrated from England.

After a dinner of chinese takeaway food, I settled down to the usual evening of lounging about. Later that night I wondered why tourist accomodation always has to be tied to booze outlets, where drunks drive noisily in and out and shout until sometimes after midnight. Why can't the local co-op store get a hotel licence?

Reading at Moora: 19951. Corrected day's ride: 54km.

Cumulative: 269 Average km/day: 67.

Day 5, Moora - New Norcia

Friday 2 November.

The morning was fine and cool with a light southerly. I left Moora at 8:11. I had decided to go to New Norcia the short way, through Koojan and Gillingarra rather than through Walebing. This meant that I would be going due south early, while the wind was light, then as the wind freshened from the SW later on I would be riding eastward with it. Going through Walebing I would be riding straight into the wind for the last part of the ride. The short way was 3km shorter and included about 13km of unsealed surface.

As expected the Midlands Road was flat and straight, running as it did close beside the railway line. There was nothing at 'Barberton' and no shops at Koojan or Gillingarra. I rested at 19965 and 19981 and turned onto the gravel road, which was bikeable, at 19984, by which time a light tailwind was blowing. There were some steep climbs and descents. Two trucks raced by the other way and enveloped me in foetid dust. I rested at 19995, then just before the sealed road started, at 19996, another stop was enforced by the first and last flat tyre of the trip. The tyre was relatively soft and warm from the ride and the sun was hot, so after changing the tube, I got the tyre back on without tyre levers.

I reached New Norcia hotel at 12:11. The very basic room with shared plumbing was $30. Of course the place is ornate with enormous staircases but you can't sleep on staircases. The room opened onto an upstairs back verandah.

Usual routine, shopping at the little store, then I walked around the town and up the hill to the east, saw a flock of sheep in good voice running across a paddock, walked back through the grounds of the Abbey Guesthouse where there is a Marian shrine commemorating a miracle in 1847, whereby the early settlement was saved from fire.

I had grilled trout at the roadhouse for tea. The hotel was booked for a club function. Children ran screaming up and down the big stairs until 11 o'clock, and drunks roared and shouted outside the place till later than that.

Reading at New Norcia: 20002. Corrected day's ride: 53km.

Cumulative distance: 322km. Average km/day: 64.

Day 6, New Norcia - Bindoon

Saturday 3 November.

I left New Norcia at 7:42. The morning was fine and cool with a light headwind, which wasn't to freshen until it didn't matter. There were steep hills. One started near the seven mile well nature reserve. Another long climb ended in a sign saying 'Bindoon Hill, 285m'. I had got up without stopping. I rested at 20017 and 20033. Much blue leschenaultia [wildflowers] on the roadside.

I reached Bindoon Hotel at 10:42. It is 4km north of the town proper, so I dumped the heavy luggage and rode to the shops to get a paper, some milk and food for breakfast and some tangelos from a roadside seller. Rested back at the motel ($30 for a small room with its own plumbing but little else) then went for a walk down to the Brockman River, flowing well, and back. The bridge carrying the Gingin Road over the river would buck every time a vehicle went over it, and vibrate for some time afterwards. Back at the motel I had rissoles for tea and watched TV in the lounge. I went to bed at about 11 but was kept awake by the drunks till well after midnight. A flock of sheep went by in the darkness near the motel, with the high bleat of a lamb audible above the deeper ones of the others. A relaxing sound.

I woke about 5 to a splendid dawn chorus. Some calls sounded as though from exotic birds kept at the motel. I dozed off again.

Reading at Bindoon Motel: 20047. End of day: 20057. Corrected day's ride: 57km. Cumulative: 379km. Average km/day: 63.

Day 7, Bindoon - Guildford

Sunday 4 November.

Left Bindoon at 7:51 on a sunny morning with a fresh south-easterly which was to turn south-westerly later in the day. There were to be significant headwinds all the way. I stopped at Chittering at 20072. The shop had no milk of any sort. I rested again at 20090, and at 20106 where I watched two model planes being flown in a paddock. They achieved great height and speed. One kept doing the stall routine, where a plane cuts its engine, falls straight down and restarts in time to regain level flight.

At 20110 I turned onto West Swan Road and enjoyed a scenic run through the Swan Valley, but I was suffering increasingly from the constant headwind and various cramps. I reached Guildford station at 12:19, to find I had missed a train by 5 minutes. I went to the deli for lunch of meatballs and chocmilk and caught the next train. The 1990 ride ended here as the train moved off.

Reading at Guildford: 20125. Corrected day's ride: 71km.

Cumulative distance: 450km. Average km/day: 64.

Charles A. Pierce, 1990

Do you have questions about bicycle touring in Western Australia's SouthWest? You're welcome to ask Charles!

Email Charles

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