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Bicycle Tours in South Western Australia:Bunbury - Windy Harbour - Cottesloe10 days, 627 km [map] The aim of this trip was to return to Windy Harbour, only this time to do it better, faster, with less hardship and fewer mishaps than in 1985, drawing on the experience gained over the years.
PRELIMINARY On Sunday, October 11 I took the bike on the train to City train station, then took the afternoon Australind Express to Bunbury, to stay the night in the Bunbury Motel and start the ride from there early the next morning.
Back to 1998. The Australind arrived late, after eight o'clock at night. I rode my bike about a kilometre along the footpath to the traffic lights at Forrest and Blair, on the other side of which the Motel sign welcomed me.
DAY 1, Bunbury - GreenbushesMONDAY 12 OCTOBER 1998 I left The Bunbury Motel ($55, Unit 11, nicer than last year, could open a window) at 8.16 on a cool morning with moderate NE-NW winds. The odometer read 6214. I rested and took a drink at 6234, at Boyanup, then again at Donnybrook, 6249, reached at 10:08. I felt that I was making good speed and the riding seemed easy, due to the tailwind. The 5 km pegs showed that the odometer was reading about right. Calibrating the odometer is an important first-day job. I got up the anticipated hills all right and reached Kirup, 6267, only 23 km from my destination. I felt confident of making it at this stage. I had a drink and rest stop and did the next 13 km to Balingup, 6281, another rest and drink, very quickly, seeming to be rushing downhill most of the time. After Balingup is a big 3 km hill to climb, past the familiar chimney, and some climbing after that, but Balingup is only 10 km from Greenbushes. I reached Greenbushes at 1:14, 6292. The trip had taken about the same time as in 1983, though I didn't time that exactly. This time I had a cooler day and better winds and was under no time pressure, and anticipated the terrain, and of course have long since had a better range of gears. I had booked to stay at the Exchange Hotel, which hadn't changed since 1983 and 1985 in terms of good accommodation and food at a reasonable price. The $55 tariff for the nice fully-equipped unit, No. 1, included dinner and breakfast. I took a walk around the town after my sleep and shower. The town is more run down than when I last stayed there in 1985. There are no shops left in town and I was glad that my memory had served me well and that I had booked the Exchange Hotel rather than the Shamrock, because that one looked very run down and there was no sign of any modern units. I took a couple of photos of historic buildings and examined the park with its old mining equipment for kids to play on. I walked up to where the main street of town comes to a dead end at the mine site. I was too late to go up to the observation point and look at the mining operation. The main street of Greenbushes used to be the main SW highway, but in the '70s they wanted to extend the mine, so they did that right across the road after a SW highway bypass had been built. So the main traffic no longer goes through Greenbushes. This is of course quieter for them but it has contributed to the decline of the town. It is only a km. off the main highway but no-one is going to go there unless they have business in the town. Dinner was chicken lasagna with very nice vegies. The evening was frosty. The country quiet and dark, not experienced for a year, made their impact on me. Reading at Greenbushes: 6292 km. Day's ride: 78 km. Speed to Greenbushes: 15.7 kph.
DAY 2, Greenbushes - ManjimupTUESDAY 13 OCTOBER The morning was cold with strong NW-SW winds. Rain had fallen during the night and early morning and would continue to come through during the day, with clear spells. The sky was blue as I went in to breakfast at 5:40. I had been told that the kitchen was open with breakfast available from 5 am, since this is not a tourist hotel but is geared to workers who travel from town to town, and ideal for cyclists, who often want an early start, as well. I had a lot of cereal, bacon and eggs and toast. When I came out, rain was falling again. I went back to bed for a while and didn't finally get rolling on my day's ride until 8:49. The bike got up to 63 kph going down the last hill before Hester's, and I was climbing Hester's with no need to get off and walk when a rain squall came rolling across the meadows. I was anxious to save the newly-reconditioned bike from getting wet this early in the trip, and I stopped riding, to shelter in a clump of trees on the western side of the road. It was quite a while before I got going again. I reached Bridgetown, 6310, just before a prolonged rainy spell and sat gratefully on a seat under cover in Steere Street having a drink and watching the water flow down the hill and pour out of the gutters. I was to sit on that seat again five days later when I stayed in Bridgetown on the way back, in a different mood. On this wet morning I felt pessimistic about the venture. Eventually the rain stopped for a while and I began the 37 km run into Manjimup. I remembered this road from previous rides as being quite an easy ride, more moderate in its hills than the stretch between Donnybrook and Bridgetown, but on this day it seemed hard - the wind was either against me or buffeting from the side and the hills seemed steeper and more difficult than I remembered. I took another rest at 6328 and took three more stops for rain, including one 3 km outside Manjimup in a convenient shed beside the road. I was to use that shed again for the same purpose on the way out of Manjimup five days later. I had strong headwinds on the last 15 km into Manjimup, when the road turns more SW. I arrived at last at the Manjimup hotel, 6346, where I had booked, at 1:48, having taken just under 5 hours to do a trip that should take a lot less than 4 under better conditions. I knew there were better places to stay some way out of town at each end but I didn't know there was also a good one just over the tracks, almost as convenient to the centre of town as the old hotel, which is run down. The blue carpets that seemed so luxurious in 1971 are worn now and the place is in disrepair, but my room, Unit 21, $38, was pleasant enough, only for the lack of a TV. The only TV is in the guest lounge and I had to get the wire off my bike to enable any reception, since the antenna is disabled. That bit of wire has served that purpose before. The hotel is apparently run by only three people so I had to wait until 2 to check in. I went to do the usual shopping to fill in the time and allow for them to be late. Rest, shower, wash clothes, look around the town. I rang a number that I had been given of people to contact, but it had been disconnected. I rang the Northcliffe hotel and booked the next two nights. In view of what was to happen later I should have bought and fitted new pedals here, while I had plenty of time. Half chicken and chips for dinner. The trip was going according to plan and there was no apparent need to worry about anything. Reading at Manjimup: 6346. Day: 54 km. Cumulative 132 km, 66 km/day. Speed Greenbushes to Manjimup: 10.8 kph.
DAY 3, Manjimup - NorthcliffeWEDNESDAY 14 OCTOBER The morning was cold but clear with a moderate SW wind. I left the Manjimup hotel at 8:43 after breakfast of biscuits and cheese in my room. I proceeded the way I should have gone in 1987, not via Pemberton but straight down the SW highway, then right into Wheatley Coast Road and straight on into Northcliffe. Wheatley Coast Road starts at Muirs Highway, SE of Manjimup, and goes straight through Northcliffe down to Windy Harbour, though at some point it changes its name to Windy Harbour Road. This way is about 8 km shorter than the way via Pemberton. In 1987 I didn't even have a proper map until I bought one in Northcliffe and discovered the Chesapeake Road, the road that made the 1987 ride possible. The odometer read 6347 as I left Manjimup. I reached the Vasse Highway (to Pemberton) turnoff at 6363 then took a rest at 6365. I reached the Wheatley Coast Road at 6377 and saw a sign that said 'Northcliffe 25', not far but further than indicated on the map, though still little enough to make this the shortest route. I took another rest at 6383. The route was very scenic but hilly and I did get off and walk up a couple of steep ones as I approached Northcliffe. There were patches of blue orchids beside the road from time to time. I arrived at the hotel at 11:57, 6402, so the sign had been right. It was during this stage of the ride that I became aware that the right-hand pedal, despite oiling, was still noisy and was making a snap, snap noise every couple of revolutions. This was of course annoying but also worrying because I had no spare pedal and was getting further away from where I might be able to get one. This problem was to become a saga. The hotel was a basic country pub but cleaner and better maintained than when I had last stayed here in 1987. It seemed to be run by a family, with much of the work being done by an old man who was recovering from a stroke and went around in bare feet. He was always popping up here and there to see if the guests had everything they needed. My room was Room 2, $50 for two nights. It faced south, down the main street. It was well-maintained and had two comfortable single beds. There was no flyscreen on the windows but there were full lace curtains that did the same job, and the windows could be opened. The only problem was a chimney that gave off a lot of smoke and smell when they first started up the heater or cooker or whatever it was, but the fire would soon start to burn clean and there was no more problem. Rest, shower, shopping, washed clothes and the canvas back pack that I would not be taking to Windy Harbour the next day. I got a map of the Northcliffe Forest Park that I commended in the 1987 report. I got the map from an environmental centre with 'Save Old Growth Forests' painted on the sloping roof in big white letters. The weather was closing in again, cloud cover and light rain while I rested, but it didn't rain in the afternoon though the sky stayed gloomy. I was glad when the pictures I took in the Forest Park came out. I started my forest walk at the other end this time, near the centre of town, and found the path rather overgrown and the signs absent or partly obliterated. The park can't have been the great success that was hoped when it was started in 1985, when it was first commended to me by someone in the hotel. Not far into my walk I came to a point where the path was completely blocked by the fall of a huge tree. The great log and a chaos of branches, and the fact that at this point was a bit of swamp and a small creek, apparently made further progress impossible, but I found a way through. I clambered over the branches, finding a new copy of the walk map, crumpled up. It must have been there only a few hours because it wasn't even wet from the rain that had fallen earlier. Someone had come that way, found the obstruction, crumpled and thrown away their map and walked back. I finally climbed up onto the log and walked along it until I could see the clear sign of a man-made crossing of the creek that enabled me to pick up the thread of the path. I came to a junction where a sign invited the walker to visit the town dam, so I took that way, came to a clearing with a shed and a car park and an attractive setting of a river and a weir and birds. I took a photograph, then walked back to the junction and walked on northwards. At one point my right foot went into a deep hole, maybe made by some burrowing animal. I went down and was perhaps lucky not to have broken a leg, but I picked up my bag and went on, putting out of my mind fancies about lying with a broken leg in a deserted forest with daylight fading. I found the famous twin karri, two giant trees growing from a common root base and stump, as described in the 1987 report, and the burnt hollow but still living tree with a spiral scar going up the trunk. Then I took the road out to Wheatley Coast road, since there was not enough daylight left to finish the walk and to take the rest of it would have meant either having to get past the blockage again or coming back out the same way. I had had a good long walk. Had mixed grill for dinner. Took a walk before bed and enjoyed the bright clear view of the stars. Reading at Northcliffe: 6402 km. Day's ride: 55. Aggregate: 188 km. km/day 62.7. kph, Manjimup to Northcliffe: 17.
DAY 4, Northcliffe - Windy Harbour - NorthcliffeTHURSDAY 15 OCTOBER I left Northcliffe for Windy Harbour at 8:29 on a fine morning with a moderate NE wind that went to NW later, so I had a tailwind all the way down and some of the way back. I passed the Chesapeake Road junction at 6409, but didn't stop, wanting to take my photograph of it on the way back, when I assumed that the sun would be at a better angle for light on the subject. The ride was pleasant, the country interesting and the wind helpful, though I hoped it would change for the journey back. I rested at 6417 with the rise into Mt Chudalup State Forest, the only high country on this ride, just ahead. I climbed into the forest - it is remarkable how this dome of tall forest rises from a flat scrubby terrain. As in 1985, I didn't visit the mountain itself, but will do so as I get older and plan shorter rides with more leisurely hanging about places. I zoomed down the other side and reached Windy Harbour at 9:57, 6430. I had planned to go to Salmon Beach, but it lay at the end of 3 km of gravel rising over a ridge and I decided just to use the very pleasant beach at the settlement. As in 1985, the place was quiet - there was no-one around. I had a drink and rest at the facilities in the caravan park then spent some time riding around the settlement - there are no sealed roads, only gravel tracks. Eventually I found the track to the beach and had a most pleasant swim before lying in the intermittent sun and savouring the peace and the achievement of the ride's objective. I changed into dry shorts and rode back to the campsite. I didn't bother to climb the cliff this time - it is rugged work and you can only reach the cliff edge by fighting through tough, sharp-edged scrub. I had a drink and some biscuits and rinsed out the shorts in which I had bathed, putting them on the back of the bike to get dry on the way home. I left Windy Harbour and turned for, eventually, home, at 6434, 11:55, The wind had gone to the NW and helped me for the first 7 km or so. The climb into the Mt Chudalup Forest started at 6441 and the downhill run out of it ended at 6447. I took a rest at 6447, at the same point at which I took the rest on the outward journey. I came to the Chesapeake Road junction at 6454 and stopped for a while to look at it, take some photos and think about its significance in my life.
The sun was making dappled light through the trees and the photographs came out well. I was glad to get them, because I might not get back there on a bike, and they might eventually seal that long gravel track, or build a major development over the whole area, so I was glad to be there on the bike and see it just as I remembered it and record it for all time. I got back to Northcliffe at 1:54 and took the rest of the day easy. I rinsed clothes, made 'phone calls including booking the Gloucester Motel in Pemberton for the next night, did a bit of shopping and had an excellent pizza for dinner, $13 but much better than the delivered ones you get in Perth. I bought it at the cafe, which was still open, though they had no other customers. It was sad to see all the tables set and no-one there. They looked glum - said it was a quiet time. Northcliffe isn't on the way anywhere. Reading back at Northcliffe: 6462. Day: 60 km. Cumulative 248 km. kpd 62. kph. Speed to Windy Harbour: 19.1 kph.
DAY 5, Northcliffe - PembertonFRIDAY 16 OCTOBER The morning was cool with strong NW winds. Rain started to fall after I left Northcliffe at 9:27 but I didn't stop, the rain wasn't too heavy and cleared up after a few km. I had been expecting a very wet and windy day, as had the weather bureau. That evening the weatherman on TV explained how the expected strong cold front had got ahead of itself and collapsed, but there was another strong front expected to come through early on Saturday with plenty of rain and hail behind it and there would be no escaping that one. On this Friday, after the early shower, I had it clear, though still very windy, all the way to Pemberton, where it began to rain just as I arrived at the shops. I took a rest stop at 6478. The wind was strong and directly against me but was moderated by the forest through which I was riding most of the way. I turned gratefully into the last run into Pemberton with the strong wind behind me and the well-known steep downhill road into the town. The bike accelerated rapidly and reached 63 kph for the second time in the trip before I put the brakes on - there was traffic and the road went around a curve and I didn't feel safe. I might have got over 70 kph but I rolled into town at 55 kph before having to slow almost to a walk for the steep climb into the town centre, stopping at the shops at 6493, 11:23. The Gloucester Motel had said I couldn't check in until 1:30 or 2 pm so I got a pie and choc milk and ate them in the park when the rain had stopped. Then I looked around the shops and checked that the Chinese restaurant was still there and that it opened at 5 pm. I tried to buy some pedals but was told that there would be none in town - Manjimup was the more likely place. I went up to the Gloucester Motel just before 1, intending to leave the heavy luggage there and go on to the Gloucester Tree, but the motel let me check in so I decided to have a rest and go to the tree afterwards. The motel unit, No. 55, $45, was nice. It had a TV and clock radio, an air conditioner and two heaters, a radiator and a fan heater. It had a balcony looking out onto trees. Rain fell, making a noise on the iron roof as I took a rest and kids from 2 units up rushed back and forth banging on my door for a joke, but I didn't take any notice of them. Later I put on my raincoat and rode up to the Gloucester Tree. Gone are the days when you could just stroll up there, there would be no-one about and you could just climb up and down the tree at your leisure. Now there is a circular road, some structures and a vehicle park and it costs $8 per car to get to the tree, or $3 for a motorbike. They let me in free, but people in a couple of vehicles had to pay, then when they got to the tree they found that climbing was forbidden anyway because of the stormy weather. The tree itself doesn't look very impressive any more. It has been shorn of much of its foliage in an effort to save its life, hammered by tourists as it has been for a dozen years or so. I left that and went on the walk trails. I must have walked a long way, the weather was cold with some rain and the wind made a lot of noise in the trees but it was enjoyable. Eventually I found my way back to the main clearing where my bike was a bit wet and a shower was just rolling in. I put my bike under cover and waited for a while, then decided to get going, since it wasn't that far back to the motel. I had a hot shower and changed then went shopping and ordered a takeaway, duck in plum sauce, from the Chinese Restaurant. I settled down to a pleasant evening of sewing and watching TV, including a rugby league test between Australia and New Zealand, but was worried about the pedal, although the snapping noise hadn't got any worse during the two days and 100 or so km since I started to worry about it. I also had discovered another problem which I had suspected because of the feel of the pedalling motion but hadn't been game to check before - the chain-ring assembly to which the snapping pedal was attached was loose and wobbling on the crankshaft. And I had left the socket wrench at home with the saddle cover. Inadequate preparation again, after all these years. Rain and hail poured down all night. My legs were still sore. I was doubting if I would make it home. The next day, with the run to Bridgetown, loomed as the big challenge of the ride. If I could make it to Manjimup I could get new pedals and maybe borrow a socket wrench. If I made it to Bridgetown that would be the big hurdle overcome and it would get progressively easier. But it would be 69 km to Bridgetown. Surprisingly I slept well and arose the next morning to face the challenge. Reading at Pemberton: 6493. End of day: 6501. Km for day: 39. Aggregate: 287. Km per day: 57.4. Kph to Pemberton: 16.0.
DAY 6, Pemberton - BridgetownSATURDAY 17 OCTOBER This loomed as the second challenge day of the trip, though more so than Day 1. I thought that if I made Bridgetown on this day it would get progressively easier and I would get home all right. I left the motel at 8:19 and the odometer read 6502 as I reached the Vasse Highway and turned right. Winds were fresh W with a bit of NW before a squall but gradually going SW. I have ridden along this stretch of road, let me see, five times. I thought it had been more. There were some showers but nothing too bad until I reached the well-remembered junction with SW Highway, 6519, and found somewhere to shelter while I had my drink and a shower moved through. I remembered stopping at this junction for the first time for a rest stop in 1975, when I rode that small 20 inch folding bike from Manjimup to Pemberton and back. The next 15 km to Manjimup passed without any breakdown but I was feeling a bit tired and sore. The wind was helpful but the moderate hills seemed hard, as they had for the first 19 km from Pemberton. I reached Manjimup at 6534 and started to look for a bike shop. A man in the automotive shop shook his head glumly when I asked if he sold bike pedals. He suggested I try Toyworld. Of course there was nothing of the sort in Toyworld. That is the attitude of a lot of people to bikes. I sheltered for a while as another shower moved over. The wind was strong and cold. I heard on the news later that Manjimup had the State's lowest maximum temperature that day, 14. I tried the hardware shop and was told to try the sports store, across the road and up a bit. I remembered what he meant - I had passed it on my walk around town on Tuesday but had not thought of needing it. I went there, and yes, they had pedals. He came out and looked at my bike, was quite sure he knew the size (there are two different sizes of screw-in; mine is the larger) and sold me some cheap light plastic pedals for $14.50. That done, I felt entitled to ask if I could borrow his socket wrench. It was the kind of not too specialised country store where in addition to a range of sporting goods and bike parts they service bikes, so yes! there was a socket wrench I could borrow. He said that once the nut was loose it was 'stuffed' and tried to sell me a new nut, but I said that I only needed to tighten it up to get home and would rather wait until then for a full repair. He said all right, if that's what I wanted to do. So I got the big spanner out of my bag, banged the chain-ring assembly firmly onto the axle, tightened the nut, banged and tightened a couple more times until I couldn't tighten any more. Then I cleaned the wrench, put the new pedals in their Sports locker bag into my back pack and left Manjimup at 6535. Having the chain-ring tight on the crankshaft and the new pedals in my back pack, to be fitted whenever I needed, made a lot of difference to my morale. I felt more relaxed and energised for the rest of the day's ride and of the trip. The crisis that had loomed in Pemberton was now over and it would be plain sailing back home. I rushed out of Manjimup (6535 now) with the cold wind mainly at my back, went under the wooden welcoming arch M-A-N-J-I-M-U-P, passed the Br 35 sign and felt good. Just as I reached the shed (6538) where I had sheltered on Tuesday, a squall rolled across from the west and I sheltered in that shed again, having my drink break there. THE SMALL MIRACLE OF MERSEA ROAD I was 15 km out of Manjimup at 6550 where the road bends more northerly so that a westerly wind is not so much help, when the biggest rain squall yet or since moved in. It was at the junction with Mersea Road, a gravel track. Right there was an enclosed shed, its back facing SW, with enough room for me and my bike and no leaks. I ran to it and kept dry and had another box of drink as torrential rain fell, then hail. The hailstones bounced as they hit the ground, creating a beautiful display like thousands of little white-headed plants being agitated by the wind. The ground became white with hail, like snow. The air turned very cold. It was hard to believe this was mid-spring in a warm, dry country. Water rushed down the gravel track, wearing its cracks and gullies a little deeper. At last the downpour stopped, the sky lightened and I was able to come out and get going again. Unfortunately this small miracle was mocked by a heavy shower that hit me as I approached Bridgetown, with nowhere to shelter. It only takes a few minutes to get wet through. But at least the bike was spared the Mersea Road shower. I and my clothes and bags can easily get dry and the luggage is well stowed in numerous plastic bags, but water in the bearings is not so easy to counter. I did make two more rain stops between Mersea Road and Bridgetown, trying to shelter by some trees, but the shelter was not effective and it was better to keep going. Finally I crossed the bridge and rode up the main street to where the Freemasons hotel loomed on its corner. I was glad to see it. I was over the hump now. I stopped at a shop, the only one open, to get some drinks and food for breakfast. All-day Saturday trading does not happen in most country towns. Then I went on to the hotel, where I stopped at 6571, 1:19 pm and went in to claim my room. I was struck by the contrast between Manjimup and Bridgetown - maybe it was just because it was after country Saturday shop-closing time by the time I got to Bridgetown, but Manjimup, quite a large town, seemed much more lively. It had the most vitality of any town that I passed through - I had difficulty getting across the main street during my search for the bike shop. I was allowed to take the bike upstairs and put it in the room, Unit 4 ($45 including breakfast), which was the same capacious unit that I had had on the way to Rocky Gully in 1996. The double bed was still there, but the two single beds had been replaced by an up-and-down bunk. Then I went down to get some lunch to take back into my room. Rain was coming down again and pouring out of the gutters and pipes on the old hotel. I sat on that big wooden seat under shelter in Steere Street and looked at the same scene as I had on Tuesday, in a different mood, this time of relief and satisfaction rather than of apprehension and pessimism. Later, after the usual rest, laundry, shower, I made some 'phone calls, including booking the Donnybrook Motel, and went for a walk up and down the town. I had the radio to listen to Mark Taylor approaching a record cricket score in faraway Pakistan. I walked up to the old train station, long since devoid of travellers and now a heritage site and environment centre. Where Steere Street crosses the railway track I looked down the track towards the station and it seemed to me that in that short distance there was a pronounced dip in the line. A long freight train came by just then. It took several minutes to pass and I could see the roofs of the wagons dipping as well as the train passed over that part of the track. I bought an early dinner of chicken and chips and settled down for a good night of television. The hotel provided a broad sheltered upstairs verandah with a clothes line and pegs where I was able to hang my clothes and the sodden back pack. I didn't sleep very well, I kept waking up. The hotel opposite, the only one with any night-life going on, discharged its customers between ten and eleven and they spent some hours after that screaming at each other in the dark, cold, otherwise empty and silent street. But this didn't bother me - it was easily blocked out. I just couldn't settle. Reading at Bridgetown: 6571. Day's ride: 70 km. Aggregate: 354. Km/day: 59. kph to Bridgetown: 14.
DAY 7, Bridgetown - DonnybrookSUNDAY 18 OCTOBER The day was cold and the wind was WSW and moderate to fresh as I rolled away from the Freemasons Hotel at 9:37. I had enjoyed the eat-all-you-want breakfast at the hotel and gone back upstairs for a bit more sleep, having not had enough and still feeling sore. The wind was mostly helpful, though it never went SSW as I expected it to, and the showers that still came through were lighter. I stopped at the southern Greenbushes turnoff for my drink break, at 6588. I went on and passed the northern Greenbushes turnoff at 6589, reached Balingup at 6598 but went through without stopping. About 2 kilometres north of Balingup I passed a cyclist on his way into the town. He had a mountain bike, and it and he were heavily laden with luggage - he must have been one of those who ride as far as they can in a day and camp somewhere. We smiled and waved at one another but there was no time to stop and chat because a shower was moving in from the west. I found a bit of tree cover and stopped for a drink break at 6600. The rain stopped and I moved on, labouring up the climb that I had galloped down on Monday. I was going to pass through Kirup, 6612, without stopping but more rain threatened so I took another drink break there, sheltering under the eaves of the toilet block. Now it was time to get on, no more breaks, tailwind, mostly downhill, no problem. I reached Donnybrook Motel, 6630, at 1:18. The day was cold but I was glad to see that the nice pool there was full and ready for use. I booked into the motel and paid $48, then I went to get some lunch and some drinks and breakfast food. The delis and cafes in the main street were open, though the main shops were shut. Then I went back to the motel for my rest. I felt at peace - there were no major challenges left in this ride, though I was still 211 km from home. I would fit the pedals tonight and there would be good things on TV. The motel was as nice and good value for money as ever. I particularly like it not only for that but because I usually have reached it at a point when it represents an achievement on the ride, either on the way down or on the way back. I have now stayed in it 6 times. I was in Unit 7 this time. After lunch and a rest, I jumped into the pool and had a most delicious and soothing swim, then a hot shower, after which I felt great. Time for a stroll around the town and to get an early dinner at the usual Chinese restaurant. I was glad to see the oak tree at the old train station still there, still thriving after 108 years. I gathered up as many acorns as I could find, hoping to grow an oak or two at home. Lots of little oaks were coming up under the tree and would have done well if taken into a pot and taken home, but I was not able to do that, of course. While at the station I tried to book the Wagon Wheels motel at Harvey, but they were full up, unexpectedly. I wondered what was going on at Harvey and started to form tentative plans for another place to stop as I looked up and rang the number of the old Harvey Hotel. Fortunately they had a unit free for Monday night, in the little row of units out the back of the hotel. I stayed in one of them in 1996 on Day 2, on my way to Rocky Gully. The Chinese restaurant is just the same as when I first went there in 1985, run by one man, a rather bleak little place where people come in and out for takeaways but I have never seen anyone sitting down at the tables. I ordered braised pork in barbecue sauce and was invited to sit down and read Saturday's paper while it was prepared. The proprietor recognised me from 1996 and we had a chat about my ride. After an enjoyable evening of food, TV and relaxation in the spacious motel unit I thought I might as well fit the new pedals. I broke them out of their pack to discover that despite the certainty of the Sports Locker shop proprietor in Manjimup, the screw-in part was the smaller size, too small for my bike! I had pedalled nearly 100 confident km with a pair of useless new pedals! I should have taken a minute to check them in Manjimup, instead of giving in to my needless anxiety to get on. However, I wasn't too worried - the right pedal hadn't got any worse, the difficult part of the trip was over and $14.50 was cheap enough for the freedom from worry about the bike that I had enjoyed since Manjimup. I went to bed looking forward to a cool day with tailwinds and flat roads. Reading at Donnybrook: 6630. Day's ride 59 km. Aggregate: 416. Kpd 59.4. Speed Bridgetown to Donnybrook 16.0 kph.
DAY 8, Donnybrook - HarveyMONDAY 19 OCTOBER I left the Donnybrook Motel at 8:40 with a moderate SE breeze that was to help most of the way. I was surprised that the weather had turned around so quickly - after the days of rain with a NW-W-SW regime I expected a day or two of fresh S-SW. It was as though a couple of days had been omitted from the cycle and the easterly trend was already clear. I passed through Boyanup at 6645 and took a right turn to get onto the Dardanup Road, formerly the South Western Highway. I stopped for a rest at 6649. There was a feeling of a headwind as I headed NW. I passed through Dardanup at 6655, turned right into a headwind, then turned left to get a tailwind as I headed due north. I reached Waterloo Road at 6660 and the junction of Waterloo Road and South Western highway, Waterloo itself, at 6666. I bought a drink at the shop and had a chat with the cheery proprietor. A funny man, muttering in French, with a big hat and his hand stuck up his vest stared at me as I came outside. Not! There was a feeling of a headwind again as I headed for Benger, after which the road turns more N and I had a helpful wind again. I passed through Brunswick Junction at 6677, pausing only to use the toilet, taking my main rest stop at 6682. I reached Wokalup at 6692. A long freight train rumbled through heading south just as I reached the railway crossing. I decided to take a 'short cut' into Harvey, along a minor road that went due N instead of the main highway which went NW and, according to my reading of the map, would have added 1 km to the trip. As it turned out, I should have taken the normal route because I think the 'short cut' was longer, but it was a different and more interesting way to go. I reached the Harvey Hotel, 6699, at 12:35. I checked in - there were only two staff in the hotel and I had to go into the bar and wait for beer to be served to others before getting to pay $45 for my unit. No. 31, and get the key. The unit was as I remembered one of the others from 1996 - cramped compared with Donnybrook but adequate. This time there was a mint on the pillow with a note saying "Our guests are worth a mint to us." There were only two packets of sugar in the unit so I sneaked into the deserted dining room and pinched a cup of sugar so that I could have my tea and coffee as sweet as I prefer it. A group of people had booked all the other units and as I had my rest they were rushing in and out, slamming their car doors, then the unit doors, over and over again, and yelling at each other. Someone banged on my door a couple of times. Finally they went. Later I had my shower and did my washing. The rotary hoist and pegs for guests were still there. I took advantage of this fact to wash my canvas back pack as well as the usual riding clothes. I disturbed a hen and her brood of chicks who were nestling near the steps of my unit. They got up and scuttled off. There were also a couple of cats but their presence did not seem incompatible with that of the free-range chicken family. I felt very weary as I walked around the town, though the day had been comparatively easy. It was the cumulative effect of the trip and the fact that I am 21 years older than when I took my first full ride. I decided not to book a hotel in Mandurah until I reached Pinjarra the next day, since by then I would be only 19 km from Mandurah with a tailwind, I presumed. Mandurah is far from being a one hotel town in which it is a good idea to book. I was sure to get in somewhere and if I couldn't go any further for some reason, then Pinjarra offered a couple of hotels. I could even bomb out at Waroona if necessary, though that didn't seem likely. I did make some other 'phone calls and took a couple of pictures. Then I got chicken and chips, again, and went back to my unit for an early dinner and TV and an early night. Reading at Harvey: 6699 km. Day's ride: 69 km. Aggregate: 485 km. Km/day: 60.6. Speed Donnybrook to Harvey: 17.6 kph.
DAY 9, Harvey - MandurahTUESDAY 20 OCTOBER I left the Harvey Hotel at 8:24 on a cool fine sunny morning with light ESE winds. I turned onto the SW Highway at 6700 and at 6701 a sign said 'Waroona 28' which was further than the map indicated. I had not gone all the way from Harvey to Mandurah before. I had gone from Mandurah to Harvey only once, in 1977, on a heavy bike with a three-speed hub and a back-pedal brake, an old clunker, not maintained well because I didn't know how in those days. I was riding with rubber thongs on my feet. The temperature reached 42 degrees that day, a record for November. I couldn't do it now, under those conditions. I wouldn't even try. So this day was to be a closing of that old circle. Now that I no longer had to worry about hills, or rain and hail, or the pedal falling off, I became increasingly aware of the worry that I had anticipated in Bunbury when I realised that I had left my saddle cover at home. I was starting to feel very sore in the saddle. Also, my right leg was in constant pain. It seemed that these problems might threaten to stop the ride. But they never got to that stage, though they were to slow me down as I got closer to home the next day. I rested at 6718, passed through Waroona at 6729, bought a drink there, passed the pleasant motel where I had stayed on the penultimate day in 1996 after the long and new ride from Collie, then stopped to rest and drink the drink I had bought in Waroona at 6737. I reached Pinjarra, still able to ride, at 6754, 11:30, and felt quite able to reach Mandurah - the wind was still ESE. I stopped to ring up and book the Mandurah Gates Resort, where I could have a spa as well as a nice room and would be within an easy walk of the excellent ocean beach at the foot of Stewart Street. Then I had a prolonged sit down and a drink in the park by the river before going back to the traffic lights and heading west towards Mandurah, at 12:14, 6756. I passed what had been the Sports Store as I approached Mandurah but it had relocated and I didn't think it worth looking for the new location because it probably wouldn't be able to exchange the pedals. I reached the old heart of the town, the Brighton Hotel and the old bridge, then turned north and reached the Mandurah Gates Resort at 1:15, 6777. I paid for my room by credit card, then bought lunch and had a nice rest before indulging in a number of pleasures all involving water - a beautiful soothing swim in the ocean , then a prolonged stay in the spa, then a hot shower which became a relaxing bath since the shower was over the bath. By the time I had dried my washing in the dryer in the guest laundry it was after 4 pm and I strolled around to check out the local restaurants. There are a number of good ones crowded around that part of town because the Atrium has been there for years. I decided to have my dinner at the Chinese smorgasbord. That was a treat. Then it was back to the resort to lie around and watch TV for a bit before having another spa. The rest of the people staying at the resort were taking part in an Assemblies of God get-together. They were numerous and noisy but pleasant and I didn't worry about them. I have in the past stayed in hotels full of people who fought, screamed, broke glass and slammed doors all night. The staff asked me a couple of times if I were part of the Assemblies of God meeting. I didn't sleep soundly until well after midnight. Reading at Mandurah: 6777. Day's ride: 78 km. Aggregate: 563 km. Km/day: 62.6.
DAY 10, Mandurah - CottesloeWEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER I was up early to get the lavish 'continental' breakfast included in the room price, before the dining room got too crowded, but the Christians were up earlier than me. However, they were having a morning service in a separate room and didn't come in to breakfast until later. There was all the toast and cereal you could eat, also fresh fruit and fruit juices and coffee. I was tempted to have another swim and a spa before leaving but I have seen the folly of that before a long ride - the energy gets sucked out of me and I was facing a warm day with headwinds and my right leg was going to be a problem, so I decided to save the swim for when I got home. I had a bit more sleep after breakfast and finally left the resort at 10:02. The warm day might have dictated an earlier start but I was hoping a light sea breeze might kick in by mid-morning. In the event, there was no sea breeze that day, not even in Cottesloe. I had drink stops at 6794, 6811 and at 6827, the Coogee beach store. As I was leaving that I ran into a chain that I didn't see across the road leading past the store to the beach. I didn't see it in time to brake and avoid pushing into it. Fortunately it was not firmly attached and fell down. I wasn't strong enough to re-attach it so I just got going. I reached home at 1:56, 6841, and the second Windy Harbour ride ended as I dismounted the bike outside my back gate.
Final reading at end of ride: 6841 km. Km for day: 64. Aggregate: 627. Kpd: 62.7 Kph to home: 16.?. 3 hours 54 minutes from Mandurah to Cottesloe; very much slower than last year, due to warm headwind and sore right leg. I was pushing through the pain barrier for the last 20 km. Charles A. Pierce 1998Do you have questions about bicycle touring in Western Australia's SouthWest? You're welcome to ask Charles!
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