I left the Welcome Inn at 900, 8:29, and rode up Ocean Drive, turning right into Clifton Street to find Koombana Drive. The wind was a light south-easterly which helped me a bit after I turned into Estuary Drive to avoid the bypass and take the original Old Coast Road. The morning was cool again, and sunny. The wind became changeable, mostly calm, sometimes from the north-east, sometimes from the south-east. Effectively there would be no tailwind for me on this day. I am not going to do the Bunbury-Mandurah run again without a tailwind.

I passed through Australind, now swallowed up by Greater Bunbury but I still recognised the petrol station and shop and the little park where I stopped for a drink in 1979 the first time I took this road. At that time there was nothing for the next 50 km, until Lake Clifton. I reached the turn-off into Cathedral Avenue at 914. This is a slight short cut and a quieter road. I rejoined the main road at 922 and rested at 925. I rested again at 951, next to the peg that said MH 50. I took a picture of this.

Near the 30km peg further on was a log under a tree a little way down from the side of the road and I took another break and sat on the log and looked at the map. I was finding the going quite hard. 30 km seemed a long way. I drank half of my remaining bottle of orange juice and decided to take a leaf from the book of the Fremantle Dockers. I took two Caffeine tablets. I got going again and felt a bit stiff with no energy. I had been sucking barley sugars all the way so far, but after 5 km the Caffeine kicked in and the going seemed noticeably easier. I rested again at 987, near the 15 km peg.

Another thing was that the road has been re-aligned closer to Mandurah, so that the steep climbing that I used to dread on the last leg has been evened out. There were some climbing and some downhill runs but it seemed no time before I was at the Cape Bouvard bridge over the Dawesville cut, at 991.3. With a tailwind I can rush down this at 60 kph but not on this day. The bridge ended at 991.7. The journey always seems over when I cross this bridge, but there is still a long slog into Mandurah, looking out for the turning that takes you into the old town centre. I thought I had reached this when I came to some major traffic lights, but after nearly turning left I stopped and waited for the next cycle of lights before getting a green and going straight ahead. Sure enough, there was the correct left turn, well signed, at 1000. I followed the road, crossed the old bridge and gratefully braked in front of Tuckey's Tackle shop, still there, my traditional timing point, at 2:14, 1002. It had taken me 5 hours 45 minutes to do the trip, my fourth-worst, also fourth-best, time. Without the Caffeine I had probably taken more than 6 hours.

I was delighted to see that the Brighton Hotel has been completely rebuilt and is open for business. I remember that after the fire it was not completely demolished, just stripped back to the original core, presumably with a view to rebuilding around that, and so it seems to have happened.

I pedalled on up the hill and reached the Mandurah Gates Resort at 1004. It was just past the check-in time so there shouldn't be any wait. I got a surly reception from the girl at the desk. She said I had been expected on the 19^th, and didn't apologise she realised that it was the 19^th. She didn't smile or make friendly chat as people usually had in other places. Then she told me to 'drive' through the entrance on the right and 'drive' all the way around to my room, which was actually just inside the left entrance. This was despite the sweaty appearance, the bike helmet and the bike clearly propped against a wall just outside. Duh. I paid the $109 and just went through the left entrance to my room, Unit 40. It was upstairs which was OK because I could just walk in and out through Reception without having to use stairs or go around.

I got in, checked the TV, washed my back pack and the boxer shorts, hung them out on the balcony and lay down for a rest. I managed to sleep a bit although my heart was pounding at first and my legs were aching.

Later I got up and walked barefoot through Reception and down Stewart St. to the beach. I had a lovely swim. It is a lovely experience to float weightlessly in the waves after a big physical effort. Then I went back, walked straight through to the pool and spa area and jumped into the cold pool and swam a couple of lengths. Then into the spa. There were already two men there with beer cans lined up on the edge. I stayed in there a long time, talking and laughing with them about bike riding and other things. They said I looked about 50 when they tried to guess my age. They were down in Mandurah doing a job as part of the frenetic building activity that is going on in the area.

Finally I had my shower and did the other washing and went for a walk into town as evening drew on. I didn't go all the way to the old bridge.

I made some 'phone calls and bought Red Rooster for tea, then settled down for a relaxing evening.

Reading at Mandurah, end of day: 1004. Km for day: 104. Aggregate: 603. Km/day: 60.