I left Nannup at 9:41. The morning was sunny and cool with a freshening westerly wind. I didn't have too much trouble climbing the hills I had rushed down only the previous afternoon. I wasn't in any hurry and I knew that this road would go for a long way through forests that would be rich in wildflowers, and I was looking for orchids. It wasn't too long before I fond some yellow ones and took pictures.

I found many more of those all the way to Bunbury. I also found two different kinds of blue-violet orchids and took pictures.

I took a rest and a drink at 663 and at 667 I approached an establishment that had posters all along the road advertising mazes and teas and fun. I decided to stop and have a look. It was run by an English couple, who spoke with the flattened vowels of the south. It was the sort of establishment that is set up in country areas by hopeful British immigrants. They had gone to a lot of trouble to grow ornamental gardens and to construct four mazes. Two were made of hedges against fencing wire, where you couldn't see where you were going, and two of coloured tiles in the ground which you just had to follow over an open area where the objective could be clearly seen from the start.

The sun was quite warm now that I was out of the wind. I paid my $8 and went in. I looked around the ornamental garden, took a few flower pictures. I entered the maze where you had to find the names of three knights and a clue to the location of the Holy Grail. The clue was underlined. One of the knights was called Sir Counter-Productive, so that was easy. On my way out the lady asked if I had found the clue. I said 'Counter' and she asked my name. I said 'Charles' and she said 'You are now Sir Charles' and knighted me with a plastic sword that she fished out from under the counter.

I entered the larger maze, which was the Labyrinth, very well constructed. I walked round and round and kept finding new places where I hadn't been. You were supposed to look for Ariadne and Theseus and be guided by them to the Minotaur. As I searched about the convoluted pathways the whole thing became in my mind a microcosm for my bike ride, a lot of effort to achieve specific goals, and it became important for me to track them all down. There were lots of other characters and creatures but I did eventually find Ariadne and Theseus and find my way to the Minotaur, a big plastic bull with horns. Then I had to find my way back. As I walked out of the maze I noticed that a full-grown person could clearly see the horns of the bull as he walked in, if he knew where to look. There was a metaphor in that, too.

Finally there was a pattern of red and yellow spotted stones. You had to step on alternate red and yellow to reach the Gargoyles, three ugly masks hanging on a stump. I took a picture of this.

I bade farewell, got my knighthood and resumed my journey. As I laboured up the hill I passed the peg that said BSN 40. It seemed a long way. I listened to the Country Hour, faut de mieux. It is actually quite enjoyable. A chicken farmer rang up the presenter who was doing a segment about some rural show. A cock very close to her, crew vigorously at regular intervals while she was talking to the presenter, and they both had to stop and giggle every time this happened. Other people droned on about country stuff, giving me a sense of peace. Later I was able to get the description of the cricket Super-test, which was to accompany me for several days during this ride.

At one stage while riding through the forest a striped baby emu came out of the trees and ran along beside the road for while before returning to the forest.

When I first rode along this road it passed through a strange place called Jarrahwood. There had been no-one about and nothing open, just a collection of ramshackle structures, some wisps of smoke and a dawg howlin' someplace. It was like something out of the movie 'Deliverance'. Now the road by-passes Jarrahwood and you never see it, unless you want to make the detour, but why would you.

I rested again at 678, and at 681 saw the sea, way ahead of me. I assumed that this was the edge of the scarp and I would have a nice downhill run onto the flat country, but in fact I had another 6 km of ups and downs before, at 687, seeing the same vision again, the sea beyond the lip of the road. This time it was real and I did have a downhill rush onto the coastal plain. I took pictures on both occasions.

The road was heading north-west and the wind was fresh from the west so the going was not too easy. I took a last rest at 693 opposite a farm. The pastoral country south of Busselton is very attractive. I reached the Bussell Highway, to find that it is now a big wide bypass with a roundabout that guides you to the old Bussell Highway and to Busselton. Another reason to get new maps. I laboured up the causeway and up Queen Street and turned right into Marine Terrace, to find the dear familiar sight of the Esplanade Hotel, somewhat spruced up and enlarged over the years but still recognisable. I stopped there at 3:10, 708.

It took a while to get checked in again, same reason. I got Unit 8, $65. Having already worked out in my mind a revised ride plan, I took the opportunity to book a unit for Monday 17^th. I had decided to stay two nights in Dunsborough and attempt several specific goals. These were completed successfully and enjoyably as we shall see.

There was no time for a sleep so I did my shopping and rang up to book the next two nights in the Dunsborough Motel. It is Best Western now, not a Mercure Inn. So I had the next 3 nights booked and could relax.

I took the traditional walk under the weeping gum trees to the beach and had a delightful swim. There was a westerly current but the sea is rarely rough there. The water was murky as it always is in spring, due to the run-off from the numerous rivers and drains that take water from the inland to the sea all along that coast.

I had a shower and did my washing, and hung it up under the air conditioner turned up warm. This was effective.

I walked around the town and took a few pictures as twilight advanced. I got a pizza from a local family-owned pizza shop, not one of the big franchises. It was delicious.

There was nothing to do now but relax with Friday night TV. When I arrived the TV didn't work, just a blue screen, but I found that there was a dodgy connection to the antenna socket on the wall. I fixed that. I had decided to save my walk on the famous Jetty until Monday.

There was a big sliding door on the unit with no sliding insect screen. This was the only openable window and the only source of ventilation (apart from a narrow gap at the top of the bathroom window) so they had equipped it with a lockable bolt and an extra hole so that it could be kept open while allowing only a gap too narrow to allow an adult to squeeze through, though the average burglar, a skinny 10 year old, might have got through. I kept this open when I went to bed, because I have to have air when I sleep. At about 3 am I was awoken by a noise and an orange flash at the sliding door, as though someone had stuck their arm in and lit a match or cigarette lighter briefly. I got up and found the curtain pulled aside. I looked out and saw no-one. I shut and bolted the door securely. The room was fresh and cool enough and I was still sleepy.

Reading at Busselton, end of day: 708. Km for day: 62. Aggregate: 307. Km/day: 61.