Dan’s Final Reflections

For the last four and a half years, I have wrestled with an appropriate way to honour the life of my brother Drew. This is not an easy thing to do by any stretch, and as time has passed, good ideas and bad have fallen by the wayside.

When Mark, Alyce and I started toying with the idea of a ride across Australia, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do something really positive in Drew’s memory. Alyce was also very keen to honour Dennis’ memory, and when she suggested raising money for the Black Dog Institute, the idea quickly became a reality.

While there is no doubt that the ride itself is a wonderful achievement and an experience I will never forget, raising money and awareness on behalf of the Black Dog Institute has been just as satisfying, if not more so.

There is no way that any of this would have been possible without the support of our family and friends. My family, friends and workmates have backed me at every point, and I have been overwhelmed and humbled by the time, energy, donations and support that I have received.

While I missed my wife and children incredibly while I was away, Katie, Harry and Ruby have also been my strongest supporters and I couldn’t have done this without them. Similarly, one of my great pleasures was sharing the first half of the ride with my parents, Fran and Dugald who kept my spirits and energy levels up during some very tough days on the bike.

Anita and Judy were fantastic during the second half of the trip, particularly when conditions really started to test us. And of course, I am incredibly grateful to Alyce and Mark for their support and drive throughout. This has been an fantastic team effort from the outset.

I should probably reflect a little on the ride itself…it is without question the most physically and perhaps mentally difficult thing I have ever done, but also one of the most satisfying.

We saw some amazing things each and every day, from the starkness of the Hay Plain, to the lush vineyards and orchards along the Murray to the spectacular and everchanging scenary across the Nullarbor. And each and every day, conditions changed to make things just that little more interesting, be it headwinds, crosswinds, tailwinds, cool mornings, scorching hot days or driving rain.

There is no doubt that I am rapt to be home with my family and friends, and my butt thanks me each and every morning that I choose not to sit on a bike seat. That said, I am looking forward to getting back on the bike in the New Year and wonder what the next pipe dream might be…Top2Tail 2011??

Mark’s Final Reflections

Riding a bike across the country is something that I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember. However, the idea has only been floated with those around me on a very occasional basis due to the less than enthusiatic support usually expressed by them. That all changed in January 2009 when my wife Anita and I were having dinner (and a few drinks) with her sister Kate and her husband Dan. During conversation I casually mentioned that I would be riding a bike across the country at some time during my life and Dan immediately said he was keen to do likewise and we hatched a plan to do it together at the end of 2009. There even seemed to be a level of support for the idea (or at least an absence of opposition) from our respective partners.

The next day I presumed that, with sobriety, sensibility would return and the matter would not be raised again. However, shortly thereafter I received an email from Dan setting out a possible schedule for the ride. Before I knew it we were “locked in” to doing the ride, tweaking the schedule and discussing approaches to training and other preparation etc etc.

Very early on my daughter Alyce learnt of our plans and “wanted in”, which we were happy to agree to. Alyce was, however, very worried about what her triathlon coach Ben would say, so for some time we just kept it as our little secret. As it turned out, when she did muster the courage to tell Ben he was very enthusiastic and he has been incredibly supportive along the way, designing a specific training plan for Alyce and offering her heaps of advice and encouragement. In fact the whole Tridents Triathlon Club has been incredible in its support for Alyce in particular and the whole pedals2perth effort in general and I couldn’t be happier that Alyce has found a “home” there where she is so comfortable. She does tease me a bit about the other “fathers” who look out for her at the club while I am away in the Northern Territory, but I am delighted that she has an ongoing association with people of such character and positive outlook who clearly care for her and also really enjoy her company.

At an early stage of our planning and thinking about the ride, Dan and Alyce each independently formed the view that we should add meaning to our ride by using it to raise awareness about male depression and also to raise funds to help in this area. We all agreed on this and settled on the Black Dog Institute as the organisation we would like to support through our fund raising efforts.

I have been living and working in a remote location in the Northern Territory for the past couple of years, where it is impractical to have a road bike. As such, almost all of my training for the ride across Australia was done on my mountain bike, riding on sandy and rocky roads and tracks around the area where I work. We agonised considerably over a period of time about whether we should do a supported or unsupported ride, and what would be the best bikes for our purposes. We ended up settling on a supported ride (thanks to our terrific support crews) using fairly standard road bikes. I had been given a new road bike (a Scott CR1 Pro) for my 50th birthday during the year, but had only been able to ride it a couple of times when on brief “reunion” visits back to Canberra. Having now ridden it across the country, I have fallen in love with it. It performed faultessly and was a delight to ride. Alyce (Scott CR1 Pro “Contessa”) and Dan (Avanti Giro) were also extremely happy with how their bikes performed.

The ride has been, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my life. Though I have previously travelled across the country in a car, doing it on a bike provided the opportunity to experience the journey and “feel” everything in a way which is just not possible sitting inside a vehicle in air conditioned comfort (although one “feeling” we would have all been happy to forego was the “saddle soreness”). We each saw things we had never seen (I never knew a hare could be so large – I thought it was a kangaroo at first) and experienced the warmth and friendliness of a vast array of different people (many only very briefly as they waved enthusistically as they passed in the other direction in their vehicles). Some particular highlights for me included riding across the Hay Plain, experiencing some magnificant sunrises, stopping at the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight, making our way along the Murray River and spending some nights at locations on its banks, and riding in and triumphing over some “extreme” conditions including high temperatures (45 degrees on one day), a severe, if brief, hail storm, and some strong winds (though, thankfully, these were not directly in our face too often).

It was also very special for me that I did all of this in close company with one of my daughters, sharing each experience along the way as we found out more about our country, ourselves and each other. Although the ride was being done in memory of Alyce’s ex boyfirend and Dan’s brother, who had both died well before their time, I had not personally experienced the devastation associated with losing a loved one in such tragic circumstances. I believe I may have gained at least some insight to this when Alyce crashed heavily onto the road right in front of me after we had ridden almost 200km on our second last day. When I ran back to check on her I was extremely worried to find her lying limp and unresponsive on the road. Thankfully, although she was knocked temporarily unconscious, she sustained no serious injuries. I have, however, reflected on the possibility of a different outcome, and this has reinforced for me the importance of appreciating what we have while we have it, and living life to its fullest, now, rather than at some time in the future.

Special acknowledgement must go to Dan. Without his involvement the idea to ride across the country would most likely have remained as a pipedream which may or may not have been realised at some time in the distant future. It must be acknowledged that Dan has not had an “athletic background” comparable with the backgounds Alyce and I have, but he accepted the challenge, achieved enormously along the way, and should be regarded as an incredible inspiration to others who have ever considered taking some action to improve their overall level of health and fitness.

Special thanks too to our support crews, Fran and Dugald for the first half through to Ceduna and Anita and Judy from Ceduna through to Perth. Putting up with us and meeting our needs and expectations was not an easy job. But they did magnificently and their efforts are very much appreciated.

Having had such a great time, I am a little sad that this adventure is now over. I wonder what will be next on the agenda?

Alyce’s Final Reflections

When Dennis passed away I was filled with 1,000 different emotions. I felt that they were all boiling up inside of me and I had no way of getting them out. I was looking for an outlet and found that swimming allowed me to relax or when needed, I could swim really hard to get some of the anger out with no one else aware of what was going on.

Seeing how much I enjoyed swimming, Dad suggested that I start training with his triathlon club, the Tridents. It took me a few weeks to get the courage up but eventually I went along and honestly, I have never looked back. The people there were amazing. They accepted me straight away and I loved the fact that none of them knew about Dennis and I would always leave training with a smile. I think this was partly from all the endorphins I was getting but also from being around so many encouraging and inspiring people.

Four years later, Dad, Dan and I started talking about the possibility of riding to Perth to raise money for the Black Dog Institute and I felt that I couldn’t let the opportunity to raise awareness of mental disorders pass by while also getting to do something that has helped me significantly.

The months leading up to it were very stressful, trying to make sure we had everything we needed for the trip, as well as organising various fundraising activities but ultimately we all made it to the start line.

When we set off from Canberra on Saturday 28 November I was really excited about what was coming up but also incredibly nervous. I knew that the ride was going to be an amazing adventure but I was also unsure about what mother nature would throw at us and how well I would cope on the 200km+ days (as the furthest I had ridden before this was about 160km the week before).

The first 5 day section through to Renmark absolutely flew by. I couldn’t believe how far we had already come and I was worried that it was all going to be over before I knew it. But as we settled into the second stage of the ride things started to slow down and I knew it was going to take a little more mental strength to get through each day now that the initial hype was over.

There were some days where time absolutely flew by and I felt like I could have ridden another 50-100km at the end of the day but there were others when I felt like I watched every kilometre tick over and it seemed like we were never going to get to our destination. There were also days when we were overtired and it wouldn’t take much to set us off into hysterical laughter about things that really weren’t that funny (ok, it was usually only me that got hysterical but at least it made the others feel funny).

The biggest highlight of the ride for me is still the ride from Nullarbor Motel to Eucla where at each stop we could enjoy the views of the Great Australian Bight. It was truly spectacular and the fact that we had such great conditions on the day made it even more so.

The scariest part of the trip was coming off my bike on the second last day. When I was coming back into consciousness after the fall I didn’t know how bad it was and I was extremely worried that I wouldn’t be able to get through the last day.

Pulling into Kings Park at the end bought on a mixture of emotions. I was relieved to finally get there but also a little disappointed that our adventure was over. It was an amazing journey and I am so glad that I could share it with Mum, Dad, Dan, Fran, Dugald and Judy.

Thank you so much to both support crews. You were all amazing in your own ways and I really couldn’t have done it without you.

And finally, thanks to everyone for all your support. It’s been wonderful getting all the texts, emails and phone calls of encouragement along the way and I look forward to seeing you all when I get back.

Day 25 – Cunderdin to Perth (161km + 15km)

In light of Alyce’s accident the day before, we entered our final day with mixed emotions. On the one hand, we were excited and relieved to be heading into the final day of riding, but this was coupled with some uncertainty as to how Alyce would pull up with little sleep and a raft of cuts, grazes and bruises.

After a week and a half of resisting the switch to WA time, we finally relented and changed our watches yesterday. This meant a 3.30am wake up with a 4.30am departure. To Alyce’s credit, she insisted on making her way back to the scene of the previous day’s crime to ride the final 15km into Cunderdin before embarking on the 161km to Perth.

Alyce back at the accident scene about to commence the ride

The sun was just breaking as we set sail for Northam, where we had arranged to meet Anita and Judy for morning tea. The first 70km were undulating with a light tail wind, and we had a pleasant break just out of Northam around 7am.

Riders at Morning Tea

Without much of an idea as to what lay before us, we arranged to meet the support crew at Mundaring for lunch, around 65km down the road, roughly 40km out from Perth. It wasn’t long before we realised that day 25 had a few surprises in store.

The generous shoulder and light tail wind that had accompanied the morning’s ride soon evaporated to be replaced with some long steep climbs, a growing cross wind and ever increasing traffic. This section of the ride was probably one of the more difficult we had faced in recent days and we were relieved to break for lunch a few hours shy of Perth.

Contemplating the final leg through to Perth

We spent a very pleasant break lying around in the sun, comtemplating the final run into Perth. Not long after hitting the road again, we were on the long descent into the outskirts of Perth, carefully navigating our way into Midland. Notwithstanding the best intentions of our Perth support crew, things went a little pear-shaped at this point as our best navigational efforts into the city went slightly awry.

After a few misturns, we opted to follow the rail lines into the city and stuck exclusively to footpaths as the shoulder on the local roads was now non-existent. Unfortunately, this blew out our estimated arrival time somewhat, but we were absolutely rapt when we got to town to discover that a police (pushbike) escort had been organised for the final run to King’s Park.

Our three police cyclists were absolutely fantastic and faultlessly guided us through the city, ducking and weaving through traffic at will as we followed blindly in their wake. It seemed like only moments later that we were heading up the road to King’s Park to a warm welcome from family and friends as our journey came to an end.

Riding into Kings Park, Perth

Day 24 – Southern Cross to Cunderdin (214km)

This morning we set our alarms for 2:30am WA time. Luckily, our body clocks are still on SA time so it felt more like 5:00am. Our experience with the riding conditions has been that, as the day progresses, the temperature rises and the wind gets stronger. We wanted to get as many kilometers in as we could before the conditions peaked.

We rode out at 3:30am and rode the first hour in the dark with our headlights and rearlights on. We were only passed by 3 vehicles during that time which was an added bonus of leaving early.

We had a nice tail wind for the first 70km and made good progress through to morning tea. As we were keen to make the best of the good conditions we kept the break very short and pressed on to Merridan where we picked up some cappuccinos and cake (which was particularly special as we hadn’t been treated to this since before the Nullarbor).

Up to this point we had experienced pretty good conditions but we could feel the temperature rising and were still worried about a predicted change to strong head winds later in the day. However, Alyce was very happy that the road had a good shoulder after riding on narrow roads for the last 2 days.

With continuing good conditions our spirits were up and the kilometers flew by as we sang songs together through to Lunch at Kellerberrin. 165km into the ride. We found a nice shady park to sit at (which also seemed like a luxury after numerous roadside stops).

Dan showing some man love at lunch

With just under 50km remaining after lunch and the conditions still quite favourable, if a little hot, we arranged one final water stop with our support crew. After Alyce had experienced some anxiety before the ride about doing such a long ride in the heat, she was quite upbeat as we made good progress towards our destination, Cunderdin.

5km after filling our bottles, we came to a railway crossing on the road. Alyce was up the front travelling at some speed and unfortunately hit the crossing at the wrong angle and before she knew it she crashed heavily into the bitumen. Mark had to swerve to avoid hitting her (and to avoid also coming to grief with the offending railway track) and immediately stopped to try to help her. Alyce was knocked temporarily unconscious from the fall and it was difficult to tell immediately if she had sustained any serious injuries.

Accident scene

A number of motorists stopped to offer assistance but Mark was able to contact Anita on the mobile in the support van and she arrived shortly after the incident. We were pleased when Alyce was eventually able to stand and walk with assistance to a spot a little a way from the road. But we were concerned that she had no recollection about the accident and was unable to identify where we were riding to today. So we put Alyce in the van and Anita drove her the final 15km into Cunderdin and straight to the local hospital where they treated and monitored her for the afternoon.

Alyce at Cunderdin Hospital

Thankfully, she was cleared of any serious injuries and was discharged at around 7:00pm.

Fingers crossed that she will be able to make it through our last ride through to Perth tomorrow.

Day 23 – Coolgardie to Southern Cross (188km)

This morning was one of the warmest mornings we have had so far and the first where we haven’t needed to wear any cold weather gear for the first section for quite some time.

As we set off in the dark there were hundreds of bugs flying into our faces for several kilometers which wasn’t very pleasant but thankfully, they disappeared before too long.

Again the roads were predominantly without shoulders and as the traffic built up following our early morning start we were very conscious of our vulnerability, particularly when vehicles (often trucks/road trains) were crossing on both sides of the road. There were several occasions where we had to ride over onto the gravel to let trucks pass us.

For the first section through to morning tea we were blessed with a slight tail wind (which made us all a little reluctant to stop in case the conditions changed). As the temperature was significantly warmer than other mornings, we decided to keep the break short to try and avoid riding for too long in the heat of the day.

In the next section through to lunch the temperature continued to rise and the wind gradually turned into a cross/head wind making the ride significantly more challenging. Again, we kept the lunch break short so we could try and knock off the last 60km as soon as possible.

The last 60km was particularly challenging with the temperature rising to around 40 degrees, the traffic building up and the wind staying mild but constant. We arranged for Anita to meet us on the side of the road half way so we could fill our bottles (which we seemed to go through very quickly) and throw water on us to cool us down.

Anita cooling the riders down...

We have a big day set tomorrow (213 km to Cunderdin) and the forecast doesn’t look pretty! Gulp.

Day 22 – Norseman to Coolgardie (167km)

There was a moment somewhere on the Nullarbor where Mark may have made a comment about the unlikelihood of us getting anything other than a tailwind to Coolgardie given the number of southerlies we had experienced to that point. Mark may also have mentioned that we had probably put most of the climbs behind us…it’s funny how things turn out…

While not one of the longer rides, there is broad agreement that today’s ride was one of the toughest we have done to this point. Without wanting this to sound like a massive howl, there are a number of contributing factors, including the bounce back from the rest day, the continual (albeit fairly mild) headwind, the rather steep undulations, the temperature in the high 30s, the incredibly narrow, poorly sealed roads, the absence of a shoulder and the hefty increase in traffic and driver attitude (including one guy who thought he would try and impress Alyce with a good old fashioned highway moon).

Dan's creative photography

Thankfully, the ride was over in good time and we pulled into Coolgardie a little worse for wear but excited about the prospect of a side trip to Kalgoorlie. While there is some debate in the group as to whether Kalgoorlie is a large town or small city (based entirely on the number of shops and the presence of a Bunnings and McDonalds), there was no doubting the joy at being able to pick up a decent coffee for the first time in a week.

We then made our way up to the Super Pit lookout on the outskirts of Boulder, where you are able to look down on a massive, fully operational open cut gold mine. For the stats nerds, and we know you’re out there, the Super Pit is 3.2km long, 1.4km wide and 330m deep…very impressive.

Dan, Mark and Alyce at the Super Pit

Mark showing off one of his many talents

Day 21 – Rest day reflections in Norseman

Alyce

The last week since Ceduna has had some major ups and downs for me.

The first couple of days on the Nullarbor were absolutely spectacular. As mentioned in the blog we had good conditions and saw some absolutely spectacular views along the way. I think that the ride from Nullarbor Motel to Eucla was the most enjoyable ride I have ever been on. It was amazing riding along the sections where you could see the ocean from where you were riding and being able to pull over and you were literally at the edge of Australia.

But then, there were also some extreme mental challenges for me this week. This was the longest period without a rest day (7 days) and we had some of the hardest days of riding yet. On the day that it got up to 46 degrees and we had the wind in our faces there was a moment where I honestly didn’t know if I was going to make it. Luckily, I was able to pull through it but the final section was the longest 30km of my life getting through to our destination.

Although we had some hard conditions in the days after this ride fortunately I was able to get into a good headspace for the remainder of the ride.

Finally, conquering the Nullarbor was an amazing feeling. In the lead up I had been very nervous about crossing it but fortunately, I was able to get through it.

Mark and Dan have run out of time to get their posts up tonight but will update it tomorrow.

Mark

Well the Nullarbor is now behind us and, although it snapped at us a bit a couple of times, it never really bit as hard as I am sure it is capable of doing. I can hardly believe our adventure is almost over and I’m a little sad about that as I have been enjoying it so much. I have driven this route once before many years ago, but am finding the trip so much more interesting doing it on a bike. You sort of get to notice things a bit more and you actually “feel” it in a way that doesn’t happen in air-conditioned comfort behind the windscreen of a car.

We have pretty much abondoned all concern for actual “time of day” and are working on things like departing at first light and taking lunch after about 125km etc. We have witnessed some spectacular sunrises, felt early morning chill in the air to a degree we didn’t think possible at this time of the year, experienced heat up to 46 degrees, ridden in wind, rain, hail and more, and been blown away by the friendliness and support by most people we encounter along the way, many for just a moment as they wave enthusiastically whilst passing in the opposite direction.

We are a bit over road houses and the “meals” we have been having there and are looking forward to some good home cooking in Perth (where Alyce, Anita and I will be staying with Anita’s sister and her family for a while).

After months of agonising over things like what bike to ride and what set up to use we are delighted with how are bikes have performed. One puncture each with almost the whole country crossed is pretty remarkable too I reckon.

The terrain for our last 4 days of riding into Perth is likely to be a bit different to what we have had for most of the ride, and the schedule is fairly tough, but we are looking forward to it. We are hoping to arrive at King’s Park in Perth at about 2pm Perth time on Tuesday. Until then, I hope everyone enjoys reading the daily updates and I expect we will each be doing a “final wrap” once we have finished.

Dan

There is no doubting that the second half of this adventure has been markedly different to the first, to an extent far beyond what I would have imagined.

The Nullarbor was both challenging and spectacular, with each day different to the previous. The conditions and landscape seemed to switch around at random, although the quality of the accommodation and food at the six roadhouses where we stayed was the one (very, very poor) constant.

The challenges we experienced as riders were mirrored in the experiences of the support crew as they struggled to keep the fresh water supplies up, the morning teas and lunches interesting, and spent an outrageous amount of time in roadhouse bistros watching the second hand tick around on the clock as we killed time before dinner. Full credit to Anita and Judy for an amazing job thus far.

While I will be forever pleased to have seen the Nullarbor by bike, I am thankful to be on the road to Perth and only a handfull of days from home. It seems only yesterday that Harry and I were discussing the 24 sleeps until I get home, and now we are down to four.

Day 20 – Balladonia to Norseman (192km)

This morning was the coldest morning we have had so far. We rolled out in our usual warmer morning riding gear but it took well over an hour for any of us to warm up, despite the morning ride having several steep undulations.

The first 80km had us riding North West with a slight cross wind (yet again). We had been under the impression that we would be turning into the head wind after this section but for some reason it stayed as a cross wind, turning to a slight tail wind at times.

In this section we had our first bad experience with a truckie. Unlike all the other truckies that have given us loads of space or waved/tooted when coming from the other direction, this one drove up as close as he could and blew his horn, nearly bursting all of our ear drums in the process.

The spirits of the group were clearly up as we knew we were very close to having conquered the Nullarbor. This was particularly evidenced by Dan’s upbeat singing and joking during morning tea.

We experienced similar conditions for the ride through to lunch although the temperature became much more pleasant than the early morning section. After numerous days of no elevation gain to speak of, we found that today we had climbed from our start point of about 150m elevation through a highest point of about 450m elevation.

Mark took this one over his shoulder while climbing a hill!

For lunch today we all ‘enjoyed’ salmon sandwiches (as the only fresh filling available) for the third day running, although this time the cheese rations were even further reduced. We will all be happy once we have restocked our supplies in Norseman!

After lunch we had just under 70km left to ride to complete the continuous 7 day stretch of over 1,200km from Ceduna to Norseman. This last section seemed to go pretty quick, we stopped to fill our water bottles with about 30km to go and made it through to Norseman.

Just before reaching Norseman Alyce spotted a very big log on the side of the road and thought she would have to get a photo to add to her ‘log book’ (which she thought was hilarious).

One for the log book...

We are all thrilled to have conquered the Nullarbor! There have been some very testing conditions along the way but we all managed to pull through it and get it done. We will write more about it in our rest day reflections.

Day 19 – Caiguna to Balladonia (181km)

Sorry for the delay in getting the last couple of days up. We had no internet/mobile reception in Caiguna and ran out of time to get our updates up yesterday. We are still having trouble uploading photos but hopefully we can get some up soon.

Day 19 didn’t start out very promising. Our plan to wake up early to avoid the worst conditions of the day didn’t work out when we woke up to howling winds and rain. Everyone was very slow getting ready so we left a little behind schedule but this meant that the rain had stopped and the wind had settled down slightly.

It was out the door and on to the 90 mile straight. Anita showed real commitment to her role as support crew when she walked out onto the highway in her pyjamas to take a photo of us at the 90 mile straight sign (which didn’t turn out so well since it was still dark).

Riders at the 90 Mile Straight sign (yes, they are all in it!)

Although the wind had settled slightly from what it had been, we had to battle a strong cross wind for the entire day. Alyce and Mark were riding together so they decided to play games and sing to pass the time, which meant that their spirits stayed high through the tough conditions. At one stage they had to pull over to the side of the road though when Mark made Alyce laugh while trying to take a shot of energy gu, causing her to spit it all over herself and her bike.

Unfortunately for Dan, having had some early problems with his cleats, he told the others to go ahead, and spent the day riding on his own and found this day’s ride particularly challenging. But, he was still able to join in on the laughs and stupidity at each break.

Anita was particularly excited at our first break as she had come across 4 eagles feeding on some of the massive amounts of roadkill that we came across during the day (this road was the worst we have come across since Canberra). Even though she had seen them flying earlier in the trip, this was her first time seeing them up close and she stopped in the middle of the highway to watch them.

The support crew managed to find us a great place off the road for lunch, one of the few shady spots available. Getting food supplies along the Nullarbor has proven difficult so we had salmon sandwiches (with the smallest slithering of cheese imaginable) for the second day in a row. We have also had to spend over $100 restocking our water supplies as the water in these areas is salty bore water and is difficult to consume.

After lunch we had the last 30km of the 90 mile straight left to knock off as well as a further 30km into Balladonia. After 90 miles of riding straight, Mark found it hard to negotiate the bend when it came and ran through to the other side of the road almost into the ditch. Alyce rolled her eyes, thought he was very predictable and they continued on their way.

Alyce and Mark nearing the end of the 90 Mile Straight

Once turning the bend and heading towards Balladonia, the nasty cross wind we had battled all day turned into a nice tail wind helping us through the last 30km.

The roadhouse in Balladonia is the nicest we have been to along the Nullarbor. Dinner options have been very limited and expensive at the roadhouses so we’d all had burgers from the snack bar for the last 3 nights. With the nicer looking restaurant in Balladonia we opted for the full menu and we all enjoyed a proper meal.