Townsville - Katherine


Posting food parcel to Camooweal Roadhouse for later collection	Leave Yelta for Townsville May 28, 2007 Return to Yelta via Ghan Katherine to Adelaide July 11 - 13	Leaving Townsville
Wednesday 30th May CIVIC GUEST HOUSE TO WALKABOUT CARAVAN PARK TOWNSVILLE. 8km Breakfasted then went to the Mall for the last few supplies. Loaded up our bikes and were on our way by 9.45am. Michelle (originally from Tatura) took our photos. At the first stop sign Rae's bike tipped over and she fell with it in a most undignified manner. She took some skin off her knee and dented her pride but was otherwise OK. Managed to get some metho at a Mitre 10 we passed and arrived at the caravan park before 11.00am where we were given a 10% discount and a shady camping spot. The birds were singing all around. The ground was like rock and it was hot and humid so we showered and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Thursday 31st May TOWNSVILLE TO MINGELA. 83.4km Left at 7.15am, after sun-up. There was a SE breeze and the traffic was already very busy. There were lots of gravel trucks, utes, and 4-wheel drives. About 4km down the road Len had a flat front tyre - not a good start. We made fairly slow progress into the wind so called in for a cuppa at a store along the way at Calcium. The traffic eventually thinned out. The countryside was attractive with surrounding hills, white gums and long grass. We heard wrens and finches. We lunched at a roadside stop on the Reid River. We had counted on topping up our water bottles because it was so hot however the water was so salty we made do with what we had. The road turned SW and we started some serious climbing. The last 10km we were into our lowest gear, expecting a downhill at some stage but we didn't get one. We almost passed a road train (quadruple) and we were only going 6kph! The turn-off to Mingela was at the top of the climb. We headed straight for the pub - extremely dilapidated - but nice managers (from NZ) and room for $25. The shower was lovely after the hot sweaty ride. We were quite pleased we managed the ride so well because we haven't done a ride over 20km for a long time. Had a great time in the bar with the locals and the huge meal of steak and vegetables stumped us. The path to the outside dunnies was lined with cane toads at night.		Mingela Hotel
Friday 1st June MINGELA TO CHARTERS TOWERS. 45.5KM Sunny, hot, SE breeze. After a brekky of poached eggs and baked beans we set off at 7.45am. In all, our room plus 2 huge meals and 2 breakfasts, cost $70 total. The wind was on our side and there were lots of small hills, undulating country which we enjoyed because after a little work we could coast down the other side. The traffic was patchy with more going in the other direction. 13km from Mingela we came across an Australian Bustard dead on our side of the road. We rode past it on the kerb side and continued on, discussing just what type of bird it was, when we heard the noise of a car in gravel. Looking in our mirrors we saw a huge cloud of dust and smoke go up. We stopped, now about 500m away, and Len looked through his binoculars. He saw a yellow car on its side. We reckon the car coming behind us went round the bird onto the wrong side of the road forcing the yellow car coming from the opposite direction off the edge. The SES, 2 ambulances and 2 police cars went to the scene. They took a while to come from Charters Towers. We didn't ride back as there were plenty of people stopped but not the car that caused it. A couple of km further on Len got another flat tyre - 2 in 2 days! We finished the ride comfortably at 11.30am though it was getting hot. The caravan park was about 4km out so we went into town after setting up camp to look around and get some groceries. Showered and refreshed Len went to take a photo of our camp and the camera wouldn't work. Tried another battery - no luck. So the decision was made to get a cheap digital to get us through the trip. Dined in the camp kitchen with several other couples which was very enjoyable.
Saturday 2^nd June CHARTERS TOWERS TO BALFES CREEK 47km SE breeze and undulating. Left at 8.00am. It was quite a climb out of Charters Towers. The road surface was great with very little traffic so we rode side by side most of the time. The country gradually flattened out so we made really good time with the wind behind us. Attractive country with lots of cattle, trees, and grass. Arrived at Balfes Creek just before 11.00am and checked into a "donger", followed by a shower and a Balfes hamburger. We had a very restful afternoon. Len tried to learn up about the new camera and I studied the bird book as well as having a nap. We enjoyed the company of a couple of transport drivers and people involved in the mine with our drinks and meal in the evening. We heard the trains going through all afternoon and evening. The manager of the pub farewelled us next morning with "See you later eh(ay)". Which sounded like "See you later Rae". For a second I wondered how he knew my name!
Sunday 3^rd June BALFES CREEK TO PENTLAND 66km No wind and heavily overcast. Had breakfast in the hotel and left at 6.45am - just on sun-up. The traffic was great today, just a couple of trucks and plenty of utes going out to the copper mine 20km out of Balfes Creek. We could ride side-by-side most of the time and enjoy the birds and scenery. It was just a little hilly - short climbs and fun downhills. We crossed over quite a few creeks and a couple of rivers. Still very humid. Arrived in Pentland at 11.30am after having had a cuppa at Homestead. We found a shady, grassy spot to pitch our tent in the caravan park and went to the local store - shut - and the pub doesn't do meals on a Sunday, so we cooked our first dehydrated meal in the camp kitchen. We had a bottle of wine to go with it though. Rang Ros and discovered that Lewis has a broken arm. Ros will e-mail the family. Met a couple from Fremantle and spent the evening in the camp kitchen with them. Good fun.
Monday 4^th June PENTLAND TO TORRENS CREEK 53km Overcast and drizzle. Left Pentland at 7.00am. It was very overcast and threatening to rain. We rode many kms. in misty rain and the only traffic was tourists. The climb up onto the Great Dividing Range wasn't as severe as the Mingela Hill and we did it in comfort. It was followed by a couple of really long downhills into Torrens Creek. We decided to take a motel room as rain still threatened and there were no "dongers". We had a few little jobs to do to keep us busy for the rest of the day and to rest up for the 90km the next day. It rained a little at 7.00pm so the motel room was justified. Had an enjoyable evening with the hosts, a NZ truckie, and 2 caravan couples.
	Tuesday 5^th June TORRENS CREEK TO HUGHENDEN 92km Overcast with a good SE wind. Left the motel at 7.00am. It was pleasantly cool with an excellent tail wind. The hills turned out to be just an occasional low undulation so we made excellent time. We stopped at Prairie for a cuppa. The country became drier and trees quite sparse. The road surface was really smooth. Many trains went past and some gave us a wave and a toot. The caravan couples from last night were very tardy. We'd cycled 75km before they caught us. We took budget accommodation at the caravan park for $36. The accomm. turned out to be a huge building behind the caravan park. The rooms were enclosed by verandas on both sides, the walls all being louvres. Each room had an aircon. and there was a large kitchen and lounge . We learnt that it used to be the nurses quarters at the hospital. Other people using the building were Telstra workers and renovators of Govt. buildings. It was very warm at night. We don't even use a sheet. It may be the cloud cover but locals say it is most unusual to be so warm in the daytime at this time of year. They predict that after this rain depression it will get cold - like 24C!