Day 13 - Roadside bush camp to Leichhardt Falls - 70kms

Picture
Last night it was very peaceful. No cars, no generators from caravans, just the bugs making a little noise. Again I had a great view of the stars.  I lost count of how many shooting stars I saw. It was a great night. 

This morning I was away a little before sunrise. As I want to get a few of the kilometres done before the sun warms everything up.   The corrugation was still not great for a few more kilometres. But then the road became quite well graded for most of the day. 

Riding early this morning I was greeted by a number of different animals like wallabies, emus and horses. It was a little windy today. But generally it was either a tailwind or slight cross wind. This help me get to Leichhardt Falls before 1pm. 

I found a lovely shady spot under a clump of trees just above the water. Once I had my lunch I went down to the water to have a dip. The water was so refreshing. There are a couple of fresh water crocodiles living around here. I had a walk and found a small one resting in the water. For the remainder of the day I just lazed under the trees near my tent and enjoyed sunset.

Day 14 - Leichhardt Falls to Burketown - 71kms
​

Picture
Once more a great sleep last night. I was up and away by 7.30am. The road to Burketown is sealed all the way. I had a nice tailwind pushing me along. So I was in town by 11am. 

Burketown is a small fishing town. People come here to catch barramundi. I tried a Barra pie from the local pie shop. It wasn't bad. I posted somethings home which are not needed, so should give me a bit more space on the bike. 

For the remainder of the afternoon I generally relaxed in town.

Day 15 -Burketown to Running Creek bush camp - 78kms

Picture
This morning when I was up the wind was really blowing. I left camp at around 7am. It was another blue sky day. I am taking a little detour to Lawn Hill National Park. I'm planning on being there by Friday. 

With the wind blowing from the south it meant I was going to have to deal with a headwind for the day. I knew it would not be fun. So I put my head down and just pedalled. Giving myself a break every 10 kilometres. Cycling into a headwind can be so demoralising. You are pedalling as hard as you can and you look at your speed, barely between 10-12kmph!

The scenery was generally open fields which made the wind so much worse. I slugged on as I wanted to get as close to Gregory Downs as possible, as this was going to be my destination for the day.  I realised I would not get there much before nightfall. 

It was about 2.30pm and I had travelled just under 80kms. I came to a place called Running Creek. There seems to be a small dam where you can swim. I also spotted a spot for where I could pitch my tent. Perfect. My reward for fighting those bloody headwinds. I enjoyed soaking in the water before getting my tent up. I had the place all to myself (and a few flies!). Thankfully a very average day on the bike turned out okay in the end. 

For tomorrow I still have 40kms to go until I get to Gregory Downs. Depending on the wind it will hopefully not take too long to get there.

Pictures from Leichhardt Falls to Running Creek