Day 24 - Oodnadatta to Kathleen Creek - 83kms
This morning it looks like a sunny day. We had breakfast together at Jim's fancy cabin and were riding around 8.30am.
The first few kms were a little corrugated, but I was always able to find a relatively smooth line through. We generally stop every 20kms or so for a drink, rest and chat. The first 20kms went by really quick, as there was barely a breeze in the air. The road was pretty flat for the day, except for the odd creek crossing. After about 50kms the road surface became a lot more sandy. It was still quite okay though, as the sand was generally not that deep. Whilst riding through this section an ambulance driver pulled up along side and we chatted for a little while. The first thing he said to me was that it was fantastic what I was doing and then he asked if he could get a photo of me? Overall the drivers have been pretty good during this trip. Our final destination was a few more kilometres than first thought, but after about 80kms we got to Kathleen Creek. The creek has a little bit of water in it, but the water didn't look very inviting. We found a nice camp spot on the eastern side of the creek. As usual, once we got our camp setup we went to find some wood for the night to start our campfire. It is a very mild night, for dinner tonight I tried one of the freeze dried meals, Spaghetti Bolognese, wasn't too bad at all. Very easy to cook, boil water, add and stir, leave for 10 minutes and then eat. No washing up after as well. As we did more kilometres than planned today, it'll mean the next two days should be quite short rides (approx 60km each day). We will then be back on the black stuff at Marla and heading north. |
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Day 25 - Kathleen Creek to bush camp - 68kms
Last night around the campfire Jim put a movie on for us to enjoy. Didn't think I'd be watching a movie in the outback on this tour.
This morning we were away at around 8.30am. As appears to be the norm at the moment the weather is great. The track today was pretty rocky as we were passing through a gibber plain. This made riding a lot more tiring. After lunch we agreed we would look for a camp spot at around the 60km mark. Jim noticed a water tank and wanted to check it out. So we had a look and found a great source of fresh water (from a cattle trough!), so refilled out bottles. Which will mean we will not need to get so much when at Marla. Around the 60 km mark we started to look for a campsite. We noticed a couple of small creeks but there wasn't much shade, so continued for a few more kms. We then noticed this nice green area and pulled in for a look. We almost stopped here but I noticed hundreds of mosquitos on my shoulder, so we left that site. We found a site just past the UHF repeater tower. We wee both pleased to had found somewhere, as were tired from the not so great road. We were also glad that there certainly were not that many mosquitos here either. So a not so great day on the bike turned out to be okay at camp. Tomorrow is our last day on the Oodnadatta track. We have had some great bush camps along the way, will feel a bit strange to be back on the black stuff. |
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Day 26 - Bush camp to Marla - 55kms
This morning, whilst still waking up in my tent, I awoke to the sound of a single bird which was singing such a nice song. Before we left for our final day on the Oodnadatta track Jim and I took photos of each other riding our bikes.
The road was still a little crappy for the first 15kms. But afterwards the road became a lot better. With just 30kms to go we got a nice tailwind pushing us in to Marla. We made really good time and rode into Marla at about 12.30pm. Marla is a big roadhouse on the Stuart Highway. It seems to have pretty good facilities. First thing we did after we got a campsite was to have a good shower. I certainly felt a lot cleaner afterwards. The rest of the day involved eating, swimming in the pool, cleaning the bike and more eating. It was strange being in a campsite with lots of people camping around us. But was nice chatting to my lovely wifey and the nephews in Sydney. The next three or four days I'll be riding north along the Stuart Highway before heading west once more. The last 10 days on the Oodnadatta track have been fantastic. Great camp sites, mostly okay dirt roads and nice weather. Even most of he drivers slowed down a bit to reduce their dust cloud. That was always welcomed with a big thanks from me. |
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