the first day of spring started at minus 1 degree and I decided that it was time to point north. From Horsham I headed through the expansive broad acre cropping of the Mallee. Small towns with unusual names like “Speed” flashed by on a whoopy road base that wavered between the paddocks.
lunch was at Ouyen where I let out a sigh of relief having been told by the on board electronics I had run out of fuel at a point 4 km BEFORE the roadhouse. I was even more relieved when I filled the tank up and find it still had another 10 % to go. Then on to Mildura pulling up at a Big 4 van park. Looks like multiple rain fronts on the way so I once again opted for a cabin. Sure enough I was lulled off to sleep by squally rain gusts.
they continued into the morning and I timed my departure to ride west along the Murray River to Wentworth. It was a case of aiming at the fronts and going head on before the opportunity to turn North. It was a ride interspersed with many towns I had never heard of but BIG places with 20-50,000 people. This place is well populated.
I slipped through Wentworth with 250 km to go to Broken Hill And I decided to refuel. This turned out to be a smart move with only a small truck stop in between the two centres. It’s obvious that Wentworth is the northern limit of the Riverina and within 120 km heading north the country side morphed into real sand dunes and stands of Cyprus pine. Their trunks were twisted black shapes, dampened and darkened by the wintry rain. I had 4 layers on but the bike thermometer was stuck on 10 degrees. Avid readers of this blog ( there may be two of us) know my limit is 13 degrees before using 12 volt heating. But I am now convinced the bike thermometer is erratic…..after an hour it warmed up to 11 degrees and I still felt ok.
at a rest area with the unusual name of Popiltah I pulled up to strip off the wet weather gear. The clouds had thinned but the Northern travellers told me they had driven through rain Where I was heading. I decided to risk it. The rest area was busy and a guy pulled up in a van full of chocolates , he drives a load from Mildura to Broken Hill weekly …. Shows you how much money is in chocolates. But he gave me some good hints on Broken Hill accommodation before mentioning the lake was dry. ” What Lake” I asked….he smiled at the shoreline 50 metres away….I would never have known.
two shearing contractors pulled up to walk their ageing dogs. The Staffordshire Terrier made a bee line for me and had some fun tearing around the bike. I was pulling my helmet on when a Broken Hill A grader turned up. That term means born and bred in the hill….he was a nice guy and gave me a few more hints. Quite an eventful stop really….see the advertisement I picked up on Gumtree as well. ( pics to come)
around 3:30 I pulled into Broken Hill opting once again for a motel and a chance to do some washing.
