Distance today 83km at 22km/hr average
TOTALS: Distance 5143km. Donations $7460.09. Days remaining 67. Deserts: Sturt Stony, Strzelecki, Tirari, Gibson, Great Victorian. Tracks: Birdsville Development Road, Birdsville Track, Oodnadatta Track, Red Centre Way, Great Central Road, Goldfields Highway, Wiluna North Road.
Note to new readers: I am travelling with my bike who’s name is Banjo. I often refer to ‘we’ meaning Banjo and I. ‘We’ have an amazing support team of family, friends, sponsors and folk we meet each day. But it’s still up to ‘us’ to face the challenge and tackle each day one peddle at a time.
It’s 807pm on Tuesday the 13 July 2021.
Taaaaailwiiind!!!!!! Oh what a great ride into Newman. We woke to showery morning but the overcast conditions made for a complete different feel to the landscape.
We packed up camp and set off to tackle ‘come what may.’ I couldn’t believe our luck!!! The unexpected weather was blowing up from the south west. This meant the wind was over our left shoulder and it carried us like a wedge tail north to Newman. The legs were soo happy to finally be able to spin at a higher cadence. It burnt off the lactic acid build up that was causing cramps and muscle soreness the last few days. It also got the happy hormones charged up again. The world seemed just that bit brighter today even in the rain 🤣
We passed a rest area and saw a caravan leaving. It was Geoff and Mandy from Rockingham, who gave us the rice crackers in Kumarina. We compared wild camps for the night. They checked in we had everything for the day and promised to follow our challenge online.
The beep beeps were out in numbers again enjoying the showery conditions. It was nice to share their company again!! The landscape was interesting with rocky outcrops and bluffs. The ground was covered in a wheat coloured grasses and the shrubbery was showing off their colours and flowers. This made the ride super enjoyable and I savoured the change of conditions and scenery.
The 83km passed quickly with a break and snake every 20km. We arrived in Newman about 130pm. It’s quite a large town sprawled out with mining industrial areas and services. It was a bit tricky to orientate myself so I went to the info bureau to find out about camping options. A new Council campgrounds opened in April. You have to book online or attend the council chambers. I went to their office and was able to arrange a free camp overnight. Awesome!!!!
Once I found the campsite it was time for choirs. The campgrounds were somewhat out of town and I still needed to pick up my parcel post and washing powder. Anna and Ted are camping next door. What a beautiful couple!!! Anna have me some washing powder and Ted offered to drive me into town later. That meant I could do most of the choirs before the post office closed at 5pm. At 430pm, Ted and I headed to town to the post office and Woolworths. They’ve recently travelled Marble Bad Road where we head tomorrow so I was able to get an update on road conditions. Apparently it’s in pretty good condition with some sections also sealed. Awesome!!!! Ted also let me use his compressor so Banjos pumped up and shiny ready for the next stint!!
It’s time for dinner now as it’s after 9pm and I need an early night. Talk soon xx
The 10 desert challenge 
Maree, Awesome accomplishment! Your posts are becoming my favourite part of the day. Wishing you strong tail winds and fine weather. 🙏
LikeLike