Distance today 70km. Hi fine folk. It’s 6.23pm Saturday the 8th of May 2021. This rest area is beautiful. I arrived at 5pm this afternoon after a late start from Yulara. Margaret and Kevin invited me to toast, eggs and good company for breakfast and of purse we got chatting. The ride went well with the first stop in Wallimbilla 20km out. There was a small cafe run at the information centre there and a popular stop off for many folk travelling this road. It’s the Roma show this weekend so the road is also busy with locals travelling to/from. Banjo attracted lots of attention at the info centre with many folk wanting to know more and take a photo of our website to follow how we go. One lady offered me her unit at Mitchell to stay overnight but I’m aiming for past Mitchell tomorrow as tempting as it was. Generous ofer. Lots of folk have mentioned the hot springs at Mitchell great for soaking the muscles. More about that tomorrow.

My partner gave me heads up to check my socials in particular Instagram as there was a couple of messages there from folk. I apologise for my social media tardiness as I’m on a learning curve to be active on the platforms and monitor messages in a timely way.

One of the messages on Instagram was from a lady Sarah Hammond Apparently Sarah has raced bicycles across many desert roads in Australia so knows just how hard riding out there is.

Sarah mentioned she came across my challenge in the Moreton Daily and asked if I have a PR person or if I have been promoting the ride. Sarah has reach to a large network of cyclists globally and has offered to help advertise our ride. I’ll link through to your web page too. She offered advice on post content and in particular how people may want to know about my set up. Her reaching out is awesome and very appreciated.

One of the key nothings folk ask me is about water, how I plan to carry the volume between water points and harvest water on route. So this post I thought I’d start there. Below is a picture of my water kit. It offers me options to gather water depending on the source and quality. I have a tea filter to remove large debris and a pump action filter to remove smaller particulars and 99.9% bacteria. The filter has a lid that attaches to my water bottle and allows me to filter water directly into it. Extra sterilisers are acquatabs (1 tab/litre) and colloidal silver (2mls/litre = 2 droppers). I have the capacity to carry 30+litres of water which will be hard going given every litre is a kg. There will be multiple days between water points at times so the ability to carry 2-6 days of water is essential. I also have lots of foil water bladders that can be used for unplanned events like water dumps if the situation arises

If you have any specific questions or comments please ask away either through socials or the ‘contact us’ section on the blog. I refer to ‘us’ as Banjo and I as we’re a team effort and will continue to look after each other on the journey. My partner is also keeping a close eye on the social platforms and is giving me heads up about messages while I have my ‘L’ plates on. Thanks as always my love xxxxxxx

I hope you all enjoy a close and connected Mother’s Day tomorrow. The ‘mothers’ in my life never cease to amaze me with their 24/7 capacity to care for their family. Talk soon xx

Distance today 83km ave 17km/hr

Hi fine folk. I’m sitting in the bar at the Yuleba hotel enjoying a Pepsi while I do my post. Margaret and Kevin who are camping next to me are also enjoying a drink and I have just been talking facebook with Margaret. She was keen to follow The10desertchallenge so we found it on facebook for her to like and follow. She scrolled through the other posts and saw the one about Emma from the Brigallo General Store. “Oh we always go to that place when we travel that way!!!” What a small world. They haven’t been there since Emma and her husband bought the business so I was able to update her with the snippet of info I have. It was fun. They promise to send my Hi’s when they next pop in yay.

I arrived in town about 4pm this afternoon and Anna behind the bar was kind enough to allow me to camp for free to support Beyond Blue. It’s got a very homely atmosphere of half dozen locals. Margaret and Kevin are on their way to the Roma show apparently on this weekend. They’ve excused themselves to go into the dining room where apparently “they put on a good feed here.” Beautiful people super friendly and genuine. Love it!!!! I can’t remember the town they’re from but Margaret mentioned she’s the editor of the local paper and is keen to promote my story and challenge, bless her!!

It was a later start this morning as a couple came over and started chatting and sharing stories. Ken and Carmel are on their way to Carnarvon Gorge for the first time. Very exciting!!! My family and I were there last September so we had lots to talk about 🙂 It’s so interesting how folk are keen to share their story and bring it round to mental health and their own personal challenges. It’s not a burdensome thing; it’s from the heart and raw and a privilege to be trusted with people’s own stories. It helps to share in a safe place

The ride was pretty good today. Oh my goodness Pat Benatar is on the jutbox… “hit me with your best shot… fire awayyyyyy!!!!!!” Okay now it’s Diana Ross “Chain Reaction!!” I may need to Coyote Ugly it on the bar 🙂 Where was I? Oh yeah, the ride today. I’m sure I can type and toe tap at the same time lol.

Most of the small dot towns today had bore water. It was silty but with water tablets tasted okay just a bit gritty. Thanks to Chemist Warehouse I have a healthy supply of Aquatabs for these occasions. Ive definitely tasted worst but the days are young. I imagine there will be plenty of times I’ll just be happy to have water. I stopped at the petrol station at Drillham and they offered to fill my drink bottle with tank water which was appreciated and made the last 10km more comfy along with a couple of chuppa chups for that extra umph 🙂

It’s probably time for me to head back to camp and enjoy some dinner so I’ll leave it there for today and be talking soon. I’m enjoying practicing my instagramming to promote sponsors so check it out. Hopefully the quality will improve as I go along and settle into the swing of day to day ness on the road. Roads are built for journeys after all!!! 🙂

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Distance today 81km.

Hi everyone. Staying in Miles tonight at a caravan park to wash me and some very stinky gear. I was talking to Emma at BGS (Brigalow General Store) today and I could sense her taking a few steps back. So now I’m squeaky clean and catching up on a couple of days posts. Banjo and I came through some wet weather through Dalby so it’s good to have the gear also smelling nice. Thanks to Overboard, all the gear in the panniers was snug tight. Unfortunately the light weight wet weather jacket soaked through so it was a chill bill ride into Dalby. I found a camp store in town and bought a new jacket that will hoipefully do the trick. My vortex rain jacket was one of the items I sent back with Barbara and John post!!!!

There’s been heavy dew overnight and I left my tent door open at Yarraman so my sleeping bag is also in the dryer getting some freshening up. This afternoon was the first sign of sun and time for sunscreen, sleeves and sunglasses. These are all donated products. Shout out to Woolies, SParms and Terry Duffy Optomistrist. Sponsors have been a humbling part of preparing for the challenge and I look forward to acknowledging them over the nexts days and weeks. Of course I’m promoting their businesses but it’s much more than marketing. This team of support helps stay on track and remember what matters during the hard kms. There’s been lots of those times already over the first few days and keeping perspective is key.

The purpose of these weeks is to bond with Banjo and their gear and get the body into some sort of day to day ness . It’s so different to training – putting together all the elements, the km, terrain, weight, weather, gear and social media. It’s super early days and so many more tricky adversities will pop up along the way.

I’ve managed 83 and 82 kms the last couple of days so I’m super satisfied doing more distance and backing up.

Last night was fun staying Warra. It’s a dot of a town 46km west of Dalby. The rest area is quirky amongst restored historical buildings. The caravaners were super friendly and interesting. I ended up spending the evening with one couple who invited me to fried rice and great company. Good night and good folk.

Time for some dinner xx 🙂

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Distance today 72km. Woke this morning to a heavy fog and everything outside very wet indeed. My heads up to make sure any gear is covered or put away. I met up with Barbara and John on the way out and passed on my bag of non-essentials for now. They were kind enough to arrange a drop off with my partner when they’re back in Brisbane. They also gave me head’s up on the rail trail into Yarraman. The trail was beautiful and da great tip to start the day away from the traffic and serious hill into town. I have met some cool people today. I love the different folk I meet along the way. I topped up on some noodles and Carmen Bars and was able to fill my water bottle at the hotel that was just opening. The couple who manage the hotel were very curious and of course loved Banjo. From Yarraman it was onto Cooyar where I called my partner to have lunch together – nice!! also met a couple from the Sunshine Coast heading down to South Australia for a couple of months and a wine festival down there. Phone access is a real treat at this early stage of the challenge. The countryside is stunning with rolling hills and views out over the Bunya mountains. From Cooyar it was onto Wutul and crossing over the great dividing range. I was very proud of myself working through some tricky head space and feeling that sense of ‘yay’ at the top. My next break was at Maclagan then 5 Kms of long climbs heading towards Kaimkillenbun. 5kms out I spotted a farm close to the road and there were a couple of people walking towards the house. Oooo maybe a chance to camp. They have been kind to allow me to camp on their property and have access to the water tank. Mike and his family own a beef cattle farm with hay as a side business to get them through when money’s tight. His wife and two girls are nurses and his boy is up in the Kimberleys working open property’s. Late afternoon he took me on a quad ride around his property. Mike spoke about the trials since he bought the property in 2008. They were affected by the tsunami and lost the sheds and part of the house in 2015 from a tornado. The last couple of years they have been in drought and lost half of the cattle. His attitude is amazing still deeply loving his property and focused on rebuilding his cattle numbers. Most of his cows are with calf and the property has heaps of feed after the rainy season. It was inspiring listening to his story, super amazing amazing and big fun!!! I never know what the day will bring and I like that a lot. Time now for dinner and an early night. Might try and get underway a bit earlier tomorrow to do Dalby in the morning then onwards after lunch to see how far we can get. It’s good to do some more Km’s today. Great for the legs and mental state knowing I can ease into longer distances. Apparently it gets a bit flatter after Dalby with some hills around Miles.

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Distance today- 45km 4hrs riding time @11km/hr

Hi fine folk. Well today has been a reality check. It started well crossing over the range at Benarkin State Forest which was really satisfying but unfortunately it went all downhill with the riding after that. Clearly now in hindsight I was dehydrated after that effort and the legs seized up cramping on the inside quad on both legs and running up into the groin. Very tricky. I tried walking out the cramps and this worked for a short time but as soon as I got back on Banjo and started working the hills again, the cramping continued and progressively got worse. I was forced to pull up half way up the last long hill into Yarraman and find a camp spot to address the issue. Thanks to Chemist warehouse I have a very decent first aid kit and smashed the electrolytes and water for the afternoon. Lots of tears and wee wee’s later I’m feeling a bit better just a wicked headache and very sore muscles. I probably started yesterday without having enough water and it didn’t take long for the body to protest. So that’s my heads up. I probably up until this experience consider I can mentally push through but this was 101 that the body is a machine and needs to be fed and watered to do what I’m asking of it. The road is very undulating and each hill is long so there’s a lot of work I’m asking of the legs so early in the trip. I was told it flattens out more after Dalby but for now it’s a rude awakening to take care of the body. I culled the kit down to essentials through to Birdsville. There’s a couple camping nearby and I got chatting to Barbara who I fly offered to drop the gear home when they’re back in Brissy after Wednesday. Bless the awesome good nature of folk and unconditional generosity. Tops up the tank again after a pretty low day. Right now I’m inhaling noodles in between typing and may need to saddle up to another pack. The rest area is right next to the heritage trail that runs through this way. Barbara took the trail into Yarraman this morning and said it’s a beautiful ride so that may be a cool way to start the day away from the traffic. It’s a stunning night not a cloud and the stars are beautiful company. Today has been an experience that has shirted my perspective in a good way and that’s always a good thing. Let’s see how tomorrow goes. Night and talk soon xx

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It’s 8pm Sunday 2 May 2021. Riding today 3 1/2 hours, 48km@18km/hr. I can’t believe I’m finally underway on what has been an epic process of preparation. My challenge started end of October last year getting the house ready to rent and finance this next stage in life. Since then it’s been trying to navigate how to approach the 10 desert challenge. It’s been an incredible ride already. I’m very excited to fundraise for beyond blue to help build the best mental health for people in Australia. Mental health is a precious commodity for all of us no more so since learning to live with COVID. I have always struggled with anxiety and find ‘challenges’ a great way to get back to basics and stretch the stuff that counts. It’s really important to me to keep evolving through experience that puts me out of my comfort zone and push the boundaries. Challenges are my way to keep learning about the person I am and moving towards the woman I want to be. Living with anxiety, it’s all too easy for me to get overwhelmed and retreat to what feels safe and more comfortable. But this feeling is short lived and I’m much happier living life more edgy and active. An amazing part of preparations has been the generous support from sponsors to help cover the costs and travel safely. Sponsors have enabled us to get underway and are a huge source of inspiration and motivation. I thought about this a lot today during the ride. It was a bit of a slog and will be until the body gets used to the load. I was later leaving and it was an emotional farewell in Woodford with my partner Dawn and our boy Dylan. They are my rock and gravity towards becoming my bigger, stronger wiser kinder self. My family have been amazing with all their support and help. It helps carry the load with perspective about what matters most. This section of ride to Birdsville is going to be hard but I’m looking forward to getting the body and mind in sync. It’s been a decade since I did my last fundraising cycle and the body is older. But I still have lots of edgy adventures in me and we will certainly be having our share of them over the next 138 days. It’s very special to see the support we have received already through donations for Beyond Blue. Please share our challenge through your socials and let’s smash that $10,000 out of the park. Time for noodles and zzzzzs. Night and talk soon xx

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Hi my name is Maree Stephenson and this is ‘Banjo’ my fat tyre bicycle.  The 10 desert challenge is a 140day fundraising event for Beyond Blue.  It all starts 1^st May.  We hope to raise over $10,000 to help people in Australia achieve their best mental health.  Mental health is a priority for most folk and especially as we all learn to live with the impact of COVID. 

You may wonder what life looks like for us 3 weeks before we kick off. Today’s a typical day. Banjo’s coping with my learning how to bleed his hydraulic brakes.  Poor darling. I had mineral oil from pillar to post yesterday so we’re off to 99bikes this morning for some tips. I’m a familiar face in the workshop these days as I continue to get my head around basic bike mechanics.  The guys and gals are great and super helpful. It’ll be pretty remote between desert towns so I’m it when it goes pair shaped.  Daily maintenance is the key to looking after Banjo so he can look after me.  It’s a daunting thought but a huge part of the challenge. 

It’s been in full on prep mode since October.  Most days have been very overwhelming – physically, mentally, emotionally. However support from family and sponsors keeps me focused and on track during the tricky times.  Reaching out for sponsorship has been a new and confronting experience.  It’s also energising feeling part of a bigger team supporting the cause.  Sponsors so far include Overboard, Anaconda, The Mountain Biker, Chemist Warehouse Sandgate, Priceline Sandgate, Liquid Containment, Woolworths Sandgate, Costco North Lakes, Lava Printing, Platinum Phone Repair, Laurels Beauty Salon, Fiona Green Podiatry, Market Square Meats, Ironwood Cottage Organics and Whole foods and Steve Rigby’s Family Chiropractic.    

I’ve been up since 5am this morning.  The spare room is now in a state of organised chaos. I’m putting together the supply parcels to top up on food and other essentials on route.  These parcels will be pre-posted to Birdsville, Marla, Wiluna, Halls Creek and Alice Springs.  The parcels are addressed to myself and held at the post offices for up to 30days.  So as you can see it’s far from glamorous this end.  Thanks to Moreton Daily for the article today to kickstart the countdown to the 1^st May.  It’s full steam ahead each day and I look forward to keeping you posted how the last stretch looks ‘til then.