The Cycling Adventurer

   Perth-Adelaide 1997

Day 1   

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I finally find a campsite, but what's all that noise?

I started writing this at 5.45pm wrapped up in my sleeping bag and lying back in the tent that, thank goodness, took all of 10 minutes to put up. I was stuffed. But, I felt happy with my efforts today after riding almost 70km.

I fell sleep about 6.00pm, but I became restless after several hours because of the noise generated by the trucks and other traffic on the Brookton Highway, the aircraft passing overhead, and the birds and other wildlife with their cacophonous twilight calls. I've resumed writing at 11.15pm. Everything seems to have quietened, but with five to six hours before dawn, and because I'm not very sleepy now, I have the opportunity to catch up on the journal.

I have just been outside for a pee and to check things. There is a heavy dew, and while the temperature is cool, the air is not uncomfortable. I have found the sultanas I brought and I'm nibbling on them. I'm also still replacing fluids. Overall, I feel quite good after sleeping and resting.

My biggest problem is my left knee. I must have knocked it while I moved furniture out of the flat. It's particularly sore just above the kneecap, and I'm having great difficulty bending the leg. I don't think it will be a major problem, though, when I am back on the road. My left arm is still recovering from the beating it got because of my persistent "slow-motion" accidents, and gave me some trouble today. I had slight pins and needles in my hand when I stopped riding. I think the arm also will come right eventually, especially now that I have finished heavy lifting.

The day was a tough start to this adventure. The cat was impossible to find. When she eventually fronted, she was whisked away to her new owners. I did not depart Perth until 10.15am. Actually the departure point was where I dropped off the hire utility, an Ampol service station in Alfred Cove, right next to where my ex-girlfriend worked. I didn't bother her with the occasion.

As I departed, my first problem emerged. I modified each of the backpacks with a pair of lash-down hooks so they would attach to the racks. The front ones had cheap Taiwanese-made hooks, while the rear ones were Australian-made and of tougher quality. One of the Taiwanese hooks broke and the pack started rubbing against the spokes. Fortunately, a major hardware store was located on my way out of town. I bought another packet of Australian-made hooks and promptly replaced the broken one.

The only other equipment problem for the day was a strap on the right rear pannier that came undone and fouled the gearset and chain. Again, it was easily fixed.

I had assumed that once I was fully under way, I would come across shops regularly to stock up on fluids without having to lug them along with me. No shops appeared for more than 35km along the Kwinana Freeway, or on the connector road east to Armadale. The freeway has a bike path all the way to the intersection, so there were no problems with other traffic.

The temperature, on the other hand, was warm for this time of the year at 22 deg C. Throw in some gentle hills, and I could feel the sweat start to flow out of me. About 5km before Armadale, my legs felt like lead, and my energy disappeared.

I replenished my fluids and rested for about an hour at Armadale, then faced my first obstacle — the hills out of the Perth coastal area. I had a huge slog upwards, and in retrospect, I probably should not have attempted it after becoming dehydrated. My recovery from the flu may also have conspired against me. But, I thought that if I gave up now on my first real challenge, I might as well give up the whole lot.

By pedalling about two-thirds of the distance and walking the bike the remaining third, I made the crest of the last big hill about 2.15pm. I was down to 1-and-1 (granny) on the gears most of the time. The whole experience suggested I should take some weight out of my panniers and post it to my parents in Hobart.

I can see that some gear is going to have to make way for more fluids. I suppose it is very much a case of "suck and see" for me as a novice. I might cut down on the clothes I've brought, and I need to plan my food supplies more carefully to reduce what I'm carrying during the day. I should be able to buy food towards the end of each day's ride to cover dinner andthe following breakfast. I lost a bottle of red Sport Plus on a downhill blast during the afternoon. I wedged the bottle under the bungee cord holding down the sleeping bag, but it vibrated loose and smashed into the road right in front of a van going in the opposite direction. I saw out of the corner of my eye the red liquid explode as the bottle landed. I think the driver of the van thought part of my body had fallen off and exploded on the road in great quantities of blood! I saw the front of the van dip as he applied the brakes and tried to work out what had happened. I didn't stop. There wasn't much point because the bottle and its contents were a lost cause, and I was doing almost 50km/h at the time, the fastest I have clocked since I started to ride.

The road to Brookton does have a major disadvantage for campers. There is nowhere to pitch tents! The area is part of the Perth drinking water catchment, and there are many big blue signs on both sides of the road carrying the word "NO" in large letters and a list of prohibited activities underneath, from swimming and boating to trail-bike riding and... camping. All this was to prevent what the signs quaintly termed "polluting" activities.

At a service station soon after cresting the climb out of Armadale, I asked about campsites. The proprietor told me that Boulder Rock, about 6km along the road, was a good spot. Boulder Rock was very obvious, a big smooth shape like a miniature Ayres Rock at the side of the road. Alas, the big blue signs made their point clear about the prohibition on camping. I kept cycling for another two hours. My hopes of a lazy afternoon nap were dashed.

I eventually settled on a site where the Bibbulum Track crosses the Brookton Highway. The walking track eventually goes to the Perth suburb of Kalamunda, 47km to the north-west. I found a suitable campsite about 150 metres off the road, in a clearing left after old logging operations.

The morning mist at my first campsite of the adventurer. The Bibbulum Track can be seen disappearing into the background.

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