The Cycling Adventurer

   Perth-Adelaide 1997

Day 11   

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Salmon Gums turns out to be a gem of a place

It is 5.50pm and I am seated in my tent listening to the radio. The wind is quite strong outside, but not really a worry for the tent. I am at the caravan park in Salmon Gums, a town that I feel will be pleasantly unusual.

The caravan park is operated on an honour system. It costs $4.00 a night for an unpowered campsite. The ablutions block is a tin shed divided in the middle by the open-front laundry. The washing machine is securely chained to the wall. Everything is very, very basic, but it's scrupulously clean and well maintained. Gas heats the shower water, and that means unlimited heavenly pleasure for sore muscles.

I went over to the pub to get some change for a phone call home, and to buy two cans of beer. The pub looks like a classic small, well-run country hotel. The licensee, Joy Carrothers, has been here for 18 months after a move from Darwin. She said I could have taken a hotel room for only $15, and she could arrange for a refund of my $4 for the caravan park if I wished. I declined the offer because I had already set up everything, but I said I would be back later in the evening to sample the Friday night entertainment. My main priority was a shower and to warm up; the wind was cold.

Today has been one of mixed fortunes. I got away from Esperance Backpackers at 8.40am, and called in to say goodbye to Graham at the bike shop. But he hadn't arrived at work yet. Richard said he would make Graham feel a tad guilty about missing me by telling him I was in at 8.30am.

I found my way out of Esperance quite easily, but one hill in particular led me to think that this would be a trend all the way to Norseman. Added to the climb was a north-westerly to westerly wind that either was on the nose or in the front quarter, and it made riding a little less comfortable.

I need not have worried about the hills. The road to Salmon Gums goes due north and that means it runs almost parallel to the river valleys that run to the coast. The terrain was quite easy, and while I averaged only 10km/h in the first hour because of stops to put on sunscreen and to re-secure the front right pannier, I was able to pick up the overall average to around 15km/h.

My tent set up in the simple but scrupulously clean Salmon Gums Caravan Park, half way between Esperance and Norseman.

Later in the day, the wind changed to the south-west and became quite cold, hence my attempts to warm up now. I had my windcheater on early when the wind was coming from the west, had it off when the change came and sun emerged, and finally had it back on again to Norseman.

I had trouble finding a spot in the caravan park that was sheltered from the wind. I settled for a spot close to the ablutions block, and hoped the building would provide a degree of shelter. Other options were discounted because they were under trees and the threat seemed too great of wind bringing down branches during the night.

The road from Esperance is not in particularly good condition. It gets a fair pounding from trucks and semi-trailers and a few roadtrains (mainly carrying petroleum products) servicing the inland with goods and machinery. The surface was bumpy, especially on the shoulders, and often I sought a smoother ride in the middle of the road.

There was a generous amount of traffic, thanks to the long weekend. It was extraordinary again the number of times two vehicles passed in the opposite direction right where I rode. I had to take to the gravel more than a couple of times. Anne McCleave passed me about 40km out of Esperance, on her way to Kalgoorlie where Peter and she have an interest in that town's hostel. Anne gave me a huge wave as she went past, which lifted my spirits further.

I came across my first double-g as I put up my tent, so I need to be extra careful from now on to avoid punctures from these spiky seeds. The ones here are small. The seeds have a central sphere from which emanate short to moderately long spikes that are very sharp.

I am reserving judgment on my new seat position until after I have had a shower and get up tomorrow morning. I felt uncomfortable late in the day, but it has been like that before. What I have noticed is that because I am not pushing myself back up the seat any more, my left hand is not so bad. The new bar extensions also have been useful because of the added variation in position. Certainly, my butt does not feel so chafed.

It seemed like an evacuation from the hostel when I left. Three New Zealand girls in the room next door were away about 30 minutes before I was. The guy who shared my dorm last night, Jonathon, also from New Zealand, left early to go scuba diving.

The only ones left were an English couple who have been almost all the way around Australia on a motocycle. But they were stopped in their tracks in Esperance. He was stabbed and suffered a fairly long and deep wound in the abdomen inflicted by a female whom they met in a pub and originally offered them a place to stay for the night. But she changed her mind when they got there. The guy was stabbed when he returned to the home to fetch his cigarette lighter. Hmmmm. Anyway, the woman has been charged with having caused grievous bodily harm. The English couple have another 10 days left in Esperance while he recovers.

I watched "Dead Man Walking" on video provided by the hostel last night. I didn't find it particularly enjoyable, both in subject matter and story. I had fresh fruit for breakfast, and had muesli bars and fluids every few hours today. I have weaned myself off the commercial drinks now, using only water in my bottles. I had a ham-and-tomato roll that I made for lunch at the side of the road, and I have had another three of four for dinner. I am now very confident that I have got the food and drink situation under control in time to start the Eyre Highway.

The countryside today has mainly been grazing land, with some cropping in between. This is still mallee country, and there is plenty of scrub. I was dive-bombed again by two pairs of magpies, but the wildflowers provided more pleasure with their strong scents. Now I am off to the pub to see how this town celebrates its Friday nights at the start of a long weekend.

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