The Cycling Adventurer

   Perth-Adelaide 1997

Day 37   

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I'm here... finally... at last... in Adelaide...

It's great to be in Adelaide at last! The wind was down to a zephyr when I left Port Wakefield, although it picked up again and changed from the north-east to become a south-westerly seabreeze after about two hours of riding.

Even so, I was able to keep up a good average speed of around 17km/h for the entire distance, and I was in Adelaide at the backpacker hostel about 2.30pm.

My first stop on arriving in the city was the hotel where my children are staying, but they were out at the hockey again, watching Tasmania play. The match started about the same time as I arrived. I am due to go back at 6.30pm to meet them in the foyer. I have also spent some time on the phone arranging more job interviews.

The run from Port Wakefield still had its frustrations. The carriageway splits in two, but the shoulders, as I observed last night, were not wide, and in many places were almost non-existent. The surface varied considerably, and one stretch of about 7km was resealed recently, so it was rough and unpleasant to ride. The wind continued its punishment.

Again, I rode through pastures north of the city with almost no sign of trees. The South Australian Main Roads Department has planted trees in the strip between the north-south carriageways, but they only cover a comparatively small distance. I now have the view that all roads should have trees along the reserves on both sides and in the middle of the split carriageways as wind protection.

Yesterday, I noticed near Port Wakefield a crop of grain planted outside the fence line along the highway! I've also concluded that farmers need to plant more trees, especially as borders for their paddocks, to help reduce wind erosion, rapid depletion of moisture, and of course, the effect of wind.

While most drivers seemed to make the effort to move into the outer lane when passing me today, about 10 percent seemed to think they did not have to move off their line. I think the guilt these lazy or arrogant drivers have is amply demonstrated by the quick and furtive glances in their rear-vision mirrors after they have passed, to check they haven't knocked me off. I said to someone the other day that a pamphlet should be prepared on what a driver's obligations are when faced with a cyclist, and for the pamphlet to be distributed with licence renewals, and be an integral part of driver testing procedures. There are, of course, some cowboys and I had one idiot open the left door of a yellow utility as it passed me on the way out of Port Augusta.

I do have to say that once I joined the traffic stream around Adelaide's city centre, I felt quite confident with the traffic and certainly road rage was not a part of the scene.

Sadly, Adelaide does not get such high marks for the awful brown haze hanging over it and evident from about 30km away. It was like a thick blanket, and after weeks of crystal clear atmosphere, I did not relish the thought of riding into it.

Six BikeDirect maps are produced by BikeSouth. I picked up a full set from Mike Turtur's Bike Shop on the way into the city. The guy behind the counter did not seem particularly interest in me. It was then easy to remember that the helpful guys at Esperance and Cleve are country folk who are naturally friendly and ready for an enthusiastic chat with fellow cyclists.

There are many more people around the Adelaide Back Packers Inn today, and there were only two dormitory beds available when I arrived. The place is convenient to the centre of the city, and is one street to the east of the main north-south thoroughfare, King William St. Apart from the locality, the other main attraction is the apple pie and ice-cream every night. The place has a laundry that I will put to good use tomorrow. I'm wondering how I will sleep in a dorm of 15 other people after staying by myself so often since arriving in South Australia.

My biggest problem now is timing. The chairman of the interview panel for the tourism job wants to meet me personally. He is in Brisbane tonight, and is not due back in his office until next Tuesday. I suggested that I meet him in Melbourne, and that means either a bus trip or flying there. I will probably take a bus, but I do need to know from him what day he wants to meet.

I think the best idea may well be to leave on Saturday or Sunday and get a connecting bus that fits the timetable I can negotiate with him. Catching a bus also will free up some cash to buy a new suit. Yesterday I noticed Thwaites Menswear in Rundle Mall had a package deal on a shirt, tie, socks, shoes and suit for around $290, which might be the way to go. After the meeting, I may post the lot on to my father as I did with the old rear wheel.

The fascination of overseas visitors with my adventure continues. A trio of middle-aged German women stayed last night at Port Wakefield in one of the caravan park's cabins, and this morning offered me some coffee and something to eat. Their "leader" was a participant in an exchange home scheme, whereby people in Australia stay at her home in Germany, and she stays at their homes in Australia. The trio had collected a car from one of their hosts in Melbourne and were on their way to the Barossa Valley. I think they had already been up north to Alice Springs.

I am back after meeting my children, Alexandra and Stuart, and I am on cloud nine. I have missed them so much and I have mixed feelings. They have grown so much since I saw them last (over two years ago) and I know they have missed forming a close relationship with me. I have stood back deliberately to avoid interfering in their upbringing in a stable environment with their mother and stepfather. Now I feel I am just a distant relative they see from time to time. I love them dearly.

I am spending the day with Alex and Stuart tomorrow. I have suggested we hire two bikes and use the cycle paths to explore part of Adelaide, especially up the River Torrens. It's all a bit inadequate for kids who have been to overseas destinations I have never been to, but it's the best I can offer at this time.

The hostel has a small poster on the wall for mountain bike hire from a place right in the centre of the city, not far from here. I have arranged to meet the Alex and Stuart at 8.30am, so I will most likely park my bike near the place, and get a free bus to Victoria Square, meet the children and do the return trip. That way, there is no inconvenience. The hire rate for the bikes is $20 each.

Money is getting tight, and I hope I can fall into one of the three jobs for which I am now being interviewed over the next week. I have an interview for two jobs arranged by phone for next Wednesday, so it's going to be a busy time. I am almost tempted to spend the $373 to fly to Hobart to solve most of my logistical problems, then return to Adelaide to finish the trip home. But that money situation means I can't really extend it to the luxury of a flight home to Hobart.

The children and their mother are in Adelaide until Sunday, when they depart and leave their stepfather to continue playing in the veterans hockey tournament. The Tasmanian team today beat South Australia 3-2, which was a good start. The team has a rest day tomorrow.

I am now sitting in the outdoor area of the hostel, and it's very cosmopolitan with accents in the air from all over the world. Most are young people, but there is a much older guy in my dorm who seems to spend a lot of his time writing. He complained rather bluntly about the dorm door being left open, and added that he was getting over a cold. Perhaps he and I are out of place in a hostel like this, but I console myself with knowing that there are 30 to 40-year-olds in the backpacker network and that I am not really an oddity.

One of the things the children and their mother commented on was my loss of weight. I started in Adelaide at 85kg, and I weighed myself on Danny Mahar's scales at Bookabie at 78kg. When I left Tasmania 2½ years ago, I was a porker, and at one stage in the past five years, my weight edged up 98kg.

Certainly, my stomach has gone down substantially, and my legs are thinner and more muscle-toned. There is still a bit of fat there, but I feel I need to be cautious because I understand that letting fat levels subside too far while engaged in intensive physical activity can be dangerous. Which reminds me that I need to visit a supermarket tomorrow to buy some food to get my diet back on track. The Central Markets are probably the place to visit with the kids at some stage.

I am becoming concerned about the sciatic pain in my back. I hope several days of rest will help subdue it and help my saddle sores heal. I am having some difficulty sitting in any position on a chair, and that doesn't help my back. I may resort to some pain relief drugs that I brought with me after they were given to me by my doctor to treat joint pain about six weeks post my heart attack (a legacy of the Heprin and other anti-clotting drugs, I think).

One of the more interesting aspects about this hostel is the unisex policy on the toilets and showers. I suppose there is no difference from staying at a private residence, and I believe it's the norm in Europe.

Well, now I can attest that the apple pie and ice-cream and custard are fair dinkum at the hostel. It is a nice way to finish the day, whether the day has been good or bad. Tonight, seconds were offered and could I resist? After all, I have to watch my weight... in reverse! There about 15 Japanese here tonight, and they were very keen to get into the dessert.

With the future of my journey now in the balance, I am starting to look at my cycling future. I think the priority would be to finish this trip by doing Adelaide to Mt Gambier, then the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne, as probably a four-week exercise. I am keen, if I can get employment in Tasmania, to explore the State by bike most likely with legs taking in parts that I may not have seen before. One "challenge" would be to do Beauty Point or a cape in the north-east to Cockle Creek in the south. And maybe a big "Figure 8" of the State,

There are two other adventures I would like to do: From Cape York to Cockle Creek; and Cairns to Darwin via the Gulf of Carpentaria. I am not so keen now on Darwin to Perth, which I understand to be long, harsh and boring. Darwin to Adelaide via Alice Springs is a possibility.

But the most important thing of all is that I have arrived in Adelaide. The journey from Perth is one I won't ever forget as my first real cycling (and life) adventure.

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