Day 20 Hervey Bay to Coolum Beach

Up early to find my tent covered in Bat poo! The stench of it was terrible! Cleaned it off with wet wipes, but couldn't get rid of the smell! Instead of porridge for breakie had a cheese sandwich. After a cup of coffee Sharon and I went for a walk on the beach. Beautiful sunny morning. On the road by 9ish. Only 220km to drive today. It's going to be weird not hanging out with Sharon we have got on really well. Arrived at Gympie at around 11.30 and I went to the Post Office to sort out my Post Restante letter which proved more complicated than I was lead to believe. Anyway hung around  there until 1 so the kind lady at the PO could get hold of someone in Brisbane to find out a solution! That all sorted we set of for Noosa. So at the moment the kids are on holidays and this coming weekend  is a long weekend so everyone is off on Monday as well. Which means prices in caravan parks are high and they are jam packed! After being quite indecisive I ended up at a camp site in Coolum Beach. Ended up paying $45 which was a shock to the system and that was with a 10% discount! Anyway Sharon helped me set up my tent she had been very patient all day which I appreciated. We said goodbye and are going to stay in touch hopefully go and visit her early next year. While we were setting up a grey cloud came over and now I am sitting in the camp kitchen as its pouring with rain. Hoping it will clean my tent a bit more and maybe wash away a bit of the smell! At the moment I am undecided on whether to continue cycling down or stay here another night. I have to figure out how to get threw Brisbane as I am no longer allowed to cycle on the highway. Saw the big signs saying No Bicycles. So will probably have to take a train threw. Hoping the rain will stop so I can sort my stuff out a bit. But for now will do a bit of research about trains.

Day 19 Boyne River Rest Area to Hervey Bay

Still managed to get up at the same time although thought I had overslept  as it seemed lighter than usual!. Chatting with Sharon at breakfast decided to head to Hervey Bay with her today and then get dropped off somewhere the following day. On the Sunshine Coast possibly at Noosa. I really have enjoyed travelling with her. Anyway off we set, the reason she was going to Hervey Bay was to pop in on the brother of one of her friends from where she lives to say hi. We made good time was only a 280km drive. Road as usual extremely boring, much of a muchness. Went threw a nice town called Childers and I saw a sign for gourmet ice cream. Pointed it out to Sharon who loves ice cream and decided to go for it. I had chocolate with mint chips, very tasty! Got into Hervey Bay just after one and went to the Marina to find Barry, he runs prawn trawlers. Met him and took us for a little tour around the bay and invited us to dinner later. So we found a caravan park and set up and got sorted. Was getting very windy suppose to be a storm coming but I think we only got the edge of it. Had a lovely evening with Barry and his family. 

Day 18 Carmila to Boyne River Rest Area.

Up at the same time as usual even though won't be riding today. Just finished eating breakfast and Sharon popped over and suggested I could leave all my stuff with her to pack into the van when it had finished being repaired and I could start riding. She'd pick me up on the way so I could get a bit of a ride in. I liked the idea but decided to make the 13 km round trip to the beach instead. Which turned out to be really pleasant, except for one magpie swoop! Set of for the free camping just the other side of Gladstone at just before 10am. Man it's true there is absolutely nothing to see on this road. The occasional service station. Then Rockhampton a big town with killer road works going out the other side. Just imagined cycling it and so happy that I won't have to. The time seemed to fly by chatting with Sharon she is funny and to the point which I like. Talked about loads of things, it was good to spend a prolonged period of time with someone. About half an hour out of Rocky the clouds opened and it absolutely tipped down, and stopped about 15 minutes later. Then again it rained just as we were getting close to Gladstone, an industrial coal town. In fact it was so heavy Sharon pulled into a lay-by cause you couldn't see a meter ahead. Popped to get some supplies in the supermarket and on to the free camping. Arrived just before 3, 356km covered. First thing a cup of tea, then cooked dinner I had another quinoa concoction and Sharon had spag bog. A cup of milo and off to bed. Oh almost forgot it rained a bit at the free camping and afterwards a double rainbow appeared it was really strong and I got really excited, thought it was awesome! A great day. 😀

Day 17 Alligator Creek to Carmila

Bit chilly last night was 10c when I woke up, but was nice and toasty in my sleeping bag. Almost set to go and Jackie popped over with her partner Sherrie. She wants to do a cycle tour so wanted to check out my bike. Wants to do the Great Ocean Road first. That would be a nice ride. She offered me a ride to Sarina and my policy at the moment is to say yes. This stretch of road that Iam coming up to is very boring. Long stretches of nothingness between here and Rockhampton. Les and Mandy told me about it when I was in Cairns and at least 4 people on the way including Sherrie today. She dropped me the other side of Sarina a saving of 16.5km. Had a couple of options for camping tonight one 35km and the other 60km what I usually do is see how I feel when I get to the first one. After an hour of cycling stopped in a park area in a little town ate some nuts and some water. This is actually the first day I have really sweated a lot, It was really hot, not much wind either. Met Neville who was on his way to drop some trailer parts to his son just west of Mackay. Around 10.30 I reached a Caltex roadhouse and decided to get some chips, they were a small portion apparently! And a tea, Iam not really a big tea drinker but in the heat it's quite cooling and I find coffee just dehydrates me. I wanted to sit outside but was joined by a "magpie" who kept hopping closer and closer to my chips! So inside I went. So apart from that no magpie attacks today. The road was quite up and down had to work hard to get up some of the hills, but with that there's always the joy, speed and wind of the decent. I really can feel my legs getting stronger and my average speed on the flat seems to be increasing. Which feels really good. Reached Carmila at 2ish 60 from where I was dropped off, a nice little camp site run by an old couple Dorothy and Dan . Another pitch for $10 and Dorothy gave me a nice cold bottle of water. Had a good chat with Dan about Cornwall where his mother was from. Said he visited in the 80s and couldn't believe how beautiful the beaches were. I cooked another quinoa dish for tea this time with onion, courgette and sweet potato. Delicious! Earlier in the day I got an email from Les in Cairns who said it would be great if I could get a lift to Bundaberg it's a bit more interesting from then on. So I was sitting drinking a Milo and a woman pops over for a chat. Sharon from Victoria who left there in May and has been driving around Australia clockwise. Stuck in park waiting for a part for her van. Talked about my travels and how I want to get of the highway. So she has offered me a lift to Bundaberg. Awesome Iam stoked! So her van is going in at 8 tomorrow should be fixed by 9. Tina's world of coincidences continues. But that's it then no more lifts!

Day 16 Seaforth to Alligator Creek

Took me an hour and a half to get organised this morning. On the road at 7.30, getting faster. A 20 km ride back to the Bruce Highway with some slow climbs and one big windy slow climb. I was determined to make it up there by pedal power alone. So low gear and all I kept saying was you can do this, come on T etc until I got to the top. Which I did and then enjoyed the freewheeling down the other side. Was in Mackay just after 10. Had to pop in the post office as had a Post Restante card redirected there. Unfortunately it hadn't arrived so I spent a while chatting to the helpful man in the PO trying to decide what to do. I could stay in Mackay until Monday but that would be another rest day and a bit of a delay plus 2 nights accomadation. So I decided to redirect it again and make sure it gets ahead of me this time. Instead of cycling threw the city/town I cycled on the bicycle/walking track. Added an extra 6km to my ride but it was a joy to cycle with no cars on a good wide path. The track actually goes all the way around Mackay. On the way out of town I stopped to get some veges at the cheapest veg shop ever. I got 2 bananas, 2 mandarins, a courgette, an onion and a sweet potato for $2.90. The road out of Mackay was very good, a wide shoulder and most of the time smooth tarmac. Riding was going well today my legs seem to be getting stronger, which is encouraging,even though it did get windy later. I reached the campsite at Alligator Creek just before 4. Nice woman Jackie gave me a pitch for $10, which I think is about the right price for me, my bike and tent. Free camping aside I have been charged anything from $12.50 to $35. $35 is ridiculous just for me and I won't be doing that again. Tent up, showered decided I really should do some laundry! That sorted made tea and relaxed. Oh the magpie attacks continue, Jackie reckons the best defence is a wig on your helmet. I think a shot gun would do the trick! Whoops no can't do that apparently they are protected. 72km cycled today.

Day 15 Rest Day Seaforth

Was awake early so decided to go to the beach and watch the sunrise. Then cooked porridge and a coffee for breakfast. Went back to bed till 9ish. Spent the morning sorting out the puncture in my first flat ready if there's another one although I do have another spare inner tube. It's easier to just change the inner tube on the road than faf around mending a puncture, for me anyway. That sorted went for a long walk on the beach out to the island you can walk to when the tide is out. Was nice to walk on the sand barefoot. Cooked my tea early, decided to bbq a sweet potato and add it to some quinoa. Delicious!! Had a cold shower as couldn't be bothered to wait in the queue of 5 for the hot ones. Refreshing! Then a hot milo and some organising ready for the off tomorrow morning.