The bitumen of the Great Northern Highway was deliciously smooth compared to the hundreds of corrugated kilometres I had pedalled through Central Australia. A new challenge presented itself with daytime temperatures exceeding 40°C. It was getting towards the peak of the dry season and I was cooking under the harsh Australian sun.
My strategy was to start in the cooler hours of the morning and stop riding for a couple of hours at lunchtime. I would then start a second shift in the mid-afternoon.
I looked forward to the cool approach of dusk – I referred to this time of day as ‘happy hour’ and I loved riding without my t-shirt or fear of getting burnt. The sunsets of Western Australia lived up to their reputation. Each evening the sky would blaze in a chorus of yellows and oranges followed by a deep red glow as the light of the day faded away.
Sometimes I would continue pedalling into the dark. I enjoyed the nighttime quiet of the road. Cycling under an endless canopy of stars was nothing short of magical. The peace of the night would occasionally be interrupted by the blinding high beams and roaring engine of a passing vehicle. I always had plenty of warning to move to the side of the road and never felt unsafe.
One evening I came across an injured falcon. It appeared to have a broken wing and was unable to take flight. I had signal and phoned an animal rescue service 400 km away in Kununurra. Unfortunately they advised the only course of action was to euthanise the bird. It wasn’t easy but I took solace in the knowledge that I was ending its suffering.
My next stop was the town of Fitzroy Crossing. I arrived in the late morning and went to the IGA to stock up on supplies. A man approached me as I loaded my bike. As it turned out Indi was a Warmshowers host and he invited me to stay with him whilst I was in town. He was the manager of the community radio station and lived on site. It was a truly unique experience and I even got to watch a group of Indigenous kids introduce their favourite gangster rap live on air. Thanks again for having me Indi!
I also planned to meet my friend Jeremy. He works as a tour guide and happened to be running a tour from Darwin to Broome. Jez suggested I join them on the Danggu River Cruise which takes you into the nearby national park and past some amazing rock formations. It was great to catch up with a friend from home and take a couple of days off the bike.
My good mate Tom completed a big cycling adventure many years ago – a lap around the outside of Australia. His trip and the many stories that followed became the spark that ignited the desire in me to embark on an expedition of my own.
Tom has offered much sage advice since I left Melbourne. On one occasion he strongly recommended I find a cattle grid on the highway, crawl into the space under the metal bars and wait for a road train to race across the top. And so one morning I found myself lying in the dirt waiting for a road train. Suffice to say it was a top notch experience and Tom later congratulated me on my entry to this exclusive club.
I looked forward to finally visiting the famous Western Australian town of Broome. I consider it to be prohibitively expensive to fly from the southeast of Australia with prices double what it usually costs to fly to South East Asia. One morning I was gifted a serious easterly tail wind and I was able to clock 200 km by the end of the day.
The generosity of the road gods did not end there as I found not one but two unopened beers on the side of the road and a mascot in the form of a helmet wearing rubber duck clad in a fluoro vest. What a haul!
I had arranged to stay with Warmshowers hosts Lisa and Steve whilst in Broome. I arrived sweaty and dirty with swathes of crystallised salt on my t-shirt and shorts. Lisa and Steve gave me a cold glass of water and suggested I jump in the pool to cool off – what a welcome!
Lisa and Steve were also hosting another cycling couple Chris and Susan who had just completed the Gibb River Road. It was great to meet everyone and we enjoyed a classic Broome sunset with cold drinks and nibbles on the beach.
Cable Beach was impressive with gorgeous aqua blue water and the famous camel trains marching along the shoreline as the sun set on the Indian Ocean.
Steve had a petrol scooter that he used to get around town and said I could borrow it during my visit. I’ve used scooters a few times before and was glad to rest my legs after an intense few weeks on the bike.
One morning I was about to head to the shops to buy ingredients for dinner. I was planning a homemade pizza feast to say thank you to my hosts. I reversed the scooter manually out of the garage. I started the engine and revved the motor a little too hard, the sudden jolt sent me backwards causing me to rev the motor even further. At this stage the bike careened towards a concrete wall lining the driveway, I overcorrected the steering and was thrown off the bike putting my left arm out to break my fall.
Continued in Part 2…
