Betten On Bike: DAY 48 - 27TH MAY 2013 - AUSKI ROADHOUSE TO KARIJINI ECO RESORT

Day 48- 27^thMay 2013 - Auski Roadhouse to Karijini Eco Resort

After a wonderful hot buffet breakfast and some specially ordered poached eggs which were cooked to perfection by the chef we set off on today’s journey. Thank you Sandy and the friendly Auski Roadhouse staff for your hospitality – we really enjoyed our stay.

We had placed the donation bucket on our table and a worker at an adjacent table walked over and placed a $50 note – he said his dad had suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and another worker also popped over with a $20 donation – we are surprised and very thrilled about the generosity of the people we meet. About a week ago I had deposited $400 into our bettenonbike gofundraise account, which is the 2^nd lot of donations collected to date whilst we have been on the road. So far we have received around $1,200 in donations whilst on the road.

Cycling Stats: 85 km

Cycling Average: 28 km per hour

The first section of the road was stunning – the highway was truly an engineering feat as cuts had been made through the mountains & hills to create this highway. We had time so we decided to visit a look-out around 20kms from Auski Roadhouse and there we learnt that this road had been completed in 1978 and much planning had occurred by the team of engineers (all in conjunction with the local aboriginal community as many sacred sites are located in this region) in plotting where and how this road would be constructed. The view from the look-out certainly was amazing as far below we could see where we had just driven and how the road snakes its way through the passes of this mountainous region.

We took the Highway heading towards Tom Price and then Andrea & I drove the 10kms to the visitor centre as we wanted to find out which of the 2 access roads we should take to get to The Karijini Eco Resort as we had been forewarned that the roads were both very corrugated and whether we should veer around and do 20 kms extra on a sealed road to reduce the dirt road section. Walter was keen to do an open air mine tour at Tom Price in a couple of days and wanted us to check on this. We also picked up brochures on all the walks. The Karajini National Park is very spread out so we decided to visit Dales Gorge and do the walks as it was only 10 kms from the visitor’s centre before proceeding to our booked accommodation at Karijini Eco Resort. So we walked to Fortesque Falls and it was spectacular – Walter & I had a swim in the very chilly water and then did the short walk to Fern Pool – there were heaps of black fish there and if you sit with your feet in the water they come and nibble (a natural pedicure). There was also a colony of bats in the trees above us which was obvious from the noise when we arrived as well as the yellow droppings that fell on my leg as I sat with my feet in the water. Walter was keen to walk the bottom of The Gorge and Andrea & I decided to do the rim walk. We saw Walter far below during some sections of the walk. Points of interest were The Three Gorge Look-out and The Circular Pool Look-out – both great vantage points to view Dale Gorge in all its beauty.

After making some lunch and a welcome coffee it was about 2pm by this time so we headed towards The Resort. The first 5kms after turning into the access road were newly sealed but after that the road became very corrugated and very gravelly and stony in sections so we were forced to travel at a very slow pace. I am not looking forward to having to do this all over again the day after tomorrow when we leave.

The deluxe tents were great – complete with an outdoor ensuite. Many ecological principles are in place in this resort – no glass is allowed, no washing machines to limit the amount of water consumption, solar hot water and power. All guests must take all their rubbish with them.

We decided to have a casual dinner at the restaurant tonight – burgers were on the menu which we thought sounded good and they were ! An important milestone was reached – Walter has now cycled exactly half way Around Australia so a celebratory drink was in order – Cheers ! Proost !! Skaal !!