Betten On Bike: DAY 97 - 15TH JULY 2013

Day 97– 15th July 2013 - Mt Barker to Salt Creek

OK – we really mustn’t have crossed our fingers enough – drizzling rain, heavy grey skies this morning so unfortunately this low pressure system is hanging around in this part of South Australia. Walter & I had discussed our proposed route for today in some detail last night as there were a few key turn-offs we had to be clear on to make sure that we both took to ensure that we would end up on the same roads. Very important !!!

Cycling Stats: 170 kms

Cycling Average: 30.6 kms per hour

Walter was keen to get going and we were both hoping that the traffic would thin out which luckily it did as we were both craving the peace and quiet of the country / rural areas as yesterday’s drive on the M1 was so busy with so many more vehicles on the road than we were accustomed to. There were a few showers in the first section of the journey but then the sky started to break a bit and some blue patches appeared – good ! Petrol is again at a normal price – I paid $1.34 a litre this morning which is good as I have paid up to $2.06 at times during our trip.

After leaving the town of Mt Barker and driving for 10 kms or so the road suddenly became very windy and there was a wonderful long descent which Walter told me he really enjoyed. Still lots of farming, sheep, dairy cattle and also a view of some of the famous South Australian vineyards. We passed through quite a large wine producing area and saw famous names of wineries including Orlando and Bleasdale. We met for coffee at Wellington and were re-assured to find that there was a 24 hour free ferry service to the other side of the Murray River which was where we were heading. Information had been a bit sketchy about this and on the ferry we met other travelers who said that they also hadn’t been sure if this ferry service was operating. It is a short crossing taking only a few minutes. Onto The Princes Highway and we entered The Coorong National Park – one of Australia’s most fragile ecosystems featuring a spectacular tapestry of coastline, scrubland, lakes and lagoons. It stretches from the mouth of the Murray River to just north of Kingston S.E. and the shallow lagoons and waterways we passed are home to hundreds of species of plants, birds and native wildlife. Our planned lunch stop was at Meningie about 40 or so kms from where the ferry pulled in.

Then another 2 short pre-arranged stops so that Walter could replenish his water bottles and we arrived at Salt Creek – (only a roadhouse / camping area) but this is the only option that fits in with Walter’s journey today. It is actually quite pleasant – we can hear quite a few little frogs in the marshland behind our site and at the moment we are the only ones here – it is a lovely sunny afternoon with clear blue sky and the wind has dropped.

Walter is pleased to be back on the bike and feels that we are now on the home stretch with only around 3,000 or so kms left to pedal and about 10,000 completed so far.