Day 138

Date:- 30 July 2010
Distance:- 119.83 Km
Distance to Date:- 7861.8 Km
Start:- Roebuck Plains Roadhouse Caravan Park
Finish:- Goldwire Rest Area
Comment:- Yesterday afternoon after I had finished doing my diary I went into the bar of the roadhouse armed with 3 or 4 tea bags. A donation to the Royal Flying Doctors secured a first cup of tea of coffee. The bar was nicely air conditioned and I had found some reading material and was able to watch the large screen television while I enjoyed my cups of tea.

Spoke to Evon by phone and caught up on all the news, then had tea in the café. Charged all my batteries up in the laundry. It was while I was going to my tent someone asked “Is that you, Geoff” . It was Willie, wife of Jack who I had originally met at Barkly Homestead and again at Saddle Creek Rest Area.

I wished I had known they where in the park as I am sure I could have put my tent on their site and paid half the fees. They assured me that would have been OK but the damage was done and I had paid the $30.

Enjoyed another couple of ales with them and compared notes on where we had gone. About 9.30 pm we decided we had better call it quits and retire for the night. I collected my computer and phone and packed them away, then went for my second shower of the day before going to bed.

Had a good nights sleep. I had fixed the hole in the mattress. Awoke and checked my watch and it said 4.30am so back to sleep. Heard voices latter on and again checked my watch only to find it was 4.30am. It had stopped. The clock on the phone said 6am so out of bed, had another shower (I was going to get my moneys worth). Had my cereal, then packed up and over to the reception to get my key deposit back. I never used the key the door was always open. The amenities block was quite good actually although one of the mens cubicles didn’t have paper.

I ordered spaghetti on toast and a mug of tea then it was time to hit the road.

On the road by 7.45am, latter than anticipated, out of the caravan park, turn left and about 150 metres turn right for Port Hedland. Over a gentle hill and onto an almost treeless plain with plenty of feed in the paddocks and a few cattle grazing here and there. Virtually a flat road for as far as you could see.

About 20km I rode past a Rest Area for daylight use only. And then the terrain changed. Long gentle uphills and long gentle downhills although I felt I was doing more up than down.

Stopped about 60 km out for my break about 11.45am. Shortly after I started again the turn off for Barn Hill appeared. This is a popular caravan venue.

About 97 km on the turn off for Port Smith Lagoon was passed. Another caravan destination.

From here on in the trip was quite boring, very little traffic, the road going up and down and me wishing I was there. Arrived at the Gold wire Rest Area about 3.45pm and received a loud applause. It was Phillip and Josie who I had met back up the track. Josie baked the bread.

Philip offered me a nice cold beer which hardly hit the sides and then I enjoyed two very nice cups of tea and some chocky biscuits. It was time to put my tent up and settle in for the night. I had all my water bottles filled up with nice filtered water by a family travelling in a giant motor home.

Cooked my tea and completed my diary, tidied up and went to bed.

If all goes well I should be at the Stanley Rest Area Tomorrow