Pine Creek to Adelaide River
113 kms
Up = 537m - Down = 685m - Highest Point = 234m
PINE CREEK TO ADELAIDE RIVER - 16th September 2017
113.2 kms So pleasing to wake up and check my back tyre and find it is still inflated!! Good news!! I think I can say we all really enjoyed our stay at the Pine Creek Railway Resort. Such a neat and tidy camp – full of nice surprises. I see signs saying the business is for sale or lease – I reckon it would be a great spot!! Seems to incorporate the Post Office and we noticed the Greyhound buses would call in and take “stuff” as well as passengers …….. well – we didn’t see any passengers get on – but did see “stuff” being loaded into the trailer they tow! All too soon it is morning and time for us to be on our way. 38 degrees promised for today and a 114 km bike ride!! We were off and rolling before official sunrise (6:30 am versus 6:36 am). The roads were very quiet – I guess as it was Saturday morning. Very few big trucks, quite a few cars zooming through at 130 kph – and one in particular doesn’t know the 2 metres required to give cyclist – it was not even a metre we reckon. Will be interesting to see Annie’s gopro and tail light coverage!! First stop to feast on oranges and drinks was outside the Emerald Springs Roadhouse – and then straight back on the road shooting for another 30 kms – which was a roadside stop as nothing else suitable at 65 kms. With 50 kms left to ride we decided to do it in 2 x 25 km stages. While we lost 150 m of altitude today it was pretty up and down and didn’t ride as well as I had thought – I guess I only glimpsed at the good bits of the profile. It was pretty warm with 25 kms to go, and Liz was feeling pretty jaded – but she cut her stop short and headed off – desperate to finish the day. Annie and I took a normal length last break and then headed off – and we all ended up riding the last 12 kms into Adelaide River together. It had been a good ride – ups and downs, and round corners – the landscape constantly changing and interesting! This is a great place for several reasons – Annie’s mascot – Charlie – got to meet his real Crocodile Dundee character in the Hotel / Souvenir Shop. The campground is very tidy and has lots of green grass around – (buffalo of course!!). The swimming pool is great, as is the beer garden. The meals they served looked super too, but we cooked in the van as we had one meal left for the journey!! We went for a walk to the Adelaide River (before beer) and were told by a local that a 5 metre croc resides 2 kms downstream, and that a 3 metre one can be seen frequently on the concrete in the river below the railway bridge. Also mullet and barra could be caught in the river. The camp is behind the servo and while we were waiting to check in a mini-van with a teacher (and netball coach), a dog, and a group of young kids got to stretch their legs. They still had a 7 hour journey to their destination in Arnham Land – having come from Melbourne where the youngsters had attended a netball tournament. Good on them!!! The girls all thought our bike mascots were fascinating. |