Wycliffe Well to Tennant Creek
134.9 kms
Up = 308m - Down = 299m - Highest Point = 416m
WYCLIFFE WELL TO TENNANT CREEK - 6th September 2017
134.9 kms Today completes 3 weeks of the journey!! We are now under 1,000 kms from Darwin - and have ridden over 2,000 kms from Adelaide in the last 3 weeks!! No internet or mobile coverage last night, so we head off having not checked a weather forecast. Not sure if it is good to know what we are facing today or not!! Thankfully it wasn't too bad at all - at times it was strong side winds (easterlies), more of the time it was S/E - so was more helpful than not. Our first stop was 29 kms into the day at Devil's Marbles - getting here was preceded by a 5 km hill climb - but well worth it. Took time for photo's and a brief walkabout before being back on the road. What a great spell that next 10 kms was - downhill and a fab tail wind - flying along!! Official rest areas were few and far between so we made them for 60 kms for snacks and drinks, and then 90 kms for lunch. That left us with 2 x 20km sessions to reach our destination - Tennant Creek. The first half of the journey had that coarse bitumen again - but thankfully it was smoother from the 90k mark onward. While slightly cool in the mornings still it is now getting pretty warm during the day, so we have to ensure plenty of water and electrolytes are taken on! Sadly roadkill today was mainly beef stock - and as it would be - I remarked to Annie at lunchtime that there had not been many 'roos as roadkill - only to have one come bouncing along the road across and towards us just after lunch. It actually looked like a couple of dingoes had flushed it out - but they stayed clear of the road. Coming into Tennant Creek and a large bull was free roadside and gave us the evil eye - but thankfully didn't chase us. We were also ordered off the road as a "large load" was coming through behind us. There was about a 6" drop from the seal to a gravel shoulder which we all made safely - those needing to uncleat doing so just in time!! It was a wonderful feeling riding through Tennant Creek. We are staying at the Tennant Creek Caravan Park on the northside of town - as we rode through the town many aboriginal folk in the street were waving out to us. It brought a smile to my face, and a "warm and fuzzy" feeling that in some small way - our ride would be benefitting young aboriginal children. Great facilities at this camp, we've cooked dinner in probably the best organised kitchen of the trip, done the washing and got it dry in the hot afternoon sun - hopefully we will sleep well tonight and enjoy a rest day here tomorrow. Oh I forgot - we met a Sydney guy biking an unusual route - from Sydney to here (via Mt Isa) - down to Port Augusta, cross through Broken Hill to home. He's self-supported - and an Audax rider - and he leaves at 6:30 in the morning so I will be up to see him off!!! |
NORTHERN GAS PIPE-LINE
Jemena is proud to have been selected by the Northern Territory Government to build, own and operate the Northern Gas Pipeline (NGP). The 622km pipeline will link Tennant Creek in the Territory to Mount Isa in Queensland, unlocking the next phase of economic growth for the Territory and help build a stronger Northern Australia. Construction of the $800 million Project began in July 2017. The first gas is scheduled to flow in late 2018. |