December 25th -30th

Bombo Beach, Vincentia, Erskinville

My first Christmas day outside the UK was started with breakfast just off the beach. It was pretty busy with walkers and runners seeing that it was Christmas morning. We ate breakfast then swapped presents. It was good doing that as it made just another hot day feel Christmasy. Angela gave me an Australia flag and sticker for my bike and I gave her a selfie stick. Get ready for a wave of new photos.

We set off south and came to Bombo Beach and found a good camping spot hidden away behind some buildings overlooking the bay. Wild camping is pretty easy if you time it right and choose the right surroundings. It also saves you some money. 

So Christmas day was spent on the beach and in the sea surrounded by Aussies all having their family get togethers in 90 degree heat.

This is the traditional Aussie Christmas dinner. No turkey in sight just seafood and the Queens speech is replaced by sun and surf.

The next couple of days were spent with Joe and Judi in Vincentia. This is a town in Jervis Bay where the sand is white like flour and the sea is clear and warm. 

Joe got out his snorkeling gear for us to have a go with. It's been a long while since I had done any snorkeling but I soon got back into it. The beach at Hyams is where a lot of holiday brochure photos are taken and it's easy to see why. We left Vincentia and returned to Sydney to stay with our previous host for 2 nights. We have spent the last two days pretty much in bed suffering from a stomach bug. On a positive note my weight is staying down. On a negative note it's embarrassing throwing up and having the shits at a hosts house.

December 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th
Sydney, Stanwell Park, Wollongong

In central Sydney for 2 days we stayed with a lovely lady called Eleri. She lives is a really cool area of Sydney called Erskinville. It's quite a similar vibe to Camden Town. Her house is a three level set up that she designed herself. From the outside it looks really small but the same as me once you see it you can tell it's perfectly formed.
The only issue in the two days in central Sydney was the weather. It pretty much rained solid. On the first day Angela went to met a friend of hers from Wolverhampton who has been travelling and I went for dinner with a friend who emigrated here over a decade ago. It was a great afternoon with Karen at the Opera House Bar. There were lots of remember when moments? It made my day sitting and chatting with her.
Angela had read about a route south of Sydney called the grand ocean drive. We found some information about and have now set off to ride it for 4 or 5 days over Christmas. We started in a town called Bundeena and will make it eventually to Hyams Bay. The first day from Bundeena took in a ride through a national park and into the town of Stanwell to spend the night with a host called Kieran and his 3 Spanish guests. His house is very eco friendly with purpose built pet runs through the trees for the possums and Sugar gliders or as they are known in Europe, flying squirrels.
Christmas eve has come with no where to stay. I now know what Mary and Joseph went through when they set off for Bethlehem. I'm thinking that if they can get a stable in war torn Judea then we can sort something on the east coast of Australia.
Footnote: no room at the inn so for Christmas eve 2015 we are stealth camping on the beach.

December 16th -20th.

Newcastle, Wamberal, Oxford Falls.

So we made it into Sydney today. Getting here from Newcastle has taken 4 days. We left Newcastle in a huge thunder storm. This was Angie's first rain ride. Luckily the traffic was only slightly sketchy and she takled the heavy rain without issue. Newcastle town and the waterfront are very British. It was almost like riding down the front of Rhyl or Prestatyn and with the weather being wet and windy it was no different to North Wales.
Our host just outside Newcastle were Kedan and Katherine, their two dogs and one baby. They run their own business from home making bags for bikes. No part of it is sub contracted out. They bring the material in and design and stitch the bags to completion. They handle the shipping and have orders worldwide. Very inspiring.
The meal they made was Chinese with Pavlova pudding.
Our next host in Wamberal was for two nights and were Rod and Deb. Deb is an expat who lived a while in Shrewsbury so it was easy talking about home as she was one host who actually knew our city.
The view they have in their house of the ocean is truly stunning and up there with the best I have seen while on tour.
We had a go at boogie boarding again and I tried surfing. I may look like Kelly Slater (Rod's words not mine) but I don't surf like him.
For dinner they made kangaroo steaks with three different salads. The salad with watermelon in was off the chart.
For the second day we hung around the beach, as you do then Angela made pasta bake for dinner. I cut the sausage and poured the wine.
Our new host now is Scott and Helen and we are just 6 miles from Sydney. This is a rural area and to get into the city you have to cycle into Manly and catch a ferry over the bay with its stunning view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera house. The bay area of Sydney is spectacular, it's on quire a hilly peninsular so each area is stacked up along the horizon.
Dinner at Scott's and Helen's is a big affair as Helen is in catering and knows how to spoil her guests. Kangaroo steaks again with BBQ courgettes, spicy pastes, rice, chicken and beef. She finished us off with chocolate brownies which are so amazing I think I'm addicted.

December 13th - 15th
Miami to Halfway Creek to Bulahdelah (Wootton Way Rest Stop)

On our final day with Jacob and Russel The sun came out so we were able to go to the beach for some boogie boarding but not until after we came back from the pub. A good thing about Australia is that when sporting events happen in the U.S they are shown at a nice time over here. This ment we were able to watch all 13 seconds of Connor Mcgregor's fight against Jose Aldo while in the pub in the mid afternoon instead of 5am back in the UK.
The route from Miami led through the South Hinterland into Springbrook Park and around the rim of a former volcano. There were lots of opportunities to go to vista points and check out the amazing views of the valley all the way back out to the coast. One of the best views was even called "The best lookout of all". Really that was its name. A bit of a boast I thought when I first read it but once you get to see it you can understand why it's called that.
Our spotting of "big things" continued when we came across the big shrimp. So far this is the most impressive of the big things I have found. The following day at Coffs Harbour we saw the Big Banana. It was pretty big but n'a a patch on the Shrimp.
The camp for the night was our first road side truck stop. These are basically the same as the service stations back in the UK but here you can set a tent up. Just like the service stations back home the prices suddenly double.
On the 15th we passed through Port Macquarie and stopped just north of Newcastle. Some of the harbour towns here are stunning. Nambucca Heads is particularly impressive. It has a beautiful alcove through a park that let's the sea run through and into the towns rivers. Our camp was another free one. This time a lay by clearing with a toilet and a fire pit. When it's free you have to be grateful that there is at least a clean toilet with new toilet roll and not like the toilets back home with their "call this number for sex" graffiti and second hand toilet paper stuck to the walls.
Dusk time was insane with the insect noise from the trees. Almost at 9pm on the dot though the noise stopped. It was then time for the Sand Flies followed by the Mosquitoes. I was glad to get in the tent and call it a day.

December 11th -12th

Surfer's Paradise - Miami

We decided to take the train out of Brisbane down to the Gold Coast mostly due to south of the city being very industrial and built up. 30 plus miles of stop start traffic and dual carriageway didn't seem much of a choice against a $15 train ticket. When we arrived at the hosts house in a beach town called Miami we were met by two guys from Manchester who were renting the flat after cycling from their front doors in the UK two years ago. They are Jacob and Russell. Their journey took them through Europe, the Balkans, parts of the former USSR, into China, down through South East Asia and into the Pacific Rim Countries. They have some amazing stories and cycled with some awesome people. Along the way they met an English guy on a tandem who rode through towns giving children lifts on the spare seat. He told the lads he was going to cycle into Afghanistan. They found out off him quite a while later that he ended up being taken and kept in a lock up where he was held and questioned over a long period of time as a suspected spy for the Taliban. In the end after it was all sorted out he was released and ended up staying with the chief of police as a guest at his home. It has been fantastic to swap travel stories and see how situations happen all over the world. They are looking at cycling from Alaska down through the US and then down South America in a couple of years. They have my details as South America would be great to cycle as a team. 

The weather for the last 2 days have been raining. It's still warm but just wet. Shame really as I was hoping to do some beach chilling. On Saturday night we went out to the local indoor market for food and live music. The band were called The Twine and they put on a great show. It had a barn dance feel to it but without the straw and horse muck. 

We head for Newcastle over the next few days and may take the inland road for a while as the area has some amazing mountains and waterfalls.

December 7th - 10th
Maleny to Brisbane Central

The four days since my last post have been spent in Maleny and back at Scarborough. While in Maleny, Eleanor and Angie drove over and met my host Mary and had a lovely chat about travelling New Zealand. I'm contacting Qantas soon about extending my return date to give me a chance to cycle both islands. The last full day in Maleny was spent with Mary's friend Gary. We rode out to the nature reserve at Cairncross park. I saw my first up close Pademelon. This is a marsupial similar to a Kangaroo or a Wallabie. We then went for a ride to the Montville lookout and viewed the Glass house mountains and the coast from Brisbane to Noosa. Gary told me a story about the mountains that the indigenous people past down. There are 3 main mountains. One looks like a Gorilla's head looking out to sea. There is a small spiked mountain behind it and a large double peaked one. The double peaked one was a pregnant lady and the spike was her first child. The Gorilla one was the husband who sent them both inland while he looked out to sea to guard them against a wave that would be coming at some point.
On the last night Gary and Susan took me for a meal at a live music restaurant. It was an open mic night and as much as I fancy myself as a bit of a crooner there has to be a point when I admit that subjectively I sound amazing but objectively I sound awful. I decided to best leave it and enjoy the meal.
I rode back to Scarborough the next day and met up with Angie at the hosts flat who we stayed with previously. Andrew and Paul were really kind to let us stop for another two nights. Steak and chips were the order of the day. There is a brand over here called Red Rooster and they serve the best chips I have ever tasted. Put them with a juicy steak and some salad and you can't go wrong.
The final night was spent in the pub in Redcliffe which is the town that the Bee Gees hailed from. The Bee Gees way exhibition is a major attraction with nightly showings of a film detailing the history of the band. It's impossible to sit through a showing without tapping your feet or singing along.....(In your head not out loud in my case).
On the 10th we made it back to Brisbane central and are staying with a host called Peter and his girlfriend Nicole. I'm back on the cat trail. They have two but one is really shy and was only briefly spotted upon our arrival. The plan is to cycle south from Brisbane to Coolangata then get to Newcastle and cycle into Sydney just prior to Christmas.

Jingle bells across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

December 5th -6th
Crystal Waters to Maleny Warmshower host.
Total miles 746

I hit the road early to cover the short but hilly distance to Maleny where I was going to be staying with a host called Mary. She is a fellow cyclist and has toured New Zealand, Europe and Cuba amongst other places.
A few miles in I noticed I had made the mistake of not filling my water bottles so rather than turn back I pulled into the next farm I went past. The farmer was out on his porch with his family and filled the bottles for me and asked which way I was heading. Maleny, I replied. It's hard to put into words a description of his facial reaction but it was clear to me it meant a mixture of.......you fecking idiot and may the cycling gods have mercy on your soul. He cracked a joke when he told me he was going to Maleny in about 18 hours and if I was still on the hill he would give me a lift in the horse box.
In fairness to the farmer the hill was a bit of a brute. It was only around 3km long but with a steep gradient. I have rode harder ones even while being in Australia but I don't think I have gone up a steeper one.
My host had explained that she and her friend were going to be out all day but she gave me her friends address and to go to there if I arrived early and her friends husband would be in and knew I may be coming.
I stopped in Maleny town first to get some breakfast and had a walk along the river hoping to see the platypus that are natives of the hinterlands. I followed the river path quite far and when I checked my map I had unwittingly arrived just outside Mary's friends house. I met with Gary and once I had chilled he took me to a vista point lookout where I could look back to the coast where I had rode from and also see the view back along the Glass House Mountains. When Mary arrived back with Gary's wife Susan we all went to the Lake Baroon Dam for a picnic. We were joined by a Magpie, a Crow and a Cookabura all on the beg for whatever we left behind. There is something unerringly strange about looking into the eyes of a Cookabura up close. Beautiful bird but not a welcome dinner guest. Our evening meal was Mexican food followed by Rhubarb pie and cream. I'm thinking more and more of New Zealand after hearing Mary and Susan's stories and seeing their photo album. Today I met their cycling club for breakfast, The Lycra Lizards. Just to put the mind at rest, I didn't put on any Lycra. It was their end of year Christmas breakfast with some awards being presented. My host Mary came away with the award for most inspirational rider of the year. This was due to her taking on Cuba and Spain on her own. Fair play.

Nov 30th, Dec 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
With Eleanor, Tim and family in Coolum and ride to Crystal Waters

26 years or so after last seeing her we end up at the house of our old school friend Eleanor Caddick. She travelled a lot, moved a few times and finally settled in Coolum Beach Australia. She is married to Tim and they have two charming boys, Zack who is 6 and Max who is 18 months. It's been really good staying with the family for a few days. The chance to be off the bikes for two full days was refreshing and the time has been well spent. The one day we went out on the bikes was to ride up to the beautiful bay town Noosa Head. It was a 17 mile journey along the coast and over a few hills but the view on arrival was worth it. Angie joined Eleanor for some beach aerobics one morning, I opted out as running on sand at 6am is not my idea of fun. What I did enjoy was walking up Mt Coolum, especially with Eleanor bringing young Max along in her backpack. I took the chance to go slowly as I know that a good long hike batters my shins and calf's. While here we have tried "boogie boarding". Years ago I found out that I cannot wind surf but now I know that yes Sir, I can boogie. So can Angie. We both took to it and we're catching some great waves. No wipe outs for this beach bum. My final day in Coolum was actually spent asleep on the beach. We went down again with our boards but the sea was way to rough for this novice so we had a picnic and ended up flat out and snoozing for 2 hours. Mine and Angie's path have split for a while. I have set off to cycle the Hinterlands back down to Brisbane and Angie is retracing our steps back along the coast. We should both meet up by the middle or end of next week.
I want to put into text mine and Angie's appreciation to Eleanor and Tim for letting us stay in their home with their amazing family. We ate and drank like royals, we had great conversations and we loved meeting Zack and Max. I'm certain it won't be another 20 plus years till we all meet again.
The ride to Crystal Waters took me through a village called Eumundi that has a popular market for local goods and products. I dipped into the coffers to purchase some environmentally friendly wooden sunglasses. I could have bought a wooden calculator or computer keyboard but I'll maybe wait until I'm home a get one from their online shop. If you want to check them out then go to www.eumundibamboo.com.au
I stayed the night at an Eco-village called Crystal Waters. $10 to camp and access to showers, kitchen and WiFi. I awoke during the night to use the bathroom and exited my tent to be greeted by the most amazing view of the night sky I have ever seen. It all looked like a big picture with connecting patterns. Truly stunning.

November 27th - 28th - 29th
Scarborough - Caloundra - Alexandra Headland

We took the short (17 mile) ride to our next host in the coast town of Scarborough. The hosts name was Andrew, a fellow cycle tourist who had travelled a lot of Asia and New Zealand. His apartment was above a remedy cafe and right on the beach front. Once we settled in and freshened up we all sat and chatted about travelling. New Zealand and South Korea seem more and more appealing to me with each person I talk to. Andrew had cycled both and said nothing but good things. Later on this trip I will sit down and work out the how's and ifs and see if I can get these locations ticked off and extend this current trip.


We bid farewell to Andrew and Paul and set off for Caloundra. We were invited back if we loop back around to Brisbane which we will need to do now as by accident we kept Andrew's spare house key.
The ride to our host in Caloundra was a 50 mile all day journey along a few back roads until we joined the famous Steve Irwin Highway. This took us past his Australian Zoo, one of the coasts major tourist attractions. It had been cloudy and overcast all day but for the final 15 miles the sun came out which coupled with a hill named "little mountain" made the back end of the route pretty hard going. Still, we both completed it and it was a big moment for Angela as it was her first 50+ plus day. Our hosts in Caloundra were Brodie, his wife Koko and their super energetic daughter Katie. It's the first time on all my travels that I have turned up to a hosts home to find out its a top beach front hotel. Young Katie quickly told me to try the "Finland" pool. This was actually 2 pools, an ice cold one followed by a hot one. Ah man its good. Brodie is Australian and lived in Tokyo for ten years with Koko who is from Japan. They since moved back to Australia to run the hotel. Their daughter is speaking both English and Japanese. At 2 and a half years old she can have a conversation in both language's and confidently switch between the two. Incredible......

Our third ride was a short one to the coastal haven of Alexandra Headland. It was a nice ride along a beautiful river with houses backing on to the cycle path running along the river bank. Our hosts were Jim and his partner Megan. Jim is a native of California who emigrated to Australia 11 years ago. I enjoyed chatting about my USA trip as Jim knew the places well. We had a dip in their pool and a BBQ dinner before  a run through of possible future routes to take on the loop north then back down to Brisbane.

Due to the amazing food we have been given by our hosts it has become possible to remember them all not just by names or towns but by the food served.

Andrew/Paul - Turkey roast dinner and fruit sponge pudding.
Brodie/Koko - 3 homemade pizzas and passion fruit ice cream.
Jim/Megan - Cucumber soup stater, BBQ seasoned steak and pumpkin pie dessert.
I think there may be a potential cook book in the offing.

November 24th - 25th - 26th
Bororen to Gympie to Shorncliffe and in Brisbane

The journey to Gympie took us via Rainbow Beach, a little village with access to a stunning front. We spent an afternoon sun bathing before going to Standown Park. This site is run by an ex soldier who fought in the Vietnam war. When he finished his service he went and worked as a life guard on the Sunshine coast. This was in the late 1970's when according to him you could drink the coast dry in a night. Now, he said there are so many bars there that he could have fought 3 wars by the time he would be able to sample every bar along the strip. Earlier today I noticed on my map that we were coming to the most unfortunately named town in Australia or maybe even the world, ISIS Central. How bad must those Towns folk feel? We're do you live? Oh, ISIS Central. More suprising was the next town was called Promised Land. So crazy, there is even an ISIS River and an ISIS Highway. I see social media full of Muslims saying ISIS are not real Muslims but spare a thought for the inhabitants of ISIS Central who have to keep reminding everyone that the Islamists and Jihadists from ISIS are not really from ISIS. You couldn't make this shit up......

Two bits of local knowledge, the United Kingdom could fit in Australia 31 times and the highest mountain in Queensland in Mt Bartle-Frere.

Our Warmshower hosts in Shorncliffe are Rose and her husband Ian. Rose was born in Sheffield but had travelled from a young age until setting up in Australia. They live on a road over looking the beach from the front and a tropical suberb at the back. We had a fantastic beef lasagne for dinner and listened to stories from her travels like she sailed from New Zealand to Australia in a boat through a storm that had the captain thinking the end was nigh. He didn't tell Rose that he thought they were finished until they were safely on dry land. We will be staying here for two nights which is fantastic as the views, local wildlife and community is brilliant. Ian mentioned two animals that come to the house every night. First is the Possums that get into the roof and run about or sit in the tree by the bedroom windows and the second is the green tree frog that sits on the window ledge. Both turned up on cue once the sun had gone down.
For our day in Brisbane on the 26th we took a lift from Rose with our bikes into the city and rode around the centre on the unreal bike paths. I thought Portland was number 1 but I'm not so sure anymore. The lay out follows the Brisbane river including the man made swimming areas, the botanical gardens, restaurant district, past the airport and back to Shorncliffe 18 miles away. It also goes out of the city in other directions creating one massive spiders Web of bike lanes. In this weather with this infrastructure I can't see why anyone would drive into downtown.

November 22nd - 23rd
Ayr to Mackay to Bororen

We arrived in Ayr looking for a campsite but as it was late , 7pm being late in these parts, we were refused entry to the first one we tried. After checking on Wikicamps we found a Big 4 site only a few miles away. Next morning we set off down the Bruce Highway heading as far south as possible. There were a few pit stops as this road is so monotonous you need a break to stop you going in a trance. That's a difference between riding and driving. We took a detour into the backpacker haven of Airlie Beach on one of the breaks. It's a lively town with a good beach strip. It looks well set up for bar crawls, students and travellers. I took over driving duties in the afternoon for my first go behind a wheel since June. 5 months of pure pedal power on 3 different continents.
We found a nice site in a town called Mackay and made use of the swimming pool and had dinner with a retired couple from Perth. They even shared their spuds and steak. The conversation was really pleasant about people being good to each other all over the world, about the diverse Australian eco system and the joys of camp life. While I have been traveling it has been moments like this that I have enjoyed most along with the riding and the weather. We pushed on today and made it to the excellent Bushchooks Campsite. This is a fantastic site with all the  facilities you could think of. $10 per night for a tent is around £6 and when I'm happy just for a plot and a shower and to have all that is here is superb. We have a plan now to get to Brisbane on Wednesday and stay with a family via Warmshowers for 2 nights and then cycle north and stay with another host further up the Sunshine Coast.

Just thinking Sunshine Coast during November when I see on Facebook that the UK has now had snow is so surreal. All my 38 years of being cold in November and all the time this has been here waiting for my arrival.

November 20th -21st
Townsville & Magnetic Island

Our first night in Townsville staying with Peter and Kay was a pleasure. Great food and lovely conversation. We heard about their previous guest and about their own trips to the UK. Both love live music and told us about the time they saw the Rolling Stones at the old Wembley stadium. This was the early 80's when Mick and the band were about 80 themselves I think. Our plan for Friday was house cleaning our kit of items we don't need. It usually takes about 7 days to find out the items that are dead weight. Both of us have sent items in the post to my friend in Perth that we will pick up on our way home. First to go was our sleeping bags. In this heat I sleep o'natural. It's like sauna until the early hours. Also to go was my waterproofs as any rain that comes is quick and is followed by blazing sun. We rode into the down town area and stopped into The Bicycle Pedlar shop. We had a good chat with the owners and were suprised when one of them asked "are you Phillip from England" it turns out the owners Mick and Jenny were people I had sent Warmshower requests to at the sametime I had sent them to Peter and Kay. Its a small world in the cycling fraternity.
The next thing to do was to get a new tent for Angela. She has been using my tent that I bought back from the USA but I know from experience that it feels like a bit of a coffin. She bought a nice 2 man sized one which will make for more comfortable camping. The rest of the day was spent swimming, eating and feeding the local birdlife around the rock pool. I didn't know anything about Townsville before we came here but I can say that it is a fantastic town. Really clean and vibrant. On Saturday we said farewell to our hosts and took the ferry over to Magnetic Island. We did some looking around and ate at Picnic Bay before I took off to do the infamous "horseshoe" road that climbs the hills and connects bay areas on either side of the island. For the next few days we have hired a car and are driving down to Brisbane. The plan was originally to cycle there but the headwinds are at ridiculous levels. When we get there we will cycle north for 200 miles to reach Coolum Beach. This should use the SE trade wind and will make for a much better riding experience.

I want to give a shout out to our hosts for their wonderful hospitality and also a shout for The Bicycle Pedlar shop. This is the first shop on this continent I have seen that sells proper touring bikes. If I had arrived in Townsville looking for a new bike I know for a fact I would have had the bike of my dreams from them......The Surly Long Haul Disk Trucker.....she will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine.

November 18th -19th

Ingham to Big Crystal Campsite to Townsville.

Total trip 450 miles

Sometimes on a tour you have to just deal with a crap session on the bike. Today was one of those days. Uneventful and dull. When your counting roadkill you know it's a duffer of a day. I put in 30 miles and called it neck at Big Crystal Campsite. The camp is our first government run ground so it meant paying online for a permit. It worked out a £3.50 for a plot with showers, tables, fire pits and access to a great swimming hole. I'm really enjoying these swims in natural surroundings. There is no creeping into the water trying to catch your breath. They are warm and soothing and a far cry from the Wolverhampton to Walsall canal.

Tomorrow I ride for Townsville to stay with a family for two nights and have a day on Magnetic Island. 

I cycled to Townsville in the worst head wind I have ever riden in. The will to carry on was being seriously tested. I don't often shout out while riding unless it's at a RV hogging the road but today I let out a few expletives, loudly. 

It was a case of head down and get on with it. I had to think of things that could be worse and when you stop to think like that it puts a head wind into perspective. 

Any bad day blues have been soothed by the wonderful hosts Peter "Mozzy" and his wife Kay. They have an amazing open plan house that Kay designed. It's certainly the first house I have been in with a 25 metre swimming pool. We are going to chill for a couple of days and look at changing the route as I'm here to enjoy myself and when you have to pedal hard downhill otherwise you grind to a halt that isn't my idea of fun.

November 16th - 17th

Mission Beach to Cardwell to Ingham 

Total trip 368

So after posting a photo showing a beautiful morning sunrise and adding the comment that I expected a good day it was at the hour mark that I had to pull in and fix my first puncture of the trip. Lucky for me it happened outside a farm so I was able to do it in the shade. At the 2 hour mark I pulled over to fix my second. Again, lucky for me it was in the shade of a watermelon stand. So much for my feelings and predictions. The campsite Angela was waiting at turned out to be another good one and on par with all the others we have used. The camps community kitchens complete with a barbecue and seating area's. It was pasta and sausage with a pineapple for a sweet. 

When I awoke to ride to Ingham I had to delay as we had a quick thunderstorm to sit out. Once it stopped I was hard at the pedals and clocked 21 miles in 90 minutes. The road and views were pretty uneventful except the vista point looking over Hitchinbrook Island. By early afternoon we were setting up camp at The Palm Tree Camp and looking on the map at interest points locally. We went to check out Jarouma Falls and Swim hole. This turned out to be a great choice. We swam in the pool that was at the base of the waterfall which I also managed to swim to and walk through and go behind like Mylenne but without the soap suds. I'm not a celebrity so leave me here please....

November 14th - 15th

Atherton to Mena Creek to Mission Beach

Total trip 284 miles

I left Stephen and Trish at 7am to try and get some miles before the heat came. In this part of the world though it's pretty full on within a couple of hours so I was sweating buckets by 9. The views are spectacular and the iPhone camera does not do them justice. My first break came at a waterfall in Malanda. It was to early to take a dip as I was putting some good miles in so I ate a power bar and cracked onto the falls at Millaa Millaa. I also didn't swim here as the water was quite muddy. The falls were nice but when you can't see the bottom of the pool it puts you off a bit. The miles were clocking quickly thanks to a favourable wind so at the 60 mile mark I stopped at a Creek and hid the bike in the bushes and took a well earned plunge. For the remainder of the route I took the Palmerstan highway. A few long climbs but some exhilarating downhill runs. At 100 miles as if by magic I arrived at the Mena Hotel. I asked inside if I could set my tent up out the back and the owner said, as long as I came in and bought a beer. 3 beers and one plate of chips later and I was feed, showered and in the tent chilling. 

The ride to Mission Beach was only a 40 mile run but as usual with any location I ride with Mission in the name it always becomes one. One wrong turn sent me on a 5 mile loop almost back to where I started from and another turn sent me 4 miles to a locked gate. Finally the third ball ache was being attacked by Magpies. I have found that if you are close to where they have nests then they become really protective and swoop in and dive bomb passing cyclists or pedestrians. One attack caused me to ditch the bike and run up the side of a farm. I was told later that if I put cable ties all over my bike helmet it will stop them pecking my head. Next stop, a hardware shop.

November 12th - 13th

25 miles and 28 miles

I set off from Mareeba to Atherton expecting to arrive in under 2 hours. Unfortunately the head wind from hell slowed progress down and it took more like 3 hours 30 minutes. The views were nice though. Rolling hills and picturesque farm yards. I stopped at The Peanut Palace for some food, drink and a chance to have an internal chat with myself. A bad head wind can beat you up mentally so it's always good to stop and take in your situation and surroundings. I eventually made it to warmshower hosts Stephen and Trish's house to find 2 beautiful cats and a very excited dog. The hosts were still at work so I entertained myself trying to tire the dog out by throwing his Rugby ball around the garden. Safe to say I quit first. When the whole family arrived we sat and chatted then I talked with their young sons while the Spag Bol dinner was being made. These are the second youngsters who have hit me with logical quiz questions. The previous hosts son kept giving me brain twisters to try and work out. After dinner I got my own back by confusing them with the classic twist my hand 360 degrees trick and the legendary Del Boy gag were he bets a fiver that he can make someone turn his hands over without touching them. Phil 1 - Aussie Youth 0. The hosts asked me to stay another night so I can go Kayaking. Never one to turn that down I accepted. For my second day in Atherton I rode south to Lake Eacham and spent the morning chilling by the lake. I heard they had turtles there but I found out that it's to hot for them to come to shore. Still it's a great setting and I had a good walk around. In the afternoon I did my kayaking and also had a good chat with a sailing instructor. He was interested in my travels and gave me some wind and hill advice. I'm really loving the Australian people, they are helpful, interesting and pleasant. Just like the Americans were.

November 10th - 11th

Port Douglas to Mareeba (Warmshower Host) 58 miles.

The heavens opened big time during the night. Luckily the tent is a good one and I had angled it so the door could be open to let the breeze in but not the rain. It was a four inch downpour but as normal in the tropics within minutes it was dry and sunny. There has been a change of plan riding wise. I am now going alone for a week or two as Angela has hired a car. We are still meeting up at the end of the day but from location to location it's only me on a bike. I left Port Douglas and headed north for 7 miles to the turning point where the road goes inland. This is the start of the 8 mile hill. It was a good one. I was spurned on by drivers shouting encouragement out their windows, "give it some" and "go on brother", of course it sounds good in a deep Aussie accent. The summit of the hill gave me chance to refuel with an orange an apple and a couple of spoons of pasta sauce. You eat strange when your blowing out your arse and the easiest or quickest item to reach goes down a treat. The road stayed quite flat through some nice farmland for the next 15 miles. I stopped to try a frozen mango cup for $3 at a small farm and had a chat with the lady who ran it. It was a mango farm run by her and her husband. Guess his name?.......Bruce. It only occurred to me later that she could have been the Sheila that men in these parts talk about. I arrived at the camp site I had planned to use but with it only being 2pm I just made some noodles and pushed on another 39 miles to Mareeba and warmshower host Konrad. He lives with his young son just out of the main town. We were joined by a Polish couple and Konrads friend Dale. Dale is a complete Aussie. I couldnt work out exactly but i think he is a retired tobacco farmer. He says all the things you would expect from an Australian. "I reckon" "get myself a new Shiela" "strewth" "grog" "blaaadddyyy hell". He had some great stories, so many in fact that he tells about 3 at the same time, and so quick that it's hard to keep up. He has invited us to dinner tomorrow night as we are staying here for two nights. There are some waterfalls and walks local to Mareeba that I would like to see. First real big ride day completed, where's that Barby I hear so much about? 

I spent the day at Emerald Falls just outside Mareeba. Managed to have a swim in the pool at the base of the falls. There were no beware the crocodile signs but you can't be to careful. Konrad's friend Dale came good on his offer of dinner and we all tucked into a Polish salad, Australian BBQ steak and lamb and a bottle of the local red wine. Throw in a couple of vodka shots and a few tins of xxxx and the night was completed. Next stop Atherton and another Warmshower host family.

November 8th - 9th

Cairns to Palm Cove to Port Douglas

Miles 17 + 27

We said goodbye to our hosts Gary and Sandy after an amazing lamb dinner, a few drinks and some quite deep conversation. We found that we had more interests in common than just bicycle riding. We agreed that we all like history, we agreed that 99% of people you meet anywhere in the world will be good people, we agreed that food and eating it tops just about anything else and we agreed that the earth is definitely older than 6000 years as claimed by at least two potential future presidents of the USA. Gary and Sandy have been another example of how good warmshower hosting is. I hope our paths cross again. Maybe on some future tour somewhere. So Cairns to Palm Cove was our first proper ride, me with my new bike and Angela on the first leg of her first tour. The bike lane was a mixture of on the road shoulder and separate designated path way. It was flat land all the way with a slight head wind, nice views of the hills that split the coast from the table lands that we will encounter in the days to come. Australian road kill differs from American only slightly. A few squashed bull frogs. A couple of flattened snakes and a wrote off Kangaroo. 

We set camp at Palm Cove Holiday Park. Quite cheap with good amenities. We went for a walk down to the shop then ate lunch then hit the beach to have the first swim in Australian waters. The sea was Californian warm. No slow walk in trying to catch your breath as the water splashes your stomach. Just straight in. There is a netted area to swim in as it's Jellyfish season and also the odd salt water crocodile has been known to show up. Darkness falls quick in these parts and by 7pm it was pitch black. There was a decent rain storm first thing on the 9th and with grey clouds as we set off for Port Douglas it looked like a cooler ride. By 5 miles in the sun was blazing and the heat was intense. The stretch of road we were on was pretty sketchy. Minimum shoulder and fast cars followed by fast trucks. Angela rode out front as I have a wing mirror on my bike and was wearing my hi viz top. There was one decent hill but it was tackled at a slow pace. The view at the top was spectacular with clear sight all the way back to Cairns. We arrived in Port Douglas and set camp at the tropical winds site. A tropical wind would be welcome as it is hot even after dark. Tomorrow we go inland and face the hills. Wish us good tail winds and a cloudy day. At least until we arrive at Rifle Creek.

November 5th - 7th
Cairns
Warmshower hosts Gary and Sandy

So I have the riding bug. I have gone for a 3 month cycle trip around Australia. My route will take me from Cairns on the north east coast down to Brisbane then maybe, I said maybe, down to Sydney. Later I am aiming for a ride along the great ocean road in the south from Melbourne to Warranobool then over to Perth for a while to ride and visit friends. This time I have been joined by an old school friend called Angela who has taken the travelling plunge. It will be a different experience to cycle and camp with someone from back home and it's going to be good to share the trip.
I had sorted out a Warmshower host for the first two nights in Cairns but due to an unforseen incident this had to be extended to 3 nights. The incident in question was that after packing our bikes and setting off on Emirates airlines to fly to Melbourne via Dubai, Singapore, we waited at the oversize baggage conveyor for the bikes in Melbourne. Angela's came out ok but mine didn't appear. I went to the help desk to ask about it and was told it was about to come through. It did eventually. Unfortunately it came through completely written off. It basically looks as though someone has driven over it in a fork lift truck. I didn't cause to much of a fuss as I knew it wouldn't save the bike so I filled out the forms so that I can later claim via contacting Emirates directly. With all this happening we missed our connection flight to Cairns but as it was the fault of the airline we were booked onto a later flight. This made the plans to ride from Cairns airport to our hosts impossible. We ended up arriving in Cairns at midnight and getting a taxi. Luckily bike touring and hosting folks are good eggs and a nice note was pinned to the front door. We got in and freshend up a hit the beds. Just so all are aware it is separate beds as this is purely a friendship and nothing more. It's hard enough touring and camping without adding to the possible drama. In the morning we chilled and got our bearings around town. We sorted out a new bike for me after looking at a few different ones. We sorted our phones and we stocked up on food. At dinnertime the hosts Gary and Sandy made some homemade pizzas on the wood burner and helped us go through some riding routes. On Saturday we went into town again and picked up my new bike then had a good ride around Cairns. It's a beautiful town with a fantastic Esplanade leading to a public open air swimming pool. The bars and restaurants are all really cool and the backpacker community is very strong.  For tonight's dinner it's a lamb roast done in the slow burner. As I type this the smell is wafting through and I'm struggling to concentrate. It's like the bisto kids advert from years ago. In the morning we head out on the bikes proper to Palm Cove. My blog may not be posted everyday but I will try.
I have a new bike, a person to tour with and a new continent to see. Dorethy said there's no place like home and that's true. I had a great month with my sister and nephew but it is time for the Jizzard of Oz to come from around the curtain.