Day 63-64: Streaky Bay, SA
Distance cycled: 138km
It was meant to be a fairly short (about 72km) ride to Poochera today. So we took our sweet time in the morning and left Wudinna after breakfast. Nevertheless, we were anxious to move on especially since the atmosphere at the caravan park was slightly unnerving for Sue. Last night, as we were trying to get some rest, we heard the family in the caravan next to us screaming and shouting profanities at each other. To add to the acoustics, a cow was also mooing away all night! Seriously! Sue was restless through the night and felt a little under the weather the next day.
Before we left Wudinna, we snapped a quick photo of the Australian Farmer that was a structure carved out of granite standing at 8.5 metres high weighing 130 tonnes. We paused for a lunch break after about 37km in Minnipa, where we were hoping has more to offer. It has a service station and a roadhouse that serves food besides a butcher and a second-hand bookshop that were both closed. Nonetheless, we (especially Sue) were grateful that there are public toilets. In terms of public amenities, we were often amazed to find reasonably clean restrooms and sometimes bike paths in smaller towns on our journey across Australia. Being globe trotters ourselves, we realised that such amenities is not always available (at no charge and in good condition) in many countries. Way to go, Australia!
It must have been the longest 70km that we have cycled. It felt like it took us forever! We arrived in Poochera around 3pm and checked out the caravan park (a.k.a. motel, hotel and pub). We were told they have no rooms, cabins or powered sites, only unpowered tent sites. We took a look at our maps and it did not take us long to decide to make a detour to Streaky Bay. After a refreshing drink at the roadhouse, we pedalled on with a new determination.
It was after 4pm and we still had about 60km to go to get to Streaky Bay. We knew we would only get there after dark. Just before sunset, we looked into the horizon and saw the ray of sun infiltrating the heavy clouds. To our distant right, we caught a sight of rain and a glimpse of a rainbow in creation. At the same time, we were surrounded by golden-glowing fields as the end of the day drew nearer. These are some of the moments we truly cherish as we pedal our push-bikes across Australia.
Still more than 20kms to go, the smell of the ocean brought us hope (that we were getting near!) and excitement (that this long day is coming to an end). Around 9pm, we stood outside the Streaky Bay Community Hotel/Motel speechless and relieved that we finally made it! We would never have expected at the beginning of the day that our impulsiveness led us to a place right along the coast and almost twice the distance further than planned.
We had to take the next day off to enjoy this hidden treasure of a town and R-E-C-O-V-E-R! Coincidentally, the annual Farmers and Fisherman’s Market was held on our rest day. One of the ocean-view restaurants was even closed for the day to participate at a stall in the market. That’s the spirit you won’t find in most places!
We also did not miss the chance to check out the replica of the world’s largest White Pointer shark ever caught on a rod and reel at Stewart’s Roadhouse. In April 1990, a 16-year-old local boy battled this 1,520kg catch of a lifetime for more than 5 hours on a 24kg line. This mature female shark was estimated to be 16-18 years old and was later studied by researchers.
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