After riding my mountain bike from Adelaide to Darwin in 2005, I was keen for another such adventure, but one that returned to the kind of back roads I travelled when riding from Sydney to Melbourne in 2004. I hatched the idea of riding from the southernmost tip to the northernmost tip of mainland Australia, and rather than riding along the main (coastal) highway, try and ride a straight-line route that would necessarily take me on back roads and through a variety of terrains and climates.

Round Australia by bike - Day 028 - Sandfire Roadhouse to Pardoo Roadhouse

Day:028
Date:Thursday, 16 August 2007
AccommodationCabin at Pardoo Roadhouse
SummaryRiding from Sandfire Roadhouse to Pardoo Roadhouse
Start Time:8:30am
Finish Time:2:00pm
Daily Map Kms:137
Total Map Kms:6,898
Map Kms To Go:7,513
Map Kms ahead (+)/
behind (-) schedule:		-654
Daily Odometer Kms:na
Daily Average Speed:na
Weather:Cool early.  Very warm and sunny later.  Strong easterly winds.
Nutrition:Toasted sandwiches for breakfast.  Sandwiches for lunch.   Chicken Schnitzel for dinner.
Encounters:Saw a nice big brown snake on the side of the road waiting to cross as I rode past.
Highlights:None really.
Lowlights:Leg started to get quite sore again over last 30km.
Daily Pictures: 
Daily Podcasts:Here
Journal:I got up at 7:00am having decided to take it easy on the short ride I planned to Pardoo Roadhouse (137km).  I packed up, strapped my left thigh with the bandage I had been given by the St Johns guy, had some last toasted sandwiches for breakfast and said goodbye to Ken, the proprietor and his partner, before hitting the road.

The strong easterly wind was mostly from behind and made it easier to ride gently and protect my sore leg.  I coasted along at a good pace on a bright sunny morning through the low grass and scrub-covered plains.  There were some long gradual ascents and descents, but nothing significant.

The road paralleled the Eighty Mile Beach but again, although it was nearby, I never saw the ocean although, tantalisingly, after about 100km I could see a line of white sandhills to the right which probably marked the edge of the beach.

I reached Pardoo Roadhouse about 2pm and got a Donga for the night from the guy who was in a really bad mood for some reason, swearing under his breath at some other customers in the shop, and quite brusque with me for no reason.

I stopped every 30km or so for a break and to stretch my quads.  The pain in the leg was minimal early on, but got rapidly worse in the last 30km, causing my mood to go from optimistic to pessimistic.  Tomorrow will be the acid test, I think, as I have scheduled 270km to Whim Creek.  I pass through Port Hedland after 150km, more than I pedalled today, and the leg is now sore just walking around the Roadhouse.  If I’m in trouble in Port Hedland I will probably give the trip up.
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