Cycling Adventure 4000KM from Sydney to Uluru
Then the roads took a turn for the worse. The hill that stood before me was too steep and the sand too soft to ride a bike up. My tyres and feet sunk deep and I was forced to dismount and drag my bike and trailer to the top, stopping halfway to regain some strength. Looking up as I reached the summit there were sand hills as far as I could see. This was going to be a tough day. There were seventy five hills and the road only improved when I reached some oil and gas fields where the roads had to be better to carry the huge tankers full of crude oil.
Innamincka is not so much a town as a service station and a hotel. The Cooper Creek flows past here (not all the time of course) but with the recent rains had flooded to 7 metres deep. The water had receded to enable the road to be re-opened a week before my arrival. A 100km detour (at least a days’ riding) would have been necessary if I would have arrived just those few days earlier. There was a lot more sand and bike pushing across this section too and it really amazed me at some points that this could be considered a road at all. In other parts of the world something that looked like this would not be and certainly wouldn’t be marked on a national map! I also had some mechanical problems which didn’t help.
These were some tough days and at the end of them I fell to the ground at sunset before recovering enough to collect wood to make a fire. I was rewarded for my efforts with an array of stars to sleep under that many people in their light polluted environments never get to see. The crackling of the fire was the only sound and I slept soundly (apart from the occasional mouse) after the days exertion. I woke to stunning sunrises as soon as I opened my eyelids, often with emus and kangaroos around my camp.
I took my time packing, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the nature around me. There was much space that I often felt like the only human being on the planet. How far removed was this from busy city streets, noisy traffic and the rush of daily life in the city, with people racing to get home to their box sized bit of space. Home often felt like everywhere out here. Sure, it takes some effort to get here but to me the rewards to the mind and body are invaluable. In many ways I think this is where we belong.
I took a couple of days rest in Birdsville to let my legs recuperate and check all was well with my bike and trailer. Continuing north I passed artesian hot springs which are cooled upon reaching the surface for drinking water in this area. They are also great to soak in. I was often pushed along by a tailwind, passing lakes and rivers which are often dry buy now were teeming with birdlife. I covered a fantastic 400km in less than three days and in the town of Boulia I was able to re-stock much needed food supplies.
It was now time to turn west along the Donahue and Plenty ‘Highway’ into the Northern Territory. There was over 800km on this dirt road, dotted with just a few cattle stations. These stations are larger than many European nations and helicopters are used to get around! I was in good mental and physical condition by this time and covered the distance in 8 days even though I developed a fever along the way which slowed me down for a while. Again luck was on my side as the road behind me was closed due to rain in Queensland. Even a small amount of rain on these roads turns them into impassable sludge.
I took a few days in Alice Springs to sort out the mechanical problems I’d been having and got myself ready for the final leg of the journey- the 470km to Uluru. There were sealed roads again and although the 470km was a reasonable distance to cover in four days I enjoyed the challenge. As Uluru came into view in the distance I was able to stop frequently where vehicles could not and the pace which I approached allowed me to take in the sheer size and scale of this geological phenomenon. It was an incredible way to arrive and I felt that all the effort I’d put in increased the beauty of the destination.
As I approached Uluru, its huge mass filling my vision with its vibrant colour, I examined smooth contours where thousands of years of erosion had carved out holes and grooves. Bright green trees and plants sprung up around it from where water would gather after a rare rainfall. Its bright blue backdrop faded as the sun dipped lower in the sky, bringing out all the colours the rock seems to be hiding during the hot days. I then cast my mind back to the modern, shining city I had left and 49 days before and over 4000km away. There seemed to be no similarities between these two places at all. They could well be on different planets for how strikingly different they are. Yet there I was, having journeyed between the two with nothing but the power of my own muscles.
I felt a great happiness but also a little sadness that my journey was over. I had seen and experienced so much in the last seven weeks. Seeing a country this way slows down and intensifies everything. It may not always be fun and it certainly isn’t easy but the rewards of this kind of trip always keep me coming back for more.
Follow Adrian’s Adventures at:
www.worldcyclingadventures.net
B E
Seeing a country this way slows down and intensifies everything!
TRAVEL
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