Today saw a landmark achievement in my Australian bicycle tour: I crossed the border from Victoria into South Australia (both of those are names of Australian states by the way).
But before we talk about that, let me tell you about last night, aka the thunderdome.
Yes, it would seem that last night, my humble little campsite in sleepy Servicetown, Victoria, was assaulted by possibly the most violent thunderstorm I've ever witnessed.
And we all know how much I love thunderstorms.
When I arrived at the RV park, the attendant had already left for the night.
After I convinced a woman staying there that she did not need to call him back for me to pay him $15, I set up my tent next to a large metal tower in the middle of a huge sports field (I obviously wasn't thinking when I chose my campsite).
On the horizon I could see lightning flashing across the sky, but it looked too far away to pose any risk to me tonight. Until it wasn't.
Within fifteen minutes of spotting the lightning, the storm was quickly approaching. Knowing my tent was in a textbook terrible spot, I dragged it (filled with all my belongings) across the field and into the bathroom.
Immediately upon entering and getting the door shut, the sky opened up and a deafening hail hammered down on the roof. Slowly, I moved my possessions from the bathroom into the adjacent game room, but before I could finish the electricity in the building had been knocked out.
I would quite possibly (literally) be shitting myself if I was still outside (despite my extensive research on how to survive this exact scenario).
All night rain, hail, and thunder assaulted the building, and in the morning, after what amounted to very little sleep, I wait out the last of the rain before daring to retrieve my bike.
Grateful that all of my gear is still dry, I pack up and head directly west out of Serviceton – allowing me to cross the Victoria/South Australia border in a little-used place (and thereby circumventing the agricultural checkpoint – not like I have any fresh fruit or vegetables anyway).
Today's ride isn't very impressive at just 42.8 mi / 68.8 km, but I got a late start and stopped to hang out in the cleverly named Bordertown for a bit (because more rain).
It won't be long before I hit Adelaide – the last bastion of civilization before heading north past Port Augusta and into the Outback.
- START: Serviceton, Victoria
- END: Keith, South Australia
- DAY'S DISTANCE: 42.8 mi / 68.8 km
- TOTAL DISTANCE: 353.8 mi / 569.2 km
If you’re heading through Kingston just near Keith, don’t be surprised if you stumble across a rather large lobster in the middle of the road!
I missed the Giant Lobster just barely. I guess I need to go back…
Peddling adventures always have two paths to chose.
Hey, thinking of swinging by the marvellous Blue Lake or Mt Gambier Sink Hole – they’re both pretty sweet too!
Thanks for the tip!
I bought heavier “armadillo” tires that had Kevlar or something in the and they never got holes anymore. I loved them, totally worth a heavier tire. Also, make sure you have good pressure on them (particularly the rear where the weight is) so you don’t get “pinch flats” which happen when you have a bunch of weight and go over a bump and bottom-out the tire and pinch a hole in it. (You may know this…but just in case)
-GoalTech
I’m not worried about weight so I will check out the armadillo tires. I’m more impressed with flat-resistance than tread – unlike the me at the beginning of this trip.
Oops…meant to post this on your flat tire entry. 🙂