Day 5: Margaret River to Pemberton

We have found a few back roads for the riders to take today. The scenery is just magnificent even if we are all cold. The days eventually warm up after morning tea but if the wind picks up then it has a fair bit of chill in it. Dennis told us today that he is rethinking his choice of ride because of the cold and he is worried that it may rain soon. I have reassured him that he can get in the car if it rains and told him not to make any brash decisions. We've had 1 day of rain all the way around so hopefully our good luck continues.

All of us got into Pemberton by 3.30/4 pm. Jacquei and Fran were struggling on the last section as the hills got higher and longer and thought about calling it quits but they kept going. Fran was pretty well shattered so he took a bunk room and shared with Adam ( a polish cyclist that we ran into at lunchtime). Everyone had struggled and they were all tired. 

Doug likes to study the maps and he continually comes up with a new route, so he and Collis spend alot of time discussing our daily distance and travelling times. Tomorrows route has been changed so that we have less kms and hopefully not as many hills.

Day 4: Bunbury to Margaret River

Starting time was again around 8 am and everyone in pretty good spirits even after the theft. Peter was in the car with Collis until we get to Brusselton and then he will buy his new bike. In the meantime the countryside is just wonderful. There is no sign of any droughts here.

Poor old Jim had an upset tummy last night and is feeling a bit weak today. His tummy seems to have settled down but now he's trying to stabilise his electrolytes. 

Margaret River camping ground was really nice. Peter got in late but he is thrilled with his new bike. Doug and Di got picked up and taken out for dinner by some friends and the rest of us went into town for dinner.

Day 3: Bunbury Rest Day

Cold morning again this morning with Norm informing us that it was 1 degree first thing. Message from Jacquei to let us know that Peter had had his $4000 Specialized bike stolen overnight. Unfortunately he had not locked it up like everyone else and someone has come along and knicked it. Understandably he was upset but quite philosophical about it. We took him to the police station to report it.

Later in the day Norm and Collis visited the local radio station to have it announced and informed the cash converters to keep an eye out for it. I put out a thing on FB and checked Ebay. No luck. In the meantime Peter went out to buy a new bike as he does not want to forfeit his ride. The bike he wants is available in Busselton which we will pass through tomorrow.

The group were keeping themselves busy but a few spent quite a bit of time at an establishment by the name of MASH. Sheila and Norm took Collis and I out for breakfast, then we met their son and some of his family before we were taken to Gnomesville. Unbelievable. Very difficult to describe but thousands and thousands of gnomes in this very large bushland setting.

Lovely day and we would like to again thank Sheila and Norm for all their help, support and hospitality not only on this ride but all the rides Sheila has joined us on as well.

Day 2: Mandurah to Bunbury

Well the first night in the tents went quite well for most. Not sure Sheila and Norm would have had a good night as they slept in the back of their ute but Sheila didn’t want the back down so poor old Norm couldn’t stretch out his legs throughout the night. It was a really cold morning this morning but we will have to get used to them as this is what we will be having most of the way.

Everybody was up, tents down and on their bikes by around 8.15 am which wasn’t bad as we are aiming for 8 am starts on this leg.Collis and I are back into the packing up routine after such a small group last leg but we have found we can fit just about all luggage into the trailer. This group have been very good with their luggage limits. With this as the case then we don’t have to strip our bed and roll it up each morning- we make the bed and then fold it in half. So much easier.

Doug and Di were the first bro head out this morning as I don’t think Doug is wanting a repeat of Di getting lost again too soon. Doug and Di both fell off their bikes just over a week ago and Di is still suffering from her injuries. She is finding it easier to ride the bike than it is to walk. I will have to keep an eye on her though- she is trying to hide her pain at the moment.

Beautiful day fro riding again. Crisp clear morning leading into a mild sunny afternoon. Our stop today was at Bunnigup Beach which was just absolutely superb. It was very popular with the tourists and there were even people out there swimming and paddle boarding. We could see Bunbury in the distance.

We arrived early afternoon in Bunbury and Sheila led them in. Nice looking caravan park but they have put us against the fence near the road, so it wasn’t the greatest spot but close to the camp kitchen and the ablutions block. Collis and I did a BBQ for the riders and Sheila & Norm before leaving the group and staying the night at Sheila’s home.

Leg 6 Day 1: Perth to Mandurah

Up early to meet the new group at the Jetty. We are meeting up with Sheila and Norm as Sheila will be leading the group to Bunbury or as far as she can manage. We have two return riders on this group - Jacquei (Swiss living in Brisbane) who has ridden Cairns to Darwin, Darwin to Broome and Broome to Perth and then there is Jim (Kiwi) who has done Perth to Melbourne (the short way) and then the Murray Ride. Also along with these two we have five brand new riders, Doug & Di from Tassie, Fran from Scotland, Peter from NSW and Dennis from Melbourne. It is a beautiful crisp Perth morning without a cloud in the sky and everyone seems to be in good spirits and looking forward to the trip ahead.

We leave right on time at 8 am with Collis and Sheila leading them down the bike path beside the Kwinana Freeway. Collis just rode out to the start of the path to make sure they got on the right path then he rode back because we both have to drive cars on this trip and I have found that I have the worst sense of direction and couldn't find my way out of a brown paper bag let alone find my way out of Perth. In the end we both had to follow Norm. It was like old times.

The next two days are dedicated to Sheila. Sheila has done 4 rides with us in the past but has had some major health issues over the last couple of years and has not been able to participate even though she has been very keen to do so. Today is Sheila's 75 th birthday.

Morning tea was at the Hungry Jacks at Boldivis where the group came in off the path mostly still together. Doug, Peter and Dennis were in quite a bit before the others. We're already able to work out the gun riders.

Lunch was at the end of the day at Mandurah Bakehouse. Everyone managed to get lost but the girls disappeared. They were on the correct road but going in the wrong direction so Collis went out and got them. They were a bit embarrassed but you have to expect it to happen on the first couple of days.

Everyone went into the IGA for a food shop and then we discovered a Woolworths further down the road. Jackie got a bit ripped off with her food shop. Peter discovered that he had forgotten to bring his tent. He had brought along everything else including the poles and pegs but no tent. Lucky we bought a spare tent.

Day 29: Guilderton to Perth

Our last day and everyone should be excited about arriving at our final destination. Unfortunately Jill and I had a confrontation this morning due to something I did say but  it had been taken totally out of the context in which it was stated. Unfortunately Jill was not in a mood to listen to my explanation and she left without any resolve.

This has put a real dampner on the day and the rain and two punctures did not help at all. Morning tea was at McDonalds and then Collis met them at the beginning of the bike path where they had 1/2 an hour to ride before the riders met up with Collis' mate Les Bonza who was going to lead them into Kings Park.

They all arrived around 1.30 pm- safe and sound.

Day 28: Port Dennison to Guilderton

Everybody said they would ride together today but that's not how it ended up. Jill took off very early with Jurgen and Gareth a fair way behind her. This is a bit unfortunate as Jill told us before she left that she wouldn't be going in to look at the Pinnacles. which will put her even further ahead of the other two.  Gareth is planning on going in but Jurgen has seen them before so he won't either as he is concerned of the distances already planned for today.

We got to the morning tea stop which was at the road into the Pinnacles and we see Jill just up ahead, so I chase her down, give her some fruit cake and water but she is determined to keep going stating it is too early to stop. She states she is planning on going into Lancerlin and buy herself some lunch. She told me not to worry about her as she had plenty of supplies. Gareth and Jurgen had morning tea together before Gareth rode the extra 12 kms into the pinnacles and Jurgen just went on.

Now we have only three riders but they are spread out for miles down the road. We catch Jill at the 92 km mark (if she had gone into the Pinnacles that is) but she wants to go on another 10 kms as according to her mileage she is only at 80 kms. There was some confusion and we couldn't work out what she was saying because we didn't realise she did not know that todays mileage included the extra 12 kms into the Pinnacles. This confusion was not sorted until the end of the day. Anyway Collis stopped at 97 km mark which was another 5 kms down the road. Still more confusion from Jill and she did not appear happy. She was still stating she was going to ride into Lancerlin so don't worry about her for the refreshment stop.

When she left I went back to tell the boys that there has been a change in the stop for lunch but I missed Jurgen as he was just about there so I just went and told Gareth. There is even a bigger gap between everyone now. The rain started just after lunch and Collis stayed with Gareth while I went ahead to catch Jurgen for the drinks stop. The rain was still pretty steady so Jurgen chose to not stop. Collis arrived and I get a text from Jill stating she had been at Guilderton for 1/2 an hour and wanting to know where we are. I texted her back and said we should be there in about another half hour. The rain had stopped but we decided Collis should go ahead and that I would wait for Gareth. Just as we were arranging this, Gareth turns up and decides he will just rest for a bit but wouldn't need any drinks. So Collis and I went together onto Guilderton. By the time we arrived, Jill and Jurgen were at the cafe having something to eat.

Unfortunately we find that the pub is not open on a Monday or Tuesday and we will have trouble finding anywhere to get a meal. Collis and I are OK but not sure about the riders. They can get a take away meal if they buy before 5.30 pm. Jill and Jurgen aren't very happy with any of this information.