2nd May 2025

Wandering around my tent something didn’t feel right. I inspected the soles of my shoes only to discover several three corner Jacks well embedded. These bloody things are everywhere. I inverted the bike and thoroughly inspected the tyres. Only one offensive prickle and thankfully it wasn’t well set. Needless to say, I placed a tarp on the ground giving the bike a bed for the night. Even then I panicked a bit and checked the air pressures every couple of hours until sleep came a calling.

Red hue becoming more prevalent

Up at dawn. Autumn is definitely here with the temperature dropping to around three degrees again. I carried the bike out onto the road and loaded it up there, then set off towards Laura. As the campsite caretaker had warned me, the first twelve kilometres were all up hill… great!

Georgetown General Store

By the time I got to Georgetown I was ready for a break. Nothing in Georgetown except a very traditional General Store. Stuff was all over the place. Even a Christmas tree and decorations in the display window. It had a nice feel about it. The lady there sold me a coffee and meat pie and told me she had been running it seven days a week for two years and had just decided to only open six days a week. Anyway, she seemed happy enough.

Gladstone Coffee Stop

On to Gladstone, where there was a nice pub that invited me in for a coffee. Sitting outside, I watched the Indian Pacific train pass through on its way to Sydney, and no doubt the passengers, comfortable in repose, spotted the old man and his bike and thought, how lucky are we…

Nice town Laura, and home to an ice cream factory. (Golden North) I had an ice cream for afternoon tea.

Not too much to say about Laura. All the towns in this area are old, and dry, and starting to look and feel the same. Next stop Melrose, though I will have a strong northerly to contend with for the next few days. Wind and heat.😒😒