Australia Day!
Norseman
Today is Australia Day, something like St. Patricks Day to the Irish, nowhere near as good obviously. I got into Norseman in the early morning to find the Information centre was open. I grabbed a map of the rest area and facilities along the Nullarbor and a quick shower too. There was a BBQ going on beside the info centre and I got a hot dog before hitting the road east.
From Norseman it is 1300km to Ceduna. Along the way are lots of roadhouses but nothing that you would even begin to call a town or village. The longest gaps between roudhouses are around the 190km mark so it is nowhere near as bad a the Kimberley or Pilbara. I still left Kalgoorlie with enough food for 10 days at a stretch. As long as I can get a loaf of bread or two on the way I’ll be good. Also even though the temperature out here will be around the 45 degree mark I’ve cut my water to 13 litres. That should be enough for 2 days, even in the intense heat I don;t sweat as much because there is no humidity thankfully.
I knew before starting that it was going to be a tough ride across the Nullarbor but the reality could be much worse. The wind the first morning was pretty strong and hot. It felt like a hair dryer right in my face all day. As the day wore on it was getting stronger too. Still it is good to be getting into it now, I’ve been looking forward to going across here for a while. About 50km out of Norseman I met an Austrian guy heading west. He told me that he passed 7 people on the road before me so it’s kind of busy out here! There is one Japanese guy up the road about 40km ahead and the next nearest after that is 2 days. I don’t really want to ride with anyone out here though so I’m hoping this Japanese guy is really strong and rides away from me.