I knew it was going to be another long haul from Miles to Taroom so I made an early start. As I moved further north there was more light and yes folks it’s true, it’s warmer!

The ride had everything today: Overcast condition through hilly bushland, long flat stretches in the building warmth of the afternoon, a highway that was more like a goat track in parts that required concentration, catching my breath at the top of a long climb a truck driver called to me “Watch the descent mate, there’s no shoulder and she’s pretty steep!”

Just outside of Gulgubya, a small hamlet Bob had a conniption, shedding a locking pin, and the right-hand arm came off the skewer, in other words- My trailer broke.

Stranded, with no verge or shoulder I had to unhinge Bob, take off the panniers then think about making my way back to a safe area to pull off the road.  At that very moment, a bright green ute came speeding to a halt and outhopped Jo who promptly piled my gear into her ute and drove it back to the rest stop while I rode back. I had a spare pin and with a little roadside mechanics, I was all good to go within 10 minutes.

Jo and I chatted while I worked. She was a country lady who always stopped to help others. Jo was on the way to her shift at the BP service station in Wandoan about 20 km up the road. She also wore green pants “I just love the color green.” after saying goodbye to Jo I cycled for a while then.

Stopped amongst the bottle trees alongside Wandoan Cemetery for a quick break, you can always get fresh water at a Cemetery where I  was struck by the graves of 4 children all lost on the same day 50 years ago, was it fire? A car crash? I felt the melancholy of the moment and sympathy for a family I never knew.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted what turned out to be an abandoned farmhouse, so went off-road and did a little exploring. Again, I felt the stillness and the melancholy for a lost time I never knew

Rolling into Taroom I see the Ludwig Leichhardt tree, where the explorer carved his mark back in 1844. I wonder what else he left his mark on? No monuments here to the Indigenous people

 I got sunburnt today!