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Journal: |
I got up at midnight, feeling very tired and somewhat dreading
the day ahead, although also a bit excited. This leg of the
trip was a journey into the unknown. I hadn’t been up this
road (Tablelands Highway) before and both Eugen and Erik, the
previous and current record holders had chosen not to go this way,
presumably because it was a bit unknown and remote. Anyway, I
left shortly before 1am, farewelled by two young guys from a nearby
motel room who were having a quiet smoke before retiring after a
long night in the Roadhouse bar. One of them was genuinely
interested and envious and came to have a good look at the bike.
The narrow strip of bitumen headed north into the darkness
under the usual brilliantly starlit skies. You cannot beat the
Australian outback for night skies. There as a slight
following breeze and it was cool but not cold. To my relief
the road surface seemed fine and I made good time. The total
distance to be covered, according to the road sign was 378km, with
rest areas at approximately 150km and 290km. I decided to make
these my breakfast and lunch stops and to have short breaks every
50km, which worked well.
I did not see another vehicle until
around 7:00am and the only sign of life I saw before then were the
distant lights of a cattle station and a couple of winking lights
from high-flying aircraft. As the sun rose, the countryside
was revealed to be mostly dry grass prairie with some trees and
occasional cattle and kangaroos. I reached my target breakfast
stop to find a number of caravanners getting ready to leave for the
day. One couple immediately offered me a cup of coffee which I
gratefully accepted and we chatted while I ate one of the sandwiches
I had bought the previous night at the roadhouse.
Then it
was onwards across the Barkly tablelands with the terrain gradually
becoming more undulating and varying from timbered scrub to vast
treeless plains. Traffic was extremely light, maybe two
vehicles an hour, and I enjoyed the scenery aided by a strengthening
tailwind.
Towards the northern end of the Tablelands the
road crossed a few low forested ridges with some rocky outcrops and
then, as it neared Cape Crawford, followed a picturesque river gorge
that included some spectacular red rocky cliffs. In this area
I came around a corner to find a very big tiger snake thrashing
around on the road with its back broken, presumably by a car which
had just passed going in the opposite direction.
The
Roadhouse at Cape Crawford is primarily aimed at tourists and had a
nice shaded and grassy campground which also house three helicopters
used for scenic flights in the local area.
I arrived at 6pm,
having had a successful and pleasant, if tiring day, obtained a
basic cabin for the night and enjoyed a chicken schnitzel dinner in
the dining room before getting an early night.
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