Monday – Southern Cross, Western Australia

It was not an early start for the day as I needed to pack things properly, which I had never had a chance to do before I left. So, rearranging as I went, I finally managed to get it the way I think I wanted it and was ready to go late morning. There were not many of us left now and the weather was still a bit iffy, rain would be a big problem if I was stuck in the dirt so hopefully it would stay away!

A bit up the road I actually saw my first live kangaroo since landing in Australia and I have covered just under 5000km. One was on this side of the fence but took off when I went back, the rest of the mob are in picture centre behind the fence!

I got to a small town called Borden, I like what they had done to the old power poles 🙂

A few more things I liked on the way north, the riding of course, but there were some big magnificent Salmon Gums, and some nice views over the salt lakes.

I found a bit of dirt before arriving in Hyden, the town that is close to Wave Rock.

I had been here on my trip around and had no need to see the rock again, but if you missed it, lookie here What they did have in the main street was a display of caricatures of the history of the town, and as I missed it last time, I spent half an hour and had a decko, and took a few photos as well, there are a lot of info boards, so if you get bored, skip a bit 😉

After this it was back on the road, now I was looking for a specific road I missed last time, a dirt one, but I did not have a real good map, so I guessed and in the end went the wrong way, but I found dirt 🙂

The roads were pretty well maintained, just a few slippery bits, but it gave me a chance to learn this bike with the extra load and the ABS brakes. The directions were pretty good for the most part and although I had missed the road I wanted, I still managed to get some practice in on the way to Southern Cross. Some bits were a bit tricky, especially the sand and the dust when I was passed by a few school buses, I was taking it easy 🙂

A few hours later I managed to find the pavement again and the main water pipeline that supplies the gold fields and once in the town of Southern Cross, late in the afternoon, I found a cheapish pub with rooms and grabbed one of them.

I had a great pub meal, a few beers and watched a bit of cricket, before a shower and bed. I did not need an early start, Derek had sent me a text saying I was booked in at a place in Kalgoorlie, a few hours up the road, but if I got there early enough I reckon I could find a sports store to fix my hand grip, find a bank to get cash as I was not sure if the desert had ATMs or swipe facilities and I could spend some time in the public library and do an update or two, maybe 😉

Day –606 km and 377 miles
Trip –5,071 km and 3,151 miles