Busselton to Bunbury 2008

Busselton to Bunbury, day 8, Monday 3 November 2008.

Bunbury main street

THE SMALL MIRACLE OF THE MOBILE PHONE

I left the motel at 9:50. I had hoped for a good SW wind to get me to Bunbury but the winds were W-NW. It was all right some of the way. As I came to the end of the Causeway and turned onto the main Bussell Highway I stopped briefly to adjust something and noticed what looked like a mobile phone in the sand on the side of the road just at the corner. I picked it up and it was indeed a mobile phone, a good Nokia with camera, and it appeared undamaged, but it was quite inactive. I had no charger for it so I put it in my bag and rode on.

Subsequently, after I got home, I was able to get it charged and put in my SIM card and I now have a brilliant new Nokia which takes pictures and videos. I have described in other ride stories how a Small Miracle occurs on some of these trips, giving me what I need.

I rested at 677 in the forest. I had put on some Aerogard that morning, remembering the mosquitoes on the way down. I stopped at Colroy’s in Capel as usual at 688, then left there at 12 noon.

There was a two-metre snake beside the road. As I approached he turned tail and slithered gracefully into the scrub and out of sight. This reminded me of a peculiarity I have noticed on these rides. Presumably the snake had been there for a while ignoring the motor traffic, but took alarm and decamped upon the approach of a cyclist. Cows and sheep carry on grazing without taking any notice of motor traffic, but when I come by, the cows all stop eating and stare at me, and the sheep run away.

As the road turned more north towards Bunbury, the wind was mostly across me and sometimes opposed me. I reached Centenary Avenue, Bunbury at 709, turned left into the strong wind, found Washington Avenue and followed that around into Ocean Drive. When I saw the sea it was very rough and the weather looked threatening.

I reached the Ocean Drive motel at 1:36. They checked me into Room 12, $85 for seniors, and gave me the key, but when I got in there it was full of someone else’s luggage and food. Looked like a couple of cyclists. I went back, she said oops, gave me the key to room 6, a larger room, at no extra charge. She told me that on Monday nights there was an all-you-can-eat carvery next door for $12.90. This seemed a good option for dinner.

Room 6 had a double bed and three singles and a large table, but there was nowhere much to hang anything and the ablutions were not spacious. I had a cup of tea and biscuits and a rest, which was disturbed by the arrival of a group of drunks in Unit 5 next door. They were to carry on intermittently until far into the night but I put something in my ears at night and they didn’t bother me. That’s Bunbury, I suppose.

I had to go to Coles and do a bit of shopping, also I had to put some bets on the next day’s Melbourne cup. It took me a while to find a TAB outlet. The phone book wasn’t helpful. I got that done and went back to my unit.

I had a decision to make in Bunbury. This had been looming since I started the way back on Saturday. Could I make the run up to Mandurah one more time? This was how the ride was supposed to work with the new Mandurah train, but I had decided in 2005 not to do that run again without a southerly buster to help me. Or should I try to get on the Australind for the next day and get back to Perth that way? Or set off up the south-western highway and stop at Yarloop or Harvey and fight on to Mandurah on Wednesday?

I suppose I had always known deep down what I would do, and anyway it was the option which gave me nothing to do in terms of ringing up and paying more money. I just had to leave my unit and start pedalling. I would try for Mandurah the next day. It looked like there would be dirty weather that night and by Tuesday I might get a strong SW to S wind. There might be rain if I took a couple of days to go up the South Western Highway too.

I really wanted to have a swim, although the sea was very rough with a strong wind. I scuttled out of my unit and across the road, to find that the steps down to the beach had been permanently barred off. I climbed through the bars and went down the steps and walked a little way north until I found a bit of water that didn’t seem to have any rocks in it. I walked in carefully until the water suddenly got deeper. There was a strong undertow so I stepped back and was content to catch a wave that was coming in. It wooshed me up the beach with great force. I did this a dozen more times until I felt refreshed and satisfied and a bit cold, then I came out, scuttled shivering back up the steps and across the road and back into my unit.

I turned on the air-con and had my shower and did my washing. There was nowhere to hang anything so I came out of the unit and went down the end to look for the way to the back of the block of units, where there used to be a rotary hoist. I had to open a locked door to get around there, it was difficult with the wind blowing the door. I did find a folding rack so I grabbed it and went back through the door. I lost control of the door and the wind slammed it shut with a loud bang. I was trying to be furtive.

I hung stuff on the rack and around the unit and hoped the air-con would dry it. Now it was time to get dinner.

Heavy showers were now rolling in off the stormy sea as I went to the carvery. The wind made it hard to open the door to get in and out. The meal was most enjoyable, roast pork with crackling, roast beef and all the vegies. Lots of bogans were there enjoying the cheap feed. Quite a Monday institution.

After that I settled in for a leisurely evening as the storm raged outside, hoping for a clear day and a tailwind in the morning.

Reading at Bunbury, end of day: 723 km. Day’s ride: 61 km. Aggregate: 466 km. Km/day: 58.

Busselton to Bunbury 2008

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