Manjimup to Greenbushes 2002

Manjimup to Greenbushes, day 6, Monday 21 October 2002. I left Manjimup at 9:17. The wind was still a northwesterly headwind, moderate but freshening. The road from Manjimup to Bridgetown is quite moderate in its hills and I got along all right. I rested at 1315, passed Mersea Road, where I had sheltered from that hailstorm in 1998, and got to Bridgetown at 11:24, 1333. As often before I sat on the wooden seat in Steere Street, had a drink from the nearby shop and thought about where I had been and where I was going, and how I felt about going on. I took a picture of the spot.

Greenbushes Post Office

I got going again at 12:02, climbed Hester’s Hill for a while then just got off and walked to the summit. I was to do this quite a lot on the hilly road ahead which doesn’t give any relief till you get to Kirup, when it is mostly downhill to Donnybrook. I no longer believe I have to pedal up every hill no matter how hard – I have pedalled up them all over the years and there is nothing left to prove. Better to slow down and be more comfortable.

I rushed down the other side of Hester’s for 2km till I reached the bridge, when the climb starts again, past the pine forest. I walked up a lot of that too. I rushed down the other side and found that I was 11 km from Bridgetown, so that is the point at which these two hills start.

I reached the turn-off to Greenbushes at 1349, pushing hard up what I thought was the last hill before an easy run into the town, only to find that the road into the town twisted up yet another hill, so I walked up that too. I rolled to a stop in front of the Exchange hotel at Greenbushes at 1351, 1:25.

The Exchange hotel has changed its arrangements, but you can still get the unit and a reasonable dinner and light breakfast for $57.90. The dinner used to be a full three-course meal served in the tiny dining room, but this is now part of the kitchen and you must now use the old dining room refurbished as `Stinson’s Restaurant’ and must pay separately for each course. I just had the beef curry for dinner.

The unit was nice enough, though not spacious, and the outside was suffering from exposure to the weather – flaking paint, peeling wood veneer and rusted locks. As a favour to the hotel I oiled my lock before I left.

Later I took a walk around the town and went up the hill from the hotel to find the start of a 15 km walk trail. I walked along some of it, and was just coming back onto the road when I saw another orchid. It was different from any I had seen before and I haven’t been able to identify it in the reference provided by Kings Park. It had dull (not bright) yellow-and-purple petals and two slender green petals that hung down from the main flower and crossed over in an elegant way. I suppose you could call it the Dietrich orchid after that actress who used to cross her legs in an elegant way.

I made some `phone calls. I tried to book the Donnybrook Motel as usual but they were fully booked. Don’t know why. I was most disappointed because this is one of the nicer motels and I was looking forward to a dip in the pool and a nice relaxing time. I had to book the old Donnybrook Hotel, one of the traditional hotels in the centre of town opposite the train station. I expected it to be a rathole and it was. But more of that later.

The usual lazy evening followed. I fixed the TV antenna which was loose, causing loss of picture. Not that there was much to watch.

Reading at Greenbushes: 1351. day’s ride: 54 km. Aggregate: 344. Km/day: 57. Kph to Greenbushes: 13.1.

Manjimup to Greenbushes 2002

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