Margaret River to Cape Leeuwin 1997

Margaret River to Cape Leeuwin, day 3, Friday 24 October 1997.

THE SMALL MIRACLE OF MAMMOTH CAVE

The morning was cool with a light SE wind. I left the motel at 7:48 but wasted time and distance by missing the obvious road, Forrest Road (because I thought it was Wallcliffe Road, but that doesn’t become its name until further down) that I wanted and having to go back. I turned into Forrest Road, then left into Station Road, thence into Clarke Road and Boojidup Road which joins Caves Road. Actually it would have been quicker to go straight down the Bussell Highway and turn right into Boojidup Road, but that option didn’t exist when I first used the Boojidup Road to get to the caves.

I intended to look at Mammoth Cave and wanted to get there in plenty of time for the 9:30 tour. I had come down a particularly steep hill at high speed and wasn’t quick and smooth enough changing gears to go up the equally steep climb after the dip. I heard the tell-tale snap of a spoke breaking. I looked down and the back wheel was wibbling as it does when the breakage of a spoke puts it out of true.

This threatened to become a nuisance because I was some way from Augusta and couldn’t be sure that I could find there the one thing I don’t carry on these rides – a piece of heavy pipe to apply leverage to the spanner, to get the cluster off. I didn’t know if the broken spoke was on the cluster side but they usually are. The longer I rode with one broken spoke the more likely it became that others would break because of the stress.

A few kilometres later I reached Mammoth Cave, 8:48, 3981, and checked the spoke. It was on the cluster side. But as I approached the cave I found that they were doing structural work on and inside the front entrance, as a result of which some lengths of pipe were lying about, exactly the right size for the leverage I wanted. This was the small miracle.

Every time I have broken a spoke on a ride I have managed to get hold of a piece of pipe, which I only need for five seconds. One day my luck will run out. I could break a spoke way out in empty country, ride on, break some more and become immobilised with no help within reach. I will have to come up with a better answer to this problem, that would relieve me of having to carry the heavy big spanner.

The building work at the cave obliged the touring party to enter it through the back way, which meant going up a steep path then down many stairs into a big hole in the ground, showing evidence that it is a collapsed portion of the original cave, as with Lake Cave. On the way up to the back entrance I saw many broad-petalled pink orchids. I didn’t remember the last tour I did of Mammoth Cave but it seemed that there was more of it available for tours, and I enjoyed going in the back way.

After the tour I got the spoke fixed in about ten minutes, reinflated the tyre and had a drink while I waited to see if it would go down again – wrenching the tyre and tube away from the rim can damage the tube if care is not taken. It stayed hard so I got going again at 10:34, counting the kilometres rather anxiously at first but later more relaxed as nothing else went wrong with the bike. Nothing else went wrong for the entire trip. I didn’t even need to pump the tyres.

Light drizzle fell as I left the cave and persisted much of the way to Augusta, turning into quite a heavy shower as I approached the town.

I rested at 3999, turned up Bushby Road to get to the Bussell Highway and arrived in Augusta at 12:53, 4019. When they saw that I was on a bicycle they changed my unit to a ground floor one, No. 44. It was on the other side of the road, in a big new area of two storey blocks of units. I sheltered until the rain stopped, then went over to my unit. It was much nicer than the Margaret River one at two thirds of the price. As always, I felt very happy to be in Augusta. I went to shop and get lunch, then rested.

Relieved of luggage I set off for Matthew Flinders lookout and Cape Leeuwin. There were six kilometres from the motel to the lookout, then 2.2 km from there to the lighthouse. I went all the way to the lighthouse entrance, to find that it was open for tours, but not after 4 pm. I hadn’t planned to tour it anyway but it would be a nice thing to do some time. I enjoyed the view and the scenery and walked down to the sea and back, over big granite rocks that go right down into the water.

On the way back I had my usual swim where two oceans meet, at the signposted recreation area 3.5 km from the motel, not at the signposted Flinders Bay Caravan Park. Got back, showered and changed and went for a walk to look at the view over the river. I had chicken and chips and a cheese sausage for tea. Should have had the fresh fish and squid rings as in 1992.

Reading at Augusta: 4036 km. Day’s ride: 71. Aggregate: 236 km. km/day 79. kph, Mammoth Cave to Augusta: 17.7.

Charles A. Pierce

Other Days on this Tour:

1. Cottesloe to Cape Leeuwin Tour 1997
2. Cottesloe to Bunbury 1997
3. Bunbury to Dunsborough 1997
4. Dunsborough to Margaret River 1997
5. Margaret River to Cape Leeuwin 1997 (This post)
6. Augusta to Margaret River 1997
7. Margaret River to Busselton 1997
8. Busselton to Bunbury 1997
9. Bunbury to Mandurah 1997
10. Mandurah to Cottesloe 1997

Places Mentioned in this Post:

Related posts:

1. Margaret River to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin 1992
2. Margaret River to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin 1988
3. Augusta to Cape Leeuwin and Margaret River 1980
4. Margaret River to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin 2008
5. Augusta to Cape Leeuwin and Margaret River 1981

Tags: Augusta, Cape Leeuwin, Margaret River